Psalm 150:1-6
Let Everything That Has Breath Praise
1Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
2Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him for His excellent greatness.
3Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre.
4Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
5Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!
Berean Standard Bible
The final psalm begins with praise in God's sanctuary and under the expanse of His power. God is praised for His mighty acts and surpassing greatness. The reason for praise is both what God has done and who He is.
Every instrument joins the sound: trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, strings, flute, and resounding cymbals. The variety matters. Praise is not restricted to one sound or one kind of person; the whole gathered community brings what it has.
The final command is as broad as possible: let everything that has breath praise the LORD. The book closes not by denying the laments that came before but by giving the last word to praise. Breath itself is received as a reason to turn toward God.
Questions
1 Where should God be praised?
AnswerHe should be praised in His sanctuary and under the expanse of His power.
2 Why should He be praised?
AnswerHe should be praised for His mighty acts and surpassing greatness.
3 What instruments are named?
AnswerTrumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, strings, flute, and cymbals are named.
4 Who should praise?
AnswerEverything that has breath should praise the LORD.
What This Means for Us
The final praise does not erase the book's sorrow. It gathers sorrow, rescue, justice, wonder, and waiting into a larger response.
Make room for many voices and instruments. Praise is healthiest when it welcomes different gifts and remembers that every breath is received, not self-created.
Prayer
LORD, receive the praise of every living breath. Gather the joyful and grieving, the skilled and unpracticed, and teach us to praise You without erasing the laments that brought us here. Amen.