The Practice of Praise

7 Words for Praise (every word represents a unique expression and response to the love of God we’re echoing back to Him)

HALAL (99 times) - To shine, To Glory, To flash light, to boast clamorously, to make a fool of, to act madly, to celebrate.. not necessarily primarily in song, but with the voice. 

Psalm 113:1-4

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord. 2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore. 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. 4 The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens.

Accompanied with dancing..

Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

Isaiah 60

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

TEHILLAH - Praise that is SUNG, and specifically a spontaneous song or a new song that flows from what the heart is experiencing. 

The praise that God sits on, enthrones Himself upon

Psalm 22: 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

YADAH - to throw, to shoot, or to cast.. usually with gestures.. we shoot up our hands in praise

First time this word is used is when Judah was named. To shoot up our hands in praise is one of our first responses to God. 

Genesis 29:35 - And she (LEAH) conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise (Yaha) the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah.[fn] Then she stopped bearing.

Psalm 107:15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

TOWDAH - Confession of thanks, with an extension of the hand forwards, a sacrifice of praise, a choir of worshippers

Psalm 100:1 - Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him; bless his name.

BARAK - To thank and bless God by kneeling, an act of adoration and honor. 

Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

ZAMAR - To pluck or to twang on the strings of the harp, to play an instrument as praise 

The same way that you are a stringed instrument designed to resonate with sound from breath, the musical instrument we play is an extension / expression / amplification of the unique sound of the individual. 

Psalm 71:22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 71:22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

SHABACH - to Shout or commend in a loud tone, accompanied by clapping

Psalm 145: 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.