Q: We sing "Alleluia" in church, but what does it actually mean?

A: First of all, it's NOT some meaningless, made-up, sing-song phrase like "zip-a-dee-doo-dah;" Alleluia is actually the anglicized version of the Hebrew word Hallelujah. Singing Hallelujah or Halleluyah literally means "praise God," and is derived from two words: the verb hallelhu, meaning "to praise" or "to give praise," and the noun Jah (from Yahwey or Jehovah), meaning "God." It should be noted, however, that an explicit connotation of "exuberance" exists within its original form that does not necessarily carry over in translation. Therefore, the most accurate definition might be rendered as,"Praise God joyously!"

The Septuagint, or Greek translation of the Old Testament, often substituted the word Kyrios (Lord) for Jah (God), thus creating a propensity among many to simply translate Alleluia as "Praise the Lord."

Fr. John