The following blog is written by an East-West home office staff member.
The Old Testament was written in ancient Hebrew, which is a language that holds richness and greater meaning for individual words than the English language. I have often enjoyed studying the original Hebrew words to compare them to our modern interpretation of Scripture in our more limited verbiage. Recently, I’ve spent time studying the five Hebrew words used for worship.
In 1 Chronicles 16, David uses the word shachah, which English Bible translators have translated as “worship.” However, this word means much more in Hebrew.
In very basic form, shachah means, “to bow down.” Expanding further on the word, it carries a richness of other connotations like the action of prostration on the ground, paying homage and to humbly beseech someone else.
My favorite usage of shachah is when it is used to describe someone falling on their face. When angels appeared in the Bible, they almost always caused some to shachah in fear and reverence.
A second Hebrew word for worship is barak. This word is lessened in severity from shachah, but still carries the connotation of kneeling in reverence and literally bending at the waist as a sign of submission. Barak is used in many ways in the Old Testament, and it can also mean, “to bless in adoration.”
For example, when Isaac granted his blessing to Jacob, he was displaying how to barak, or place special authority and respect on someone else. This is how David spoke to the Lord when he sang, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name (Psalms 103:1)."
Worship is also described in the Old Testament as todah, which is taken from another Hebrew word, yadah. Todah literally means “thanksgiving.” It is also used to describe a thank offering or an act of adoration. The other meanings of this word really build out the fullness of the ancient Hebrew language.
In some instances, todah is used in conjunction with choirs and many voices. Additionally, it can also refer to holding out the hands in worship or extending and casting the arms outward. Psalm 100 uses this word when it reads, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving (todah), and into his courts with praise. Be thankful to him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).
Zamar is another word for worship that means, “to make music in praise of god.”
It involves touching the strings of a musical instrument and usually involves voice accompaniment through singing. This is the word that we often use in our modern praise and worship, but we also think of worship as only zamar and forget how wide and vast the topic or worship truly is.
David demonstrated zamar often through his lyre, but he did not stop there. He says, “I will sing a new song to you, my God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you (Psalm 144:9)."
Lastly, I want to discuss the Hebrew word, halal. Does it sound familiar? It is the root of hallelujah. It means “to give foolish glory.” This word is particularly wide in meaning and can be interpreted differently.
In some places, it can mean “to shine” or “to celebrate.” Other places in the Bible, translators have made it simply “worthy of praise.” We see David make foolish praise to the Lord when he danced before the parade of the Ark of the Covenant. It means making more of God no matter how it makes you look in turn.
Are you willing to halal God with reckless abandon?