Hey, Church! 

The prospect of learning Hebrew and Greek typically strikes a healthy fear in the hearts of first-year seminary students. Shoot, I was so anxious about the languages that I started off in a different degree program that did not require them–for that reason alone! But, with time, I came to understand why the biblical languages are such an important part of a theological education. More surprisingly, in the end, Hebrew was the subject I enjoyed most and from which I saw the greatest fruit. 

One of the many things you gain from studying the biblical languages (in my opinion, this is especially true of Hebrew) is an appreciation for subtle nuances that often don’t exist in English. In Hebrew, there may be several possible meanings to a single word, and they thought very differently about the order of words in a sentence (syntax). So, translators have the challenging task of interpreting the author’s original intent to the best of their ability, then choosing the best English representation of the words and ideas, while also doing so in a way that reads smoothly to English speakers. That’s one of the reasons we have so many different Bible “versions”; all the content is essentially the same, but translators make different decisions based on the editors’ priorities (e.g., Literal word-for-word translation that is a little more “clunky” to read, like the NASB, over a less literal one that still gets the main idea across but reads more smoothly for English speakers, like the NLT). 

Take Psalm 103:1 for example. In the Hebrew, a word for word translation (in the original order) would read: 
“Of David. Bless my life/soul/person/appetite/mind YHWH, all my midst/inner/part the name [that is] holy.” 

The NASB makes sense of it in this way: 
“A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” 

Very similarly, the ESV translates it: 
“Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” 

The NLT takes a bit more liberty: 
“A psalm of David. Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.” 

The Message Bible (MSG) is not exactly a translation, but more of a conversational paraphrase of the biblical text, but for the sake of the example, it reads: 
“O my soul, bless GOD. From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!”

Hebrew also has at least seven distinct words for our one English word, “Praise.” The one used in the Psalm 103:1 example is the third one on the chart below, “Barak” – “to bless.” Take a look at some of the other ways “praise” may be used in scripture. 

As you prepare your heart for worship this weekend, I want to point out the outward, physical nature of biblical praise. Whereas our culture tends to internalize worship as something that happens primarily in our minds and hearts, none of the seven biblical words implies a private inward meditation. Every one of the postures of biblical praise is active, outward, and physical: to boast/celebrate/kneel/loudly praise/declare triumphantly/exalt/make music/sing. In other words, whatever your heart and mind finds praiseworthy about Jesus, it is not truly praise until it is given outward expression. 

So, whenever we come together for worship, remember to give voice and action to your praise! Lift and clap your hands; move your feet; sing loudly; let your face show forth what’s in your heart! If you think you are being a distraction–don’t! Your expressions of praise may be the thing that inspires another brother or sister in the room to do the same.