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Bible Dictionaries
Praise
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Verbs.
Hâlal (הָלַל, Strong's #1984), “to praise, celebrate, glory, sing (praise), boast.” The meaning “to praise” is actually the meaning of the intensive form of the Hebrew verb hâlal, which in its simple active form means “to boast.” In this latter sense hâlal is found in its cognate forms in ancient Akkadian, of which Babylonian and Assyrian are dialects. The word is found in Ugaritic in the sense of “shouting,” and perhaps “jubilation.” Found more than 160 times in the Old Testament, hâlal is used for the first time in Gen. 12:15, where it is noted that because of Sarah’s great beauty, the princes of Pharaoh “praised” (KJV, “commended”) her to Pharaoh.
While hâlal is often used simply to indicate “praise” of people, including the king (2 Chron. 23:12) or the beauty of Absalom (2 Sam. 14:25), the word is usually used in reference to the “praise” of God. Indeed, not only all living things but all created things, including the sun and moon, are called upon “to praise” God (Ps. 148:2-5, 13; 150:1). Typically, such “praise” is called for and expressed in the sanctuary, especially in times of special festivals (Isa. 62:9).
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 hâlal 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 (Matt. 26:30).
The word hâlal 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 Ps. 68:4, 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). Christian hymnody certainly would be greatly impoverished if the term “Hallelujah” were suddenly removed from our language of praise.
Yâdâh (יָדָה, Strong's #3034), “to give thanks, laud, praise.” A common Hebrew word in all its periods, this verb is an important word in the language of worship. Yâdâh 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: “And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, This time I will praise the Lord; therefore she called his name Judah” (Gen. 29:35, RSV).
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 (Ps. 30:9, 12; 35:18). Thanks often are directed to the name of the Lord (Ps. 106:47; 122:4).
The variation in translation may be seen in 1 Kings 8:33: “confess” thy name (KJV, NEB, NASB); acknowledge (RSV); praise (JB, NAB).
B. Nouns.
Tehillâh (תְּהִלָּה, Strong's #8416), “glory; praise; song of praise; praiseworthy deeds.” Tehillâh occurs 57 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew.
First, this word denotes a quality or attribute of some person or thing, “glory or praiseworthiness”: “He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen” (Deut. 10:21). Israel is God’s “glory” when she exists in a divinely exalted and blessed state: “And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isa. 62:7; cf. Jer. 13:11).
Second, in some cases tehillâh represents the words or song by which God is publicly lauded, or by which His “glory” is publicly declared: “My praise [the Messiah is speaking here] shall be of thee in the great congregation …” (Ps. 22:25). Ps. 22:22 is even clearer: “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.”
In a third nuance tehillâh is a technical-musical term for a song (shir) which exalts or praises God: “David’s psalm of praise” (heading for Ps. 145; v. 1 in the Hebrew). Perhaps Neh. 11:17 refers to a choirmaster or one who conducts such singing of “praises”: “And Mattaniah … , the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer [who at the beginning was the leader of praise at prayer].…”
Finally, tehillâh may represent deeds which are worthy of “praise,” or deeds for which the doer deserves “praise and glory.” This meaning is in the word’s first biblical appearance: “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises [in praiseworthy deeds], doing wonders [miracles]?” (Exod. 15:11).
Two other related nouns are mahalal and hillulim. Mahalal occurs once (Prov. 27:21) and denotes the degree of “praise” or its lack. Hillulim, which occurs twice, means “festal jubilation” in the fourth year at harvest time (Lev. 19:24, RSV; Judg. 9:27, NASB),
Tôdâh (תּוֹדָה, Strong's #8426), “thanksgiving.” 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 tôdâh is used to indicate “thanksgiving” in songs of worship (Ps. 26:7; 42:4). Sometimes the word is used to refer to the thanksgiving choir or procession (Neh. 12:31, 38). One of the peace offerings, or “sacrings,” was designated the thanksgiving offering (Lev. 7:12).
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Praise'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/p/praise.html. 1940.
