Intro
According to the Oxford dictionary the meaning of praise is to –
• express warm approval or admiration of;
• express one’s respect and gratitude towards (a deity), especially in song
I assume we all know how to praise a child or even a puppy. But what is the meaning of praise in the Bible – i.e. to praise God? Do we congratulate Him on a job well done?
The large majority of references to praising God are in the Old Testament so we will mainly search there. In any particular verse containing the word ‘praise’, we can gain some clarification by checking out the original word in the Hebrew or Greek text. We can still grasp the original word in Hebrew for praise or Greek for praise even if we can’t read Hebrew or Greek.
It takes just a concordance of the Bible paired with a Hebrew and Greek lexicon (dictionary) based on the one English version of the Scriptures
Research the meaning of praise
Of course, we can find the meaning of praise in English using an English dictionary. Or even simply “Google it”. But is there more to the meaning of praise built into the original word/s used in the original texts? So I grabbed my copy of Strong’s Concordance with both a Hebrew and Greek dictionary built-in. It’s pretty easy to use once you ‘get the hang of it’.
I must say, the concordance is an amazing book especially considering the one compiled by James Strong. It was published in 1890! In it, he alphabetically listed all the significant words in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible (like “praise”) and a recorded all the verses in which that word appears. The list included a record of all the verses in which that word appears.
📖 – Looking up “praise” (for e.g.) in the concordance reveals over 250 instances of “praise” in the King James Version. Scanning the list of occurrences for a particular verse say, in Genesis 29:35 the concordance says that the word that had been translated as “praise” in that verse was word number H3034 (the “H” meant it was in the Hebrew dictionary – OT).
📖 – So, in Strong’s Hebrew dictionary we look up “3034” and find the Hebrew word yâdâh and see that it has much more detail including actions in its expression of worship!
📖 – Similarly for words in NT verses they are referenced with a “G” for Greek in Strong’s Greek dictionary
Voila!!!! we can find the original word that was translated as “praise” in any particular verse and a clear indication of its meaning rather than the “blanket” English word like ‘praise’.
Note: There are over 350 instances of “praise” In the NIV translation because some of the substitute words from the King James Version for e.g. “extol”, “exalt”, “bless” etc, were simply replaced by “praise” in the NIV
Amazingly, 18 different Hebrew and Greek words were translated to “praise”. (see Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon and Greek Lexicon online). So there’s not just one meaning of praise in the Bible.
Words in Hebrew for Praise
Below are the most common words in Hebrew for praise. That is, they landed as “praise” in English translations. Using the Strong’s Concordance reference numbers in the Strong’s Hebrew dictionary, we see their meanings are all slightly different. Yet they appear simply as “praise” in the English text:–
Praise Involving Actions
H1288 = Bârak (pronounced baw–rak) – to kneel to bless God as an act of adoration – used 302 times in the King James Version mostly as “bless” but sometimes as “praise” but in the NIV it is mainly translated as “praise”.
Samples: Judges 5:2, Psalms 18:46, 34:1, 63:4, 66:8
H1974 = hillûwl (pronounced hil–lool) – to make merry in the sense of rejoicing such as a celebration of thanksgiving for harvest – used once in the King James Version as “praise”
Sample: Leviticus 19:24
H2167 = zâmar (pronounced zaw–mar) – play for Him a song – to strum the strings of a musical instrument and sing, or play other instruments like a trumpet or drums, hence celebrate in song and music, sing praises – used 45 times in the King James Version as “praise”
Samples: Judges 5:3, 2Samuel 22:50, 1Chronicles 16:9, Psalm 7:17, 9:2, 21:13, 47:6, 57:7, Isaiah 12:5
H3034 = yâdâh (pronounced yaw–daw) – let your hands be raised – to revere or worship with extended hands – used 53 times in the King James Version as “praise”, 32 times as “give thanks”
Samples: Genesis 29:35, 49:8, Psalm 7:17, 9:1, 28:7, 42:5, 45:17, 67:5, 75:1 (67 times in Psalms)
[see previous post “… what’s with the hands?”]
H4234 = mâchôl (pronounced maw-khole’) – dance or dancing
Samples: Psalm 30:11, 149:3, 150:4, Jeremiah 31:4
Praise Involving Voice
H1984 = hâlal (pronounced haw–lal) – let your soul rejoice – to make a show, to celebrate, to be clamorously foolish [clamorous = so loud or insistent as to compel attention] & includes dance – used 117 times in the King James Version as “praise”
Samples: 2Sam 22:4, 1Chr 16:4, 16:25, 16:36, 23:5, 23:30, 25:3, 29:13, Psa 18:3, 22:22, 22:26, 34:2, 35:18, 48:1, 113:1–3, 149:3, 150, Joel 2:26
H7623 = shâbach (pronounced shaw–bakh) – shout for joy! – to address in a loud tone (related to triumph and glory) – used 5 times in the King James Version as “praise”
Samples: Psa 63:3, 117:1, 145:4, 147:12.
H8416 = tehillâh (pronounced teh–hil–law’) – you can sing along – laudation specifically a hymn – used 57 times in the King James Version as “praise”
Samples: Exo 15:11, Deut 10:21, 1Chr 16:35, Psa 9:14, 22:3, 22:25, (30x in Psalms) Jer 33:11 (Praise the Lord – see NKJV, AMP, ICB etc)
H8426 = tôwdâh (pronounced to–daw)– sacrifice of praise – adoration specifically a choir of worshippers giving praise [based on Yâdâh –extending hands] – used 6 times in the King James Version as “praise”, 18 times as “thanksgiving”
Samples: Jer 17:26, 33:11 sacrifice of praise, Psa 42:4, 50:23, 56:12, 100’s title
Interestingly, a number of Old Testament verses contain two different words in Hebrew for “praise”: For example:-
- Psalm 106:47d rejoice (shâbach – shout for joy in triumph & glory) & praise you (tehillâh – sing a hymn),
- Psalm 117:1 Praise (hâlal – make a show) the Lord all you nations. Praise (shâbach – shout …) him all you people of the earth
- Psalm 147:12 Glorify [Praise Extol] (shâbach – shout …) the Lord O Jerusalem! Praise (hâlal – make a show) your God O Zion
- Jeremiah 33:11 … the voice of those who will say: “Praise (tehillâh – sing …) the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, For His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise (tôwdâh – adoration extending hands) into the house of the Lord. … (NKJV)
Words in Greek for Praise
In the same way, Strong’s Concordance with Lexicon identifies a number of words in the Greek version of the Scriptures that have been translated as “praise”. Depending on context, most of these words have also been translated as “glory” or “honour” or “worship” etc. As you can see from their respective Strong’s reference numbers, their meanings are all slightly different. Yet they appear as “praise” in some version of the English text at least once. The Greek words include:
G133 = ainesis (pronounced ah’-ee-nes-is) – the act of praising – especially offering thanks (derived from G134)
Sample: Hebrews 13:15
G134 = aineo (pronounced ahee-neh’-o) – to praise God (derived from G136)
Samples: Luke 2:13, 20, 19:37, 24:53, Acts 2:47, 3:8, 9, Romans 15:11, Revelation 19:5
G136 = ainos (pronounced ah’-ee-nos) – a tale or story of praise – or a proverb of praise, but used for praise of God
Samples: Matthew 21:16, Luke 18:43
G1867 = epaineo (pronounced ep-ahee-neh’-o) – to applaud – to commend, laud, praise (derived from G134)
Samples: Luke 16:8, Romans 15:11, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 17, 22
——- as indicated, these first four Greek words are interrelated ——-
G239 = allelouia (pronounced al-lay-loo’-ee-ah) – an adoring exclamation: alleluiah of Hebrew origin; praise Jehovah
Samples: Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6
G437 = anthomologeomai (pronounced anth-om-ol-og-eh’-om-ahee) – to come to an agreement and hence, to confess openly thanks and praise as a response.
Sample: Luke 2:38
G703 = arete (pronounced ar-et’-ay) – praise for moral excellence, virtue
Samples: Philippians 4:8, 1 Peter 2:9
G1391 = doxa (pronounced dox’-ah) – ascribe glory – majesty, dignity, honour, praise, worship
Samples: John 9:24 (KJV), John 12:43, 1 Peter 4:13 (KJV), (used 151 times in the KJV and was translated as “glory” many more times than “praise”)
G2127 = eulogeo (pronounced yoo-log-eh’-o) – to speak well of – to praise, to thank or invoke blessings upon someone
Sample: Luke 1:64
G5214 = humneo (pronounced hoom-neh’-o) – to sing a religious ode – to praise, to celebrate God in song e.g. a hymn.
Samples: Psalms 113-118, Psalm 136, Matthew 26:30, Acts 16:25, Hebrews 2:12
What About “Worship”?
While on the topic, I couldn’t resist checking the Hebrew and Greek words that landed as ‘worship’ in English…
… from Hebrew
H5456 = sâgâd (pronounced saw–gad’) – to prostrate oneself in homage – fall down
Samples: used mainly by Daniel 3:5, 10, 12, 14, 15, 18, 28
H6086 = âtsab (pronounced aw–tsab’) – to worship with a sense of grief
Sample: only used once, by Jeremiah 44:19 referring to idol worship
H7812 = shâchâh (pronounced shaw–khaw’) – to prostrate reflexively in homage – bow down, fall down flat
Sample: Exodus 34:14 and many others (used 172x in the KJV)
… from Greek
G1391 = doxa (pronounced dox’-ah) – glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective):–dignity, glory(-ious), honour, praise, worship
Sample: Luke 14:10 (KJV) but newer translations use “have honour” or “have glory instead” of “have worship”
G2151 – eusebeo (pronounced yoo-seb-eh’-o) – to be pious, i.e. (towards God) to worship, or (towards parents) to respect (support):–show piety
Sample: Acts 17:23
G3000 = latreuo (pronounced lat-ryoo’-o) – from latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), i.e. render religious homage:–serve, do the service, worship(-per)
Sample: Acts 7:42 (NIV), Philippians 3:3
G4352 = proskuneo (pronounced pros-koo-neh’-o) – to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore); probable derivative of a word meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand
Sample: Matthew 2:2, 8, 1 Corinthians 14:25
G4576 = sebomai (pronounced seb’-om-ahee) – middle voice of an apparently primary verb; to revere, i.e. adore
Sample: Matthew 15:9
Similarly, different facets of worship can become smothered, albeit lost in the translation of the word into English
Reflection
Psalm 47, attributed to the Sons of Korah, paints a clear picture of Hebrew for praise …..
1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted. [emphasis added]
This Psalm describes praise as being quite noisy and exuberant as adoration of God leads to expressions of love and gratitude that bring Him honour. Like all healthy relationships, the one depicted in this Psalm involves emotions not just cerebral love – thoughts
Conclusions re the words in Hebrew for praise & Greek for praise?
Different English versions of the Scriptures may use a different word for “praise” in any given verse. Some alternatives include “bless the Lord”, “magnify His Name”, “exalt the Lord” etc. But it’s clear that the meaning of praise is drawn from a large variety of Hebrew & Greek words each with a different action or focus. Most of which seem to have lost something in the translation into English. None the less, all express a heart of love, joy, thankfulness and/or awe.
As you would have noticed, they are not all just about singing. The original words in Hebrew for praise as well as Greek include a variety of actions from clapping to kneeling to dancing (making merry) or even being boisterously foolish. Extremes indeed.
Shouting, expressing adoration or thankfulness and ascribing glory and majesty belong to the actions embodied in the Biblical praise of Creator God according to the original Hebrew for praise and also in the Greek texts.
Whatever you feel about the emotions behind each word that lands as “praise” in English texts; Whatever your doctrinal position…..
“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of the mind with His truth; the purifying of the imagination of His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of the will to His purpose – and all this gathered up in adoration”. So wrote William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-1944) [emphasis, mine]
Finally
The writer of Hebrews encourages us …..
15 “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.” (Hebrews 13:15-16). ……. N.B.: continual in Christ (regardless of circumstances). In other words, we don’t just praise God in the ‘good times’ like it was some kind of ‘reward’ for those ‘good times’. Not as if it is based on our opinion of God’s job performance!! It should be a proclamation of our allegiance to Him as our Saviour.
We tend not to think of praising God as a sacrifice. If we don’t feel like it, as in the midst of some seriously dark times, we might just not think to do it. From the book of Psalms we read King David’s thoughts on this. In the opening of his prayer for deliverance from the wicked and their evil ways (Psalm 141), David asks the Lord … “Let my praise be like the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2b International Children’s Bible) OR, as the New International Version interprets it, … “may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice”
The “sacrifice of praise” comes from a humble heart, even a broken and repentant heart. It rises from a spirit that chooses to honour God despite the pain that life is causing. See Psalm 51, and verses 15-17 in particular
… just sayin’
The Lord will always have the last word! So then ………..
“if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40) – shout out praises
Oh, Carman put seven of the words in Hebrew for Praise along with their meaning into a foot-tapping song back in the last century. “7 Ways To Praise” was the song’s title. It was used in the movie “Righteous Invasion Of Truth” (“R. I. O. T.”). Have a listen …
Bibliography –
- The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: together with Dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek Words with references to the English words, by James Strong. Riverside Book and Bible House 93429837–8, Iowa Falls
- Main Photo – praise by Nathan Mullet (huSG9s2KBu8) on Unsplash
- Small Photos also from Unsplash website
- “7 Ways To Praise” by Carmen (YouTube) also on Spotify
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYqujxfVqp0
