The document discusses 9 aspects of praise found in the original Hebrew and Greek words used in the Bible - halal, shabach, yadah, towdah, barak, zamar, tehillah, agalliao, proskuneo, and thriambeuo. Each aspect has a slightly different meaning and involves different physical expressions of praise such as speaking, shouting, lifting hands, kneeling, playing instruments, singing, dancing, laying prostrate, and sharing testimonies. The overall message is that God made many ways for people to praise in a way that fits their personality and situation, but the focus should always be on honoring God rather than drawing attention to oneself.

1. Introduction:
• The Bible is filled with examples of people
worshipping the Lord through a wide variety of
different types of praise.
• Praise lifts our hearts and spirits and helps us focus
on something bigger than the mundane problems
that plague our daily lives.
• Praises helps us give honor to the Lord, who is the
only one worthy to be praised.
• Praise reminds us that the God who worked miracles
in the Bible is still working today.

2. Introduction:
• But sometimes we can get confused about how we
should praise the Lord because we see so many
differences between the churches we may attend at
different times.
• Part of that confusion is caused by the fact that
various English versions of the Bible use the single
word praise to mean many different things from
what was originally written in the Bible.

3. Introduction:
• Though there are a handful of words that we cannot
translate as well as we would like, most of the time
the word praise refers to one of SIX Hebrew words
or one of THREE Greek words.
• To fully understand what it means to praise the
Lord, we need to look at each of those Hebrew and
Greek words.

4. Introduction:
• Each of these Hebrew and Greeks words has a
slightly different meaning and it takes all of them
together for us to get the whole picture of what real
praise is.
• Because these were different words in the original
scriptures, the early readers of the Bible knew what
was meant when one of those words were used. But
we have lost that understanding unless we take time
to learn what those words mean.

5. 1. Halal
• Halal is the primary Hebrew word for praise.
• Our word "hallelujah" comes from this word.
• It means "to be clear, to shine, to boast, to rave, or to
celebrate."
• Psalms 113:1-3 -Praise (halal) the Lord, praise
(halal) O servants of the Lord, praise (halal) the
name of the Lord.
• Psalms 150:1 - Praise (halal) the Lord! Praise
(halal) God in his sanctuary; Praise (halal) him in his
mighty expanse.

6. 1. Halal
• This type of praise tends to include speaking
some word that gives glory to God.
• Saying “Amen,” “Hallelujah,” “Praise the
Lord,” or “Glory to God” would be examples
of how this aspect of praise could be used.
• Halal praise is not necessarily loud, nor does it
need to draw attention to itself.
• It tends to be spontaneous and wells up from
deep within us in response to something the
Spirit reveals to us in the moment.

7. 1. Halal
• Though anyone can participate in Halal praise
by speaking a word of praise to the Lord,
because it tends to include verbal expression,
people who are less self conscious about
speaking in front of others tend to find this
type of praise more comfortable then those
who have a more quiet personality.
• But since it does not have to be loud, or in a
group, it can be practiced even by those who
are more quiet in nature.

8. 2. Shabach
• Shabach is a Hebrew word that means, "to shout, to
address in a loud tone, to command, or to triumph."
• Psalms 145:4 - One generation shall praise
(shabach) Your works to another and declare Your
mighty acts.
• Isaiah 12:6 - Cry aloud and shout (shabach) for joy,
O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the
Holy One of Israel.

9. 2. Shabach
• This aspect of praise is similar to Halal, but it
is never quiet. It is always loud!
• Though some people’s personalities are quiet
and therefore they may not use this aspect of
praise often, for those who tend to have loud
personalities anyway, this helps them channel
their energy toward the Lord instead of
worldly things.
• After all, better to SHOUT for the Lord than to
shout for the world!

10. 2. Shabach
• One danger in this type of praise is that it is easy to
make it about ourselves instead of the Lord.
• We must ask ourselves, are we shouting for the Lord
or just to bring attention to ourselves.
• When our motive is to be heard by people, God will
not bless our Shabach praise. And typically, those
around us can tell when it is fake.

11. 3. Yadah and Towdah
• Yadah is a Hebrew word which means, "to extend
a hand, or to throw out the hand."
• Towdah comes from the word Yadah and means
the same thing but is specifically focused on
adoration or worship of God.

12. 3. Yadah and Towdah
• Psalms 107:15 - Oh that men would praise (yadah)
the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful
works to the children of men.
• Psalms 63:1 - So I will praise You as long as I live;
I will (yadah) lift up my hands in Your name.
• Jeremiah 33:11 – Praise (towdah) the LORD of
Hosts, for the LORD is good; His faithful love
endures forever.

13. 3. Yadah and Towdah
• This aspect of praise focuses on lifting our hands in
recognition of the greatness of the one being praised.
• While Yadah praise could apply to either the Lord,
or to a person of prominence, Towdah praise can
ONLY be applied to the Lord.
• That is why we sometimes see people lift their hands
up at a non-Christian concert, they are offering
Yadah praise to the singer. But Towdah praise can
only be given to God.

14. 3. Yadah and Towdah
• While some people may never feel comfortable
lifting their hands to the Lord, for those who do, it is
a very freeing experience.
• There is something about lifting our hands to the
Lord that makes us feel like we are opening our
whole selves to the Lord in praise.
• Again, this type of praise can be abused if we try to
make it about drawing attention to ourselves.
(Where people sit says a lot.)

15. 4. Barak
• Barak is a Hebrew word that means "to kneel down
and bless God as an act of adoration.”
• Psalms 95:6 - O come let us worship and bow
down; let us kneel (barak) before the Lord our
maker.
• 1 Chronicles 29:20 - Then David said to all the
assembly, "Now praise (barak) the Lord your God."
And all the assembly praised (barak) the Lord, the
God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage
to the Lord.

16. 4. Barak
• This aspect of praise is similar to Yadah and Towdah
in that it involves using our bodies to praise the
Lord.
• But this aspect of praise is not just lifting a hand to
the Lord, but it uses the whole body to kneel or bow
before Him.
• Though the attitude of our hearts is more important
than the position of our bodies, sometimes we just
feel closer to the Lord when we kneel before Him.

17. 4. Barak
• This can be done privately at home when one kneels
to pray.
• This can be done publicly at a kneeling bench.
• This can be done spontaneously by kneeling
anywhere at anytime.
• The point of this type of praise is that we humble
ourselves before the King of Kings by kneeling
before Him in acknowledgement that He is greater
than we are and deserves honor.

18. 5. Zamar
• Zamar is a Hebrew word that means "to pluck the
strings of an instrument.”
• It was mostly used in connection with playing
musical instruments in joyful expressions of
worship.
• Psalms 57:8-9 - Awake my glory; awake harp and
lyre, I will awaken the dawn! I will give thanks to
You, O Lord among the peoples; I will sing praises
to You among the nations.
• This refers to the harp & lyre singing, not voices.

19. 5. Zamar
• Spirit filled people who play musical instruments to
the Lord are praising Him in with this very special
Zamar praise.
• People who play musical instruments in worship are
not “performing.” At least not if their hearts are in
the right place! They are praising God with the
instruments they play.
• Sadly, some of us will never get to praise the Lord in
this way because we lack the skills, but for those
who do, let it flow outward and upward in praise the
King of Kings!

20. 6. Tehillah
• Tehillah is a Hebrew word that means "to sing,
especially singing hymns of the Spirit.”
• Just as Zamar praise uses instruments to praise,
Tehillah uses voices engaged in song.
• Psalms 22:3 - Yet You are holy, You are enthroned
upon the praises (tehillah) of Israel.
• Psalms 33:1 - Rejoice in the Lord, o you righteous,
for praise (tehillah) is appropriate for the upright.

21. 6. Tehillah
• Though we may not all be able to give God zamar
praise through playing an instrument, we can all
give the Lord tehillah praise through singing.
• Obviously those with better voices will lead the
singing, but all of us should join in singing.
• Singing to the Lord is not about hitting all the right
notes, it is about expressing our hearts to the Lord
through music.

22. 6. Tehillah
• Music is a powerful force in our lives and should be
a significant part of our relationship with the Lord.
Whether in private or in group settings, we should
be willing to lift our voices in song to the Lord.
• Just because our voice may not be perfect is not a
reason to miss out on this powerful aspect of praise.
• The Lord loves hearing us sing, and we should all
learn to praise Him in this way.

23. 7. Agalliao
• Agalliao is a Greek word that means “to jump for
joy, to leap, or to exult”.
• It is sometimes translated as “rejoice” in English
Bibles.
• Acts 16:34 - And then the jailer brought them into
his house and set food before them, and rejoiced
greatly, having believed in God with his whole
household.

24. 7. Agalliao
• Sometimes we are so overjoyed with what God is
doing in our lives that we just cannot sit still.
• We feel the need to move in some joyful expression
of praise.
• Maybe we tap a foot.
• Maybe we sway.
• Maybe we dance.
• Maybe we jump.
• However we move, we do it unto the Lord.

25. 8. Proskuneo
• Proskuneo is a Greek word that means “to prostate
oneself in worship; to reverence.” It is also
sometimes translated as “worship.”
• Revelation 5:11-14 - Then I looked, and I heard the
voice of many angels around the throne and the
living creatures and the elders . . . saying with a loud
voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and might and honor
and glory and blessing.” . . . And the elders fell
down and worshiped.

26. 8. Proskuneo
• Just as we are sometimes so full of joy that we want
to dance, other times we become so overwhelmed
with God’s holiness that we want to fall to the
ground in humility before God.
• This aspect of praise is similar to the Hebrew Barak,
but instead of just bowing or kneeling, we take this
type of praise further and lay prostrate before God.
This can be in private or in public but the point is
total humility before God.

27. 9. Thriambeuo
• Thriambeuo is a Greek word that means “to
celebrate a victory or to triumph.”
• 2 Corinthians 2:14 - Now praise be unto God, who
always causes us to triumph in Christ, and makes
manifest the knowledge of the Savor through us in
every place we go.
• This aspect of praise focuses on acknowledging a
victory or triumph in our lives.

28. 9. Thriambeuo
• It usually includes sharing a testimony of how God
did something great in our lives.
• The purpose of this type of praise is so that the
knowledge of Christ might be spread.
• It is not about showing people how great OUR faith
is. It is about showing them how great JESUS is.
• This is the only aspect of praise that is more
effective in a group (of at least two) setting than in
private (though it can be private).

29. Conclusion:
• God made many types of praise so we can all worship
in ways that work for us as individuals.
• Each aspect of praise can help us grow in our
relationship with the Lord so we should not be afraid to
experience them, but it is okay that some work better
for us than others.
• No one should look down anyone else for not using any
particular aspect of praise since all the words are used
interchangeably in scripture, demonstrating that they are
all equal before God.
• However we praise Him, we must keep our hearts
focused on God, not on ourselves, so that we do not
make it a “look at me” show.

30. Conclusion:
• Most of these aspects of praise can be done by
anyone, though a few may be limited by skill or
personality type.
• All of them can be done privately or in a group,
though one type of praise (thriambeuo) is more
effective in a group than in private.
• The key to all of these various aspects of praise is to
keep the focus on the Lord, not on ourselves.