Bible Strands
Psalms 148:7
Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses all creation, specifically commanding terrestrial and marine life to join the cosmic worship song. This occurs within a liturgical summons where natural elements are called to acknowledge God's eternal decree.
The words — תַּנִּינִים (ta.ni.nim) translates literally to "sea monsters," and תְּהֹמֹת (te.ho.mot) means "the deeps" or "ocean depths." These terms denote the chaotic marine realm now included in the call to praise.
The thread — The text echoes Genesis 1:21, where God creates the great sea creatures, and contrasts with Psalms 74:13 and Job 41:1, which depict God defeating sea monsters. The verse repurposes these chaotic symbols into participants of worship rather than adversaries.
Why it lands — The command requires readers to extend their scope of worship beyond human experience to include the most remote and formidable parts of creation. It demands acknowledgment that every domain, even the ocean depths, operates under the same unchanging decree.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
Cross-references
- Genesis 1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
- Psalms 74:13 You divided the sea by Your strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
- Job 41:1 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?
- Psalms 104:25 Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.
- Isaiah 43:20 The beasts of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people.
- Isaiah 27:1 In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.
- Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?