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Yah, Iah, Jah, Hallelujah (hallal (ecstatic praise)+Yah, iah)

Posted on Friday, March 27, 2015 | Comments Off

Jah (/ˈdʒɑː/; Hebrew: יהּ‎ = Yah) is the shortened form of YHWH (Hebrew: יהוה‎), the proper name of God in Judaism.[1] Anglicized versions of the Tetragrammaton (Latin YHVH), mostly used in Christian contexts, are Jehovah, Yehowah, or Yahweh. The name 'Jah' is most commonly associated with the Rastafari movement, or as part of the word "hallelujah", although Christian groups may use the name to varying degrees. The name is used in some English translations of the Bible which reconstruct the Tetragrammaton. Other versions sometimes use the academic Hebrewreconstruction "Yah". Some languages use the letter "I" instead of "Y" or "J": Other languages use "CH" (Choctaw), "S" (Tongan), and "Z" (Chin).

Christian Bible[edit]

In the King James Version of the Christian Bible the Hebrew יהּ [1] is transliterated as "JAH" (capitalised) in only one instance: "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him". (Psalm 68:4) An American Translation renders the Hebrew word as "Yah" in this verse. The form also appears in the transcription of certain Hebrew theophoric names such as Adonijah.
With the rise of the Reformation, reconstructions of the Tetragrammaton became popular. The Tyndale Bible was the first English translation to use the anglicized reconstruction. The modern letter "J" settled on its current English pronunciation only around 500 years ago; in Ancient Hebrew, the first consonant of the Tetragrammaton always represents a "Y" sound.
In the Hebrew Bible, the Hebrew letters for Jah (YH) occurs 50 times - 26 times alone and 24 times in the term Hallelu'yah. Rotherham's Emphasised Bible includes 49 uses of Jah. In the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition Bible, the Jerusalem Bible, and the New Jerusalem Bible (prior to 1998) the Name "YHWH" and its abbreviated form "Yah" is found. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, used primarily by Jehovah's Witnesses, employs "Jah" in the Hebrew Scriptures, and translates Hallelujah as "Praise Jah" in the Greek Scriptures. The Divine Name King James Bibleand the Spanish language Reina Valera Bible both employ "JAH" in 50 instances within the Old Testament.


Hallelujah (/ˌhælɨˈluːjə/ hal-ə-loo-yə) is a transliteration of the Hebrew word הַלְּלוּיָהּ (Modern halleluya, Tiberian halləlûyāh), which is composed of two elements: הַלְּלוּ (second-person imperative masculine plural form of the Hebrew verb hallal: an exhortation to "praise" addressed to several people[1]) and יָהּ (the names of God Jah or Yah).[2][3][4]
Most well-known English versions of the Hebrew Bible translate the Hebrew "Hallelujah" (as at Psalm 150:1) as two Hebrew words, generally rendered as "Praise (ye)" and "the LORD", but the second word is given as "Yah" in the Lexham English Bible and Young's Literal Translation, "Jah" in the New World Translation, "Jehovah" in the American Standard Version, and "Hashem" in theOrthodox Jewish Bible. Instead of a translation, the transliteration "Hallelujah" is used by JPS Tanakh, International Standard Version, Darby Translation, God's Word Translation, Holman Christian Standard Bible, and The Message, with the spelling "Halleluyah" appearing in the Complete Jewish Bible. The Greek-influenced form "Alleluia" appears in Wycliffe's Bible, the Knox Version and the New Jerusalem Bible.
In the great song of praise to God for his triumph over the Whore of Babylon[5] in chapter 19 of the New Testament Book of Revelation, the Greek word ἀλληλούϊα (allēluia), a transliteration of the same Hebrew word, appears four times, as an expression of praise rather than an exhortation to praise.[6] In English translations this is mostly rendered as "Hallelujah",[7] but as "Alleluia" in several translations,[8] while a few have "Praise the Lord",[9] "Praise God",[10] "Praise our God",[11] or "Thanks to our God".[12]
הַלְּלוּיָהּ is found 24 times in the book of Psalms, and the Greek transliteration ἀλληλούϊα appears in the Septuagint version of these Psalms, in Tobit 13:17 and 3 Maccabees 7:13 and four times in Revelation 19.[6] The word is used in Judaism as part of the Hallel prayers, and in Christian prayer,[5] where since the earliest times[6] it is used in various ways in liturgies,[13] especially those of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church,[14] both of which use the form "alleluia".

In the Bible[edit]

The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (mainly in the book of Psalms, e.g. 111–117, 145–150, where it starts and concludes a number of Psalms) and four times in Greek transliteration in the Christian Book of Revelation.[5]
In the Hebrew Bible hallelujah is actually a two-word phrase, not one word. The first part, hallelu, is the second-person imperative masculine plural form of the Hebrew verb hallal.[1] However, "hallelujah" means more than simply "praise Jah" or "praise Yah", as the word hallel in Hebrew means a joyous praise in song, to boast in God. Hallel could also refer to someone who acts madly or foolishly.[15][16]
The second part, Yah, is a shortened form of YHWH, the name for the Creator.[5] The name ceased to be pronounced in Second Temple Judaism, by the 3rd century BC due to religious beliefs.[17] The correct pronunciation is not known, however, it is sometimes rendered by Christians as "Yahweh" or "Jehovah". The Septuagint translates Yah as Kyrios (the LORD), because of the Jewish custom of replacing the sacred name with "Adonai", meaning "the Lord".
In Psalm 150:6 the Hebrew reads kol han'shamah t'hallel yah;[18] It appears in the Hebrew Bible as הללו-יה and הללו יה. In Psalm 148:1 the Hebrew says "הללו יה hallelu yah". It then says "hallelu eth-YHWH" as if using "yah" and "YHWH" interchangeably. The word "Yah" appears by itself as a divine name in poetry about 49 times in the Hebrew Bible (including hallelu yah), such as in Psalm 68:4–5 "who rides upon the deserts by his name Yah" and Exodus 15:2 "Yah is my strength and song". It also often appears at the end of Israelite theophoric names such as Isaiah "yeshayah(u), Yahweh is salvation" and Jeremiah "yirmeyah(u), Yahweh is exalted".[5]
The word hallelujah occurring in the Psalms is therefore a request for a congregation to join in praise toward God. It can be translated as "Praise Yah" or "Praise Jah, you people",[2][13][19]
The Greek transliteration, ἀλληλούϊα (allēlouia) appears in Revelation 19:1–6, the great song of praise to God for his triumph over the Whore of Babylon.[5]

Usage by Jews[edit]

The word "hallelujah" is sung as part of the Hallel Psalms (interspersed between Psalms 113–150).[20]

Usage by Christians[edit]

For most Christians, "Hallelujah" is considered a joyful word of praise to God, rather than an injunction to praise him. "The Alleluia" refers to a traditional chant, combining the word with verses from the Psalms or other scripture. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and in many older Protestant denominations, the Alleluia, along with the Gloria in excelsis Deo, is not spoken or sung in liturgy during the season of Lent, instead being replaced by a Lenten acclamation, while in Eastern Churches, Alleluia is chanted throughout Lent at the beginning of the Matins service, replacing the Theos Kyrios, which is considered more joyful. At the Easter service and throughout the Pentecostarion, Christos anesti is used in the place where Hallelujah is chanted in the western rite.
In contemporary worship among many Protestants, expressions of "Hallelujah" and "Praise the Lord" are acceptable spontaneous expressions of joy, thanksgiving and praise towards God, requiring no specific prompting or call or direction from those leading times of praise and singing.[21]

Usage in informal language[edit]

In modern English, "Hallelujah" is frequently spoken to express happiness that a thing hoped or waited for has happened.[22] An example is its use in the song "Get Happy".

See also[edit]

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