I have always loved the word "Hosanna". For some reason, there is so much power and grace behind it. Dictionary.com defines 'hosanna' this way:
ho⋅san⋅na
/hoʊˈzænə/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [hoh-zan-uh] Show IPA Pronunciation interjection, noun, plural -nas, verb, -naed, -na⋅ing.
–interjection
1. (an exclamation, originally an appeal to God for deliverance, used in praise of God or Christ.) -noun
2. a cry of “hosanna.”
3. a shout of praise or adoration; an acclamation.–verb (used with object)
4. to praise, applaud, etc.: The critics hosannaed his new play.
Origin: < LL (h)ōsanna < Gk ōsanná < Heb hōsh(i) ʿāh nnā save, we pray; r. ME, OE osanna < LL, as above
I love that it is a shout of crying out for a savior and also a shout of praise. They go hand in hand and the single word seems to capture it all: joy, elation, despair, panic, rescue, and safe-keeping. I love songs that use the word. Recently, our church has been singing "Hosanna" by Hillsong United. I love the bridge, I think it is a powerful prayer:
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity
-from Hosanna by Hillsong United
1 comment:
There's a really helpful article on "Hosanna" in the Anchor Bible Dictionary. I don't have access to my ABD set right now, but if you want some more good research on the origins of that term that sheds some helpful light on Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, I'd recommend looking that up.
If you find yourself around FLC at some point, and want to use my "library" for this, you're more than welcome.
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