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because they have to do with praise to God for deliverance from Egyptian bondage under
Moses. Because of this, they are an important part of the traditional Passover service.
There is no reason to doubt that these were the hymns sung by Jesus and His disciples on
Maundy Thursday when He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:30).
The word
is the source of “Hallelujah,” a Hebrew expression of “praise” to God
which has been taken over into virtually every language of mankind. The Hebrew
“Hallelujah” is generally translated “Praise the Lord!” The Hebrew term is more
technically translated “Let us praise Yah,” the term “Yah” being a shortened form of
“Yahweh,” the unique Israelite name for God. The term “Yah” is found in the
KJV
rendering of Ps. 68:4, reflecting the Hebrew text; however, the Jerusalem Bible (
JB
)
translates it with “Yahweh.” Most versions follow the traditional translation “Lord,” a
practice begun in Judaism before New Testament times when the Hebrew term for
“Lord” was substituted for “Yahweh,” although it probably means something like “He
who causes to be.” The Greek approximation of “Hallelujah” is found 4 times in the New
Testament in the form “Alleluia” (Rev. 19:1, 3-4, 6). Christian hymnody certainly would
be greatly impoverished if the term “Hallelujah” were suddenly removed from our
language of praise.
(
$
, 3034), “to give thanks, laud, praise.” A common Hebrew word in all its
periods, this verb is an important word in the language of worship.
'
is found nearly
120 times in the Hebrew Bible, the first time being in the story of the birth of Judah,
Jacob’s son who was born to Leah: “And she conceived again and bore a son, and said,
This time I will praise the Lord; therefore she called his name Judah” (Gen. 29:35,
RSV
).
As is to be expected, this word is found most frequently in the Book of Psalms (some
70 times). As an expression of thanks or praise, it is a natural part of ritual or public
worship as well as personal praise to God (Ps. 30:9, 12; 35:18). Thanks often are directed
to the name of the Lord (Ps. 106:47; 122:4).
The variation in translation may be seen in 1 Kings 8:33: “confess” thy name (
KJV
,
NEB
,
NASB
); acknowledge (
RSV
); praise (
JB
,
NAB
).
B. Nouns.
(
-
, 8416), “glory; praise; song of praise; praiseworthy deeds.”
occurs 57 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew.
First, this word denotes a quality or attribute of some person or thing, “glory or
praiseworthiness”: “He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great
and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen” (Deut. 10:21). Israel is God’s “glory”
when she exists in a divinely exalted and blessed state: “And give him no rest, till he
establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isa. 62:7; cf. Jer. 13:11).
Second, in some cases
represents the words or song by which God is publicly
lauded, or by which His “glory” is publicly declared: “My praise [the Messiah is
speaking here] shall be of thee in the great congregation …” (Ps. 22:25). Ps. 22:22 is
even clearer: “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation
will I praise thee.”
In a third nuance
is a technical-musical term for a song (
) which exalts or
praises God: “David’s psalm of praise” (heading for Ps. 145; v. 1 in the Hebrew). Perhaps
Neh. 11:17 refers to a choirmaster or one who conducts such singing of “praises”: “And