A word behind the word
Hallelujah
Hallelujah, sometimes written alleluia, is one of the few Hebrew words spoken by Christians of every language without translation. It is a compound word that means, quite simply, praise Yah, a call to praise the Lord.
“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:”Revelation 19:1
What the word actually means
What the word actually means. Hallelujah joins two Hebrew elements: halal, meaning to praise, to boast, to celebrate, and Yah, the shortened form of the divine name, the LORD. Together they form a command, praise the LORD, addressed to a gathered people. In the Old Testament this appears at the seams of the Psalter, especially in the closing psalms; Psalm 150 both opens and closes with Praise ye the LORD, which renders the Hebrew hallelujah, and the same call frames Psalms 146 through 150. The verb halal is strong and public; it is the boasting kind of praise, glad and vocal celebration of God before others. The KJV translates the word as Praise ye the LORD rather than transliterating it in the Old Testament. In the New Testament the transliterated form appears in Revelation 19, where a great voice of much people in heaven cries Alleluia four times, in verses 1, 3, 4, and 6, including the words, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. So hallelujah is not a vague exclamation of joy but a specific summons: praise the LORD.
The myth to clear up
The myth to clear up. Because hallelujah is so familiar, it is often treated as a generic shout of happiness or excitement, detached from its meaning, as though it were merely an emotional exclamation like hooray. Some also mishear it as a word we direct at one another or use to punctuate any good news. But the word has a definite content: it is a command to praise Yah, the LORD. It is God-directed by definition. Its two parts, halal and the name of God, are not in dispute; this is a rare case where the compound is clear. The sober correction is not to correct a false etymology but to recover the word's aim. To say hallelujah is not simply to feel glad; it is to call yourself and others to praise the LORD by name, to turn celebration toward God rather than toward a circumstance or a person.
How the word opens onto Christ
How the word opens onto Christ. In the New Testament the only place the word appears is Revelation 19, and there the praise of the LORD becomes the praise of God for the reign of the Lamb. The heavenly multitude cries Alleluia because the Lord God omnipotent reigneth and because the marriage of the Lamb is come, in Revelation 19:6-7. So the great final Hallelujah of Scripture is bound up with the triumph of Jesus, the Lamb who was slain and now reigns. The command to praise Yah reaches its fullest object in the salvation accomplished by Christ and in his everlasting kingdom. When the church sings hallelujah, it joins that heavenly chorus, praising the LORD who has revealed himself supremely in his Son. Every genuine praise of God is, in the end, praise for what God has done in Jesus, and the last book of the Bible shows the redeemed singing it forever.
Questions people ask
What does hallelujah actually mean?
It means praise the LORD. It joins halal, to praise, with Yah, the shortened form of God's name. It is a command directed to God's people to praise him.
Where does hallelujah appear in the New Testament?
Only in Revelation 19, where a heavenly multitude cries Alleluia four times, praising God because the Lord God omnipotent reigneth and the marriage of the Lamb has come.