Bellarmine on Psalm 148 : Verses 8-10

Verse 8

Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds which fulfill his word:

ignis, grando, nix, glacies, spiritus procellarum, quae faciunt verbum ejus;

From the depths of the waters he passes to the air, where fires are found, that is, thunderbolts and lightning flashes; also, hail, snow and ice; also storm winds, that is, violent blasts which produce storms and carry massive rainstorms with them, all of which “fulfill his word,” that is, obey His command; the Holy Spirit wished this last to be added [i.e., that they obey God’s commands] in case he might be suspected of being a manichæan [1] or atheist, viewing these as evils which might bring great calamities on men; or that someone by chance should be struck down by lightning, or that hailstones should destroy the vines, or that vessels should be lost through the force of the winds. Accordingly, God uses these things as instruments of His justice or of His mercy, for punishing the wicked or instructing the good, and for this reason these things do not occur by chance, no should they be said to be evil things, but rather good since they serve the good God.

Verses 9 & 10

Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars: Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:

montes, et omnes colles; ligna fructifera, et omnes cedri; bestiae, et universa pecora; serpentes, et volucres pennatae;

From the air he now returns to the earth and he lists first of all the parts of the earth that stand out, the mountains and hills, with which should be included the open fields and valleys : for there can be no mountains and hills without fields and valleys. Next, he moves on to those things that spring up from the earth, and he mentions firstly the trees that produce fruit, then those that do not, such as the cedar, which are however necessary for building houses and ships. Next, his speech turns to animals that inhabit the earth, and he mentions briefly the kinds of animals, the wild animals, beasts of burden and domestic cattle, the serpents that crawl on the ground, and the birds that fly through the air. And he calls upon all these to praise God, not because they know how to think and pray, but so that men, considering the use they can make of them, may praise God and offer thanks due to Him. But, you may ask, what benefit is derived from the wild beasts, the serpents, the lions, the flies and gnats? A very great benefit is derived from these animals, for they may inspire terror in us, as do the lions and serpents; or they may be a nuisance to us, as in the case of the flies and the gnats. For they teach us humility, for in our memory we recall the disobedience and pride of our first parents , transmitted through generation, on account of which we have lost in great part man’s dominion over animals. 

[1] Manichæism is a religion founded by the Persian Mani in the latter half of the third century. It purported to be the true synthesis of all the religious systems then known, and actually consisted of Zoroastrian Dualism, Babylonian folklore, Buddhist ethics, and some small and superficial, additions of Christian elements. As the theory of two eternal principles, good and evil, is predominant in this fusion of ideas and gives color to the whole, Manichæism is classified as a form of religious Dualism. Catholic Encyclopedia. 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.