Psalm 150, With Every Musical Instrument

We close out the psalter with five hymns of praise. Each begins and ends with hal·lū-YAH ("Hallelujah!") In this psalm a version of the word halal (הָלַל, "praise") appears 13 times and ends the psalter with a final Hallelujah!

Psalm 150:1-2, In the sanctuary and heavens

 Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens.

 Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

God is praised in His "sanctuary", the entire heavens.

Psalm 150:3-5, Every musical instrument!

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre,

 praise him with tambourine and dancing, 

praise him with the strings and flute,

 praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

In praising God, we are to praise him with every musical instrument. We have here a list of musical instruments, a "grand roll call" (Alter.) Instruments to use in praising God include

• a trumpet, shophar  (שׁוֹפָר),
• a harp or lute, nebel (נֶבֶל, literally "jug" or "bottle"), 
• a lyre or harp, kinnor (כִּנּוֹר),
• a timbrel or tambourine, toph, (תֹּף), 
• stringed instruments, men (מֵן), literally "a chord" or "part"),
• a pipe or flute uggab (עוּגָב), 
• cymbals tslatsal (צְלָצַל), literally "whirring", or "buzzing sound"), and 
• dancing machol ( מָחוֹל.)

Every type of musical instrument should be used!

Psalm 150:6, Everything that breathes!

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD.

In addition to using every possible music instrument in praise, every creature that breaths is, with their breath, to praise YHWH. (See also Psalm 148:7-12.)

Each of the five books of Psalms end with a simple praise chorus that might be separate from the main text of the psalm, acting as a conclusion for the entire book. See Psalm 41:13, Psalm 72:18-20, and Psalm 106:48. Hallelujah!

First published December 6, 2025; updated December 6, 2025