What is Praise?
A Study about the Word “Praise”

What is praise? You hear it a lot, but what in the world does praise mean?

I asked myself that question for months. I was researching all the references of thanks in the bible. After all, having a website "Thank-Your-Stars.com", I decided I better figure it out pretty quick.

But, it wasn't easy. For example, many of the songs of David, called psalms - there are 150 psalms - are songs of thanksgiving.

But in some of the songs of thanksgiving, the word "thanks", or "thanks giving", or the "giving of thanks", wasn't in any of the verses of the psalm!


The Word Praise is Puzzling

Could it be, because the psalms were originally in Hebrew, that the translators made a mistake?

Another twist. Why did I see the word "praise" everywhere in those psalms? And more words like "glory", and "worship", and "blessing." So, what is praise?

Here I've been a teacher for years, and all of a sudden I realized, I don't even know what these words really mean, especially the word "praise."

I started asking myself over and over, what is praise? It became a nagging thought, especially when walking into church. I started praying to find good answers. I mean, I've heard and said it a lot, maybe it's time to look it up.

All the arrows were pointing that the word "praise" would hold some important clues.


The Search about Praise Intensifies.

So I zeroed in, especially focusing on "praise." It took several months. I ended up pulling bibles and commentaries off the shelf a lot - just about every day - for this research.

I had bibles opened on top of opened bibles. And lots of markers, especially 3" x 5" cards.

I checked 4 different translations, 2 of them centuries old, and 2 of them very recent, besides researching many online bible translations.

All these translations were using the words thanks, praise, blessing, glory, and worship interchangeably.


Please. Let's Keep it Simple!

As a teacher, I want to be able to share it in a way that anyone can easily understand. Hey, I'd like to be able to understand it myself! I didn't want complicated answers, just a few simple ones.

And they came! I found some answers to the question, what is praise. Although written in Hebrew, the key was studying the etymology of the English words.

"Praise" shares the same and similar roots to words such as appreciation - appraisal - price - precious - and prize.


Praise - It Means You Value the Recipient.

Essentially, "praise" means you "esteem", and more importantly, you value the recipient in your words, in your actions, in your life.

According to the many Hebrew words for praise, it's not just a quiet inside sentiment, a notion, a belief you soon forget. It's a reality, coming from your heart, showing itself in words and actions, the stuff life is made up of.

Once you plug the word value in, then many bible verses make a lot more sense.

So let's update some praise phrases into a bit more modern English.


What is Praise in the Following Phrases?

• Give God the Praise = Give God the credit!
  
  Give God the Thanks! Thanks be to God! To God be the Glory! God is Infinitely Valuable! No one can compare in value.
  
  My mother used to say "Deo gratias" all the time. It's Latin for "Thanks be to God." In "gratias", you see the root of the word gratitude, also related to grace, favor, and blessings.
  
  Give credit where credit is due. For example, suppose you made a world class masterpiece, now in a famous museum. What if the curators refused to list you as the author? Or even gave credit to the wrong person!
  
  What if you went there incognito, and heard people praising the art, but not the artist? What if they not only ignored you, but you actually heard someone belittle and condemn you?
  
  That's a bit how God must feel when we ignore him as the author of every good thing we have - life, health, wealth, talents, and abilities.
  
  
• Oh praise ye the Lord! = Come, let us thank God!
  
  What is praise in this sense? It's an invitation! Come, let us give thanks to God! O come, let us give our thanks to God! Let us show him our appreciation.
  
  This invitation is often addressed to others, to join in gratitude prayer and praise and song. David sometimes invites himself, such as, "Praise (bless) the Lord, O my soul."
  
  An important key - the word "for" usually follows the invitation. We see it in the psalms all the time, that David says, I praise the Lord ... I bless the Lord ... I give glory to the Lord ... Come let us worship the Lord ... FOR his mighty deeds, FOR parting the Sea, FOR giving me victory over my enemies, FOR His goodness, FOR His faithfulness, FOR His mercy.
  
  God loves to hear us list His gifts. They are many, small and great - from each tiny breath we breathe to the gift of life, our talents, our abilities, and so much more. We take so much for granted ...
  
  
• Ceaseless Praise, or Unceasing Praise = Lifelong Appreciation, Gratitude in Action
  
  Living a life of appreciation, loyal commitment, dedication, and faithful service - always mindful and aware of the blessings we receive. A perpetual attitude of gratitude.
  
  Jesus said to pray always. This is fulfilled more in spirit and action, than in words. The kingdom of heaven is within us. Prayer must come from the heart. We must take time to pray every day, a special time only for prayer.
  
  Some few people, a few prayer warriors, may be able to think their prayers almost all day long. But for most of us - who have busy lives, who must make a living, and other people depend upon us - while we do set aside daily some time for prayer, we make our work, our whole lives, our prayer of praise.
  
  While we are working, we walk with God. While still here on earth, our mind and abilities are limited. At those times, we are confident that the Holy Spirit is within us, making petitions on our behalf, until we can celebrate the full adoption as children of God.
  
  What about sleeping? Even when sleeping, when we are in the grace of God, God lives in us, he does not sleep, we are with God. "I sleep, but my heart is awake." (Solomon in the Song of Songs, 5:2)
  
  The best and most powerful prayer is always thanksgiving. Prayers of petition can be selfish. True thanksgiving helps us take the focus off ourselves and put our focus on the giver.
  
  Jesus prayed, Heavenly Father, I thank you (I praise you) that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them to little ones.
  
  
• I will praise you, Lord = I promise and now give you my thanks and appreciation
  
  We should mean every word we say. To a person who is true to their word, this is practically a promise.
  
  It does not mean - I will only plan to thank God in the future. It's much more like telling - or writing - your friend, saying "I want to thank you for visiting me when I was sick", or "I've got to tell you how nice your gift was." - although it sounds future, it's practically right now, it's the very next thing you are actually doing or saying, even in the same sentence.
  
  Sometimes, "I will praise you" is followed by a specific time frame. In this sense, it becomes a promise of an ongoing future expression of gratitude.
  
  The fact that this is just not a thoughtless exaggeration, but a promise, a commitment to give thanks, is that the song writer like David often follows it by a specific time:
  
  
  • I will praise - thank - you in the morning.
  • I will praise you - show you my appreciation - in the evening.
  • I will praise you all my life long - always.
  • I will praise and glorify you - be grateful to you, value you - forever. This means both now throughout life and in heaven.
  
  This shows that David committed himself to specific times for prayer, such as the morning and evening, and that gratitude is the predominant theme.
  
  By the way, the 2 best and most important times to schedule alone time with God, is in the morning and in the evening. It's really the bare minimum, for those who are serious about walking and living with God.
  
  It's a great time to simply approach God our father as his loving child, thanking him for his blessings and protection throughout the previous night or day, and asking his blessings and protection on the upcoming day or night.
  
  Choose at least one of those times every day, when we're most alert, to read from the bible, to listen to what he has to tell us in return.

What is praise? Simply Gratitude in Action

Because God has given all to us, gratitude needs to be lived, not just said. It should become a way of life. In heaven, once we see things in perspective, it's what we'll be doing forever.

Gratitude is the best way to open every prayer, and close every prayer. How can we possibly repay God for all we've been given? A lifetime for the gift of life? An eternity for eternal reward?


Praise - It Goes on Forever!

Heaven is the essence of gratitude. On all sides, everyone receives blessings, rewards, appreciation and gifts of all kinds, and from all sides comes the deepest appreciation in return, and it's always ongoing.

Can you imagine oceans of loving gratitude and appreciation? No more loneliness. No more neglect. No more pain. Perfect joy and happiness - which we don't deserve - but a most merciful and gracious gift from God.

Unceasing loving deepest truest gratitude. An entire eternity is too short.


What is Praise - A Follow-up Story

I was at another church picking up a box of food. I told a lady how I was researching what is praise, and what I learned, how "praise" and "appreciate" means we really value the recipient.

I asked if she had heard any of this before. She said no. A little later she came looking for me, to thank me for the insight. I'm grateful it touched her that much.

Maybe this will help other people. Maybe they don't have to go a lifetime - like me - not knowing what praise means. Maybe this will help people live a better life of praise, appreciation, and gratitude.

If this study helps you, I'm grateful. Let's thank God for these insights, because all knowledge is from him.

My high school diploma cover has a picture of an oil lamp with a flame, and it says, "All Knowledge is from God."

I ask your prayers of thanksgiving and blessing on our work, so that we can help many others.


Praise! - Alleluia! - A Heavenly Language?

The word "praise" is most likely related to the word "alleluia."

The Hebrew word most often used for praise is "Hallal" - "to celebrate, to glory in, to make a show, to rave about, to even be foolishly loud and boastful worshiping" God. Also, "Tehillah", "to speak, to sing glory" to God. (There are dozens of related praise words in Hebrew.)

The word "Alleluia" has mystified scholars for centuries, and is usually not translated from the Hebrew texts of the bible. The best estimated guess so far has been "praise carried as high as heaven."

"Alleluia" (ah-lay-loo-yuh) is most likely a heavenly language. It could be the way people praise and speak to one another in heaven. It shares similar roots to the Hebrew word for God, Jahweh. (yah-way). In fact, the 1st two syllables have the same vowel sounds.

When you say both of these words, you don't close your lips. This could be a reminder of the breath of God, Who brought Adam to life by His breath, and never stops providing for, and sustaining, His creation.

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