The 8 Levels of Praise & Worship

Teacher: Bryant L. McNeal
Wednesday, March 17th 2010
The Hebrew has eight words or levels of praise and worship, each one is distinctive and yet complimentary of the other. For study purposes I want to put them in alphabetical order; Barak, Halal , Shabach, Tehillah, Towdah, Yadah, Karar and Zamar.

Let us now take our time to explore further. Let us begin with the word BARAK.


Barak

The word Barak means to kneel or bow and bless God, to give reverence to God as an act of adoration. It is done with an attitude of anticipation. Throughout the Old Testament this word is continually used. Thoughts on the word 'bless' bring to mind all God through His Son Jesus Christ has done for us in the past and what He is doing presently. However, have we ever stopped to wonder how we can bless God? David in psalm 103: 1-2 tells us how, when he says: 'bless the Lord, o my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name...." . [Some bible translations use the word praise.] David continues on, by recalling and distinguishing all God has done. “Barak” praise can also be used as a form of prayer, as the word suggests kneeling and blessing God in worship or devotion. The song "father, we love you, we praise you, we adore you" is an expression of “Barak praise”. Scriptures to study are: Ps. 72:9 and Ps. 95.6.


Halal

Halal means to be boastful, excited and enjoying the greatness and goodness of God. It is the root word for hallelujah. While in this mode you are celebrating God in very much the same way you do when your local ‘soccer team’ or favourite contestant wins. It’s amazing how much energy goes into this display. Well, ‘halal’ is the way Christians should celebrate God’s goodness every day. Scriptures to study are: Psalms 104 -106 are good illustrations of this, 2 Chron. 20:19-21-21, Psalm 22:22-26, 111:1-3.


Shabach

This word Shaback is best illustrated in Psalm 117:1; 'o praise the lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.' As it is used here it means to speak highly of, to address in a loud tone, to command triumph, glory and to shout. This category of praise is also pictured in psalm 63:4. Terry Law in his book "the power of praise and worship" says this type of praise "makes the devil shut up". Scriptures to study are: Psalms 47:1, 63:3-4, 32:11, 65:13, 117:1, 35:27, 145:4, 147:12, 132:9.


Tehillah

Tehillah relates to singing and for all intents and purposes means singing our halals. Tehillah is portrayed in psalm 22:3 states that God dwells in the praises of Israel . [Most refer to it as “his people”.] It refers to a special kind of singing that is unrehearsed, unprepared and which today is referred to as "singing in the spirit". This exhibition of praise brings unity into the congregation and allows God to move in miraculous ways. Scriptures to study are: Psalms 34:1, 40:3, 66:2, 100:4, 22:3, 9:14, 33:1, 65:1, 147:1-2, 149:1-2, Isaiah 61:3 and 2 Chronicles 20:22.


Towdah

Towdah translated means 'thanksgiving' and involves the raising of hands in adoration. It suggests an attitude of sacrificial praise. In other words, we give thanks and praise before we receive from the Lord, and/or delivered out of a situation. We rejoice and thank God for his promises. Our praise and thanksgiving become a sacrifice unto the Lord when we are ill or in dire straits. Scriptures to study are: Psalms 50:14, 95:2, Colossians 4:2, 1 Timothy 4:4-5, Isaiah 51:3 and Amos 4:5.


Yadah

Yadah means to worship with extended hands and it signifies a deep surrender to God and a heart that desires to pay tribute to Him. Scriptures for study are: Psalms 100:4, 134:2, 27:1, 28:7, 33:2, 42:5, 44:8, and 141:2.


Zamar

In the Hebrew language there are several musical verbs, but the one that is predominant throughout the book of Psalms is called ‘Zamar’. It demonstrates music in praise to God and advocates that praise and music are similar. In the Old Testament the Hebrews used music as an expression of praise and worship. The popular praise & worship chorus: "let everything that has breath praise the lord" is really Psalm 150 set to music. Scriptures for study are: Psalms are 92:1-3, 81:1-2, and 1 Chronicles 15:16.


Karar

Karar is the Hebrew word for "dance". We should dance before the Lord like King David did in the Bible. The Bible says according to the following: Ps 149:3 - "Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp." Ps 150:4 - "Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs." Ecclesiastes 3:4 - "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."




While I have shown the meaning of each level or word, it should be noted that in a lot of cases the levels are combined. A mixture of Barak, Karar and Zamar praise can be found in Psalms 98, 95 134 and 145. In Psalm 50 you will find a mix of Towdah and Yadah.




Written by: Ps. Rhema Williams
Edited by: Senior Pastor, Bryant L. McNeal