Psalms 148:9
Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
Open Psalms 148:9 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- montes, et omnes colles ; ligna fructifera, et omnes cedri ;
- Septuagint (Swete)
- τὰ ὄρη καὶ πάντες βουνοί, ξύλα καρποφόρα καὶ πᾶσαι κέδροι·
- Hebrew (WLC)
- הֶהָרִ֥ים וְכָל גְּבָע֑וֹת עֵ֥ץ פְּ֝רִ֗י וְכָל אֲרָזִֽים
Haydock's commentary
Mountains. Thales, Origen, &c., have attributed souls to waters, &c. But this cannot be proved from this poetical personification. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Methodius Oration on the Palms
II. To-day, holy David rejoices with great joy, being by babes despoiled of his lyre, with whom also, in spirit, leading the dance, and rejoicing together, as of old, before the ark of God, he mingles musical harmony, and sweetly lisps out in stammering voice, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Of whom shall we inquire? Tell us, O prophet, who is this that cometh in the name of the Lord? He will say it is not my part to-day to teach you, for He hath consecrated the school to infants, who hath out of the mouth of babes and sucklings perfected praise to destroy the enemy and the avenger, in order that by the miracle of these the hearts of the fathers might be turned to the children, and the disobedient unto the wisdom of the just. …
St Augustine Book VII, Chapter XIII
19. And to Thee is there nothing at all evil, and not only to Thee, but to Thy whole creation; because there is nothing without which can break in, and mar that order which Thou hast appointed it. But in the parts thereof, some things, because they harmonize not with others, are considered evil; whereas those very things harmonize with others, and are good, and in themselves are good. And all these things which do not harmonize together harmonize with the inferior part which we call earth, having its own cloudy and windy sky concordant to it. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm CXLVIII
10. Then he mentioneth, that they may praise the Lord, “mountains and hills, fruitful trees and all cedars” ( ver. 9 ): “beasts and all cattle, creeping things, and winged fowls” ( ver. 10 ). Then he goeth to men; “kings of the earth and all people, princes and all judges of the earth” ( ver. 11 ): “young men and maidens, old men and young, let them praise the Name of the Lord” ( ver. 12 ). Ended is the praise from heaven, ended is the praise from earth. “For His Name only is exalted” ( ver. 13 ). Let no man seek to exalt his own name. Wilt thou be exalted? Subject thyself to Him who cannot be humbled. “His confession is in earth and heaven” ( ver. 14 ). What is “His confession”? Is it the confession wherewith He confesseth? No, but that whereby all things confess Him, all things cry aloud: the beauty of all things is in a manner their voice, whereby they praise God. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Matthew VI. 28, 29
Wherefore then did He make them so beautiful? That He might display His own wisdom and the excellency of His power; that from everything we might learn His glory. For not “the Heavens only declare the glory of God,”but the earth too; and this David declared when he said, “Praise the Lord, ye fruitful trees, and all cedars.” For some by their fruits, some by their greatness, some by their beauty, send up praise to Him who made them: this too being a sign of great excellency of wisdom, when even upon things that are very vile (and what can be viler than that which to-day is, and to-morrow is not?) He pours out such great beauty. …