Sermon Tone Analysis

Worship: The 7 Hebrew Words of Praise

The Difference between Worship and Praise

2. worship verb

-shipped also -shiped; -ship•ping also -ship•ing verb transitive 13th century

1: to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power

2: to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion 〈a celebrity worshipped by her fans〉 verb intransitive: to perform or take part in worship or an act of worship synonym see REVERE—wor•ship•per or wor•ship•er noun

Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

(Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).

1praise \ˈprāz\ verb

praised; prais•ing [Middle English preisen, from Anglo-French preiser, priser to appraise, esteem—more at PRIZE] verb transitive 13th century

1: to express a favorable judgment of: COMMEND

2: to glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections verb intransitive: to express praise—prais•er noun

Focus on 2

In essence Praise is about God and Worship is to God.

Dancing is a form of worship and praise…It’s both to God and for God.

Singing is a form of praise.

Playing an instrument is a form of praise.

It becomes deeper when you step into the realm of worship and it becomes less about God and more of an act to God.

During this lesson we will focus predominately on praise, ending with the most familiar and highest form Hallelujah.

1. Halal

2146 II.

הָלַל (hā·lǎl): v.; ≡ Str 1984; TWOT 499—1.

LN 33.354–33.364

(piel) praise, cheer, brag on, extol, i.e., extol the greatness or excellence of a person, object, or event; (pual) be praised, be worthy of praise (2Sa 22:4; 1Ch 16:25; Ps 18:4; 48:2; 78:63; 96:4; 113:3; 145:3; Pr 12:8; Eze 26:17+), note: also verbal song and singing with the same themes; (hitp) boast in, praise, glory in, i.e., express words of excellence, with a focus on the confidence one has in the object, person, or event (1Ch 16:10; Ps 34:3[EB 2]; 52:3[EB 1]; 63:12[EB 11]; 64:11[EB 10]; 105:3; 106:5; Pr 31:30; Isa 41:16; 45:25; Jer 4:2+), see also domain LN 33.109–33.116; 2. LN 33.368–33.373

(piel) boast, brag, formally, praise about, i.e., speak words which show confidence in an object, which is not deity (Ps 10:3; 53:3[EB 1]); (hitp) boast, brag (1Ki 20:11; Ps 49:7[EB 6]; 97:7; Pr 20:14; 25:14; 27:1; Jer 9:22(3×)[EB 23(3×)],23(2×)[EB 24(2×)]; 49:4+), note: in some contexts this can be improper confidence, so be haughty, see also domain LN 88.206–88.222;

note: see also 2149

2. Barak

1385 II.

בָּרַךְ (bā·rǎḵ): v.; ≡ Str 1288; TWOT 285—1.

LN 33.470–33.475

(piel) bless another, commend, i.e., speak words invoking divine favor, with the intent that the object will have favorable circumstances or state at a future time (Ge 1:22); (qal pass.)

This is better understood in the term bless.

When we bless the Lord he will most definitely bless us in return.

22 And God blessed them, saying, iBe fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

Here we see that God blessed or Barak’d the creation of His Word.

13 For owhen God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, qhe sware by himself, 14 Saying, rSurely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

2328 εὐλογέω (eulogeō): vb.; ≡ DBLHebr 1385; Str 2127; TDNT 2.754—1.

LN 33.356 praise, give thanks to, speak well of (Jas 3:9); 2. LN 33.470 bless (Ro 12:14); 3. LN 88.69 act.

kindly toward, bless, provide benefits (Eph 1:3; Ac 3:25 v.r.)

God Barak’d Abraham for his worship to the one true living God.

WARNING: If we are not careful our blessings can become a curse:

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and hoffered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and icursed God in their hearts.

Thus did Job †continually.

curse = Barak

Jacob giving Isaac Esau’s Birthright

29  Let people serve thee,

And nations bow down to thee:

wBe lord over thy brethren,

And xlet thy mother’s sons bow down to thee:

yCursed be every one that curseth thee,

And blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Barak everyone who Barak’th thee…as the Children of the Lord we have inherited this Birthright!

3. Yadah

3344 II.

יָדָה (yā·ḏā(h)): v.; ≡ Str 3034; TWOT 847—1.

LN 33.354–33.364

(hif) express praise, extol, i.e., make a public confession of the attributes and acts of power of a person (2Sa 22:50), (hitp) (2Ch 30:22) note: there is a focus on the content of praise, spoken out-loud, usually in the context of the community; 2. LN 33.349–33.353

(hif) give thanks, i.e., give an expression of praise for a person, with a particular focus on the subject being engaged in the expression of thanks or praise (1Ch 29:13); 3. LN 33.275–33.277

(hif) confess, make an admission, i.e., to publicly admit to something, usually a wrong of some kind (Ps 32:5; Pr 28:13); (hitp) (Lev 5:5; Da 9:4)

Going forward, be intentional and specific about what you are thankful for.

is a great example of yadah praise.

Translated as “give thanks” in this chapter, the yadah confession is “His mercy endures forever” along with a fantastic list of God’s greatness and wonders.

1  aO give thanks unto the LORD; bfor he is good:

cFor his mercy endureth for ever.

Notice this is a public confession of God’s acts and power as a being

Many times you will see the ministry up here during Prayer giving Yadah praise.

When you publically confess God’s power outloud and publically, this is a form of Yadah praise.

4. Shabach

10693 שְׁבַח (šeḇǎḥ): v.; ≡ DBLHebr 8655 Str 7624; TWOT 3014—LN 33.354–33.364

(pael) praise, laud, i.e., acclaim one’s excellence, implying the acknowledgment of high status to the recipient (Da 2:23; 4:31[EB 34],34[EB 37]; 5:4, 23+)

Peal in the Targum Lexicon states:

שׁבח verb

peal 1 JBA part.

pass.

praiseworthy

Shabach means “to shout with the voice of victory."

In praise, shabach is a triumphant shout lifted to the Lord from people overwhelmed by His mercy in agreement with His victory over enemies.

So, is it appropriate to shout in worship?

Yes!

However, an ill-timed shabach can be jarring.

Shabach shouldn't be chaotic or out of control, but rather, it should be used as a tool of power to minister to the Lord at the right time.

It's the least used word for "praise" out of all seven Hebrew words.

This suggests that while it absolutely should be part of your praise, it has a specific time and purpose.

Shabach is an enthusiastic, powerful, verbal witness, specifically designed to tell others (for example, your children) what He has done for you.

says, “One generation shall shabach Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”

Let them see you shabach God and see your passion for His greatness.

Let the Church shout the name of Jesus and continue to tell there Testimony of receiving Jesus to their Children.

TO TELL THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS’ TRIUMPHET VICTORY OVER SIN AND DEATH

5. Zamar

My personal favorite:

2376 I. זָמַר (zā·mǎr): v.; ≡ Str 2167; TWOT 558—1.

LN 33.109–33.116

(piel) sing praises, i.e., praise as an act. of worship to God in a chanting or melody, with the voice as the instrument (2Sa 22:50; Ps 9:3[EB 2]); 2. LN 6.83–6.95

play notes on instrument, i.e., make music (Ps 33:2; 98:4; 144:9; 147:7; 149:3), note: this may be only the accompaniment of an instrument to the main focus of singing words

Zamar can be attributed to only instruments playing to glorify God.

Yes this is an acceptable form of worship

2  Praise the LORD with charp:

Sing unto him with the cpsaltery dand an instrument of ten strings.

3  Sing unto him ea new song;

Play skilfully fwith a loud noise.