📖 Biblical Definition
Hallelujah is the universal praise-word of Scripture, kept in its original Hebrew even in Greek and English translations because it is considered too weighty to translate. It opens and closes Psalms 146-150 — the great Hallel that closes the Psalter. Revelation 19 contains the only four NT occurrences: at the fall of Babylon, the saints cry "Hallelujah!" four times (19:1, 3, 4, 6). The word is a command: "praise YAH, all of you." It assumes a congregation, not a solo — the plural imperative demands corporate worship. "Praise the LORD!" is English shorthand; halelu-yah is the original order.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
AL-LE-LU'IA. Heb. interj.
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AL-LE-LU'IA (also HAL-LE-LU'JAH). [Heb. halelu-yah.] Praise ye the LORD; praise Jehovah. The plural imperative command of corporate worship, appearing over twenty times in the Psalms, opening and closing the great Hallel (Psalms 146-150), and sounding four times in Revelation 19 at the fall of Babylon and the marriage of the Lamb. Preserved untranslated in Greek and English alike because no substitute carries the weight of the original.
📖 Key Scripture
Psalm 150:6 — "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"
Revelation 19:1 — "After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.""
Revelation 19:6 — "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns."
Psalm 146:1 — "Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!"
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern casual use of "Hallelujah!" as exclamation of relief trivializes a command that assumes the whole congregation praising YAH.
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"Hallelujah!" is frequently used today as a casual "oh, thank goodness" — "hallelujah, the car started." This misses the force. The word is a plural imperative: "praise YAH, all of you." It is a command to corporate worship addressed to a group. It closes the Psalter in five consecutive psalms of concentrated praise. It erupts in heaven at the fall of Babylon. Handel's chorus captures its right weight: when "hallelujah" is sung, people instinctively stand. Restore the word to its full voice.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H1984 — halal (to praise). H3050 — yah (short form of YHWH).
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H1984 — halal (הָלַל) — to praise, to boast, to celebrate.
H3050 — yah (יָהּ) — short form of YHWH; the divine Name.
G239 — allelouia (ἀλληλουϊά) — NT Greek preservation of the Hebrew.
Usage
"Hallelujah is a plural imperative. "Praise YAH, all of you." Addressed to the congregation, not the individual."
"When Handel wrote "Hallelujah!" and people stood, they were responding rightly. The word commands the body to rise."