Today's verse of Psalm 150 is the final line of the psalter, and reiterates the universal call to praise God.
St John Chrysostom interprets the final verse of the psalter as a call to the worship of God with both mind and body:
5b
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V
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omnis
spíritus laudet Dóminum
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NV
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omne quod spirat, laudet Dominum.
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JH
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Omne quod spirat laudet Dominum.
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πᾶσα πνοὴ αἰνεσάτω τὸν κύριον αλληλουια |
spiritus,
us, m. the
breath; the wind; the breath of life, vital spirit; the soul; disposition; Divine
assistance, grace; anything that breathes, a living creature; as a
symbol of swiftness.
DR
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Let every spirit praise
the Lord.
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Brenton
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Let every thing that has
breath praise the Lord.
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MD
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let every living creature
praise the Lord!
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RSV
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Let everything that
breathes praise the LORD!
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Cover
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Let everything that hath breath praise the
Lord.
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St John Chrysostom interprets the final verse of the psalter as a call to the worship of God with both mind and body:
"Let every living thing praise the Lord (another,
"breathing thing"). He activates all the instruments, and urges music
to be offered on them all, inflaming and stirring up their mind. So just as he
urges the Jews to praise God with all the instruments, so he urges us to do so
with all our bodily parts - eye, tongue, hearing, hand. As Paul likewise
indicated as well in the words, "Present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your reasonable worship."
An eye
praises, you see, when its gaze is under control; a tongue when it sings;
hearing when it does not admit wicked tunes or slander of the neighbor;
thinking when it does not hatch plots but abounds with love; feet when they run
not after wickedness but to administration of good works; hands when they reach
out not to robbery and greed and violence but to almsgiving and defence of the
wronged. Then it is that a person becomes a tuneful lyre, offering to God a
kind of harmonious and spiritual melody.
Those instruments were entrusted to
them at that time for that reason, on account of their frailty and to temper
their spirits
in line with love and harmony, and to stir up their minds to perform with
satisfaction what contributed to their welfare, and were intended to lead them
to great zeal through such persuasion. To cope with their sluggishness,
indifference and despondency, God planned to awaken them by this device,
injecting the sweetness of music into the stiffness of their resistance....
Let us, therefore, praise God
unceasingly, not failing to give thanks for everything, in both word and deed.
This, you see, is our sacrifice and offering, this the finest worship,
resembling the life of angels.
If we persevere in praising God in this way, we
shall acquit ourselves of a life free of reproach and enjoy the future goods.
May it be the good fortune of us all to attain this, thanks to the grace and
lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy
Spirit be glory, power and honor, now and forever, and for ages of ages. Amen."
Psalm
150: Laudate Dominum
Vulgate
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Douay-Rheims
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Alleluja.
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Alleluia
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Laudáte Dóminum
in sanctis ejus: * laudáte eum in firmaménto virtútis ejus.
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Praise the Lord
in his holy places: praise him in the firmament of his power.
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2 Laudáte eum in virtútibus ejus: * laudáte eum secúndum
multitúdinem magnitúdinis ejus.
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2 Praise him for his mighty
acts: praise him according to the multitude of his greatness.
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3 Laudáte eum in sono tubæ: * laudáte eum in psaltério,
et cíthara.
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3 Praise him with the sound of
trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
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4 Laudáte eum in tympano, et choro: * laudáte eum in
chordis, et órgano
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4 Praise him with timbrel and
choir: praise him with strings and organs.
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5 Laudáte eum in cymbalis benesonántibus: laudáte eum in
cymbalis jubilatiónis: * omnis spíritus laudet Dóminum.
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5 Praise him on high sounding
cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: 6 Let
every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia
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