Hebrew Words for Praise/Worship

In the Hebrew language there are variety of words that convey physical actions taken in praising and worshipping God. The physical actions can convey heartfelt praise, and reverent surrender to God.

When the following Hebrew words are defined, it should be clear that we should not limit praise and worship to just spoken words and singing. We also should not judge how others praise and worship God. When it comes to worship we should be able to feel free to praise and worship from the heart and express or worship in a heartfelt manner.

When you look at all the Hebrew words for worship it is clear we are to worship with our entire being. Our lifestyle should reflect our worship.

Shachah

To bow down, crouch, or prostrate oneself before God. It has the emphasis of surrender and humility, reverence, humbly beseeching. It is a heart posture of worship. Sacrificial worship, laying something before God.

Barak

To kneel, to bless God by bowing in reverence. It is quiet worship. It is humble submissive praise /worship to God in contrast to exuberant worship. More like meditative worship.

Abad

To serve, to work, to labor. In regard to worship, it is used in reference to active service and devotion. Dedication. It is the concept of serving the Lord your God with your heart and with all your soul. It is a way of living, a lifestyle of worship.

Yadah

It’s definition means to throw, cast, or confess. It is worship that is the extending of the hands in praise or thanksgiving with the connotation of declaring trust and gratitude. It is normally in response to something which God has done.

Todah

It comes from the root word Yadah. It refers to a thanksgiving offering or chorus of praise, a heart of gratitude. It is a sacrificial praise in the sense of praising God before there is an answer to your prayer.

Zamar

Its meaning is to sing or make music in praise, thus musical worship with instruments. Stringed instruments, tambourine, cymbals.

Tehiliah

Refers to spontaneous heartfelt praise, often expressed in song. Raw, unscripted song. This Hebrew Word fits well with the concept of free praise, of the concept of worshipping in a new song. Your own heart felt song.

Shabach

Meaning to shout loudly or acclaim loudly, boldy, not chaotic but loud, often in response to God’s mighty acts. If you think of the various Gospel stories when individuals were miraculously healed and their responses you will get an understanding of Shabach. Another example is when the crowd cried ‘Hosanna’ when Jesus entered Jerusalem.

Halal

It means to praise, celebrate, glory, sing (praise) to be boastful, to rave, to celebrate, to be clamorously foolish. An expression of intense love and adoration. It is radiant, extravagant, and demonstrative. It can be seen as CRAZY PRAISE! You might say it is undignified worship like King David dancing before the ark.

Sidenote

There is the song How He Loves by Jesus Culture. There is a verse that many Christians get disturbed by and so they change the lyrics. Here is a protion of the song:
We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way
Oh how He loves us

The original verse is so heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss, and is changed to and heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss. For me, I interpret the words sloppy wet kiss as describing the absolute passion of God towards His creation, so much so He sent His Son as the sacrificial lamb. The verse is descriptive of how much God cherishes us. He raves over us, He goes out of His way to express His love. It is actually representative of Halal, clamorously foolish. I would say He is willing to go out of His way to express His love for us. He is not ashamed, embarrassed of His love for us. I say we should have that kind of love for Him-Halal worship.

There is the song Reckless Love by Cory Ashbury. There are some that do not like the following lyrics in the song because they would say that God’s love is not a reckless love.
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the 99
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God,

Biblically there is nothing reckless about God. But the song is not meant to be about theology. It is to give an image of God’s love. Jesus ‘risks everything’ to come to earth to take on the sins of mankind so that we can have eternal life. The risk is that His love will be rejected, of course God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. He knows everything. But think about Jesus in the garden, think about Jesus as the crowds cry ‘crucify him’. What about us? We love and minister to people who have no idea how to love or receive love, but we ‘recklessly’ love them. Should we not recklessly love and praise our God??? Halal worship Him.

Challenge

Clearly there are multitudes of ways to physically praise and worship God. Clearly there is no right or wrong way, other than to not worship at all. Clearly our worship of God should be expressive, even if is being meditative, contemplative.

Let’s live a lifestyle of worship. Let’s live a lifestyle that reflects our love for Jesus. Let’s not be ashamed of the Gospel message. Let’s be known of as worshippers of God.

Hebrew Words for Praise and Worship Podcast

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