Psalm 150 is the grand finale of the Psalter, a summons to praise the Lord with every available instrument. The psalm calls for praise in God's sanctuary and in his mighty heavens. It calls for praise for God's mighty deeds and his surpassing greatness. The psalm summons every instrument — trumpet, lute, harp, tambourine, strings, pipe, and loud clashing cymbals — to join in praise. The psalm ends where the entire book of Psalms began — with the call that everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 149 is a call to praise the Lord with singing, dancing, and musical instruments. The psalm calls Israel to rejoice in their Maker and the children of Zion to be joyful in their King. It declares that the Lord takes pleasure in his people and adorns the humble with salvation. The second half of the psalm describes the saints executing vengeance on the nations, binding their kings with chains — a picture of the final victory of God's people.

Psalm 148 is a cosmic call to praise that summons every part of creation to worship the Lord. The psalm calls the heavens, the angels, the sun, moon, and stars to praise him. It calls the earth, the sea creatures, the weather, the mountains, the trees, the animals, and all people — kings, princes, young men, maidens, old and young — to praise the name of the Lord. The psalm declares that the Lord has raised up a horn for his people, the praise of all his saints.

Psalm 147 is a call to praise the Lord for his care over creation and his people. The psalm declares that the Lord builds up Jerusalem and gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. The psalm celebrates God's power over creation — he determines the number of the stars and gives them all their names. It declares that the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him and hope in his steadfast love.

Psalm 146 is the first of the five Hallelujah psalms (146-150) that conclude the Psalter. The psalmist calls his own soul to praise the Lord and warns against putting trust in human princes who cannot save. The psalm celebrates the Lord as the Maker of heaven and earth, who keeps faith forever, executes justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, opens the eyes of the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, and loves the righteous.

Psalm 145 is an acrostic psalm of praise, the only psalm explicitly designated as a tehillah (praise). David declares that he will extol God and bless his name forever. The psalm celebrates God's greatness, which is unsearchable, and his mighty acts, which are told from one generation to the next. It declares that the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The psalm ends with the declaration that God is righteous in all his ways and that his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.

Psalm 144 is a royal psalm attributed to David that combines praise for God's military deliverance with a prayer for the prosperity of God's people. David blesses the Lord as his rock and warrior who trains his hands for war. The psalm includes a striking contrast between the brevity of human life and the majesty of God. It ends with a prayer for the blessing of sons and daughters, abundant harvests, and peace in the land.

Psalm 143 is the last of the seven penitential psalms, a cry for mercy and deliverance. David pleads with God not to enter into judgment with him, for no one living is righteous before God. He remembers God's works and stretches out his hands in desperation. The psalm moves from lament to petition as David asks for God's steadfast love, his guidance, and his deliverance from his enemies.

Psalm 142 is a maskil of David, composed when he was in the cave, making it one of the few psalms connected to a specific historical event in David's life. The psalm is a desperate cry to the Lord from a place of utter isolation — when his spirit faints within him and no one cares for his soul. Yet even in this darkness, David declares that the Lord is his refuge and his portion in the land of the living.

Psalm 141 is a prayer for protection from sin and from the schemes of the wicked. David asks that his prayer be accepted as incense before the Lord. He prays for a guard over his mouth and asks that his heart not be inclined to do evil. The psalm includes a striking image of the righteous striking him in kindness as an act of faithfulness, contrasted with the judgment that awaits the wicked.

Psalm 140 is a lament in which David cries out for deliverance from evil and violent men. He describes his enemies as those who plan evil in their hearts, who sharpen their tongues like serpents, and who set traps for his feet. The psalm moves from petition to confidence as David declares that the Lord maintains the cause of the afflicted and executes justice for the needy. It ends with a declaration that the righteous will give thanks to God's name.

Psalm 139 is one of the most profound psalms in the Psalter, a meditation on God's omniscience and omnipresence. David declares that the Lord has searched him and known him completely — his thoughts, his words, and his ways. The psalm celebrates that there is nowhere David can go to escape God's presence. It then transitions into a declaration of God's creative work in forming David in the womb and ends with a prayer against the wicked and a plea for God to search his heart.

Psalm 138 is a psalm of thanksgiving attributed to David. The psalmist declares that he will give thanks to the Lord with his whole heart and sing praises before the heavenly beings. He thanks God for his steadfast love and faithfulness, and he testifies that when he called upon the Lord, he was answered and strengthened. The psalm celebrates God's care for the lowly and his faithfulness to his promises.

Psalm 137 is a lament of the exiles by the rivers of Babylon. The psalm vividly depicts the sorrow of God's people who hung their harps on the willows and could not sing the Lord's song in a foreign land. Their captors demanded songs of joy, but the exiles could not sing. The psalm ends with the most difficult verses in the Psalter — a blessing on those who repay Babylon and who seize their infants and dash them against the rocks.

Psalm 136 is a great Hallel psalm with the repeated refrain 'for his steadfast love endures forever.' Each of the 26 verses gives a reason for thanksgiving followed by the refrain. The psalm traces God's work from creation through the Exodus and conquest to God's ongoing care for all creatures. The refrain makes the psalm suitable for antiphonal worship, with a leader reciting the cause and the congregation responding with the refrain.

Psalm 135 is a call to praise the Lord for his goodness, his greatness, and his mighty acts. The psalm calls the servants of the Lord to praise his name. It celebrates God's sovereignty over creation and his acts in history — the plagues in Egypt, the defeat of kings, and the giving of the land to Israel. The psalm contrasts the living God with idols that are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

Psalm 134 is the final Song of Ascents, a brief call to worship addressed to the priests and Levites who serve in the house of the Lord by night. The psalm calls the servants of the Lord to lift up their hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord. It ends with a priestly blessing: May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 133 is a brief Song of Ascents attributed to David, celebrating the goodness of unity among God's people. The psalm uses two vivid images: the precious oil running down Aaron's beard and the dew of Hermon descending on Mount Zion. Both images convey blessing that flows from above and spreads generously. The psalm declares that unity is where the Lord commands his blessing, life forevermore.

Psalm 132 is a Song of Ascents that recalls David's zeal for the ark of the covenant and God's promise to David. The psalm recounts David's oath to find a dwelling place for the Lord and the procession bringing the ark to Zion. It recalls God's promise to David that his sons would sit on his throne forever, a promise ultimately fulfilled in the Messiah. The psalm ends with God's choice of Zion as his resting place and his promise to bless her.

Psalm 131 is a brief Song of Ascents attributed to David, expressing humble trust in God. David declares that his heart is not lifted up and his eyes are not raised too high. He has calmed and quieted his soul like a weaned child with its mother. The psalm calls Israel to hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.