For the Hebrew terms employed with the meaning 'praise' and its cognates, reference may be made to the art. ' Praise (in OT)' in Hastings' DB iv. 33 f. The most frequent are— '^S'l 'praise' (esp. in the liturgical formula .-:;-?''St = Hallelujah), n^i^n ' give thanks ' (RV), rn? ' bless,' n?; ' make melody ' ; rare synonyms are— n;^ ' laud ' (but verj- frequent in Jewish liturgy), C?i-i 'exalt,' ^■^i, V'=i^n 'magnify.' Cf. also such phrases as ' Sing unto J" a new song."
In the SjTiagogiie Liturgy the element of praise has received splendid expression. The most classical examples of this are perhaps the great ' Benediction of Song" (i-rn n:-2) t and the Kachlish.X The former of these, in its shortest form, runs thus :
' Be Thy name lauded for ever, O our King, the great and holy God and King, in heaven and on earth ; for unto Thee, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, song and laud are becomins.-,
* The title of one of the late (sj-nagogal) Psalms is niT? n'rr.i?, Ps 1461 (' Praise-Song of David ').
t Cf. Singers Heb.-Eng. Haily Prayer Book. pp. 36, 125-127. See also an art. bv the present writer, ' S. Peter lu the Jewish Liturgy,' in the ExpT [1903], xv. 93 f.
X Siliger, p. 37.
390
PRAISE
PEAYER
praise and psalm, strength and dominion, victory, greatness and niig^ht, renown and glory, holiness and sovereignty, bless- ings and thanksgivings, from henceforth, even for ever. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God and King, great in praises, God of thanks- givings, Lord of wonders, who niakest choice of melodious song, O King and God, the Life of all worlds.'
In the Kaddlsh the following characteristic para- graph occurs :
' Blessed, lauded, and glorified, exalted, extolled and honoured, magnified and praised be the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He ; though He be high above all the blessings and songs, hymns of praise and consolation, which are uttered in the world.'
These are simply specimens of what pervades the entire Jewish Liturgy. In the Gospels the Angels' Song of Praise (Lk 2'^) is an example of pure pi-aise in worship, parallels to which are to be found in the Apocalypse (4}^ V^ 11'^ 14' 19"-). In Rabbinical theology, it is to be noticed, prayer and piaise form the spiritual counterpart and fulfilment of the old daily sacrilice in the Temple. The words of Hosea (14^), 'We shall render as bullocks the otfei'ing of our lips,' were interpreted in this sense. Spiritual worship thus becomes a ' sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.' Cf. He 13'^ ('Through him'— i.e. Christ — 'let us otter up a sacrifice of praise') with Westcott's note ; cf. also our Lord's api)lication of the words of Hos 6" (' I desire mercj'', and not sacri- fice ') in Mt 913 121
For the close connexion of prayer and praise — which are sometimes intermingled in the Jewish Liturgy, e.(j. in the ' Eighteen Blessings '— cf. Cheyne's note on Ps 429 (Coo^ of Psalms mm, p. 118 f.).
3. Usage in the Gospels. — The note of jjraise so characteristic of Jewish worship also pervades tlie Gospels. It is esp. prominent in tlie Third Gos])el, where it appears not only in the Jewisii-Christian Nativity-narrative (chs. 1. 2) [see Hymn], but also elsewhere (cf. 19''). It is noticeable how often the people (spectators, the assembled multitude) are represented as ' praising ' or ' glorifying ' God for some great exhibition of power wrought by Jesus (see below).
The Greek terms for ' praise ' and its cognates used in the Gospels are — «/'«!»_ 'praise'* (cf. hihotxi cumv tS H-u, Lk IS-i^), used in LXX for '7 niin, ^ h^r\ ; liia. 'glory,' holaiut 'glorify' [in LXX Soldi most freq. = n'n3 ; several times for lin, Tin, etc.; ioialu usually = 135 in LXX] ; hilotmci holocv TO, Biu, Lk l?!** ; luXoyny ' bless ' [LXX usually for y\1] ; iiofj-oXoyut ' to celebrate,' 'give praise or thanks to,' Mt 1125 and II. See, further, art. Blessino, SS 2 and 4. The following formulas of praise are to be noted : (a) The Angels' Hymn (Lk 2">— ' Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among men of his goodwill.' For the arrangement in two, not three, lines, cf. Plummer, Com. on 'St. Luke' in ICC, ad loc. Here iv[rii'i;] C-i^io-m; = D'pilpa ' in the heavenly places,' and refers to the adora- tion of the angels in heaven (cf. Ps 1481 LXX: x'neiri xCtov (tov x{,fiio,) i, Tok l-i^.a-roi;) ; cf. Lk 19-i». With this should be compared the doxological form (« ■>, lola. . . iU tow, a.' ma.;). See below, § 4. (&) ' Hosanna in the highest ' ; see art. Hosanna.
(c) ' Blessed is ..." ; especially in the phrase, 'Blessed is he
that Cometh in the name of the Lord' {iuXoyf,u.iMo-, 0 ipxoi^i^o; i« wf/.«.ri Kup.ou), Mt 219 2339, Mk 119, Lk 1.335 19»*, Jn 121*. The use of 'blessed' iuxxifiw;) in the Beatitudes is also notable ; cf. also its use in personal address, Mt IGH (Lk 1127. 28). To these may here be added —
(d) The use of the phrase ' give God (the) praise ' (or ' glory ') :