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Introduction
Praise is an act of worship or acknowledgment by which the virtues or deeds of another are recognized and extolled.
The praise of man toward man, although often beneficial, can be a snare to man. But the praise of God toward man
is the highest commendation a person can receive. Such an act of praise reflects a true servant's heart. Look at
Matthew 25:21 "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Also
1 Corinthians 4:5 "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man
have praise of God."
The praise of man toward God is the means by which we express our joy to the Lord. We are to praise God both for
who He is and for what He does. Praising God for who He is is called adoration; praising Him for what He does is
known as thanksgiving. Praise of God may be in song or prayer, individually or collectively, spontaneous or prearranged,
originating from the emotions or from the will.
The godly person will echo David's words, Psalm 71: 6, 14 "My praise shall be continually of You... And
[I] will praise You yet more and more"
When reading the Word, we often take for granted the words we read and don't really find the full understanding
of the Hebrew and Greek words. Our English language very often assigns one word to many Hebrew or Greek words grouping
all the meanings into one, when in essence there should have been many variations of the word to more fully express
the true meaning of the word in the translation. The word "praise" has many meanings. Understanding the
root words of "praise" will help us to more fully comprehend the importance of a life of praise to God.
It will also help us to fulfill our mission here on earth -- living a life of praise to our Maker.
Yadah
A common Hebrew word in all its periods, this verb is an important word in the language of worship. Yadah 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: Genesis 29:35 "And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, This time I will
praise the Lord; therefore she called his name Judah"
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. Thanks
often are directed to the name of the Lord.
Psalms 7:17 "I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of
the LORD most high." The two words "praise" in this verse are two very different words. The
first "praise" is translated from the Hebrew word "yadah" which means to use (or hold out)
the hand; physically to throw (such as a stone or arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship with extended
hands; intensively, to bemoan by wringing the hands. The Hebrew word "yadah" has been translated to mean
many things, all giving us a fuller picture of this type of praise: to cast out or cast down or throw down, to
make confession, to laud or praise, to give thanks, and to confess the name of God.
Zamar
The second word "praise" in the same verse has a very different meaning. It comes from the root word
"zamar" which refers to striking strings or parts of a musical instrument with fingers; to play upon
it, to make music, accompanied by voice, hence to celebrate in song and music.
Now, let's look at that same verse with a broadened understanding: "I will praise [worship with extended
hands; laud or praise, give thanks, and confess the name of ] the LORD according to his righteousness: and will
sing praise [make music and celebrate in song and music] to the name of the LORD most high."
Tehillah
Tehillah occurs 57 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew. This word denotes a quality or attribute of
some person or thing, "glory or praiseworthiness": Deuteronomy 10:21 "He is thy praise, and he
is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen". Israel
is God's "glory" when she exists in a divinely exalted and blessed state: Isaiah 62:7 "And give
him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth". It also represents
the words or song by which God is publicly lauded, or by which His "glory" is publicly declared: Psalm
22:25 "My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation...". Psalm 22:22 is even clearer:
"I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee."
"Tehillah" is found in Psalm 9:13-14 "Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I
suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: That I may shew forth all thy praise
in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation." The Hebrew root word means laudation
or praise in the form of a hymn or song of praise in private and in public demanded by the qualities, deeds or
atributes of God. In other words, this type of praise is evoked or required from mankind because of God's attributes,
deeds and qualities. It is commanded by Him for Him. It should be an immediate and constant response to His goodness,
His might, and His acts!
Psalm 34:1-3 is a good example of "tehillah": "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise
shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and
be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together."
Halal
Found more than 160 times in the Old Testament. The Hebrew name for the Book of Psalms is simply the equivalent
for the word "praises" and is a bit more appropriate than "Psalms," which comes from the Greek
and has to do with the accompaniment of singing with a stringed instrument of some sort. It is little wonder that
the Book of Psalms contains more than half the occurrences of halal in its various forms. Psalms 113-118 are traditionally
referred to as the "Hallel Psalms," 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 in Matthew 26:30 "And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."
The word halal 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 Psalm 68:4 "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol
him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him", 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>.
To shine, to flash forth light, to praise, to boast or be boastful, to glory, to make a fool of, to act madly or
act like a mad man, to make a show, to be clamorously foolish, to rave, to celebrate, to stultify. Think of this
description of "praise" now when reading this verse: Psalm 22:22-23 "I will declare thy name
unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye
the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel."
Interesting that Halal praise is used in reference to God's word: Psalm 56:4, 10 "In God I will praise
his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me . . . In God will I praise his
word: in the LORD will I praise his word."
The entire 150th chapter of Psalms is a "halal" praise: "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary:
praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent
greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the
timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him
upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
Towdah
This important noun form, found some 30 times in the Old Testament, is used there in the sense of "thanksgiving."
The word is preserved in modern Hebrew as the regular word for "thanks." In the Hebrew text todah is
used to indicate "thanksgiving" in songs of worship. Sometimes the word is used to refer to the thanksgiving
choir or procession . One of the peace offerings was designated the thanksgiving offering.
A means of corporate praise, a choir singing praise, a song of adoration, of worship, a choir of worshippers, a
sacrifice of praise is shown beautifully in Psalm 42:1-4 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so
panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear
before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When
I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house
of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday."
Psalm 50:23 "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will
I shew the salvation of God."
Shabach
To address in a loud tone, to laud, to praise, to commend, to boast, to congratulate. Psalm 63:3 "Because
thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." Psalm 145:4 "One generation shall
praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts."
It is always interesting to find the same word used more than once in a single verse but it actually comes from
two different root words. Look at Psalm 117:1 "O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people."
The first "praise" is actually "halal" and the second "praise" is "shabach".
The same is true for Psalm 147:12 "Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion."
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