Like
Psalms 146,
147,
148, and
149, Psalm 150 begins and ends in Hebrew with the word
Hallelujah. Further, David Guzik notes that each of the five books of Psalms ends with a
doxology (i.e., a
benediction), with Psalm 150 representing the conclusion of the fifth book as well as the conclusion of the entire work, in a more elaborate manner than the concluding verses which close the other books, e.g.
Psalm 41:13:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen. Matthew Henry notes that this final psalm parallels
the first psalm in that they have the same number of verses. According to the
Kabbalah, the ten expressions of praise in this psalm correspond to the ten
sefirot (divine emanations). Additionally, the word
hallel (, praise) can be found thirteen times in the psalm, correlating to the
Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. The directive
hallelu (, "you praise") is seen twelve times, corresponding to the twelve
new moons that occur in a
Hebrew calendar year. When this psalm is recited during the Jewish prayer service (see below), verse 6 is repeated, adding a thirteenth expression of
hallelu which alludes to the thirteenth new moon in a
leap year. Psalm 150 names nine types of musical instruments to be used in praise of God. While the exact translation of some of these instruments is unknown, the Jewish commentators have identified the
shofar,
lyre,
harp,
drum,
organ,
flute,
cymbal, and
trumpet.
Saint Augustine observes that all human faculties are used in producing music from these instruments: "The breath is employed in blowing the trumpet; the fingers are used in striking the strings of the psaltery and the harp; the whole hand is exerted in beating the timbrel; the feet move in the dance". ==Uses==