StrongerBible

tehillah

תְּהִלָּה

HebrewH8416“praise, renown, ...”

Appears 57 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Exo 15:11Deu 10:21Deu 26:191Ch 16:352Ch 20:22Neh 9:5Neh 12:46Psa 9:14(15)Psa 22:3(4)Psa 22:25(26)Psa 33:1Psa 34:1(2)Psa 35:28Psa 40:3(4)Psa 48:10(11)Psa 51:15(17)Psa 65:1(2)Psa 66:2Psa 66:8Psa 71:6Psa 71:8Psa 71:14Psa 78:4Psa 79:13Psa 100:4Psa 102:21(22)Psa 106:2Psa 106:12Psa 106:47Psa 109:1Psa 111:10Psa 119:171Psa 145:0(1)Psa 145:21Psa 147:1Psa 148:14Psa 149:1Isa 42:8Isa 42:10Isa 42:12Isa 43:21Isa 48:9Isa 60:6Isa 63:7Jer 17:14Jer 48:2Jer 49:25Jer 51:41Hab 3:3
Root family
Word studyteh-hil-LAHnoun

What tehillah means

praise: the open acknowledgment of someone as worthy, whether the act of praising, the deeds that deserve it, or the renown it brings

TranslatabilityPartialCertaintySettled

Tehillah is the noun built from the verb meaning to praise, and it holds together everything that praise involves. At its center is the spoken or sung act of praising God, which is why the word fills the book of Psalms and even names it (the Hebrew title of Psalms is the plural of this word).

But praise points outward in two directions, and the word follows it both ways. Looking back at the one being praised, tehillah can mean the praiseworthy acts themselves, the mighty deeds that give people something to praise. Looking forward to the result, it can mean the renown those deeds produce, the good name and glory that praise confers on a person, a city, or a nation.

These are not separate words but one word seen from different angles. The same praise that rises as a song rests on real deeds and ends as lasting fame. A reader meets the act in Psalm 33, the deeds in Psalm 78, and the renown in Deuteronomy 26, and each is the same idea caught at a different moment.

Nuances

1athe act or song of praise offered to God in worship
Psa 33:1Psa 34:1(2)Psa 35:28Psa 40:3(4)Psa 51:15(17)Psa 65:1(2)Psa 71:6Psa 100:4Psa 119:171Psa 147:1Psa 148:14Psa 149:1
1bpraiseworthy deeds: the mighty and glorious acts that give people reason to praise
Exo 15:11Psa 22:3(4)Psa 78:4Isa 60:6Isa 63:7
1crenown: the good name, honor, and fame that being worthy of praise brings to a people, a place, or God
Deu 10:21Deu 26:19Psa 48:10(11)Psa 111:10Isa 61:3Isa 61:11Jer 13:11Jer 17:14Jer 33:9Hab 3:3Zep 3:19Zep 3:20
1da hymn of praise as a named composition, used as a psalm title
Psa 145:0(1)

What scholars say about tehillah

Tehillah is a verbal noun from the root hll (to praise, halal), one of the principal terms in Israel's vocabulary of worship. The standard lexica (BDB; HALOT) and the theological dictionaries (TDOT; NIDOTTE, s.v. hll) distinguish a connected range rather than separate homonyms: the act or song of praise (dominant in the Psalter), praiseworthy deeds or attributes (frequent in the plural, e.g. Exod 15:11; Ps 78:4; Isa 60:6; 63:7), and the resulting renown or object of praise borne by Israel, a city, or God (Deut 26:19; Jer 13:11; 33:9; Zeph 3:19-20; Isa 61:3, 11; 62:7). The plural tehillim supplies the Hebrew title of the Psalter, and the word appears as a psalm heading at Ps 145. The Septuagint renders it chiefly with ainesis and the ainos group for the worship sense and with doxa where renown is in view, a split that mirrors the Hebrew range.

Sources

  • BDB, s.v. תְּהִלָּהlexicon
  • HALOT, s.v. תְּהִלָּהlexicon
  • C. Westermann, "hll, to praise," TDOTtheological-dictionary
  • NIDOTTE, s.v. הללtheological-dictionary

AI-generated word study · claude-opus-4-8

All attested forms of תְּהִלָּה

f s absolute

תְּהִלָּה

Deu 26:19, 2Ch 20:22, Neh 9:5, Neh 12:46, Psa 33:1, Psa 40:3, Psa 65:1, Psa 100:4

f s construct

תְּהִלָּתוֹ

Psa 34:1, Psa 66:2, Psa 66:8, Psa 102:21, Psa 106:2, Psa 106:12, Psa 111:10, Psa 149:1

f s construct

תְּהִלָּתֶךָ, תְּהִלָּתְךָ, תְּהִלָּתֶיךָ

1Ch 16:35, Psa 35:28, Psa 51:15, Psa 71:8, Psa 71:14, Psa 79:13, Psa 106:47, Deu 10:21

f s construct

תְּהִלָּתִי

Psa 22:25, Psa 71:6, Psa 109:1, Isa 42:8, Isa 43:21, Isa 48:9, Jer 17:14

f p construct

תְּהִלּוֹת, תְּהִלֹּת

Psa 22:3, Psa 78:4, Isa 60:6, Isa 63:7

f s construct

תְּהִלַּת, תְּהִלָּת

Psa 145:21, Jer 48:2, Jer 51:41, Jer 49:25

f p absolute

תְהִלֹּת

Exo 15:11