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Psalms 150:6 — Word Study

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WLCכֹּ֣ל הַ֭נְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּ֥ל יָ֗הּ הַֽלְלוּ־ יָֽהּ׃

BSALet everythingkôl [all living creatures, that which hath breath] that has breathnᵉshâmâh [spirit, wind, or the essence of life] praisehâlal [celebrate, shine forth] the LORDYâhh [Jah, the self-existent One] Hallelujahhâlal [praise ye the Lord, alleluia]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 150
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 6 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (Yah) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 150:6quick helps
In a sentenceThis verse calls upon all living beings to praise the LORD.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, inviting every creature to join in worship.
Where we areThe conclusion of the Psalms, a climactic call to worship.
The hard wordתְּהַלֵּ֥ל
Take awayAll that breathes is called to celebrate the Creator.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbהָלַל The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 150:6

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Conclusion of the Psalmsgenerated

3Praise Him with the sound of the horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre.
4Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
5Praise Him with clashing cymbals; praise Him with resounding cymbals.
6Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!

Psalms 150:6 serves as a powerful conclusion to the Book of Psalms, emphasizing the importance of praise in the life of all creation. This final psalm encapsulates the themes of worship and the call for all beings to acknowledge the greatness of God, as seen throughout the preceding verses that encourage various forms of musical praise.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 103:22Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
2Psalm 145:10All You have made will give You thanks, O LORD, and Your saints will bless You.
3Psalm 148:7–11Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths,
4Revelation 5:13And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word תְּהַלֵּ֥ל, te.ha.Lelgenerated

The verb תְּהַלֵּל (tehalel) is a Piel imperfect form, meaning 'let it praise' or 'let it shine forth.' It conveys a sense of active celebration and acknowledgment of God's greatness.

This form suggests a continuous action, inviting all living things to engage in praise. The Piel stem often indicates an intensive action, emphasizing the fervency and joy in the act of praising.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main clause, governed by the verb תְּהַלֵּ֥ל, let it praise, sets the imperative tone for the verse. The subject, כֹּ֣ל (kol), 'everything,' emphasizes totality in the call to worship.

The structure highlights the inclusive nature of the command, inviting every living being to participate in the act of praise, reinforcing the unity of creation in worship.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint uses the Greek word αἰνεσάτω (ainesatō) to translate תְּהַלֵּ֥ל. This choice suggests a similar emphasis on active praise, aligning with the Hebrew's call for celebration.

The use of αἰνεσάτω also reflects the broader Greek understanding of praise, which encompasses both public and communal aspects of worship.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalms 150:6 calls for everything that has breath to praise the LORD. This verse emphasizes that all living creatures are invited to celebrate and acknowledge God's greatness, reinforcing the theme of worship found throughout the Psalms.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean for everything that has breath to praise the LORD?

It means that all living beings, whether human or animal, are called to acknowledge and celebrate God's greatness through praise.

Why is praise important in the Psalms?

Praise is a central theme in the Psalms as it reflects the relationship between creation and the Creator, expressing gratitude, reverence, and recognition of God's sovereignty.

How can I participate in this call to praise?

You can participate by expressing gratitude and worship through music, prayer, and acts of kindness, acknowledging God's presence in your life.

What does 'Hallelujah' signify?

'Hallelujah' is an exclamation of praise to the LORD, combining the Hebrew words for 'praise' and 'Yah,' a shortened form of God's name.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I express my praise to God in my daily life?
  2. How does recognizing all creation's call to praise affect my understanding of worship?
  3. What are some creative ways to involve others in acts of praise?
  4. How can I remind myself to praise God even in difficult circumstances?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early Church Fathers reference this verse to discuss the nature of praise and the divine, highlighting its significance in worship.

Cyril of JerusalemCatechetical Lecture 6:5 c. 313–386
But someone will say: if the divine nature is incomprehensible, then why do you discourse about these things? Well then, because I cannot drink up the whole stream,
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 150 →
Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 150 354–430
And since to savour of the flesh is death, "let every spirit praise the Lord" [Psalms 150:6].
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 150 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 150:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord,.... Even the brute creatures, as in a preceding; but more especially man, in whom God has breathed the breath of life, and is become not only a living

Read John Gill on Psalms 150 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Living voices shall take up the failing sounds of dead instruments, and as they cease on earth, those of intelligent ransomed spirits and holy angels, as with the sound of mighty thunders, will

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 150 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Every thing that hath breath; every living creature in heaven and in earth, , according to their several capabilities, some objectively, others actively, as was noted before.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 150 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.Ver. 6. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord] Or, Let every breath praise the Lord. Tam Dei meminisse opus est quam respirare, saith Chrysostom. We have all as much reason to praise God as we have need to draw breath; our breath should be like the smoke of the tabernacle, or those pillars of incense therehence ascending. Tremellius rendereth it, Tota ipsa anima laudet Iah, Let the very whole soul of us praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord] The psalmist had made an end, and yet he hath not done. When we have said our utmost for God’ s praise we must rest uusatisfied, and begin anew. Hoc primum…

Read John Trapp on Psalms 150 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) Everything that hath breath.—LXX. “every breath;” Vulg., “every spirit;” literally, all breath. We naturally wish to give these words their largest intent, and to hear the psalter close with an invocation to “the earth with her thousand voices” to praise God. But the psalm so distinctly and positively brings us into the Temple, and places us among the covenant people engaged at their devotions, that we are compelled to see here a hymn specially suited to close the collection of hymns of the covenant, as the first and second were to begin it. It is, therefore, not all breathing beings, but only all assembled in the sanctuary, that are here addressed; and the loud hallelujah with which…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 150 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 6. Let every thing that hath breath] Either to make a vocal noise, or a sound by blowing into pipes, fifes, flutes, trumpets, c. Let all join together, and put forth all your strength and all your skill in sounding the praises of Jehovah and then let a universal burst with HALLELUJAH! close the grand ceremony. It is evident that this Psalm has no other meaning than merely the summoning up all the voices, and all the instruments, to complete the service in FULL CHORUS. Of such peculiar importance did the Book of Psalms appear to our blessed Lord and his apostles, that they have quoted nearly fifty of them several times in the New Testament. There is scarcely a state in human life that…

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 150 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. every thing that hath breath] Heb. all breath, Vulg. omnis spiritus, Jer. omne quod spirat. Cp. Deuteronomy 20:16, Joshua 10:40. Neshâmâh most commonly denotes the breath of man; but it may include all animals. Not priests and Levites only but all Israel, not Israel only but all mankind, not all mankind only but every living thing, must join in the chorus of praise. The universe is Jehovah’s Temple, and all its inhabitants should be His worshippers. The Psalmist’s words find their echo in the vision of the Apocalypse: “Every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, “Unto him that sitteth…

Read Cambridge on Psalms 150 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord - All living things in the air, the earth, the waters. Let there be one universal burst of praise.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 150 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Hallelujah!

NETBNew English Translation2006

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Let everything that hath breath praise Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Let euery thing that hath breath prayse the Lord. Prayse ye the Lord.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Let everything that hath breath praise Jah. Hallelujah!

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

All that doth breathe doth praise Jah! Praise ye Jah!

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

All that breathes praise YAH! Praise YAH!

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Let everything that has breath praise Yahweh. Praise Yahweh.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Let everything which has breath give praise to the Lord. Let the Lord be praised.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clausenoun phrase · subjectכֹּ֣לeverynoun phraseהַ֭(the).breathingנְּשָׁמָהthingverbתְּהַלֵּ֥לlet.it.praiseobjectיָ֗הּYahwehclauseverbהַֽלְלוּpraiseobjectיָֽהּYahweh

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint show significant agreement, with four of the six words matching directly. The Dead Sea Scrolls also align closely with the Masoretic Text, confirming the consistency of this verse across different ancient witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

כֹּ֣ל הַ֭נְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּ֥ל יָ֗הּ הַֽלְלוּ־ יָֽהּ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
כֹּ֣לπᾶσαהַ֭נְּשָׁמָהπνοὴתְּהַלֵּ֥לαἰνεσάτωיָֽהּ׃αλληλουια

4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 11Q5a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

כול הנשמות תהלל יה הללו יה

6 words on the leather.

Dead Sea Scrolls — Mas1fa copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

כל [הנשמה] תהלל [יה] [הללו] [יה]

1 word on the leather — 1 partly restored, 4 supplied entire by an editor.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 150:6כֹּלeveryeveryכֹּלנְשָׁמָהbreathing tbreathing thingנְשָׁמָההָלַלlet it prailet it praiseהָלַליָהּYahwehYahwehיָהּהָלַלpraisepraiseהָלַליָהּYahwehYahwehיָהּכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלנשׁםto pantto pantנשׁםיהוהThe LordThe LordיהוהיָהּLORDLORDיָהּזִמְרָהsongsongזִמְרָההָלַלto shineto shineהָלַלעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהשַׁדַּיAlmightyAlmightyשַׁדַּירוּחַspiritspiritרוּחַ
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 150:6

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

every breathing thing let it praise Yahweh praise Yahweh
כֹּ֣לkol every H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Amplified meaning
all living creatures, that which hath breath
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
every breathing thing let it praise Yahweh praise Yahweh
הַ֭נְּשָׁמָהHa.ne.sha.mah breathing thing H5397 Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
24× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means breath, spirit, or wind, and is used in Genesis and other Old Testament books to describe God's breath and the breath of living things. It is related to the idea of divine inspiration and intellect, and is used in various contexts in the Bible.
Amplified meaning
spirit, wind, or the essence of life
Tyndale gloss
breath
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נְשָׁמָה (nshamah) means 'breath' and encompasses various forms of breath, including that of God and man, as well as the spirit or soul. It is derived from the root meaning 'to puff' or 'wind' and can refer to both divine inspiration and the vital breath of living beings. The Aramaic equivalent is נִשְׁמָא (nish.ma).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נְשָׁמָה n.f. breath

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5397 נְשָׁמָה breath

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5397 nshamah nesh-aw-maw'

from 5395; a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine

inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal:--blast,

(that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.

see HEBREW for 05395

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נְשָׁמָה (ne.sha.mah) — breath.

1) breath, spirit

1a) breath (of God)

1b) breath (of man)

1c) every breathing thing

1d) spirit (of man)

Aramaic equivalent: nish.ma (נִשְׁמָא "breath" H5396)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HTd/Ncfsa
every breathing thing let it praise Yahweh praise Yahweh
תְּהַלֵּ֥לte.ha.Lel let it praise H1984 Verb · Piel · imperfect third person feminine singular
165× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To be foolish means to act wildly or make a show, like the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:29. It can also mean to celebrate or boast, as in Psalm 38:5.
Amplified meaning
celebrate, shine forth
Tyndale gloss
to shine
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָלַל (halal) is a primitive root that encompasses meanings related to shining, boasting, and foolishness. It can signify to praise or celebrate, often in a clamorously foolish manner, and includes the idea of making a boast or being made a fool of. The entries indicate a range of uses, from expressing God's favor to acting madly.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[הָלַל] vb. shine

Qal when it, viz. his lamp, shone upon my head, fig. of God’s favour.

Hiph. flash forth light

base

[הָלַל] vb. be boastful, Pi. praise

Qal be boastful

Pi.

praise man or woman

usually praise י׳

appar. boast, make one’s boast

Pu. be praised

Hithpa. glory, boast, make one’s boast

Po‛el make into a fool, make a fool of

Po‛al of laughter I said, It is mad (folly)

Hithpo. act madly, or like a madman

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1984a הָלַל shine H1984b הָלַל be boastful, Pi. praise H1984c הָלַל be boastful, Pi. praise .be boastful

. . praise man or woman

. usually praise י׳

. appar. boast, make one’s boast

. be praised

. glory, boast, make one’s boast

.make into a fool, make a fool of

.of laughter I said, It is mad (folly)

. act madly, or like a madman

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1984 halal haw-lal'

a primitive root; to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of

color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to

be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate;

also to stultify:--(make) boast (self), celebrate, commend,

(deal, make), fool(- ish, -ly), glory, give (light), be (make,

feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, (sing, be worthy

of) praise, rage, renowned, shine.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to shine.

1) to shine

1a) (Qal) to shine (fig. of God's favour)

1b) (Hiphil) to flash forth light

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to boast: praise.

: praise

1) to praise, boast, be boastful

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be boastful

1a2) boastful ones, boasters (participle)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to praise

1b2) to boast, make a boast

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise

1d) (Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one's boast

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to be foolish.

1) (Poel) to make a fool of, make into a fool

1f) (Hithpoel) to act madly, act like a madman

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to boast: boast.

: boast

1) to praise, boast, be boastful

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be boastful

1a2) boastful ones, boasters (participle)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to praise

1b2) to boast, make a boast

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Piel-Imperf-3fs — Verb · Piel · imperfect third person feminine singular
HVpi3fs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

praz (tehillah, "psalm," "praise," todhah, "confession" "thanksgiving," shabhach, "to praise" "glorify," zamar, yadhah, "to stretch out the hand," "confess"; aineo, epaineo, (epainos):

1. Its Meaning:

The word comes from the Latin pretium, "price," or "value," and may be defined generally as an ascription of value or worth. Praise may be bestowed upon unworthy objects or from improper motives, but true praise consists in a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of worth. Its type may be seen in the representation given in the Apocalypse of the adoration of God and of the Lamb, which is inspired by a sense of their worthiness to be adored (Re 4:11; 5:12).

2. With Man as Its Object:

Man may be the object of praise, and may receive it either from God or from his fellow-men. In the former case (

→ Song of Moses, after the passage through the Red Sea Ex 15:1-19

→ Of Miriam Ex 15:21

→ Of Deborah, after defeating the Canaanites Jud 5

→ Of Hannah 1Sa 2:1-10

→ Of David

Celebrating his deliverance from the hand of Saul 2Sa 22

On bringing the ark of the covenant to Zion 1Ch 16:8-36

At the close of his reign 1Ch 29:10-19

→ The chorus when Solomon brought the ark of the covenant into the temple 2Ch 5:13

→ Psalms of, for God' s goodness to Israel Ps 46; 48; 65; 66; 68; 76; 81; 85; 98; 105; 124; 126; 129; 135; 136

→ See the Scriptures below

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- God is worthy of

2Sa 22:4

- Christ is worthy of

Re 5:12

- God is glorified by

Ps 22:23; 50:23

- Offered to Christ

Joh 12:13

- Acceptable through Christ

Heb 13:15

- IS DUE TO GOD ON ACCOUNT OF

. His majesty

Ps 96:1,6; Isa 24:14

. His glory

Ps 138:5; Eze 3:12

. His excellency

Ex 15:7; Ps 148:13

. His greatness

every breathing thing let it praise Yahweh praise Yahweh
יָ֗הּYah Yahweh H3050 Noun proper masculine
50× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Jah is a shortened form of the name LORD, used in many compounds, such as names ending in -iah or -jah. It appears in the Bible as a way to refer to God.
Amplified meaning
Jah, the self-existent One
Tyndale gloss
LORD
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָהּ (Yahh) is a shortened form of יהוה (YHWH), meaning 'LORD.' It appears in early Hebrew poetry and is often found in names ending with '-iah' or '-jah.' The entries confirm its use as a sacred name, but do not provide specific verse references.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָהּ 60 n.pr.dei contr. fr. יהוה, first appears in early poems

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3050 יָהּ n. pr. dei contr. fr. יהוה, first appears in early poems

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3050 Yahh yaw

contraction for 3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred

name:--Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Compare names in "-iah,"

"- jah."

see HEBREW for 03068

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָהּ (yah) — LORD.

A shortened form of the name ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068)

used in many compounds as the letters 'Je' or 'jah'

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
every breathing thing let it praise Yahweh praise Yahweh
הַֽלְלוּ־ha.lu- praise H1984 Verb · Piel · imperative second person masculine plural
165× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To be foolish means to act wildly or make a show, like the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:29. It can also mean to celebrate or boast, as in Psalm 38:5.
Amplified meaning
praise ye the Lord, alleluia
Tyndale gloss
to shine
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָלַל (halal) is a primitive root that encompasses meanings related to shining, boasting, and foolishness. It can signify to praise or celebrate, often in a clamorously foolish manner, and includes the idea of making a boast or being made a fool of. The entries indicate a range of uses, from expressing God's favor to acting madly.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[הָלַל] vb. shine

Qal when it, viz. his lamp, shone upon my head, fig. of God’s favour.

Hiph. flash forth light

base

[הָלַל] vb. be boastful, Pi. praise

Qal be boastful

Pi.

praise man or woman

usually praise י׳

appar. boast, make one’s boast

Pu. be praised

Hithpa. glory, boast, make one’s boast

Po‛el make into a fool, make a fool of

Po‛al of laughter I said, It is mad (folly)

Hithpo. act madly, or like a madman

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1984a הָלַל shine H1984b הָלַל be boastful, Pi. praise H1984c הָלַל be boastful, Pi. praise .be boastful

. . praise man or woman

. usually praise י׳

. appar. boast, make one’s boast

. be praised

. glory, boast, make one’s boast

.make into a fool, make a fool of

.of laughter I said, It is mad (folly)

. act madly, or like a madman

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1984 halal haw-lal'

a primitive root; to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of

color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to

be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate;

also to stultify:--(make) boast (self), celebrate, commend,

(deal, make), fool(- ish, -ly), glory, give (light), be (make,

feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, (sing, be worthy

of) praise, rage, renowned, shine.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to shine.

1) to shine

1a) (Qal) to shine (fig. of God's favour)

1b) (Hiphil) to flash forth light

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to boast: praise.

: praise

1) to praise, boast, be boastful

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be boastful

1a2) boastful ones, boasters (participle)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to praise

1b2) to boast, make a boast

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise

1d) (Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one's boast

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to be foolish.

1) (Poel) to make a fool of, make into a fool

1f) (Hithpoel) to act madly, act like a madman

הָלַל (ha.lal) — to boast: boast.

: boast

1) to praise, boast, be boastful

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be boastful

1a2) boastful ones, boasters (participle)

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to praise

1b2) to boast, make a boast

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Piel-Impv-2mp — Verb · Piel · imperative second person masculine plural
HVpv2mp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

praz (tehillah, "psalm," "praise," todhah, "confession" "thanksgiving," shabhach, "to praise" "glorify," zamar, yadhah, "to stretch out the hand," "confess"; aineo, epaineo, (epainos):

1. Its Meaning:

The word comes from the Latin pretium, "price," or "value," and may be defined generally as an ascription of value or worth. Praise may be bestowed upon unworthy objects or from improper motives, but true praise consists in a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of worth. Its type may be seen in the representation given in the Apocalypse of the adoration of God and of the Lamb, which is inspired by a sense of their worthiness to be adored (Re 4:11; 5:12).

2. With Man as Its Object:

Man may be the object of praise, and may receive it either from God or from his fellow-men. In the former case (

→ Song of Moses, after the passage through the Red Sea Ex 15:1-19

→ Of Miriam Ex 15:21

→ Of Deborah, after defeating the Canaanites Jud 5

→ Of Hannah 1Sa 2:1-10

→ Of David

Celebrating his deliverance from the hand of Saul 2Sa 22

On bringing the ark of the covenant to Zion 1Ch 16:8-36

At the close of his reign 1Ch 29:10-19

→ The chorus when Solomon brought the ark of the covenant into the temple 2Ch 5:13

→ Psalms of, for God' s goodness to Israel Ps 46; 48; 65; 66; 68; 76; 81; 85; 98; 105; 124; 126; 129; 135; 136

→ See the Scriptures below

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- God is worthy of

2Sa 22:4

- Christ is worthy of

Re 5:12

- God is glorified by

Ps 22:23; 50:23

- Offered to Christ

Joh 12:13

- Acceptable through Christ

Heb 13:15

- IS DUE TO GOD ON ACCOUNT OF

. His majesty

Ps 96:1,6; Isa 24:14

. His glory

Ps 138:5; Eze 3:12

. His excellency

Ex 15:7; Ps 148:13

. His greatness

every breathing thing let it praise Yahweh praise Yahweh
יָֽהּ׃Yah Yahweh H3050 Noun proper masculine
50× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Jah is a shortened form of the name LORD, used in many compounds, such as names ending in -iah or -jah. It appears in the Bible as a way to refer to God.
Tyndale gloss
LORD
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָהּ (Yahh) is a shortened form of יהוה (YHWH), meaning 'LORD.' It appears in early Hebrew poetry and is often found in names ending with '-iah' or '-jah.' The entries confirm its use as a sacred name, but do not provide specific verse references.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָהּ 60 n.pr.dei contr. fr. יהוה, first appears in early poems

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3050 יָהּ n. pr. dei contr. fr. יהוה, first appears in early poems

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3050 Yahh yaw

contraction for 3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred

name:--Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Compare names in "-iah,"

"- jah."

see HEBREW for 03068

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָהּ (yah) — LORD.

A shortened form of the name ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068)

used in many compounds as the letters 'Je' or 'jah'

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNpm — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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