Hallelujah is the most ancient of all words of praise in heaven and earth (Revelation 19:1-6). It is found in most every language and is pronounced the same all over the world.

   Do you know what HALLELUJAH means? The usual rendering is "praise the Lord," but let's take a closer look.  This is a Hebrew word composed of two parts. The first part "hallelu" means "praise you." The second part tells us who is being praised--"Jah" (Yah). This word, so widely used, means "praise you Yah."

   Psalm 68:4 in the KJV says, "Extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His name Jah* and rejoice before Him."

   *The sound of the English letter "y" more closely represents the correct pronunciation than does the modern "j" as shown in our booklet--"The Missing J."  (NOTE: There was no "j" in the English language until the 16th century!)

   Yah is the Hebrew verb of existence and means "I AM." It is the shortened form of the Heavenly Father's name, Yahweh, found in many Biblical names such as Isaiah, Obadiah, Elijah, and Jeremiah.

   Have you ever heard HALLELUYAH pronounced hallelu-Lord? Of course not, because it is not the Lord who is being praised. Lord is not a name, but merely a title. Therefore, if we are going to praise the Heavenly Father, we should do so by using His own name. We like to be called by our rightful name. The Bible says Yahweh does, too. "I am Yahweh, that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images" (Isaiah 42:8).

   Remember, the next time you say "Halleluyah," you are calling upon the Heavenly Father by His own name--YAH!

   Here are more scriptural references proving the authenticity of Yahweh's awesome name.

   "O Yahweh, our Sovereign, how majestic is Your name in all the earth. You have set Your glory above the heavens!" (Psalms 8:1)

   The name of our Creator, Yahweh, shines throughout the Scriptures like the stars shine in the heavens. Just as the heavens are full of stars, the Bible is full of the name, Yahweh. It appears almost seven thousand times in the Old Testament alone.

   Just as a mariner may seek guidance from the stars, we seek guidance from the Scriptures which bear His Great Name. Just as we may look up on a clear night and be impressed by the beauty of the stars and wonder at their meaning, many of us have wondered at the meaning of the name, Yahweh, and why it appears so frequently. As we look into this mystery, we find an impressive beauty in the sacred name and all it stands for. Please join us in discovering Yahweh's message for man.

   Yahweh said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'Yahweh, the Elohim of your fathers--the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac and the Elohim of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation" (Exodus 3:15).

   "Everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved" (Acts 2:21).

HalleluYAH!