Hallel

Biblical Occurrences and Content

"Hallel" is Hebrew for "praise." The word does not appear in the biblical text as a distinct technical term. Rather, it is the name that later Jewish liturgy gave to groups of praise psalms sung at the festivals.

• Egyptian Hallel: Psalms 113–118. It is so called because Psalm 114 celebrates the Exodus. The term "Hallel" by itself usually refers to this group.
• Great Hallel: Psalm 136, in which the refrain "for his mercy endureth for ever" is repeated in every verse. Some traditions extend its scope to Psalms 135–136 or Psalms 120–136.
• Psalms 146–150 each begin and end with "Hallelujah." They are read daily in Jewish morning prayers.

Background

Hallel derives from the verb halal, meaning "to praise." Hallelujah combines hallelu, the plural imperative of this verb, with Yah, a shortened form of the divine name, and means "Praise the LORD." The Hebrew title of the book of Psalms, Tehillim ("praises"), comes from the same root.

The Mishnah is a collection of Jewish oral law compiled around the late second or early third century. It records that the Levites sang the Hallel in the Temple in Jerusalem while the Passover lambs were being slaughtered. It also contains a discussion of the point at which the Hallel should be divided during the Passover meal.

In present-day Judaism, Psalms 113–114 are sung before the meal at the Passover Seder, and Psalms 115–118 after it. The Hallel is also recited at festivals such as Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks), Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), and Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication).

Connections to the New Testament

• Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 record that after the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples, "when they had sung an hymn," went out to the Mount of Olives. A widely known interpretation identifies this hymn with the Hallel (Psalms 115–118) sung at the close of the Passover meal.
• The words of Psalm 118:25–26, "Save now" (Hebrew hoshi'ah na) and "he that cometh in the name of the LORD," appear in the crowd's acclamation at the Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:9). This passage is the source of the word Hosanna.
• Psalm 118:22, "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner," is applied to Jesus Christ in Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, and 1 Peter 2:7.
• Psalm 117:1 is quoted in Romans 15:11.
• In the New Testament, the word "Hallelujah" ("Alleluia" in the KJV) occurs only in Revelation 19.

Interpretation and Debates

The Gospels do not specify what hymn Jesus and his disciples sang. The view that it was the Hallel is an inference based on Jewish custom. Scholars are also divided over whether the Last Supper was a Passover meal, owing to differences in dating between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John. Nor is it certain that the first-century manner of reciting the Hallel was the same as present-day Jewish practice.

Judaism reads the Hallel as praise commemorating the Exodus and the deliverance celebrated at the festivals. Christianity, following the New Testament citations, also reads Psalm 118 and related psalms as words anticipating the suffering and resurrection of Christ.

In the Korean Church

The name "Hallel" is not commonly used in Korean churches. However, the New Korean Revised Version transliterates "Hallelujah" in the Psalms and Revelation, and the word is widely used in worship and praise. Psalm 118:24, "This is the day which the LORD hath made," is frequently cited, for example as a call to worship.