hallelouia: Alleluia is one of the most familiar praise words to us. But what does this word actually mean and where does it come from? Lexical sources point to its origins in ancient Israel. In its Hebraic form hallelouia is comprised of halal and Yahh. That last word is a shortened form of Yahweh, one of the Hebrew names for God. But what of the first word? It has an intriguing range of meanings: to shine, to flash forth light, to praise, to boast, and to act madly. The Catholic Encyclopedia interprets it as hail: “So, preserving its radical sense and sound, and even the mystical suggestiveness of its construction, it may be literally rendered, ‘All hail to Him Who is!’”
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 04:07:56 +0000
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