¹Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! ²I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

One of the most well-known exclamations is the celebratory “Hallelujah!” It is uttered at the report of good news or an important success. And who has not heard the exuberant Hallelujah Chorus at the triumphal conclusion of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah? The word “Hallelujah” is biblical in origin, being found at the beginning and ending of each of the last five psalms of the Book of Psalms (146-150). Indeed, these five reflect a celebratory tone, but it will help us if we understand this commonly used term.

Upon first reading, you may notice the word, Hallelujah, does not actually occur in our English translations of the Psalms; instead, we see the phrase “Praise the Lord.” It comes to us through transliteration—that is, it is an English word coined to mimic the sound of the underlying Hebrew phrase. Two words are involved. The first is hallel, an imperative form of the verb “to praise.” The verb occurs in the plural form. (indicated by the Hebrew letter corresponding to the English letter “u”). The second word is Jah, which is a common short form of jahweh, the personal name of God. (Note: Bible scholars typically spell the English name as Yahweh, where the “j” is pronounced like “y”). This plural imperative is a command or invitation to a community of people to praise Yahweh God. Using the phrase is essentially a call to honor the God of Israel, the supreme creator God of the universe.

There are other Hebrew phrases and words for praising God in the OT, but this precise phrase is used only twenty-five times, exclusively in the book of Psalms, and most predominantly in these last five psalms, where we are given many reasons for praising the Lord.

Dissecting poetry runs the risk of missing the beauty and flow of the psalmist’s contemplation, so we will be content to give broad notes as an aid. Communal praise arises from individuals who make up that community: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul” (emphasis added). And the psalm is not calling for a ‘one-off’ sort of effort, but rather for a commitment to a lifestyle of praise (vs. 2).

Praising God is the positive antidote for looking to humans for our help. Other people ultimately can’t save us, for they are mere creatures, time-limited and earth-bound (vss. 3-4)—but God can and does save! Praising God reminds us that He alone is the ultimate savior, helper, supporter, and protector.

Our help, our hope, is in the One who revealed Himself to and through the Jews: He is “the God of Jacob” (vs. 5). Why Jacob? He was the chosen descendant of Abraham, the one through whom God had promised to reveal Himself to the world (see Gen. 12:1-3). Discovering “the God of Jacob” and orienting our lives around Him and His praise is our greatest blessing.

The remainder of the psalm gives us excellent reasons to praise the Lord. He is the Creator of all that exists (vs. 6a, see also Genesis 1, John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17). He is always faithful to His word and purposes (vs. 6b). Fundamental to the Lord’s character and purposes is His favor toward the disadvantaged among us (vss. 7-9, a recurring theme throughout the Bible). His character and actions are saturated with righteousness. These truths about God are relevant not only to Israel but to all people throughout time because He is God and Lord. As you meditate on this psalm, notice the bookends: “Praise the Lord.” He is worthy of all our praise!

Lord, I praise You for being so wonderful. As I contemplate Your character and ways, I trust You even more.