Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 148:12
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Both young men, and maidens – Those in the morning of life, just entering on their career; just forming their character: with ardor, elasticity, cheerfulness, hope; let them consecrate all this to God: let all that there is in the buoyancy of their feelings, in the melody of their voices, in their ardor and vigor, be employed in the praise and the service of God.
Old men, and children – Old men, with what remains of life, and children, with all that there is of joyousness – let all unite in praising God. Life, as it closes – life, as it begins – let it all be devoted to God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 148:12
Both young men and maidens.
Happy work for everybody
I. What it is to praise the Lord. Praise is the heart singing. We want the heart that sees and feels how kind our heavenly Father is, and loves Him for everything. One day as I was going along the road I saw a large coil of telegraph wire lying in a heap. There keeping itself all to itself, dull and heavy, it was the very last thing that you would ever expect to get any music out of. Soon afterwards, as we were going that way again, my little girl said to me, Hark! what is that playing? I pointed up to the wire–the same wire that lay coiled up in heavy silence. Now it was stretched along from post to post, and was making music the whole day through. And so it is with us. We keep our love in to ourselves and wrapped around ourselves, and then there is no music. But when our love stretches away to Jesus, then it makes the constant music of praise–at home or at school, at work or at play.
II. Reasons why we should praise the Lord.
1. Because He has loved us, and given Himself for us.
2. We are the only creatures in the world that can praise Him. After all, the dragons and great deeps cant really praise Him, nor the sun or stars. It is like the telegraph wire again. When the wind has come to the wire, then the music comes. The air that is in this chapel is blown into the organ, but it has no sound until it comes through the organ pipes. So all things in Gods great world are dumb until they come to us. We are the harp and the organ by which their praise is to go up to heaven.
3. Praise is the only thing that we can give to the Lord.
4. Loving praise is the only thing that can satisfy our loving Lord.
5. It is the happy work that we shall do in heaven. Let us practise it down here. (M. G. Pearse.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 12. Both young men, and maidens] Who are in the bloom of youth, and in the height of health and vigour; know that God is your Father; and let the morning and energy of your days be devoted to him.
Old men, and children] Very appropriately united here, as the beginning and conclusion of life present nearly the same passions, appetites, caprices, and infirmities: yet in both the beneficence, all-sustaining power, and goodness of God are seen.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Both young men, and maidens,…. These should praise the Lord, the one for their strength, the other for their beauty; and both should remember their Creator in the days of their youth, and fear, serve, and worship him; so they will praise and glorify him, as did Obadiah, Josiah, Timothy, and the four daughters of Philip the evangelist;
old men, and children; the former have had a large experience of the providential goodness of God, and, if good men, of the grace of God, and are under great obligation to praise the Lord for all that he has done for them; for they have known him that is from the beginning, and have seen many of his wonderful works, which they should not forget to declare to their children, to the honour and glory of God; and even out of the mouth of “children”, of babes and sucklings, who have less knowledge, and less experience, God sometimes does ordain strength and perfect praise to himself; see Ps 8:2; compared with Mt 21:15.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Psa 148:12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Ver. 12. Both young men, and maidens ] Souls have no sexes; let the choice youths and the compt lasses quae totae occupantur in sese ornandis, saith Kimchi, who are much taken up in tricking and trimming themselves, leave that folly, and give glory to God.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
young men: Psa 8:2, Psa 68:25, Jer 31:13, Zec 9:17, Mat 21:15, Mat 21:16, Luk 19:37, Tit 2:4-6
Reciprocal: Exo 10:9 – We will go Jdg 11:34 – his daughter Ezr 2:65 – two hundred Psa 19:2 – Day unto Tit 2:6 – Young 1Jo 2:13 – young