Hallelujah

See Allelnjah.

Hallelu´jah or Alleluia, a word which stands at the beginning of many of the Psalms. From its frequent occurrence in this position it grew into a formula of praise, and was chanted as such on solemn days of rejoicing. This expression of joy and praise was transferred from the synagogue to the church, and is still occasionally heard in devotional psalmody.

In the New Testament, ALLELUIAH, Praise ye Jehovah. This word occurs at the beginning and at the end of many psalms. It was also sung on solemn days of rejoicing, as an expression of joy and praise, and as such it has been adopted in the Christian church, and is still used in devotional psalmody, Jer 19:1,3,4,6 .\par

Hallelujah. (praise ye the Lord). See Alleluia.

See ALLELUIA.

HALLELUJAH.—A Hebrew expression, used liturgically in Hebrew worship as a short doxology, meaning ‘praise ye Jah.’ With one exception (Psa 135:3) it occurs only at the beginning or the end of psalms, or both: at the beginning only in Psa 111:1-10; Psa 112:1-10; at the beginning and end in Psa 106:1-48; Psa 113:1-9; Psa 135:1-21; Psa 146:1-10; Psa 147:1-20; Psa 148:1-14; Psa 149:1-9; Psa 150:1-6; at the end only in Psa 104:1-35; Psa 105:1-45; Psa 115:1-18; Psa 116:1-19; Psa 117:1-2.

In the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] , however, the Gr. (transliterated) form of the expression occurs only at the beginning of psalms as a heading, and this would seem to be the more natural usage. The double occurrence in the Heb. text may in some cases he explained as due to accidental displacement (the heading of the following psalm being attached to the conclusion of the previous one).

As a liturgical heading the term served to mark off certain well-defined groups of psalms which were probably intended in the first instance for synagogue use, and may once have existed as an independent collection. With the exception of Psa 135:1-21, these groups (in the Heb. text) are three in number, viz. 104–106; 111–113, 115–117; and 146–150. But in the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] a larger number of psalms is so distinguished, and the consequent grouping is more coherent, viz. 105–107; 111–119 (135–136); 146–150. In the synagogue liturgy the last-mentioned group (146–150). together with 135–136, has a well-defined place in the daily morning service, forming an integral part of the great ‘Benediction of Song’ (in certain parts of the early Church, also, it was customary to recite the ‘Hallelujah’ psalms daily).

The ‘Hallel’ (Psa 113:1-9; Psa 114:1-8; Psa 115:1-18; Psa 116:1-19; Psa 117:1-2; Psa 118:1-29), which forms a liturgical unit in the synagogue liturgy, is the most complete example of ‘Hallelujah’ psalms in collected form. (In the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] , notice all the individual psalms of this group are headed ‘Alleluia’).

All the psalms referred to exhibit unmistakable marks of late composition, which would accord with their distinctively synagogal character. Like other Jewish liturgical terms (e.g. ‘Amen’), ‘Hallelujah’ passed from the OT to the NT (cf. Rev 19:1-7), from the Jewish to the Christian Church (cf. esp. the early liturgies), and so to modern hymnody. Through the Vulgate the form ‘Alleluia’ has come into use. The AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] , however, render ‘Praise ye the Lord.’

G. H. Box.

(Hebrew: praise ye Yahveh)

An ejaculation, which motivates or sums up an act of praise of God. It is found at the end of Psalms 105 and 106, inclusively; also in the beginning of Psalm 106, in the beginning of 111 to 113 inclusively; at the end of 115 and 117, inclusively; in the beginning of Psalm 85 and in the beginning and at the end of psalms 147 and 150, inclusively. From very early times the liturgy of the Church used this term to express glad praise of God.

hal-ē̇-loo´ya (הללוּ־יהּ, hal^elū-yāh, “praise ye Yah”; ἁλληλουιά, allēlouiá): The word is not a compound, like many of the Hebrew words which are composed of the abbreviated form of “Yahweh” and some other word, but has become a compound word in the Greek and other languages. Even if the Jews perhaps had become accustomed to use it as a compound, it is never written as such in the text. In some Psalms, Hallelujah is an integral part of the song (Psa 135:3), while in others it simply serves as a liturgical interjection found either at the beginning (Psa 111:1-10) or at the close (Ps 104) of the psalms or both (Psa 146:1-10). The Hallelujah Psalms are found in three groups: 104 through 106; 111 through 113; 146 through 150. In the first group, Hallelujah is found at the close of the psalm as a lit. interjection (Psa 106:1 is an integral part of the psalm). In the second group, Hallelujah is found at the beginning (Psa 113:9 is an integral part of the psalm depending on the adjective “joyful”). In the third group, Hallelujah is found both at the close and at the beginning of the psalms. In all other cases, (Pss 115; 116; Psa 117:1-2) Hallelujah seems to be an integral part of the psalms. These three groups were probably taken from an older collection of psalms like the group Psalms 120 through 134. In the New Testament Hallelujah is found as part of the song of the heavenly host (Rev 19:1). The word is preserved as a liturgical interjection by the Christian church generally.

‘Hallelujah,’ ‘Praise ye Jahweh,’ is used as a doxology in some OT Psalms, e.g. Psa_104:35; Psa_105:45. In the song of the redeemed (Rev_19:1-7) It appears as a triumphant acclamation at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. In later Christian use it was attached to the Paschal Feast as among the Jews to the Passover. If the Odes of Solomon may be ascribed to an early date (see article Hymns), we may quote the frequent use of ‘Hallelujah’ at the end of these hymns as a mark of the joyousness of early Christian worship. Tertullian (On Prayer, xxvii.) quotes its use with certain psalms, after the Jewish manner, said or sung by the whole congregation.

A. E. Burn.

Originally the word ‘hallelujah’ was a combination of parts of two Hebrew words, meaning ‘praise’ and ‘Jehovah’ (‘Yahweh’). It has been transliterated into Greek and English as ‘hallelujah’ and means ‘praise the Lord’. It was used mainly to open or close hymns of praise in public worship (Psa 106:1; Psa 106:48; Psa 112:1; Psa 113:1; Psa 115:18; Psa 146:1; Psa 146:10; Psa 147:1; Psa 147:20; Psalms 150; Rev 19:1; Rev 19:3-4; Rev 19:6; see also PRAISE).

An important Christian phrase frequently used in the early church’s worship and liturgy.

“Hallelujah” is a Hebrew word meaning "Praise the Lord." The Hebrew word was transliterated (spelled out) using Greek letters and then English letters. It is used as a call to praise. Jewish people from before Christ were already using the term in the synagogue. “Hallelujah,” according to tradition, was written as one word, except in Psalm 135:3. In the Old Testament, it is only found in the Psalms, where it occurs 23 times, and for the first time in Psalm 104:35. Psalms 111 to 113 begin with “Hallelujah”; Psalms 115 to 117 end with "Hallelujah"; and Psalms 146 to 150 begin and end with it.

In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) version of Psalms 113–118, all the psalms are titled “Allelujah.” The church adopted the form "Hallelujah" from the Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Bible). “Amen” and “Hallelujah,” two Hebrew words that have been adopted into liturgical use, have passed from the Old Testament to the New Testament and finally to the church. But in some translations, the term is translated “Praise ye the Lord” (in the King James Version and Easy-to-Read Version) or “Praise the Lord“ (in the Revised Standard Version and the New Living Translation).

In Jewish worship, Psalms 113–118, called the Hallel or Hymn of Praise, is sung at the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. During Passover, Psalms 113 and 114 are sung at home before the meal, and Psalms 115–118 are sung after it. Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 call Psalms 115–118 the “hymn” when it is sung by Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper.

“Hallelujah” only appears in the New Testament in Revelation 19:1–6. It is sung by the saints in heaven. Early on, it was adopted into the church's liturgy. It became the most common expression of joy, so it was sung at Easter, as Augustine mentions. The church chose Psalms 113, 114, and 118 from the Hebrew Hallel to be sung on Easter day, connecting Easter with Passover.

See also Hallel.

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.