Give Thanks to the Lord—Part 1—A Word Study on Thanks
The Hebrew Word for Thanks
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever"— Psalm 107:1
This study centers on the above Scriptural phrase, quoted six times in the Old Testament. We will begin by looking at the Hebrew word for "thanks." The Hebrew root word for "thanks," as used in this portion of Scripture, is the Word "yada ידה."
Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines this particular Hebrew word for 'thanks' in a more assertive, active, and expressive definition, such as "to cast forth"; "throw; to point out with the hand; to show by extended hand; to profess and confess. The three-letter word pictograph for "thanks" shows us some intriguing insights that agree with this definition.
"Yod י," "Dalet ד," and "Hey ה" are the three Hebrew letters that make up this word.
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| Praise includes lifting up our hands and casting our adoration to God. |
Yod י: Hand
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!— Psalm 103:1
He engaged his will and decided to praise.
I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth
— Ps. 34:1
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| Words are thrown from our mouths. |
Words Are Things
I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.— Psalm 63:4
The hand-throwing also images things thrown out from our mouths in the form of profession and confession.
The Gospel of Isaiah tells us that God's words go out of His mouth and accomplish what He intends.
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
— Isaiah 55:11
Perhaps our words, for good or bad, are equally consequential, as a particular exhortation from Christ suggests.
... every idle word men may speak, they will give account of.
— Matthew 12:36
When we confess or proclaim something, our words go out into the atmosphere and accomplish what they are sent to do. In this respect, words are things. The book of Hosea offers this imagery by expressing words as things you take with you.
Take with you words, and turn to the Lord.
— Hosea 14:2
Three Hebrew words translated as "pray," "curse," and "praise" are particularly interesting in relation to this topic.
- Palal פלל(pey פ, lamed ל, lamed ל) means to pray.
- Qalal קלל (qoof ק, lamed ל, lamed ל) means to curse or diminish
- Halal הלל (hey ה, lamed ל, lamed ל) means to praise.
Each of these words involves the mouth and illustrates the "things" that come out of it.
In Hebrew word-picture concepts, a double letter denotes something perpetual, as seen in these three words. A great example is the Hebrew word galal גלל (gimel ג, lamed ל, lamed ל), which means "to roll." Gimel ג, the first letter, is represented by a camel that rolls. The rolling camel shows a repetitive, continuous action.
The letter "lamed ל" is a picture of a shepherd's staff and can refer to teaching or authority. Thus, in these words, we see that authority is perpetually going forth in various continuous actions. In the case of "palal פלל," a picture of a mouth illustrates the "pey פ." Therefore, it shows that our prayers are words that come out of our mouths and go forth with perpetual authority.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
— Psalm 51:15
In the case of "qalal קלל," "qoof ק" is depicted as the back of the head and can indicate what is behind, movement backward, or diminishment. This means cursing someone is the authority of our words, declaring people less than, behind, and perpetually moving them backward.
... the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature ...
— James 3:6
In the case of praise, "halal הלל," we see a window of revelation with the letter "hey ה." When God is revealed to us, perpetual praise follows. In keeping with the doubled letter "lamed," which symbolizes authority, we see His revelation going forth carrying authority continually.
For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
— Isaiah 61:11
All these words indicate that our words, for good or bad, are real things that come out of us, go into the atmosphere, and have authority.
... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good things, and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
— Matthew 12:34b-37
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Dalet ד: Door
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
— Psalm 100:4
Thanks is a way in and an invitation to the presence of God.
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| Windows represent the entrance of light and revelation. |
Hey ה: Window Expressing Revelation
The word "yod י" without the "hey ה" is literally "hand יד." So, the word "yada ידה" suggests what comes from the hand. The hand representing "Yod י" also indicates "works" and can symbolize gratitude for what God has done in this verse.
O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?
— Deuteronomy 3:24
When we connect these concepts, we see that "yada" is much more than being grateful. It means to confess God, profess Him and what He has done, and proclaim what has been revealed to us—that He is good!! And His covenant love is forever!
Let His covenant deeds of love and goodness be revealed in our giving of thanks. May our extended hands symbolize our confessions and professions that He is good, and His mercy (Chesed-loyal covenant love) will never end. He is faithful in all He does.
In this activity, we give birth to the knowledge and revelation of His goodness to all. In thankfulness and praise of all that He is and all that He has done, we bear fruit for Him.
Encouragement and Application
© 2010 Tamarajo
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