HALLELUJAH!
Offered as our response to the first reading, Peter’s vision of a sheet coming down from heaven with four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air, Psalm 148 mentions sea monsters and all deep creatures, wild beasts and all cattle, creeping things and winged birds as it calls all creation to praise the Lord. It’s one of the last five psalms in the protestant Bible canon (from the Septuagint, the Catholic Bible has 151 psalms), that are called “the hallels” because they begin and end with “Hallelujah!” - - which means - - “hallelu” is praise - - and “jah” is a name for God - - as in YHWH or Yahweh.
I’d never heard, looked at, or much thought about the Hebrew for Psalm 148, but it occurred to me that every Time we read “praise the Lord” the Hebrew would say “hallelujah” instead, and the psalm would actually be filled with “hallelujahs,” so I checked it out. Sure enough, the Hebrew resounds with “hallelujah” and so would the English if we rendered a more literal translation.
So, below is the BCP translation that we’ll read this coming Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C. Following that is a Hebrew version I lifted from BibleGateway.com. Below that is a link to the psalm’s being read in Hebrew, from the Mechon-Mamre website online.
Psalm 148
Laudate Dominum
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens; * praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all you angels of his; * praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; *
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, heaven of heavens, *
and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the Lord; * for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He made them stand fast for ever and ever; * he gave them a law which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, *
you sea-monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, *
tempestuous wind, doing his will;
9 Mountains and all hills, *
fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Wild beasts and all cattle, *
creeping things and winged birds;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, * princes and all rulers of the world;
12 Young men and maidens, * old and young together.
13 Let them praise the Name of the Lord, * for his Name only is exalted,
his splendor is over earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants, * the children of Israel, a people who are near him.
Hallelujah!
148 הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ׀ הַֽלְל֣וּ אֶת־יְ֭הוָה מִן־הַשָּׁמַ֑יִם הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בַּמְּרוֹמִֽים׃
2 הַֽלְל֥וּהוּ כָל־מַלְאָכָ֑יו הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ ׳כָּל־צְבָאוֹ׳ ״כָּל־צְבָאָֽיו׃״
3 הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ וְיָרֵ֑חַ הַ֝לְל֗וּהוּ כָּל־כּ֥וֹכְבֵי אֽוֹר׃
4 הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ שְׁמֵ֣י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְ֝הַמַּ֗יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ מֵעַ֬ל הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
5 יְֽ֭הַֽלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֣ם יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֤י ה֭וּא צִוָּ֣ה וְנִבְרָֽאוּ׃
6 וַיַּעֲמִידֵ֣ם לָעַ֣ד לְעוֹלָ֑ם חָק־נָ֝תַ֗ן וְלֹ֣א יַעֲבֽוֹר׃
7 הַֽלְל֣וּ אֶת־יְ֭הוָה מִן־הָאָ֑רֶץ תַּ֝נִּינִ֗ים וְכָל־תְּהֹמֽוֹת׃
8 אֵ֣שׁ וּ֭בָרָד שֶׁ֣לֶג וְקִיט֑וֹר ר֥וּחַ סְ֝עָרָ֗ה עֹשָׂ֥ה דְבָרֽוֹ׃
9 הֶהָרִ֥ים וְכָל־גְּבָע֑וֹת עֵ֥ץ פְּ֝רִ֗י וְכָל־אֲרָזִֽים׃
10 הַֽחַיָּ֥ה וְכָל־בְּהֵמָ֑ה רֶ֝֗מֶשׂ וְצִפּ֥וֹר כָּנָֽף׃
11 מַלְכֵי־אֶ֭רֶץ וְכָל־לְאֻמִּ֑ים שָׂ֝רִ֗ים וְכָל־שֹׁ֥פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ׃
12 בַּחוּרִ֥ים וְגַם־בְּתוּל֑וֹת זְ֝קֵנִ֗ים עִם־נְעָרִֽים׃
13 יְהַלְל֤וּ׀ אֶת־שֵׁ֬ם יְהוָ֗ה כִּֽי־נִשְׂגָּ֣ב שְׁמ֣וֹ לְבַדּ֑וֹ ה֝וֹד֗וֹ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ וְשָׁמָֽיִם׃
14 וַיָּ֤רֶם קֶ֨רֶן׀ לְעַמּ֡וֹ תְּהִלָּ֤ה לְֽכָל־חֲסִידָ֗יו לִבְנֵ֣י יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל עַֽם־קְרֹב֗וֹ הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃
https://mechon-mamre.org/mp3/t26e8.mp3
art pinched online, three artist's visualizations of Psalm 148