7 Hebrew Words for Praise and Worship

(This information was pulled from AGLOW International Seven Hebrew Words for Praise – https://www.aglow.org/images/leaderDev/seven-praise-words.pdf)

Praise is faith in action. To praise God we must first believe in God. That He is (Exodus 3:14). Then through believing (praising) we seek or come to Him. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.” -Hebrews 11:6

Let it be known that this is a matter of the human heart, for God’s Holy Spirit through His son Jesus is the one who changes our hearts to bring us into this state of praising and worshiping Him. It is a state of our soul’s joyful happiness – that can only be found in Him.

If we diligently seek Him through praise, our action of faith, the reward is that He will reveal Himself.

Praise is a decision. When we make that decision we not only give action to our faith, but we open the door for the perceived manifested presence of God, THIS IS THE REWARD! For God inhabits the praises of His children.

• HALAL – to rave upon the Lord, to celebrate, to dance, to act clamorously foolish before the Lord. The word Hallelujah comes from Halal. When Paul talks about being filled with the Spirit compared to being intoxicated (Ephesians 5:8); and after they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, people thought they were intoxicated (Acts 2:13-21). [2 Samuel 6:14-16 – David dancing before the Lord; 2 Samuel 6:20-23 – I will celebrate before the Lord; Psalms 30:11-12 – mourning into dancing; Psalms 149:3 Praise Him with dancing]

• YADAH – to lift open hands to God with love, faith, trust, thanks. When we get beyond our circumstances, beyond ourselves, reaching hands to the Father with the attitude of love, trust and awe, then we are giving Yadah to the Lord. [Psalm 7:17 – I will give to the Lord thanks; Psalms 42:11 – why are you cast down my soul, praise Him!; Psalms 63:4 – I will lift up my hands in praise of you]

• ZAMAR – to touch the strings, to sing songs of praise with instruments. To make music accompanied by voice. [Psalms 57:7-11 – I will sing and make a melody!; Psalms 45:8 – stringed instruments make you glad; Psalm 147:7 – sing and make a melody]

 

• TOWDAH – with extended hands; adoration, agreement, thanks for what has been done or what will be done. Agreeing and confessing His word. To speak the same thing. Jesus, the Word, is our sacrifice to confess the Word, is how we give a sacrifice of praise to God. Further, the Word is our entrance into the presence of God. To declare openly, freely, unreservedly. Admit as real or true; agreement, confession. “Enter His gates with Towdah!” [Colossians 1:13; “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” I confess, I have been delivered from the power of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Romans 8:37; “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” I confess, I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. Philippians 4:19; “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” I raise my hands and confess, my God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 2:24; “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed.” I confess, by the stripes of Jesus I am healed. This is what it means to confess, to speak the same thing. Admit as real or true. To declare openly, freely, unreservedly.]

• SHABACH – to joyfully shout the testimonies of God! A loud adoration, a joyful to overflowing attitude. [Psalm 5:11 – take refuge in Him and sing for joy; Psalms 32:11 – be glad in the Lord and shout for joy; Psalm 67:4-5 – let the nations be glad and sing for joy]

• BARAUCH – a lifestyle of yielding to God, the act of kneeling or to bow, the word “bless” in scripture. To express an attitude of love, submission and trust through the act of kneeling or bowing, it is to continually give place to the Father in every area of our life; a lifestyle. [Psalms 95:6 – let us worship, bow and kneel before the Lord, our Maker; Psalms 34:1-3 – I will bless the Lord at all times.]

• TEHILLAH – to sing a new song. Spontaneously singing or melodious chanting to God. The only praise that scripturally “God inhabits in” (Psalms 100). “We enter His courts with Tehillah.” [Psalms 100:4 – enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; Psalms 33:3 – sing a new song and play skillfully with the strings]

CONCLUSION

– SEVEN – GOD’S NUMBER OF COMPLETION 

– SUPERFICIAL PRAISE – A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

– PRAISE WITHOUT EXPRESSION – DEAD

– PRAISE – A GROWTH PROCESS 

THE HIGHER PRAISE

– BRING YOUR HEART NEAR TO GOD 

– SET YOUR LOVE UPON GOD

– KEEP THE WORD OF GOD

OVERALL CONCLUSION

Seven – God’s Number of Completion

It has been said that seven is God’s number of completion. These seven Hebrew words, together as one, form the whole of praise. Within these seven words the completeness of praise, our love, is expressed:

Lifting The Hands

Confessing His Word

Testimony Of His Grace

Bowing Down

Singing

Making Music

Shouting

Dancing

Service To Others As Unto The Lord

These as one are the fullness of praise, love, expressed. This is the offering of our body to God as a living sacrifice.

“For God inhabits the praises of His children.” -Psalm 22:3