Praise to YHWH
There are 7 Hebrew Words of Praise. All of which are important words in Hebrew. All of which are types of Praise to YHWH. They all are at some point translated in english as praise but they are not the same and these seven words dominate Hebrew.
HALLAL is a primary Hebrew root word for praise. The Word “Hallelujah” comes from this base word. It means boast, brag, or rave about God even to the point of appearing foolish. It is the most common word for praise. It would relate to you at your favorite sports game screaming and carrying on. Psalm 113:1–3 Praise Yah! Praise, O servants of Yahweh, praise the name of Yahweh. Let the name of Yahweh be blessed, from now until forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of Yahweh be blessed.
Psalm 149:3 Praise (hallal) Yah - Halleluyah
Let them praise his name with dancing; let them sing praises to him with tambourine and lyre.
Let them praise(Hallal) His name
OTHER REFERENCES: Judges 16:24; 2 Samuel 14:25; 2 Chronicles 7:6; Ezra 3:10-11; Nehemiah 5:13; Psalms 18:3, 56:4, 63:5, 150:2-4; Isaiah 62:9; Jeremiah 20:13; Joel 2:26
The word is even used 4 times in the New Testament in Revelation 19:1-7
Revelation 19:6–7
And I heard something like the sound of a great crowd and something like the sound of many waters and something like the sound of powerful thunder, saying, “Hallelujah!
For the Lord God, the All-Powerful, reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give him the glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. Unfortunately, for most of us, if we shout and scream and brag on God we may be labeled as fanatics, as if something is wrong with us.
YADAH is a verb with a root meaning, "the extended hand, to throw out the hand, therefore to worship with extended hands, to lift the hands."
2 Chronicles 20:21
And when he had taken counsel with the people,
he appointed singers to Yahweh who were giving praise
to the splendor of his holiness when they went out before the army.
And they said, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for his loyal love is everlasting!” Give thanks (yadah) to the Lord, for His loving kindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:15
Let them give thanks to Yahweh for his loyal love and his wonderful deeds for the children of humankind,
Oh that men would praise (yadah) the Lord for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to the children of men.
OTHER REFERENCES: Genesis 29:35, 49:8; 2 Chronicles 7:3,6; Psalms 67:3, 108:3; Isaiah 12:1,4; Jeremiah 33:11 Yadah pictures a three-year-old child, hands raised, running towards daddy, crying, “Hold me, daddy, hold me!”
Yadah is often translated as, “giving thanks.” It is often a cry for help.
Yadah praise is used when we are in desperate straits and need a victory from the Lord. Raising the hands is one of the most explosive and meaningful expressions of praise. Raising the hands is an international sign of surrender. A worshiping person raises hands in adoration and surrender to God. TOWDAH comes from the same principle root word as yadah, but is used more specifically. Towdah literally means, "an extension of the hand in adoration, avowal, or acceptance." By way of application, it is apparent in the Psalms and elsewhere that it is used for thanking God for "things not yet received" as well as things already at hand. Thus it is a word of Thanksgiving and praise and a trust that God will deliver. It is a type of sacrifice that is communal. We join our voices together in Towdah (Praise) Psalm 50:14 Offer to God a thanks offering and pay your vows to the Most High.
Offer unto God praise (towdah)
and pay thy vows unto the Most High.
Psalm 50:23
Whoso offereth praise (towdah) glorifieth Me:
and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
Jeremiah 17:26 And they will come from the towns of Judah,
and from all around Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin,
and from the Shephelah, and from the hill country, and from the Negev,
bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and grain offerings, and frankincense,
and bringing thank offerings to the house of Yahweh.
Frankincense and Towdah
OTHER REFERENCES: Psalms 42:4, 56:12; Jeremiah 17:26; Jeremiah 33:11 SHABACH means, "to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph." For example, the pagan king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was struck insane by God because of his pride. When God restored his sanity seven years later, Nebuchadnezzar shouted words of Shabbat Praise
Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the king of heaven, for all his works are truth, and his ways are justice and that he is able to humble those who walk in pride.” Psalm 47:1 All you peoples, clap your hands. Shout to God with a voice of rejoicing.
O clap your hands, all peoples;
shout (shabach) to God with the voice of joy (or triumph).
Psalm 145:4
One generation will laud your works to another,
and will declare your mighty deeds.
One generation shall praise (shabach) Thy works to another
and declare Thy mighty acts.
Isaiah 12:6
Inhabitant of Zion, shout out and sing for joy, for the holy one of Israel is great in your midst.”
Cry aloud and shout (shabach) for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
This is the victory shout. As God has given you the victory over the foes in your way. The Shout in triumph, because God is for you and who can stand against you. BARAK means "to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration, to salute." It also is a word that we translate as bless. We bless God with our Praise, with our bowing down before him.
Psalm 95:6
Come in, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Yahweh, our maker.
O come let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel (barak) before the Lord our maker.
1 Chronicles 29:20
And David said to all the assembly, “Bless Yahweh your God!”
And all the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.
And they bowed down and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and the king.
Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless (barak) the Lord your God."
And all the assembly blessed (barak) the Lord, the God of their fathers,
and bowed low and did homage to the Lord and to the king.
Psalm 34:1
I will bless Yahweh at all times;
his praise shall be in my mouth continually.
I will bless (barak) the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Job 1:21
Then he said, “Naked I came out from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will return there. Yahweh gives, and Yahweh takes.
Let Yahweh’s name be blessed.”
Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless (barak) the Lord your God."
And all the assembly blessed (barak) the Lord, the God of their fathers,
and bowed low and did homage to the Lord and to the king.
ZAMAR means "to pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing, to praise; a musical word which is largely involved with joyful expressions of music with musical instruments.
Psalm 21:13 Be exalted, O Yahweh, in your strength, and we sing and praise your power.
Be exalted O Lord, in Thine own strength,
so will we sing and praise (zamar) Thy power.
1 Chronicles 16:9 Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
Sing to Him, sing praises (zamar) to Him;
speak of all His wonders.
Psalm 57:8–9
Awake, my glory; Awake, harp and lyre. I will awake the dawn. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord; I will give you praise among the nations. Zamar speaks of rejoicing. Use Zamar when you are rejoicing after God has done something great for you. Zamar is translated into the New Testament has “Psallo”. “Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
One Writer called Zamar the third most prolific word for praise in the Old Testament, used 44times. Zamar inspires synchronized and orderly singing–adding precision to our worship. We can sing the same melody better with the accompaniment of an instrument or group of instruments. The lyre is just an example and what they would have used
TEHILLAH is derived from the word halal and means "the singing of hallals”
Psalm 22:3
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned
upon the praises (tehillah) of Israel.
Isaiah 61:3 to give for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of Yahweh, to show his glory. To grant to those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise (tehillah) instead of the spirit of fainting,
So they shall be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Tehillah involves music and singing-especially singing. Singing is vital to the worship of God. There are over 300 Bible mandates to sing, this word alone showing up 56 times in the OT. This word suggests that God himself is a song of praise. We might say it like this, “God is our song.” So if Hallal is acting the fool in praise of God, then Tahillah is adding music to it.
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Father, I thank You today for the gift of praise. Thank you for revealing Yourself to me through Your Word, by Your Spirit, and in Your creation, that I might stand in awe of You. You alone are worthy of praise and glory and honor, for You have created all things, that in all things You might be preeminent. For every request that I offer, every supplication that I raise, and every intercession I make, let me never neglect to render the praise You are due. In the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
