HALLELUJAH - PRAISE JAH/YAH

Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;

    praise him in his mighty heavens

Psalm 150: 1

(1)

INTRODUCTION

Every knee shall bow and worship the true Creator of all. Every lip shall proclaim Him the Ruler above all. That day is speedily approaching, so let us praise Him even louder - Hallelujah! Hallelujah is a compound word consisting of two Hebrew words: halelu (the imperative form of halel; to give praise or shine) and Jah (Yah). Halelu is a command, an exhortation to give God praise. And in the end, all shall praise Him. 

HALLELUJAH - PRAISE YE JAH

One of the most well-known and potentially carelessly words from the Bible is Hallelujah. What many use as an everyday word is a Hebrew word with a very deep meaning behind it. But then again, let it be that even our enemies praise Him. 

Hallelujah is a Hebrew loan compound word incorporated into the English language. (2) It consists of two elements. It ends with יה (Yah), which is an abbreviated form of the Tetragrammaton and begins with an imperative form (that means it's a command) of the root הלל (halal). The latter means to shine (what exited stars do) or praise and cheer (what exited souls do). (3)

USAGE IN THE BIBLE

The word appears in the Old Testament only in the Psalms, often at the beginning. Despite its usually simple liturgical usage, Hallelujah tends to appear in the vicinity of contemplations on death, which is, after all, the final moment of letting go that every living creature has to deal with. (3)

THE DEEPER MEANING

Hallelujah is best interpreted and understood as “you all must praise Yahweh”. In other words, all shall praise Him in the end without exception. (4) Even more so, as the writers at Abarim Publications say, “It is a crucial exercise that teaches us not only how to live but also how to die. Blessed is the one who is able to die in the spirit of Hallelujah!” (3)

CONCLUSION

The word Hallelujah is not one to be spoken carelessly. It is a Hebrew compound word consisting of the imperative form (that means it's a command) of the root הלל (halal) and the abbreviated form of the Tetragrammaton Jah (Yah). It is an exhortation, or rather a command, perhaps we could dare say a declaration that all flesh must praise Yah, the Creator of all. It is also an exercise that teaches us not only how to live but also how to praise Yah even in death.

Application

During this week, raise a Hallelujah to our faithful God at least once. 

SOURCES

1. Image created via canva.com

2. Dr. Eliyahu Lizorkin-Eyzenberg. "Hallelujah" in Hebrew Thought. November 23, 2021. Available at https://weekly.israelbiblecenter.com/hebrew-hallelujah

3. Abarim Publications. Hallelujah meaning. Last updated on May 22, 2025. Available at https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Hallelujah.html

4. Daniel Thompson. Hallelujah (הַלְלוּיָהּ) – What Does Hallelujah Mean? February 14, 2020. Available at https://www.pathofobedience.com/words/what-does-hallelujah-mean/