Hallelujah (Hebrew halelu Yah) is an exclamatory imperative addressed to a group: "praise YHWH!" It is a pure, unadulterated expression of worship, joy, and adoration directed to the LORD for who He is and what He has done. It appears frequently in the Psalter, especially in the closing Hallel psalms (113-118; 146-150) sung at the great feasts, and it punctuates the Psalter’s final crescendo: "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 150:6). In the New Testament the Greek transliteration Allēlouia appears only in Revelation 19:1-6 — sung by the great multitude in heaven over Babylon’s fall and at the marriage supper of the Lamb. The first and last word of the redeemed.
HALLELU'JAH, n.
HALLELU'JAH, n. [Heb. praise ye Jehovah.] Praise ye Jehovah. A word used in hymns and anthems, as an expression of praise and rejoicing.
Psalm 146:1 - "Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul." (The Hebrew begins with Hallelujah).
Psalm 150:6 - "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." (The verse ends with Hallelujah).
Revelation 19:1 - "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God."
The word has been largely secularized and is often used as a generic exclamation of joy, relief, or triumph, complete...
The word has been largely secularized and is often used as a generic exclamation of joy, relief, or triumph, completely detached from its sacred meaning of praising God. It might be shouted at a concert or upon finding lost keys, stripping the term of its specific, God-ward direction and profound theological weight.