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7 Hebrew Words for Praise

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Tehillah, The Hebrew Word Of Praise

by Christa
written by Christa

Tehillah is the Hebrew word for ‘the song of praise.’ It means praising God in the form of singing.

Tehillah, the singing praise

We are finally onto the last Hebrew word of praise, Tehillah. It means:

  1. To sing, or laud
  2. A spontaneous new song
  3. Song of praise and adoration

In Psalm 22:3, “But Thou art Holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises (Tehillah) of Israel.” And in Psalm 33:1, “Rejoice in the Lord, o ye righteous, for praise (tehillah) is comely for the upright.”

When we find the word praise in the Bible, it could mean speaking or singing. But, if the Bible used Tehillah, it means praising God by singing to Him hymns of adoration and, most especially, new songs from our hearts.

We see in the Bible that we are encouraged to sing a new song for the Lord. It doesn’t matter if you don’t recognize yourself as a skilled singer. It is more on bringing back to God what He has endowed us with. And our voices and our breath are all from Him.

We all have our own song that only we can sing to God. We must discover this in ourselves and explore our nature as a creation that worships God. Colossians 3:16 tells us that when the Word of God dwells in us, we can sing songs of praise. Likewise, Ephesians 5:19 also says that we can naturally sing songs of praise when we are filled by the Holy Spirit. So, spend time to draw out your songs of praise to God.

7 Hebrew words of praise

In summary, the 7 Hebrew words of praise are:

  • Halal – crazy, exuberant praise
  • Yadah – extending the hands in praise
  • Shabach – loud praise
  • Todah – thanksgiving praise
  • Barak – kneeling in praise
  • Zamar – praising God with musical instruments
  • Tehillah – song of praise

Now that we have understood all seven words, may this encourage us to praise God in all forms and ways. This has only taught us that we have no excuse to praise God. Time to get our praise on!

Reference: Worship Arts

 

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Zamar, The Hebrew Word For Praising God With Music

by Christa
written by Christa

In our series of studying the 7 Hebrew words for praise, we are down to our 6th word, Zamar. And in this article, let us discover the profound meaning of Zamar.

Zamar, the musical praise

We have learned so far about halal (clamorously foolish in worship), yadah (to praise with extended hands), todah (to offer thanksgiving), shabach (to give a loud declaration, shout of praise), and Barak (kneeling in praise). The 6th word, Zamar, means to praise using the music and its instruments.

It can also mean:

  1. To play an instrument
  2. Singing with musical accompaniment
  3. Touching the strings or part of the musical instrument

Basically, ‘zamar’ is referred to as praising God by using music to express our adoration, may it be accompanied by instruments or even with our own voice.

In 1 Samuel 16:23, it says, “Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.”

David offered a zamar praise unto God with his harp, and the evil spirits bothering Saul would then fly away.

People who are not skilled with musical instruments may think they are not qualified to offer zamar to God. But, this is not so. Everyone can give their praise to God by using their voices through singing. Or they can simply clap their hands or beat their hands with something.

Psalm 66:1 says, “Make a joyful noise to God.” It said to make a joyful noise, it didn’t have to be a pretty voice.

So, even if you don’t consider yourself a singer because you don’t have the quality voice or an instrumentalist because you don’t play any instruments, we can still give God to what is due to Him. After all, God doesn’t look on the outside, but He looks beyond appearance. And your heart in humility and in reverence while singing or clapping to Him is a pleasing aroma before His throne.

Reference: Youtube | Theo Heartsill

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Shabach, One Of The 7 Hebrew Words For Praise

by Christa
written by Christa

The Hebrew Bible has 7 different Hebrew words for praise: halal, yadah, todah, shabach, barak, zamar, and tehillah. Although they are interpreted in the English translation with the same word, ‘praise,’ each has a distinct meaning. And for this article, we will study the fourth Hebrew word for praise, shabach.

Shabach, a Hebrew word for praise

The Hebrew word ‘shabach’ means:

  1. To address in a loud tone
  2. To laud, praise, commend
  3. It can also mean to soothe, still, stroke, calm someone
  4. To give a loud declaration, adoration, or praise to the Lord

So, shabach basically means giving a loud shout of praise to the Lord. We can refer to it as a triumphant shout of praise.

Joshua 6 is a good illustration of where the people of God gave a shabach. When Joshua led the Israelites to conquer Jericho, God instructed them in specific instructions for victory. First, they had to march around the fortified walls of the city in silence for six days. But on the seventh day, they had to circle the land seven times. And on its last time, all the troops will then give a mighty shout.

Their loud outcry collapsed the walls of Jericho and brought them victory. They shouted in triumph already, even though they hadn’t completely taken over the city. They put their trust in God that the victory is already theirs because God promised them.

Sometimes, it takes a loud shout of praise to remind ourselves that the God we serve is a God of victory. And celebrating the goodness of God puts us in perspective that He reigns overall. And that whatever our situation is, we are confident that He will not forsake us and fail us.

Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall praise (shabach) Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.”

“Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise (shabach) Thee.” Psalm 63:3

Reference: Youtube | Theo Heartsill

 

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Yadah: A Hebrew Word For Praise

by Christa
written by Christa

We have known that there are 7 different words for praise in Hebrew: halal, yadah, todah, shabach, barak, zamar, and tehillah. But for today, “Yadah” will be our second Hebrew word for praise that we will tackle.

Hebrew Word for Praise, Yadah

Yadah appears 111 times in the Bible, and it means:

  1. To revere or worship with extended hands
  2. To acknowledge, praise, or give thanks
  3. To lift hands

It comes from two root words, ‘yad,’ which means the open hands posture, or power, and ‘ah,’ from God’s name, Jehovah. Basically, ‘yadah’ is responding to God by lifting our hands in praise. 

That is why, when we worship God and praise Him, we feel the urge to raise our hands and lift them to Him. Even though no one has taught us about these things, our spirits and bodies naturally know how to respond to God in praise. 

When the Israelites were in a war against the Amalekites in Exodus 17, Moses positioned himself on a hill overlooking the battle. He would raise his hands, and the Israelites were winning. But when he would lower them, the Amalekites were prevailing. So Aaron and Hur supported Moses by helping him raise his hands. 

Moses’ gesture was significant. His simple act of raising his hands in worship and praise to God won them the victory.

In the same way, simply raising our hands is a form of praise to God. Praising God does not mean we have to shout or scream all the time. The very act of lifting our hands is equally pleasing as praise to God. So we can praise God anytime and anywhere just by lifting our hands to Him. 

Psalm 9:1, says “I will praise (Yadah) Thee, o LORD, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works.”

Reference: Youtube | Theo Heartsill

 

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‘Barak’ Or The Hebrew Word For Kneeling In Praise

by Christa
written by Christa

Kneeling or bowing down before the Lord is a form of worship and praise to Him. Abraham, Moses, and David bowed down when they presented themselves before God. Even the elders and the four living creatures (Revelation 7:11) fell on their faces as they worship God on His throne. So, what is really “barak” or the Hebrew word for “kneeling”?

The Hebrew word, Barak

We have come to the fifth Hebrew word for praise in our series of studies about the dynamic meaning of praise in the Bible. Barak does not mean praise, but it means:

  1. To kneel
  2. To bless God as an act of adoration
  3. Or to salute and greet someone
  4. To yield to a king
  5. A continual conscious giving place to God

As in Psalm 95:6, “Come and let us worship and bow down; let us kneel (barak) before the Lord, our Maker.”

And Psalm 34:1, “I will bless (barak) the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

‘Barak’ is an act of reverence and acknowledgment that God is the God of our lives. We put Him high above all else and adoring Him for perfectly ruling over our life.

Just like David in 1 Chronicle 29:10 where he blessed (barak) God in the midst of the congregation. David yielded to God, recognized Him as the God of the people he was reigning over, and honored Him as the One who will sustain them. Even in his position as a king, he humbled himself and placed God as the highest role over their lives.

When we offer ‘barak’ praise unto God, it is presenting ourselves in a humble and submissive position, recognizing Him as our Lord and God. We bless God with our willing submission.

Therefore, we can actually praise God even though we find ourselves having no words to express our adoration. Just by kneeling and having a humble heart, we offer fragrant praise before God’s throne.

Reference: Youtube | Theo Heartsill

 

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Study The Hebrew Word For Praise, “Todah”

by Christa
written by Christa

“Todah” will be the third Hebrew word for praise that we will study in this article.

Hebrew word for praise, Todah

The word “praise” has 7 different words in Hebrew: halal, yadah, today, shabach, barak, zamar, and tehillah. It is important to distinguish each one because there are verses in the Bible where they appear to be the same word and meaning. But when referred to its original translation, we find that they don’t exactly mean the same.

Just like in Psalm 108:1,3, “O God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise (zamar), even with my glory. I will praise (yadah) Thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises (tehillah) unto Thee among the nations.”

The English translation interpreted the three different Hebrew words for praise into the same word: praise.

The third Hebrew word for praise, Todah, means thanksgiving. It also means:

  1. Praise and thanksgiving
  2. The offering of thanks or sacrifice of thanksgiving
  3. Presentation of songs of thanksgiving and praise for God’s mighty acts
  4. Thanksgiving in song

“Todah” basically means responding to God in praise through thanking Him for all that He has done.

The blessing of wholeness

There is an illustration in the Bible where ‘todah’ was practiced. In Luke 17, Jesus encountered ten lepers and healed them all. But, only one came back to Jesus to offer Him thanks for the healing he received.

As he worshipped Jesus, Jesus blessed the former leper and declared him whole. Although the nine other lepers received healing, they did not receive the blessing of wholeness, unlike the one who offered todah.

So, when we offer our thanks to God, we are praising Him and at the same time receive His blessing.

Psalm 50:23 says, “Those who sacrifice thank offerings (todah) honor Me, and to the blameless, I will show my salvation.”

In Psalm 95:2, “Let us come before His Presence with thanksgiving (todah), and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.”

Psalm 50:14 says, “Offer unto God thanksgiving (todah) and pay thy vows unto the Most High.”

Reference: Youtube | Theo Heartsill

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One Of The 7 Hebrew Words For Praise, “Halal”

by Christa
written by Christa

The Hebrew Bible has 7 words for the word ‘praise.’ But for this article, we will be studying the first Hebrew word, ‘halal.’

When a Christian is asked about ‘praise,’ he or she may answer ‘worship.’ But praise and worship are different. Worship is a lifestyle. It is an act of devotion and submission to the Kingship and Lordship of Christ. Meanwhile, praise is the physical expression of worship. But, praise is very dynamic and extensive that the Biblical authors used seven words to describe it.

Hebrew Word for Praise is Halal

The first word, Halal, is the most heard of the seven. We hear it mostly in churches, and we may have even used it. It is the root word of the expression ‘Hallelujah.’

The ancient Hebrew word, Halal, is found over 160 times in the Bible and has four definitions:

  1. It is to be clamorously foolish.
  2. It means to boast.
  3. Another definition is to shine or rave.
  4. And last, to act madly.

King David is a prominent character in the Bible who applied ‘halal.’ In 2 Samuel 6, David danced before the Lord with all his might in the midst of his subjects and servants. His exuberant worship put his wife, Michal, in contempt. When she confronted him with it, David replied, “I will dance before the Lord, and I will dishonor myself and humble myself even more.”

David did not regard his position and status, because he put God’s position above his.

Discover The Eye-Opening Meaning Of The Hebrew Word ‘Repent’

In the same way, when we practice halal in our worship of God, it sets aside our self-consciousness and dignity to magnify God. It can mean dancing before Him (even though you may have two left feet) or jumping in the midst of the congregation. As long as your heart is in humility, bringing something to Jesus without any inhibition or reservation.

“I will tell of Your Name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will HALAL You.” Psalm 22:22

Reference: Youtube | Emmanuel EFC

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