Seven Words of Praise
1. YADAH (yaw-daw’): The word yadah is a gesture of throwing out one’s arms in celebration or confession. To hold out the hands.
“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
The Celebration of Praise:
2. HALAL (haw-lal’): To boast. To Rave. To shine. To celebrate. You might recognize another word for praise since halal is the root for hallelujah. The word halal is the most prolific word translated as praise, appearing 96 times in the Old Testament.“Let them praise (hâlal) His name with dancing and make music to Him with timbres and harp.” Psalm 149:3
“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
The Music of Praise:
3. ZAMAR (zaw-mar’):The third most prolific word for praise in the Old Testament is zamar, used 44times. 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
The Expectation of Praise:
4. TOWDAH (to-daw’): An extension of the hand. Thanksgiving. A Confession. A sacrifice of praise. “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You.” Psalm 56:11-12
Other Scriptures: Psalm 141: 2, Psalm 88:9, Hebrews 11:6, 1 Corinthians 2:5, Habakkuk 3:2, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Psalm 121:1-2, Psalm 20:7
The Posture of Praise:
5. BARAK (baw-rak’): To kneel. To bless God. 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
The Song of Praise:
6. TEHILLA (teh-hil-law): Laudation. A hymn. A song of praise. A spontaneous song.
“But you are holy, Enthroned on the praises of Israel.” Psalm 22:3
“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise 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 ; give thanks to him and praise His name.” Psalm 100:4
The power of tehillah expresses itself vocally so that there is no doubt who the star in the room is.
In our worship services, do our songs have this effect? Do they make it clear that our noise is about honoring our God?
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