DAYS OF PRAISE Hallelujah-The Institute for Creation Research

Hallelujah

February 19, 2012

"Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth

upon the heavens by his name

JAH, and rejoice before him." (Psalm 68:4)

The name JAH, by which this verse exhorts us to praise the

Lord, is a contracted form of Jehovah, or Yahweh, which is

the commonly used name of the self-existing, self-revealing

God, usually shown as LORD in English. When combined

with the Hebrew verb for "praise" (hallal), it becomes

"Hallelujah," meaning "Praise ye the LORD!"

It is no coincidence that this word, "Hallelujah," occurs

exactly 22 times in the book of Psalms, also known as the

book of the Praises of Israel, for there are exactly 22

letters in the Hebrew alphabet, the language which God

used to reveal His eternal word (119:89) to man. This

serves to remind us that the very purpose of human

languages is to praise the Lord who created us and has

died to redeem us.

The first occurrence in the psalms of "Hallelujah" is

translated as "Praise ye the LORD" and occurs right at

the very end of the great psalm extolling God’s creation,

the Flood, and providential care of the post-Flood

world (see 104:35).

It is noteworthy that the last ten occurrences of

"Hallelujah" are at the introduction and closing of each

of the last five psalms (146-150). These last five psalms

comprise a grand epilogue to the five books of the Psalms,

each of which ends with a glorious and eternal doxology

(note 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48; 145:21). The word

"praise" occurs more in the book of Psalms than in all the

rest of the Bible put together, so it is appropriate that its

conclusion should be on such a high note of praise. Finally,

the very last verse of the Psalms cries out: "Let every thing

that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD"

(150:6). Hallelujah!

HMM

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