These words for “praise” in Hebrew carry more than just the simple idea of saying nice things about someone or something. They often carry strong connotations of joy, celebration, thanksgiving, and even music and dance. They remind us that the praise of God in the Bible is a dynamic, joyous, and often public declaration of who God is and what He has done.
Halal (הָלַל): This is perhaps the most common word translated as “praise”. It connotes to shine, to boast, or to show forth. It’s often used in the Psalms to instruct the reader to praise God.
It is fitting that the example of Halal is drawn from the last psalm, which summarizes all the praises of God throughout the psalms. It commands us to praise him in his sanctuary on earth, in the firmament of his power through his mighty acts, for his excellent greatness with trumpets, wind instruments, and cymbals, and ends with encouragement for everything that has breath to sing praises to the Lord.
Psalm 150:1 – “Praise (Halal) the LORD! Praise (Halal) God in His sanctuary; Praise (Halal) Him in His mighty expanse.”
“How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin. This song is full of declarations about the greatness of God, which is a form of “halal”.
Yadah (יָדָה): Often translated as “praise”, this word actually carries a deeper meaning of “thanksgiving outstretched in praise”. It implies an act of worship with extended hands.
This word can be translated as give thanks or make confession. It implies an unbounded praise because of God’s undeserved goodness to us.
Psalm 28:7 – “The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank (Yadah) Him.”
“Raise A Hallelujah” by Bethel Music. The chorus of the song involves lifting up a shout of praise, which aligns with the idea of “yadah” praise.
Zamar (זָמַר): This word is translated as “to make music in praise of God”. It has a particularly strong connotation of joyful expressions of music with instruments.
This word primarily means to make music because his steadfast heart had reason to trust the Lord, therefore he could anticipate the sunrise with songs of praise even in the midst of trials.
Psalm 57:7 – “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises (Zamar)!”
“10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)” by Matt Redman. This song involves music as an expression of praise to God, which is the idea of “zamar”.
Tehillah (תְּהִלָּה): From the root word “halal”, Tehillah means “praise” in the form of a song or hymn of laudation.
This word is used for formal addresses, like award ceremonies or formal nomination speeches. It is fitting that the example is drawn from Psalm 22, which is the first of three messianic songs about the Lord. Psalm 22 is about the Good Shepherd dying for his sheep. Psalm 23 is about the Great Shepherd living for his sheep. Psalm 24 is about the Chief Shepherd returning in glory for his sheep. This verse has been repeated thousands of times by worship leaders describing God as enthroned on the praises of his people. But all other formal addresses pale in comparison to praising God on his throne.
Psalm 22:3 – “Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises (Tehillah) of Israel.”
“Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns. Despite the trials, the song insists on singing praises to God, a concept of “tehillah”.
“Holy Forever” by Chris Tomlin. This is a song about the song the angels sing in Revelation 4:8, “and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Barak (בָּרַךְ): Although it’s often translated as “bless”, this word also means “to kneel”, implying a physical act of adoration and respect. It’s used in a sense of blessing God through adoration.
There are many encouragements to come to God for help in time of need throughout the Bible. But this word is different, it implies complete surrender to adoration and respect. It draws the picture of kneeling before the king. And it is fitting that the example is drawn from Psalms 103-106, which praise the Lord for several reasons but do not contain any requests to the Lord.
Psalm 103:1 – “Bless (Barak) the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.”
“Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman. The song blesses the name of the Lord in all circumstances, mirroring the idea of “barak”.
“Holy Forever” by Chris Tomlin. This song describes the need for falling down in worship to sing the son of ages to the Lamb.
Shabach (שָׁבַח): Shabach means to praise, commend, or boast. It suggests loud adoration or shouts of praise to God.
This word means two different things at the same time. It means both the loud shouted command and the resulting peace and calmness. This is often used of God who stills the roaring seas. And is summarized by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ, “Peace, be still.” It is fitting to use Psalm 145, which is the last psalm attributed to King David. As a man after God’s own heart, he knew the commandments of the Lord and the blessings of his kindness.
Psalm 145:4 – “One generation shall praise (Shabach) Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.”
“Shout to the Lord” by Darlene Zschech. The song involves loud expressions of praise, aligning with the idea of “shabach”.
“Gratitude” by Brandon Lake. This song encourages us to overcome our shyness because we have a lion inside of our lungs, so we should get up and praise the Lord.
Todah (תּוֹדָה): While often translated as “thanksgiving”, this word implies confession, and is used in the context of praise and thanksgiving expressed in songs.
This word describes the thanksgiving of praise as a confession to God. It is part of the theme of Bible from beginning to end, that we have nothing to bring to God but our sacrifice of thanksgiving.
Psalm 50:23 – “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Todah) honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.”
“Thank You, Lord” by Paul Baloche. This song expresses gratitude towards God, which is central to “todah”.
“Gratitude” by Brandon Lake. This song describes our desire to praise God in spite of our failures.
Mahalal (מַהֲלָל): This word comes from the root “halal” and is often translated as “praise”. It represents a celebration of thankfulness and joy.
This word only occurs once in the Old Testament. The following verse conveys the concept of testing the quality of a person by their reaction to praise. Some people let it go to their head and become proud and arrogant. Some people are encouraged to press on because they are grateful and humbled by praise. But God cannot be changed by our praise. He was God before he created the heavens and the earth. And he will be God forever.
Proverbs 27:21 – “The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is tested by the praise (Mahalal) accorded him.”
“Good, Good Father” by Chris Tomlin. This song expresses the goodness of God, and in doing so, offers praise that aligns with the idea of “mahalal”.
Digging deeper
- Holy Roar: 7 Words That Will Change The Way You Worship by Chris Tomlin – In the ancient world, something extraordinary happened when God’s people gathered to worship Him. It was more than just singing; it was a declaration, a proclamation, a time to fully embody praise to God for who He is and what He has done. In fact, in the Psalms, seven Hebrew words are translated into the English word praise, each of which represents a different aspect of what it means to truly praise God.