Hebrew
הַלְלוּיָהּ
halləlûyāh
Praise the LORD
The Hebrew word for 'Praise the LORD' — combining 'praise' with the divine name. The universal Christian exclamation of joy.
Hallelujah (הַלְלוּיָהּ) is a compound Hebrew word made of two parts: hallelu (הַלְלוּ — 'praise ye,' the imperative plural form of the verb halal, meaning 'to praise' or 'to shine') and Yah (יָהּ — the shortened form of the divine name YHWH). The complete word literally means 'praise ye YHWH' or 'praise the LORD.' Because YHWH is the most sacred name of God, the word hallelujah is — uniquely among biblical exclamations — a direct invocation of the divine name. The transliteration 'alleluia' (with an 'a' instead of 'h') comes from the Greek and Latin renderings (Alleluia in Latin), which dropped the initial Hebrew aspirate. Both forms are valid: hallelujah is closer to the Hebrew; alleluia is the form preserved in most Western liturgical tradition. The word appears primarily in the Hebrew Bible's Psalms — particularly the closing 'hallelujah' psalms (Psalms 146-150), which each open and close with 'Praise ye the LORD' (Hallelujah!).
Hallelujah appears 24 times in the Hebrew Old Testament — all in the Psalms — and 4 times in the New Testament Greek (Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6). The concentration in the Psalms is not accidental: the word is a worship exclamation, and the Psalms are the Bible's worship book. Psalms 113-118 are called the Hallel ('the Praise') — sung at Passover and other major feasts. Psalms 146-150 are sometimes called the 'Final Hallel' or 'Hallelujah Psalms' because each opens and closes with the word. Psalm 150 — the climax of the entire Psalter — uses the verb halal (the root of hallelujah) 13 times in 6 verses. In Christian liturgical tradition, alleluia is the great Easter exclamation. During Lent (the penitential season), Catholic and Orthodox traditions suppress the alleluia — it is not sung or said. At the Easter Vigil, the alleluia returns: 'Christ is risen! Alleluia!' For the 50 days of Easter, alleluia is added to nearly every liturgical response. The Gospel acclamation throughout the year is the alleluia (except during Lent, when it is replaced). In Revelation 19, hallelujah occurs at the climax of John's vision — sung four times by the great multitude in heaven celebrating the triumph of the Lamb. Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus' (1741) draws its text from Revelation 19:6 ('Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth') and Revelation 19:16 ('King of Kings, and Lord of Lords'). The chorus has become one of the most recognized pieces of Western music.
“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”
Final verse of the Psalter
“Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God.”
Heavenly worship
“Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
Source of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.”
To say 'hallelujah' is to use the most concentrated worship word in human language — combining the command to praise with the sacred divine name. The word does not describe a feeling; it commands an action. When Christians say 'hallelujah,' they are calling each other to praise. The Eastern Orthodox practice is to suppress alleluia during Lent and let it return at Easter — recovering the explosive joy of the word by making it scarce. Each hallelujah carries weight: the heavens themselves use this word in worship of the enthroned Lamb.
Hallelujah (Hebrew: הַלְלוּיָהּ) means 'Praise the LORD.' It is a compound word: hallelu ('praise ye') + Yah (the shortened form of YHWH, God's covenant name). The word literally calls others to praise God by his sacred name. It appears 24 times in the Hebrew Old Testament (all in the Psalms) and 4 times in the New Testament Greek (Revelation 19), and has been preserved in essentially the same form across hundreds of languages.
They are the same word in two transliterations. 'Hallelujah' is closer to the original Hebrew — preserving the initial 'h' (the Hebrew letter heh). 'Alleluia' is the form preserved in Greek and Latin, which dropped the initial aspirate. Western liturgical tradition typically uses 'alleluia'; Protestant and evangelical usage often uses 'hallelujah.' Both are correct; both mean 'Praise the LORD.'
Catholic and Orthodox traditions suppress the alleluia throughout Lent — the 40-day penitential season before Easter. It is not sung or said in the liturgy. At the Easter Vigil, the alleluia is solemnly restored, often with the proclamation 'Christ is risen! Alleluia!' The practice goes back at least to the 5th century. The point is theological and pastoral: by withdrawing the great Easter word, the church heightens both the somberness of Lent and the joy of Easter when the alleluia returns.