It Starts Small

The other day a song popped up in my head.

Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah.
Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah.

I think it was something we sang in Bible school when I was a kid. I remember the “hallelujah” part we would shout really loud. There was a song we sang in worship service that said something along the lines, “I bring my (or give, I can’t remember) my hallelujah. It’s not much but fit for a King.” Another song I like to sing says, “I sing a hallelujah in the face of my enemy.”

What does that word mean: hallelujah.

Hallelujah is a Hebrew word that has been incorporated into our english language. In Hebrew it is actually a compound word:

Hallelu: is is an exhortation to a group people to praise someone or something. Our old english translation would be, “Praise ye.”

Yah: is a version of “YHVH.” In english, it is a transliteration of the covenant name of Israel’s God. It is Jewish belief that the name of the Lord is too holy to be spoken at all. SO no one really knows how to pronounce “YHVH” correctly. THe ancient Hebrew did not use vowels. Both Jewish and Christian translators have substituted “YHVH” with the word “Lord.” “Lord” is a rough translation of another Hebrew name for God: Adonai. To signify that “YHVH” was the original Hebrew word, English translations print the word Lord in all capitals: LORD.

Dictionary.com defines hallelujah as, God be praised.

Plain and simple, hallelujah means: Praise the Lord! What does God’s Word say about praising our Lord?

¹ Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
² Praise him for his powerful acts;
praise him for his abundant greatness.

³ Praise him with the blast of a ram’s horn;
praise him with harp and lyre.
⁴ Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and flute.
⁵ Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah! Psalm 150:1-6

Psalm 104 ends with a beautiful praise of the Lord:

³⁵ May sinners vanish from the earth
and wicked people be no more.
My soul, bless the Lord!
Hallelujah!
Psalm 104:35

The entire chapter is devoted to praising and worshiping the Lord for all he is and does!

Psalm 106 opens and closes with praising the Lord:

¹ Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.

⁴⁶ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Hallelujah!
Psalm 106:1,46

Again, this entire chapter is devoted to our Lord and how great, mighty and wonderful he is. Throughout psalms we see this beautiful word used to say: Praise the Lord! It accompanies song and words of the splendor and majesty, the wonder of our Heavenly Father who is faithful.

There one other very interesting place hallelujah is found. In Revelations 19, the word is used four times.

19 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying,
Hallelujah!
Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God,
² because his judgments are true and righteous,
because he has judged the notorious prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality;
and he has avenged the blood of his servants
that was on her hands.
³ A second time they said,
Hallelujah!
Her smoke ascends forever and ever!
⁴ Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying,
Amen! Hallelujah!
⁵ A voice came from the throne, saying,
Praise our God,
all his servants, and the ones who fear him,
both small and great!
⁶ Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying,
Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty,
reigns!
⁷ Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory,
because the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has prepared herself.
⁸ She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure.
For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
Revelation 19:1-8 (CSB)

This is prophecy revealed by John. In it he reveals that one day, those who have received Christ, will be gathered together and we will praise and worship Christ in heaven. We will praise Christ for delivering the judgment to Babylon. We will praise and worship that we are finally made whole in our glorified bodies with Him.

So we can bring this all together to understand, Hallelujah, is the ultimate praise and worship of our Heavenly Father and Jesus. When we use this word, it saying praise be to Him, and only Him. That song above, all I have to give is a Hallelujah, is all he asks us to give Him. Sometimes my heart in prayer, tells my Heavenly Father, there’s nothing I can speak. No word worthy of you. Hallelujah is that word. Hallelujah is the gift and one thing I can give Him.