Psalm 148: verses 7-10

Having spoken of God as creator, the next set of verses of Psalm 148 call on the various parts of creation to praise him.  Each of these verses should be read both literally and allegorically.

7	V//NV/JH	Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.
		αἰνεῖτε τὸν κύριον ἐκ τῆς γῆς δράκοντες καὶ πᾶσαι ἄβυσσοι

Most of the modern translations take the view that dracones here probably means sea monsters given the second phrase (cf Gen 1:6, 21); Haydock suggests as an alternative whales, but the older commentaries take the word literally as dragons.

draco, onis, m., a dragon, by which is meant a great land or sea monster, a whale, crocodile, venomous serpent (Britt, Dictionary of the Psalter)

abyssus, i, the deep, i.e., the primitive chaos mentioned in Gen. 1,2; the depths of the sea

DR	Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
Brenton	Praise the Lord from the earth, ye serpents, and all deeps.
RSV	Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
Cover	Praise the Lord upon the earth, ye dragons and all deeps
Knox	Give praise to the Lord on earth, monsters of the sea and all its depths;

St Augustine discusses the praises of dragons:

"Let him then turn himself to things on earth too, since he has already spoken the praises of things in heaven. Praise ye the Lord from the earth Psalm. For wherewith began he before? Praise ye the Lord from heaven: and he went through things in heaven: now hear of things on earth. Abysses are depths of water: all the seas, and this atmosphere of clouds, pertain to the abyss… Dragons live about the water, come out from caverns, fly through the air; the air is set in motion by them: dragons are a huge kind of living creatures, greater there are not upon the earth. Therefore with them he begins, Dragons and all abysses. There are caves of hidden waters, whence springs and streams come forth: some come forth to flow over the earth, some flow secretly beneath; and all this kind, all this damp nature of waters, together with the sea and this lower air, are called abyss, or abysses, where dragons live and praise God. What? Think we that the dragons form choirs, and praise God? Far from it. But do ye, when you consider the dragons, regard the Maker of the dragon, the Creator of the dragon: then, when you admire the dragons, and say, Great is the Lord who made these, then the dragons praise God by your voices."

Cassiodorus draws out the allegorical meaning of the text further:

"Observe the order of the expressions. The first substance mentioned is that of creatures with feeling, the second is that of objects bereft of it, so that the Lord is to be praised in virtue of all created things. However, as we have said on the authority of the Fathers that this psalm is a hymn of the blessed to be sung when this world is transformed, we must inter­pret dragons and abysses here as abrasive and strong-minded characters who are converted in this world, and honoured by offering praises to the Lord in the native land to come."

  

8	V	Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:
	NV	ignis, grando, nix, fumus, spiritus procellarum, qui facit verbum eius,
	JH	ignis et grando, nix et glacies uentus, turbo, quae facitis sermonem eius :
		πῦρ χάλαζα χιών κρύσταλλος πνεῦμα καταιγίδος τὰ ποιοῦντα τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ

The NV’s funes (smoke) comes from the Hebrew MT – but given that it doesn’t really fit the list well, surely a corruption of the text?  Certainly St Jerome, trnalsating form the Hebrew text available in his day, made it glacies instead.

ignis, is, m. fire; lightning

grando, inis,, hail, a hailstorm

nix, nivis, snow.

spiritus, us, m.  breath;  wind;  breath of life, vital spirit; the soul; spirit, disposition; Divine assistance, grace

procella, ae,.a storm, tempest.

DR	Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word
Brenton	Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind; the things that perform his word
Cover	fire and hail, snow and vapours, wind and storm, fulfilling his word

This verse makes an important point, often rejected today, namely that God's providence includes 'natural' events (and the consequences of man's mismanagement of nature!), as Bellarmine comments:

"From the waters he passes to the air, where the fires exist; viz., lightning, thunderbolts, coruscations, as also hail, snow, ice, and the stormy winds, those furious winds that cause the storms and bring so much rain with them, all of which "fulfil his word;" that is, obey his commands, which last expression he adds with a view to let us see that all those accidents, that are looked upon by man as so many calamities, come from the hand of God, who makes use of them as so many instruments of his justice or of his mercy to punish the wicked or to deter the just from sin; and, therefore, that they do not come from chance, nor should they be called calamities but blessings, being the instruments of a good and gracious God."

Cassiordorus again also supplies an allegorical meaning for the verse:

"Fire, hail, snow and ice denote by the allegory previously mentioned men who in this world have passed from the wild conduct of extreme wickedness to the most tranquil enthusiasm of devotion. Note what finally fol­lows: Stormy winds which fulfil his word. Who are they who fulfil his word but those who have ceased to be storm-tossed and evil, and have deserved to attain the grace of confessing Him?"

9	V/NV	Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.
	JH	montes et omnes colles, lignum fructiferum et uniuersae cedri:
		τὰ ὄρη καὶ πάντες οἱ βουνοί ξύλα καρποφόρα καὶ πᾶσαι κέδροι

mons, montis, m., a mountain (mons sanctus = Zion)

collis, is, a hill.

lignum, i, n., a tree; fructifer, a, um , fruitful, fruit-bearing. ligna fructifera, fruit-bearing trees

DR	Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
Brenton	Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Cover	mountains and all hills; fruitful trees and all cedars;

This verse points us to the inanimate world.  Cassiodorus on the allegorical meaning here:

"Mountains denotes men raised high with swollen power, hills, moderate men who handle affairs evenly, fruitful trees, those converted from the hardness of sins who have brought forth most sweet fruits of good manners. Cedars denotes totally arrogant and proud people; beasts, the cruel and unrestrained; all cattle, the common, boundless crowd; serpents, the poisonous and crafty; feathered fowls, the philosophers whose custom it is to speed with the swiftness of their thought through the natures of objects in the world. From all these kinds of men Christ prepares His chosen, so that they can be gathered at the resurrection by troops of angels."

  

10	V/NV	Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:
	JH	bestiae et omnia iumenta, reptilia et aues uolantes:
		τὰ θηρία καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη ἑρπετὰ καὶ πετεινὰ πτερωτά

bestia, ae, a beast, wild beast.

universus, a, um,  all, whole, entire;

pecus, oris, n.,, cattle, beasts

serpens, entis,  a creeping thing, a reptile; a snake, serpent

volucris, is,  bird.

pennatus, a, um feathered, winged.  

DR	Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
Brenton	wild beasts, and all cattle; reptiles, and winged birds:
Cover	beasts and all cattle; worms and feathered fowls

Bellarmine sees this verse as a reminder that all of nature has value to us:

"He then touches on the ani­mals that are to be found on the earth, briefly enumerating the principal ones, the wild, the domestic, and the beasts of bur­den; and finally, the serpents that crawl along the ground, and the birds that fly aloft in the air. He calls upon and challenges them all to praise God, not that they are capable of any such thing, but that man, by reflecting on their use and benefit to him, may praise God, and return him due thanks for them. But what benefit do the wild beasts, the lions, serpents, even the gnats and the wasps confer on man? A great deal, for, whether they inspire us with terror, or annoy and torment us, they are calculated to remind us of our weakness and infirmity, and to what we have come through the disobedience of our first par­ents, by which we lost a great part of the dominion we previ­ously had over all animals."

Psalm 148: Laudate Dominum de caelis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Laudáte Dóminum de cælis: * laudáte eum in excélsis.	Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the high places.
2  Laudáte eum, omnes Angeli ejus: * laudáte eum, omnes virtútes ejus.	2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts.
3  Laudáte eum, sol et luna: * laudáte eum, omnes stellæ et lumen.	3 Praise him, O sun and moon: praise him, all you stars and light
4  Laudáte eum, cæli cælórum: * et aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, laudent nomen Dómini.	4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens: and let all   the waters that are above the heavens 5 praise the name of the Lord.
5 Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.	For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created
6  Státuit ea in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi: * præcéptum pósuit, et non præteríbit.	6 He has established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7  Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.	7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
8  Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:	8 Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word:
9  Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.	9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
10  Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:	10 Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
11  Reges terræ, et omnes pópuli: * príncipes, et omnes júdices terræ.	11 Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
12  Júvenes, et vírgines : senes cum junióribus laudent nomen Dómini: * quia exaltátum est nomen ejus solíus.	12 Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: 13 For his name alone is exalted.
13  Conféssio ejus super cælum et terram: * et exaltávit cornu pópuli sui.	14 The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he has exalted the horn of his people.
14  Hymnus ómnibus sanctis ejus: * fíliis Israël, pópulo appropinquánti sibi.	A hymn to all his saints to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia

For the next set of verse by verse notes, continue on here.

Psalm 148 veres 5-6

Verses 5 and 6 of Psalm 148 invite us to praise God as the creator of all:

5	V	Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.
	NV	quia ipse mandavit, et creata sunt;
	JH	quoniam ipse mandauit, et creata sunt.
		ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπεν καὶ ἐγενήθησαν αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν

Quia (for) ipse (he himself) dixit (he said), et (and) facta sunt (they were made): ipse (he himself) mandávit (he commanded), et (and) creáta sunt (they were created).

 The Neo-Vulgate follows the Hebrew Masoretic Text in omitting ipse dixit et facta sunt (a phrase that can also be found in Psalm 32:9).

dico, dixi, dictum, ere 3,  to say, speak;  to sing;  in the sense of to think, plan, desire; to praise.

facio, feci, factum, ere 3,  to make, do, cause, bring to pass

creo are avi atum  to create, bring into being

mando, avi, atum, are to enjoin, order

DR	For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created.
Brenton	for he spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created.
RSV	For he commanded and they were created.
Cover	for he spoke the word, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created.

The Fathers invariably point point to the importance of the Second Person of God in relation to the work of creation, as St Augustine explains:

"...he goes on, for He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created. No wonder if the works praise the Worker, no wonder if the things that are made praise the Maker, no wonder if creation praise its Creator. In this Christ also is mentioned, though we seem not to have heard His Name....By what were they made? By the Word? John 1:1-2 How does he show in this Psalm, that all things were made by the Word? He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created. No one speaks, no one commands, save by word."

6	V	Státuit ea in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi: * præcéptum pósuit, et non præteríbit.
	JH	Et statuit ea in saeculum et in saeculum praeceptum dedit, et non praeteribit.
		ἔστησεν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος πρόσταγμα ἔθετο καὶ οὐ παρελεύσεται

Státuit (he established) ea (them) in ætérnum (forever), et in sæculum sæculi (and ever): præcéptum (commandment/ordinance/decree) pósuit (he set/put in place), et (and) non (not) præteríbit (it will come to an end/pass away)

statuo, ui, utum, ere 3 to set, place, establish; to change, still, calm; to be determined, resolved.

praeceptum, i, n.  a law, commandment, precept, ordinance.

pono, posui, itum, ere 3,  to put, place, lay, set

praetereo, ii, itum, ire,   to go by, pass by: to pass away, cease to be, come to an end.

DR	He has established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Brenton	He has established them for ever, even for ever and ever: he has made an ordinance, and it shall not pass away.
Cover	He hath made them fast for ever and ever; he hath given them a law which shall not be broken.

This verse goes to the eternal nature of heaven, and creation n a broader sense, as Cassiodorus explains:

"This passage too announces the power and strength of the Lord with the words: He hath established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he hath made a decree, and it shall not pass away. This is to remove all doubt that God is almighty, for what He has established continues in being without change, since this con­clusion is applied to the things of heaven. But we read of the world to come: There will be a new heaven and a new earth, so how can one say of the present heaven: He hath established them for ever? There is however no doubt that all things have been established by God. Though man himself dies, he is established in God's eyes when he rises again; similarly heaven and earth remain in God's sight when they are made new. Once they have laid aside their roughness or corruptible character, nature itself is made better and abides, since it has been bidden to exist in eternity. As Paul says about the transformation of our bodies: When the corruptible has put on incorruption, and the mortal puts on immortality. A decree means a law or condition, so that we may realise that all things are in His power. It cannot pass away because the Almighty established it, and Truth has promised it in return."

Psalm 148: Laudate Dominum de caelis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Laudáte Dóminum de cælis: * laudáte eum in excélsis.	Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the high places.
2  Laudáte eum, omnes Angeli ejus: * laudáte eum, omnes virtútes ejus.	2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts.
3  Laudáte eum, sol et luna: * laudáte eum, omnes stellæ et lumen.	3 Praise him, O sun and moon: praise him, all you stars and light
4  Laudáte eum, cæli cælórum: * et aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, laudent nomen Dómini.	4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens: and let all   the waters that are above the heavens 5 praise the name of the Lord.
5 Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.	For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created
6  Státuit ea in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi: * præcéptum pósuit, et non præteríbit.	6 He has established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7  Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.	7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
8  Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:	8 Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word:
9  Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.	9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
10  Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:	10 Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
11  Reges terræ, et omnes pópuli: * príncipes, et omnes júdices terræ.	11 Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
12  Júvenes, et vírgines : senes cum junióribus laudent nomen Dómini: * quia exaltátum est nomen ejus solíus.	12 Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: 13 For his name alone is exalted.
13  Conféssio ejus super cælum et terram: * et exaltávit cornu pópuli sui.	14 The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he has exalted the horn of his people.
14  Hymnus ómnibus sanctis ejus: * fíliis Israël, pópulo appropinquánti sibi.	A hymn to all his saints to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia

For the next set of notes on the verses of this psalm, continue on here.

Psalm 148 verses 1-4

The opening verses of Psalm 148 are a call to praise God directed at the entire universe, starting with the heavens, and the holy angels.

1	Vulgate/Neo-Vulgate (V/NV)	Laudáte Dóminum de cælis: * laudáte eum in excélsis.
	Septuagint	αἰνεῖτε τὸν κύριον ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις

laudo, avi, atum, are  to praise, glorify, to boast, glory, rejoice

caelum, i, n., or caeli, orum, m.  heaven, the abode of God; the heavens as opposed to the earth; the air;

excelsus, a, um  high, august, sublime, towering aloft ; uplifted; heights, high places; billows, high waves

Douay-Rheims (DR)	Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the high places
Brenton (from the Septuagint)	Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the highest.
Coverdale (Cover)	O praise the Lord of heaven; praise him in the heights.
Grail (Psalter)	Praise the Lord from the heavens, raise him in the heights.

The psalm opens with an exhortation for all those in heaven to praise God.  Cassiodorus points out that this is in their nature anyway, it must be an exhortation to do so more intensively:

"Since all heavenly things continually pour out hymns to the Lord, we must examine why the prophet first urges that to be done which is unceasingly fulfilled. It is a human tendency to tell men, when we see them working in the fields: "Work on"; or when they are reading: "Read on"; or when they are building: "Build on." So this exhortation can be uttered, it seems, to intensify the will to work rather than to inaugurate it. But what are these heavenly things which are encour¬aged to utter praise? Surely the things capable of contemplation of the Lord with the most refined understanding, through His gift. Fired with perennial love, they together hymn their Creator with sweet rejoicing. Since they are immortal, so their praises are not bounded by any close. In the high places denotes the more worthy essences which human beings in their weakness rightly proclaim to be lofty in their eyes, since they themselves are forced down by weakness of the flesh. It is right that each and every thing praise its Maker, in accordance with the limitations of the gift which it has received."

2	V/NV	Laudáte eum, omnes angeli ejus: * laudáte eum, omnes virtútes ejus.
	Jerome from the Hebrew (JH)	Laudate eum omnes angeli eius : laudate eum omnes exercitus eius.
		αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ

virtus, utis,   strength, power, might; an army, host; the angels.; the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and stars

  

DR	Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts.
Brenton	Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Cover	Praise him, all ye angels of his; praise him, all his host.
Grail	Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host.

Bellarmine sees this verse as attesting to the superiority of the holy spirits:

"The angels, as residing in the supreme heavens, as it were, in the very palace of the eternal King, get the first invi­tation. The words "praise ye" are not used in a spirit of com­mand or exhortation, as if the angels were deficient in their duty, and needed such; it is spoken in a spirit of invitation and strong affection by the Prophet, who is highly excited and inflamed with the love of God, as if he said: Oh that all creat­ed things would praise their Creator! and you, ye angels, who hold the first place in creation, follow up the praise you daily offer him; "from the heavens," indicates where the angels reside, which he repeats when he adds, "praise ye him in the high places." This he explains more clearly when he adds who they are that dwell there, saying, "praise ye him, all his hosts," meaning the heavenly powers, and not the sun, moon, and stars, as some will have it; first, because nothing is more usual than such repetitions with David; secondly, the holy fathers are unanimous that these words refer to the Cherubim, Seraphim, and the other angels; thirdly, from Luke 2, where the angels are called "The multitude of the heavenly host;" and fourthly, from Psalm 102, where the angels are more clear­ly indicated, when he says, "Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts; you ministers of his that do his will."

3	V	Laudáte eum, sol et luna: * laudáte eum, omnes stellæ et lumen.
	NV	Laudate eum, sol et luna, laudate eum, omnes stellae lucentes.
	JH	Laudate eum, sol et luua : laudate eum, omnes stellae luminis.
		αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν πάντα τὰ ἄστρα καὶ τὸ φῶς

sol, solis, m., the sun.

lumen, inis, n.  light; in the hymns, brightness, splendor

luna, ae, . the moon.

stella, ae,  a star.

DR	Praise him, O sun and moon: praise him, all you stars and light.
Brenton	Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars and light.
RSV	Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!
Cover	Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars and light

St Augustine starts his explanation of the enumeration of the praises of God uttered by the entire universe:

"When can he unfold all in his enumeration? Yet he has in a manner touched upon them all summarily, and included all things in heaven praising their Creator. And as though it were said to him, Why do they praise Him? What has He conferred on them, that they should praise Him?"

4	V/NV	Laudáte eum, cæli cælórum: * et aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, laudent nomen Dómini.
	JH	Laudate eum, caeli caelorum, et aquae quae super caelos sunt. Laudent nomen Domini :
		αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν οἱ οὐρανοὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου

Caeli caelorum=highest heaven

Waters above the heavens are the firmament of Gen 1:7.

aqua, ae, water

DR	Praise him, you heavens of heavens: and let all the waters that are above the heavens praise the name of the Lord.
Brenton	Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and the water that is above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord:
RSV	Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD!
Cover	Praise him, all ye heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the Name of the Lord,

What is meant by the highest heavens and the waters here?  St Alphonse Liguori points out that there are different opinions on this:  

"With regard to these waters there are various opinions. Some, as St. Bonaventure, Ambrose and Catharinus, etc., say that they are the crystalline heaven. Others, as St. Athanasius (Cont. Arian. or. 2, n. 28, E .), St. Basil (In Hexam. horn. 3), St. Ambrose (Hexam. 1. 2, c. 2, 3), St. John Chrysostom (In Genes, horn. 4), Bede (Hexam), etc., believe that these waters are above the firmament or starry heavens, and they cite for this opinion Genesis... And St. Augustine, who holds the same view, says: Major est Scripturce hujus auctoritas, quam omnis humani ingenii capacitas. The authority of this Scripture is greater than all the capacity of the human mind (De Gen. ad litt. 1. 2, c. 5, n. 9). This opinion is also followed by many modern interpreters cited by Tirinus. Others, in fine, such as Rupert, Lorinus, Mariana, etc., with the greatest number of modern commentators, understand by these waters the clouds that are suspended over the earth.  Bellarmine, who holds the second opinion with the holy Fathers, seems to us to refute in a solid way this last opinion; besides, we see that the psalm is divided into two parts, the first of which refers to the higher regions of the heavens. See, moreover, in the preceding canticle, verse 3, and in Psalm ciii., verse 3."

Psalm 148: Laudate Dominum de caelis

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Laudáte Dóminum de cælis: * laudáte eum in excélsis.	Praise the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the high places.
2  Laudáte eum, omnes Angeli ejus: * laudáte eum, omnes virtútes ejus.	2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his hosts.
3  Laudáte eum, sol et luna: * laudáte eum, omnes stellæ et lumen.	3 Praise him, O sun and moon: praise him, all you stars and light
4  Laudáte eum, cæli cælórum: * et aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, laudent nomen Dómini.	4 Praise him, you heavens of heavens: and let all   the waters that are above the heavens 5 praise the name of the Lord.
5 Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt: * ipse mandávit, et creáta sunt.	For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created
6  Státuit ea in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi: * præcéptum pósuit, et non præteríbit.	6 He has established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he has made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7  Laudáte Dóminum de terra, * dracónes, et omnes abyssi.	7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons, and all you deeps:
8  Ignis, grando, nix, glácies, spíritus procellárum: * quæ fáciunt verbum ejus:	8 Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word:
9  Montes, et omnes colles: * ligna fructífera, et omnes cedri.	9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
10  Béstiæ, et univérsa pécora: * serpéntes, et vólucres pennátæ:	10 Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
11  Reges terræ, et omnes pópuli: * príncipes, et omnes júdices terræ.	11 Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
12  Júvenes, et vírgines : senes cum junióribus laudent nomen Dómini: * quia exaltátum est nomen ejus solíus.	12 Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord: 13 For his name alone is exalted.
13  Conféssio ejus super cælum et terram: * et exaltávit cornu pópuli sui.	14 The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he has exalted the horn of his people.
14  Hymnus ómnibus sanctis ejus: * fíliis Israël, pópulo appropinquánti sibi.	A hymn to all his saints to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia

You can find the next set of verse notes on Psalm 148 here.