Language Lab: What Does “hallelujah” Mean?

Language Lab: What Does “Hallelujah” Mean?

Bible Blast: Read Revelation 19:1-8

I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”

Revelation 19:6-7 (NIV)

Have you ever been on a roller coaster? Do you remember going slowly up, up, up the first big hill as your heart started beating faster and butterflies swirled around in your stomach? When you finally began plunging down going super fast, you probably screamed something like “Wa-Hooooooo!”

Hallelujah is like “Wa-Hooooooo!” But you use hallelujah to express your excitement and love for God. You can think of it as a special word reserved just for telling your Creator how awesome he is.

Hallelujah means “to be bright, to shine.” It has to do with radiance. The word radiant always makes me think of Charlotte’s Web when Charlotte weaves that word into her web for everyone to see. Wilbur the pig was definitely clean after his milk bath, but I don’t think he actually glowed! When we praise God, it doesn’t just please him; it changes us. It causes our lives to be radiant. Matthew 5:14 says that you are the light of the world. How can you give off light?

Light is something that helps people see clearly in a dark place. Some lights even give off warmth. When you live a life of hallelujah—a life of praising the Lord—other people will see that you’re different. They may even ask why you’re not complaining all the time like everyone else. When you tell them about the hope of Jesus, that’s being a light! People who don’t know Jesus are living in darkness because they haven’t seen the truth. When they begin to see him for who he really is, they begin to walk in light.

So the next time you sing, “Hallelujah,” tell others to put on their sunglasses. You might be radiating!

Girl Gab: Do you know someone who lives a “Hallelujah Life”—a life that glows with praising God in every circumstance? Come up with a creative way to encourage that person today! Listen to or sing a song with the word hallelujah in it.