Praise- 8 Different Words And Meanings For “Praise.” -{Work On THIS}

“Praise the LORD!” If you have been around church or Christians it may be a phrase you are familiar with. But not all words for “Praise” are equal or the same. There are various words used for “Praise” with different shades of meaning, Let’s look at some of the  Hebrew words translated “Praise” in our English Bibles.

1.- “HALAL.”-

“Hallel” means to boast or to brag on, to make a show, even to the point of looking ridiculous. “Jah” is the short form of the name for God.”

“Hallah” is the most common word for praise. This word simply means to boast, brag, or rave about God even to the point of appearing foolish. People who attend football games and shout and scream for their favorite team are called fans.

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.

“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live…” (Psalm 63:3-4).”

“This might be one of the most “fun” forms of praise because it requires one to step outside of “dignity” for a moment. It means to be clamorously foolish. To boast. To shine. This is the kind of praise that David exhibited when he danced for joy at the return of the Ark of The Covenant to Israel. It’s also the form of praise that prompted his wife to ridicule him for his lack of dignity.

This is also where we get the word Halellujah from. It literally means “Praise the Lord” but even more literally it means to BE CLAMOROUSLY FOOLISH unto the Lord! This includes dancing and laughing and leaping and twirling before the Lord, but it also (and probably more accurately) includes the state of the heart before God. A heart that is turned towards God and not afraid to BOAST in and of God is a “halal” heart. Halal is not only demonstrative praise, but can also be the force behind any of these other forms of praise. You can sing or shout or even play an instrument as a halal.

Scriptures to reference: This word appears over 100 times in the Old Testament. 1 Chronicles 16:4 (there were actual appointed musicians to “halal” before the Lord); Nehemiah 12:24 (an example of call and response halal).”

“HALLAL is a primary Hebrew root word for praise. Our word “hallelujah” comes from this base word. It
means “to be clear, to praise, to shine, to boast, show, to rave, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish.”
Psalm 113:1-3 Praise (hallal) ye the Lord, praise (hallal) o ye servants of the Lord, praise (hallal) the name
of the Lord.
Psalm 150:1 Praise (hallal) the Lord! Praise (hallal) God in His sanctuary; Praise (hallal) Him in His mighty
expanse.
Psalm 149:3 Let them praise (hallal) His name in the dance: let them sing praises with the timbrel and harp.
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″

. Hallal – To shine, rave, boast, celebrate extravagantly, to be clamorously foolish.
Hallal is the root from which we get the word Hallelujah. Hallel- praise- jah… YHWH.
• Psalm 145:3 – “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is
unsearchable. He is the one most worthy of this.
• Psalm 69:30 – “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with
thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. What
pleases God? What does God desire? More than sacrificial animals is the hallal of His people.
• Psalm 150- the end of the book of Psalms- the end of the book of praise ends with what?
With pure, unadulterated praise. It’s ends with hallal.
Psalm 150:1-6 1Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
To shine, rave, boast, grab instruments, noise makers. These Jews knew how to create a culture of joy
and wonder and borderline foolishness in response to the wonder and majesty of God.
• The psalmist in Psalm 119:164 says – “Seven times a day I will praise (hallal) you for your
righteous rules.”

The Celebration of Praise:
2. HALAL (haw-lal’): To boast. To Rave. To shine. To celebrate. To be clamorously ___________.

“Let them praise (hâlal) His name with dancing and make music to Him
with timbres and harp.” Psalm 149:3

“I will praise (hâlal) God’s name in song.” Psalm 22:22

“I will declare Your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise (hâlal) You.” Psalm 109:30

“Let everything that has breath praise (hâlal) the Lord. Psalm 150:6

Other Scriptures: Psalm 150, Luke 15:23-24, Ecclesiastes 3:4, Philippians 4:4, Psalm 30:11, Acts 3:8.

2. “YADAH.”- 

”

“Yadah is the third person singular qal form of the Hebrew language verbal root ydh. … In the qal form, it describes the “shooting” of arrows in Jeremiah 50:14. The piel form means “throwing” (as in throwing stones at a person, in Lamentations 3:53) or “casting down” (“the horns of the nations,” in Zechariah 2:4).”

““Yadah” means to worship with extended hands.“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord” (Psalm 134:2).

(Psalm 43:1-5; 134:2; 2 Chronicles 20: 1- 21; Nehemiah 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:8)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.” Yadah 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.”

“This means to show reverence or praise with extended hands. The word pictures associated with the root words for this type of praise is shooting an arrow or throwing a rock. It literally means to extend the hands, or to shoot and arrow.

Scriptures to reference: Psalm 42:5, The Dedication of The Temple in 2 Chronicles 7 uses this expression of praise (visualize Levites blowing the trumpets and calling everyone to worship and the “praise” that everyone is expressing is through standing and lifted hands).

So when we share this with our people we get them to visualize a small child who wants to be picked up. They extend their hands high above their heads in a sign of surrender and desire to be held. You could also use the image of throwing or shooting your praise outwardly to God instead of holding it in. Have your people lift or extend their hands.”

“YADAH is a verb with a root meaning, “the extended hand, to throw out the hand, therefore to worship
with extended hand, to lift the hands.” According to the Lexicon, the opposite meaning is “to bemoan, the
wringing of the hands.”
2 Chronicles 20:21 Give thanks (yadah) to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 63:1 So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will (yadah) lift up my hands in Thy name.
Psalm 107:15 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 ”

The Hands of Praise:
1. YADAH (yaw-daw’): To revere or worship with ___________ hands. To hold out the hands. To throw a stone or arrow.

“May the peoples praise (yâdâh) You, God; may all the peoples praise (yâdâh) You. Psalm 67:3 “All your work praise (yâdâh) you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.”

Psalm 145:10
“In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise (yâdâh) your name forever.” Psalm 44:8

Other Scriptures: 1 Kings 8:22, Psalm 28:2, Psalm 63:4, Psalm 88:9, Psalm 134:2, Psalm 141:2, Psalm 143:6.

3. “BARAK.”-

“to bless, kneel

1. 1. (Qal)

      1. to kneel

      2. to bless

   2. (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself

   3. (Piel) to bless

   4. (Pual) to be blessed, be adored

   5. (Hiphil) to cause to kneel

   6. (Hithpael) to bless oneself- LEXICON

2. (TWOT) to praise, salute, curse

 “Barak” is used to denote blessing. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). (Judges 5:1-2; Psalm 72:15).Barack suggests the transcendent privilege of blessing the Lord.”

“This flavor of praise is one that we commonly see around altars. It means to kneel down. It means to bow low as a sign of adoration and reverence. It carries with it the idea of humbling yourself to a place that is lower than the recipient of your worship (God).

Scriptures to reference: Psalm 95:6 (expresses this idea literally); Psalm 103 (uses the phrase “bless the Lord” to convey this expression)

This one might be the most physically “uncomfortable” expression to have people do, but you can have people stand up and bow or kneel right where they are. I also like to have people think about a royal court of years gone by. Have them answer what would be the first thing you’d do before approaching the throne to have an audience with a king or queen. You would bow low as a sign of reverence and deference to their power. The same applies here: we bow and kneel to outwardly express our awareness of God’s greatness.”

“BARAK means “to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration, to salute.”
Psalm 95:6 O come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel (barak) before the Lord our maker.
1Chronicles 29:20 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 (barak) the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
OTHER REFERENCES: Judges 5:2; Psalms 72:15, 96:2, 103:1-2″

The Posture of Praise:
5. BARAK (baw-rak’): To kneel. To bless God (as an act of _____________________). To praise. To salute. To thank.

“Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve him… And He shall live, and to Him shall be given all gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for Him continually; and daily shall He be praised (bârak).” Psalm 72:11, 15

Praise (bârak) the Lord, my soul; All my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise (bârak) the Lord, my soul, And forget not all his benefits…
Praise (bârak) the Lord, my soul, You mighty ones who do his bidding, Who obey his word. Praise (bârak) the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Praise (bârak) the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise (bârak) the Lord, my soul. Psalm 103:1-2,20-22

Other Scriptures: Psalm 96:6, Ezekiel 3:23, Ephesians 3:14, Daniel 6:10, Ezra 9:5, Romans 14:11, Acts 20:36, Revelation 7:11.

2. Barach – To bless, to praise as a blessing
Literally, this word means to bow or to kneel. It’s what a person does when they come into the
presence of a King. It’s an expression of humility.
• Psalm 145:1 – “I will extol you, my God my King, and bless Your name forever and ever.”
Verse 2- same thing- “Every day I will bless you (barach) and praise Your name forever.”
• Psalm 95:6 – “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our
Maker!” In this verse the psalmist uses 3 different words- “Come let us worship (literally
shachah- bow down prostrate) and bow down (kara – crouch low), let us kneel (barach)- 3
different words that all mean some form of bowing down, crouching down, kneeling before…
blessing in honor before.

4. “TEHILLAH.”- 

praise, song or hymn of praise

1. praise, adoration, thanksgiving (paid to God)
2. act of general or public praise
3. praise-song (as title)
4. praise (demanded by qualities or deeds or attributes of God)
5. renown, fame, glory
   1. of Damascus, God
   2. object of praise, possessor of renown (fig)

“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 suggests that God himself is a song of praise. We might say it like this, “God is our song.”

• “This type of praise is singing, but not just any type of singing. It’s the singing that bubbles up from our hearts. It’s a spontaneous type of singing. These songs are unrehearsed and unprepared. They are straight to God.

Scriptures to reference: Psalm 22:3 (these are the types of “praises” that God enthrones or inhabits, which is interesting because it’s so specific: God literally lives in the SPONTANEOUS praises of His people!); Psalm 33:1 (this type of praise is “fitting” for God’s people, or it literally makes them “look good”); When Isaiah talks about trading garments of ashes and mourning for garments of joy and praise, the word praise their literally means SPONTANEOUS praises!)

This is also a tough one to get people to just do because of the spontaneous nature of it. But you could have everyone on the count of three to stand up and just blurt out a praise to God! That would illustrate it. It would be coordinated, but each person would be “praising” spontaneously.”

“TEHILLAH is derived from the word halal and means “the singing of halals, to sing or to laud; perceived
to involve music, especially singing; hymns of the Spirit or praise.”
Psalm 22:3 Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned upon the praises (tehillah) of Israel.
Isaiah 61:3 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.
OTHER REFERENCES: Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 10:21; Nehemiah 9:5; Psalms 9:14, 22:25;”

Tehillah– A song or a hymn of praise
Note this- it is often unrehearsed or unscripted or personally written to respond to God.
• Psalm 145 superscript, “A song of praise. Of David.” It’s literally, a Tehillah of David.
• Psalm 33:1 – “Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.”
• Psalm 22:3 – “Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”

The Song of Praise:
6. TEHILLA (teh-hil-law): Laudation. A hymn. A song of praise. A ______ song. A spontaneous song.

“But you are holy, Enthroned on the praises (tehillâh) of Israel.” Psalm 22:3

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise (tehillâh) to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise (tehillâh); give thanks to him and praise (bârak) His name.” Psalm 100:4

Other Scriptures: Psalm 33:3, Psalm 144:9, Revelation 13:3, Revelation 5:9

5. “ZAMAR.”-

Means to pluck the strings of an instrument. ” Zamar speaks of rejoicing. It is involved with the joyful expression of music. Zamar means to sing praises or to touch the strings. It speaks of involving every available instrument to make music and harmony before the Lord. It is God’s will that we be joyful. 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).”

“This literally means to pluck the strings, to celebrate in song and music. Basically it’s probably the most common form of “praise” we have across the world in our churches. It’s just singing songs put to music. What’s neat about it though, is that it can also refer to JUST PLAYING, as well. It is usually translated as “sing praises.”

Scriptures to reference: Psalm 150 (this psalm illustrates a picture of instrumental worship).

A fun way to illustrate this is to have everyone clap together (playing their five fingered instruments!). There’s not much needed to illustrate this form of praise though, because it is so prevalent in our churches. Our regular Sunday Setlists are filled with ZAMAR.”

“This literally means to pluck the strings, to celebrate in song and music.

Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon says zamar means to “properly, to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument, i.e. play upon it; to make music, accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music:–give praise, sing forth praises, psalms.”

Basically it’s probably the most common form of “praise” we have across the world in our wide variety of churches. Most every church has some form of musical instrument to accompany the singing.

Zamar is most commonly expressed as singing lyrics to music. It can also refer to praise and worship through just playing instruments as well.

1 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV) refers to this type of praise: “Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”

The word “praises” in this scripture is zamar and it makes the verse literally read like this: “Sing to him, praise him with singing that is accompanied by the playing of musical instruments…”

Psalm 57:9 (ESV) says, “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.”

The word “praises” in this verse is zamar. It doesn’t just mean to simply “sing praises,” it means to sing songs that are accompanied by musical instruments!

One of my favorite things about zamar praise is that it combines nicely with halal praise. Halal praise is a praise that boasts and celebrates in the Lord with a “shining” heart song, a joyful and exuberant heart song, and even clamorously foolish heart song. Combine that attitude of praise with the accompaniment of musical instruments and you have a full on worship rock band of epic proportions. Or it could be polka. Or reggae. Or classical. Or bluegrass. Or hip hop…yes, hip hop.

The point is this: there is a great deal of variety in the genres of music that the people of God relate to and can use as expressions of their inward hearts of worship. The beauty of the Body is that there is diversity. This means that a zamar type of praise WILL look different as you move from culture to culture and even geographic location to location.

The musical accompaniment shouldn’t be the focus…the PRAISE should be.”

“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 Lord, in Thine own strength, so will we sing and praise (zamar) Thy power.
1Chronicles 16:9 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 awaken the dawn! I will give thanks to Thee, O
Lord among the peoples; I will sing praises (zamar) to Thee among the nations.
OTHER REFERENCES: Judges 5:3; 2 Samuel 22:50; Psalms 61:8, 147:1, 7”

Zamar – To make music
Zamar means literally to pluck the strings- to praise by plucking.
• Psalm 7:17 – “I will give to the Lord the thank due to His righteousness, and I will sing
praise (zamar, make music) to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”
• Psalm 9:2 – “I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

The Music of Praise:
3. ZAMAR (zaw-mar’): To make music. To celebrate in______________. To touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument.”

“I will sing a new song to You O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises (Zâmar) to You. Psalm 144:9

Other Scriptures: Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, Psalm 33:1-4, 1 Samuel 16:23, Psalm 150:4, Psalm 144:9, Psalm 101:1.

6. “TODAH.” – “

Todah – Confession, praise, thanksgiving
It’s another word of confession, praise and thanksgiving. But when you look at verses like Psalm
50:14 and 23 – both which use this word, it implies and emphasizes a sacrifice… but not just any
sacrifice- a sacrifice before the deliverance happens.
• Psalm 50:14 – “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most
High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

7. “SHABACH.”- 

“Shabach” also means to shout or to address in a loud tone. 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:

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Daniel 4:37).”

“Are you ready to get loud? Shabach means to address in a loud tone. It’s typically associated with freedom or triumph. But it’s more than just a loud shout, it’s the idea of putting everything you have into it. An attitude of wholehearted praise.

Scriptures to reference: Psalm 63:3-4 (We typically look at this psalm as soft cry of thirst in a dry place, but the words in these verses literally mean to SHOUT praises!)

This is pretty simple to illustrate. Ask people to stand up and shout a phrase (Hallelujah or Praise the Lord works great) together on the count of three! Encourage them to view it as a wholehearted expression of praise. One of the best comparisons for this is the spontaneous, electric cheers and yells that fans at a sporting event utter when something good happens to their team.”

“SHABACH means, “to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph.”
Psalm 47:1 O clap your hands, all peoples; shout (shabach) to God with the voice of joy (or triumph).
Psalm 145:4 One generation shall praise (shabach) Thy works to another and declare Thy mighty acts.
Isaiah 12:6 Cry aloud and shout (shabach) for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy
One of Israel.
OTHER REFERENCES: Psalms 63:3, 117:1, 145:4; Ecclesiastes 4:2″

Shabach – To exclaim or shout praise.
It’s a way for a person to express confidence in God’s character and ability.
• Psalm 145:4 – “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare
your mighty acts.”
• Psalm 63:3 – “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” My lips
will “shabach” you.

The Shout of Praise:
7. SHABACH ( shaw-bakh’): To address in a _____ tone. To shout. To commend, glory, and triumph.

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

“Praise the Lord all you nations, Praise (shâbach) him, all you people of the earth.” Psalm 117: 1

Other Scriptures: Psalm 98:4, Psalm 71:23, Psalm 35:27, Psalm 66:1-2, Joshua 6:20, Ezra 3:11, Isaiah 12:6

8. “HALLELUJAH.”– Is used just 24 times in the Old Testament and all are found between Psalm 104 to 150! It is reserved for times of extreme exultation. jubilation,triumph. It is made up of two words, “Hallel” and “Jah” {Yah}.

The word “Hallelujah” is used just four times in the New Testament and all in Revelation 19:1-7.  Revelation 19:1-7.

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.”

“Hallelujah! Revenge on the Harlot: God is just after all.”

“Hallelujah! God is still on his throne even though the world is destroyed.”

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

_______________________________

HOW WONDERFUL, kind of the LORD. Look at the various acceptable waysto Him he ahs given us to praise Him. A Variety, begining with the attitude of the ehart, to speaking words of praise, to singing words of rpaise, to having musical instruments to ccomany or to be used  without singing….He ahs givien usa  avariey of ways to express our gratitude, exuberance, to Him for who He is and what He ahs done and will do. He is the focus…on Him!!!!