Hosanna
Encyclopedia
Hosanna is a liturgical
word in Judaism
and Christianity
. In Judaism, it is always used in its original Hebrew
form, Hoshana.
derived from the Hebrew
, . And from Arabic word "Hosain na" {حُسَينا} and "Hosain nah" {حُسَيناه} means "our Hosain".Christian usage has come through the Greek Bible, giving it the form , hōsanná.
, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. The complete cycle is sung on the seventh day of the festival, which is called Hoshana Rabbah (הושענא רבא, "Great Hosanna").
transcription: , hōsanna) is the cry of praise or adoration shouted in recognition of the Messiah
ship of Jesus
on his entry into Jerusalem, Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! It is used in the same way in Christian
praise
.
Overall, it seems that "Hosanna" is a cry for salvation; while at the same time is a declaration of praise. Therefore, it may be derived that this plea for help is out of an agreeably positive connotation.
The old interpretation "Save, now!" which may be a popular etymology, is based on (Hebrew
הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא hOshEeah-nna) (Possibly "Savior"). This does not fully explain the occurrence of the word in the Gospels, which has given rise to complex discussions.
in Shia Islam. When Hosain was beheaded in the Battle of Karbala
, the women of his family (his sister Zainab
and others) in the battle whom waching the events shouted with love and sadness, "Wa Hosain-nah!" "وا حُسَيناه" meaning "Oh my Hosain!" or "Oh our Hosain!" and shout "Hosainna Rabbah!" حُسَينا ! رباه = Oh our Master! Hosainna (save him! save him now, we pray!) as a supplication. His death is remembered by Shia Muslim
s on the annual Day of Ashura
with the cry Hosain nah ( حُسَين + ناه = حُسَيناه ) meaning "our Hosain" as a shout of praise or adoration. Millions of pilgrims visit the "Imam Hussein mosque and shrine
" in Karbala
and many Shi'a communities participate in symbolic acts of self- flagellation.They walk on their knees, cry, shout and swear to God, "We shall never forget Hosainna!" (Arabic "أبد والله لن ننسى حُسَينا" "Abad Wa-Allah-i Lan Nansa Hosainna"). "Wa Hussaina" features in many religious songs, lyrics and poems.
sung on Palm Sunday
and the first Sunday of Advent
. It is antiphonal, i.e. a call-and-response song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between trombone
choirs.
Harry Belafonte
recorded a song entitled "Hosanna" on his popular 1956 album Calypso
.
"Hosanna" is also the name of one of the songs featured in the rock opera
Jesus Christ Superstar
by Tim Rice
and Andrew Lloyd Webber
. The song occurs in the scene in which Jesus rides on a donkey into Jerusalem, as in the above Biblical passages. Jesus is mocked by the high priest Caiaphas
while his followers praise him as the Messiah.
British rock band Kula Shaker
's first track on their 1999 album Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts is titled "Great Hosannah".
The English band Killing Joke
uses the word in their 2006 album Hosannas from the Basements of Hell
.
Many songs for church use bear the title "Hosanna", including songs written by New Zealand singer Brooke Fraser
Ligertwood (released on the 2007 Hillsong United
albums All of the Above
and live on Saviour King
and covered by the Canadian group Starfield on their album I Will Go
); another version written by Paul Baloche
on his 2006 album A Greater Song; another written by gospel artist Kirk Franklin
, and another by Andrew Peterson on his 2008 album Resurrection Letters II
.
Argentinian music and comedy group Les Luthiers
recorded "Gloria Hosanna, That's the Question" on their 1971 album Sonamos Pese A Todo
.
In the 1972 musical 1776
, a song entitled "Cool, Cool Considerate Men" uses Hosanna repeatedly in the refrain to celebrate John Adams
' absence from the Continental Congress
.
A. R. Rahman
composed the song "Hosanna
" for the 2010 Tamil movie Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. Here the word is used as an exclamation of joy when a man sees his beloved.
In Tim Heidecker
and Eric Wareheim
's 2010 Funny or Die Presents
segment "Morning Prayer With Skott & Behr", the title characters greatly overuse the word "hosanna", often as a virtual filler
word.
Hosanna was also used as the subject for a religious song by Henry Purcell.
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
word in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. In Judaism, it is always used in its original Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
form, Hoshana.
Etymology
The word hosanna is etymologicallyEtymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
derived from the Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, . And from Arabic word "Hosain na" {حُسَينا} and "Hosain nah" {حُسَيناه} means "our Hosain".Christian usage has come through the Greek Bible, giving it the form , hōsanná.
- From the Bauer lexiconBauer lexiconThe Bauer-Danker Lexicon is among the most highly respected dictionaries of Biblical Greek. The author of the German original is Walter Bauer...
: derived from Aramaic (הושע נא) from Hebrew (הושיעה נא) , meaning "help" or "save, I pray", "an appeal that became a liturgical formula; as part of the HallelHallelHallel is a Jewish prayer—a verbatim recitation from Psalms 113–118, which is used for praise and thanksgiving that is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays.-Holy days:...
... familiar to everyone in Israel." - From the Friberg Lexicon: hosanna, indecl. particle translit. fr. the Heb.; strictly, a cry expressing an appeal for divine help "save! Help, we pray!"; in a liturgical usage, a shout of praise and worship "hosanna, we praise you" (Matthew 21.9).
- From the UBS Lexicon: hosanna (in Aramaic), an exclamation of praise literally meaning, "Save, I pray".
- From the Louw-Nida Lexicon: hosanna (an Aramaic expression meaning "help, I pray" or "save, I pray," but which had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise) a shout of praise or adoration - "hosanna; blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" ; "hosanna in the highest" ; "hosanna to the Son of David" . Mt 21.9 may also be rendered as "praise to you, Son of David" or "we praise you who are the Son of David" or "...a descendant of David."
- Hebrew and Arabic words similar in spelling and meaning: (רַב = رب = RabbRabbRabb is an Arabic word meaning Lord, Sustainer, Cherisher, Master, which in Islamic context refers to Allah. In the Qur'an, Rabb is one of the usual Names of God....
= Master), ( רַבִּי = ربي = RabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
= my Master), ( ? = ربه = Rabbo = his Master), ( רַבָּא = رباه = Rabbah = our Master).
Judaism
"Hoshana" (הושענא) is a Hebrew word meaning please save or save now. In Jewish liturgy, the word is applied specifically to the Hoshana Service, a cycle of prayers from which a selection is sung each morning during SukkotSukkot
Sukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...
, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. The complete cycle is sung on the seventh day of the festival, which is called Hoshana Rabbah (הושענא רבא, "Great Hosanna").
Christianity
"Hosanna" (GreekKoine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
transcription: , hōsanna) is the cry of praise or adoration shouted in recognition of the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
ship of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
on his entry into Jerusalem, Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! It is used in the same way in Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
praise
Praise
Praise is the act of making positive statements about a person, object or idea, either in public or privately. Praise is typically, but not exclusively, earned relative to achievement and accomplishment...
.
Overall, it seems that "Hosanna" is a cry for salvation; while at the same time is a declaration of praise. Therefore, it may be derived that this plea for help is out of an agreeably positive connotation.
The old interpretation "Save, now!" which may be a popular etymology, is based on (Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא hOshEeah-nna) (Possibly "Savior"). This does not fully explain the occurrence of the word in the Gospels, which has given rise to complex discussions.
Islam
In Islam, a similar but unrelated word "Hosainna" is derived from the name of Hosain bin Ali, who is revered as an ImamImamah (Shi'a twelver doctrine)
Imāmah means "leadership" and it is a part of the Shi'a theology. The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in the Twelver or Ithna Ashariya branch of Shia Islam....
in Shia Islam. When Hosain was beheaded in the Battle of Karbala
Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala took place on Muharram 10, in the year 61 of the Islamic calendar in Karbala, in present day Iraq. On one side of the highly uneven battle were a small group of supporters and relatives of Muhammad's grandson Husain ibn Ali, and on the other was a large military detachment...
, the women of his family (his sister Zainab
Zaynab bint Ali
Zaynab bint Ali was the daughter of the Rashid Caliph and first Shi'i Imam, Ali and granddaughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah....
and others) in the battle whom waching the events shouted with love and sadness, "Wa Hosain-nah!" "وا حُسَيناه" meaning "Oh my Hosain!" or "Oh our Hosain!" and shout "Hosainna Rabbah!" حُسَينا ! رباه = Oh our Master! Hosainna (save him! save him now, we pray!) as a supplication. His death is remembered by Shia Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s on the annual Day of Ashura
Day of Ashura
The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10...
with the cry Hosain nah ( حُسَين + ناه = حُسَيناه ) meaning "our Hosain" as a shout of praise or adoration. Millions of pilgrims visit the "Imam Hussein mosque and shrine
Imam Husayn Shrine
The Shrine of Husayn ibn ‘Alī is one of the oldest mosques on Earth and a holy site of Shīah Islām in the city of Karbalā, Iraq. It stands on the site of the grave of Husayn ibn ‘Alī, the second grandson of Muhammad, near the place where he was killed during the Battle of Karbalā in 680 C.E....
" in Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
and many Shi'a communities participate in symbolic acts of self- flagellation.They walk on their knees, cry, shout and swear to God, "We shall never forget Hosainna!" (Arabic "أبد والله لن ننسى حُسَينا" "Abad Wa-Allah-i Lan Nansa Hosainna"). "Wa Hussaina" features in many religious songs, lyrics and poems.
Other examples of modern usage
The "Hosanna Anthem", based on the phrase Hosanna, is a traditional Moravian Church anthem written by Bishop Christian Gregor of HerrnhutHerrnhut
Herrnhut is a municipality in the district of Görlitz, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.It has access to Bundesstraße 178 between Löbau and Zittau...
sung on Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
and the first Sunday of Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
. It is antiphonal, i.e. a call-and-response song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
choirs.
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
recorded a song entitled "Hosanna" on his popular 1956 album Calypso
Calypso (album)
Calypso is the 3rd album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor in 1956. The CD was released on April 28, 1992 . It is the first full-length gramophone LP to sell over one million copies...
.
"Hosanna" is also the name of one of the songs featured in the rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
by Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. The song occurs in the scene in which Jesus rides on a donkey into Jerusalem, as in the above Biblical passages. Jesus is mocked by the high priest Caiaphas
Caiaphas
Joseph, son of Caiaphas, Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא or Yosef Bar Kayafa, commonly known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest who is said to have organized the plot to kill Jesus...
while his followers praise him as the Messiah.
British rock band Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker
Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
's first track on their 1999 album Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts is titled "Great Hosannah".
The English band Killing Joke
Killing Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
uses the word in their 2006 album Hosannas from the Basements of Hell
Hosannas from the Basements of Hell
Hosannas from the Basements of Hell is the thirteenth studio album by Killing Joke released on April 3, 2006 under Cooking Vinyl Records. The track "Hosannas from the Basements of Hell" was released as a single, and made it to #72 in the UK. Tracks "Invocation" and "Implosion" were also released as...
.
Many songs for church use bear the title "Hosanna", including songs written by New Zealand singer Brooke Fraser
Brooke Fraser
Brooke Gabrielle Fraser Ligertwood, better known as Brooke Fraser is a New Zealand award-winning folk-pop and Christian music artist...
Ligertwood (released on the 2007 Hillsong United
Hillsong United (band)
The Hillsong United band is an Australian praise and worship band that originated as a part of Hillsong Church. The band tours the world, performing at the various Hillsong church locations as well as general concert venues. They compose the songs for their own performances and for the other...
albums All of the Above
All of the Above (Hillsong United album)
All of the Above is the eighth praise and worship album by Hillsong United, and their first ever studio recorded project and the first of a three-part global project. The album includes a DVD containing three live worship tracks recorded at the 2006 Encounterfest youth conference, a sermon from...
and live on Saviour King
Saviour King
Saviour King is the sixteenth album in the live praise and worship series of Christian Contemporary music by Hillsong Church. It debuted at #6 on the ARIA album chart on 9 July 2007, while the DVD debuted at #2 on the DVD chart...
and covered by the Canadian group Starfield on their album I Will Go
I Will Go
I Will Go is the third album released by the Christian music band Starfield.- Track listing :#"From the Corners of the Earth" - 3:42#"Hosanna" - 4:04#"Reign in Us" - 5:34#"Holy Is Our God" - 5:33#"I Will Go" - 3:17#"Remain" - 4:56...
); another version written by Paul Baloche
Paul Baloche
Paul Baloche is an American Christian music artist, worship leader, and singer-songwriter. A native of Maple Shade, New Jersey, Baloche is currently the worship pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas. Baloche composes on piano and acoustic guitar, favoring guitar when leading...
on his 2006 album A Greater Song; another written by gospel artist Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Dwayne Franklin is an American Gospel music musician, choir director, and author, and is most notably known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew .- Early years :...
, and another by Andrew Peterson on his 2008 album Resurrection Letters II
Resurrection Letters, Volume Two
Resurrection Letters, Volume Two is the tenth album by American singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson, released in 2008.-Track listing:All songs by Andrew Peterson unless otherwise noted.# "All Things New" – 3:49...
.
Argentinian music and comedy group Les Luthiers
Les Luthiers
Les Luthiers is an Argentine comedy-musical group, very popular also in several other Spanish-speaking countries such as Paraguay, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela. They were formed in 1967 by Gerardo Masana, during the height of a period of very...
recorded "Gloria Hosanna, That's the Question" on their 1971 album Sonamos Pese A Todo
Sonamos Pese a todo
Sonamos Pese A Todo, the debut album of Les Luthiers, released in September, 1971. It was recorded in late 1970 at ION Studios in Buenos Aires, and it featured Les Luthiers as a quintet, with some guest musicians and an orchestra for some numbers. The album was done before they collectively...
.
In the 1972 musical 1776
1776 (musical)
1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence...
, a song entitled "Cool, Cool Considerate Men" uses Hosanna repeatedly in the refrain to celebrate John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
' absence from the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
.
A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
composed the song "Hosanna
Hosanna (song)
"Hosanna" is a Tamil song from the 2010 Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa composed by Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman, featuring lyrics by Thamarai and Blaaze. The song features vocals by Suzanne, Blaaze and Vijay Prakash, who is the main vocalist. It also features additional vocals by Vivek...
" for the 2010 Tamil movie Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. Here the word is used as an exclamation of joy when a man sees his beloved.
In Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker is an American actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric...
and Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim is an American actor, comedian, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric. Wareheim, along with Tim Heidecker, created the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Check It Out! with Dr...
's 2010 Funny or Die Presents
Funny or Die Presents
Funny or Die Presents is a half-hour sketch comedy show that spawned from the Will Ferrell & Adam McKay created comedy website Funny or Die. It premiered on HBO on February 19, 2010...
segment "Morning Prayer With Skott & Behr", the title characters greatly overuse the word "hosanna", often as a virtual filler
Filler (linguistics)
In linguistics, a filler is a sound or word that is spoken in conversation by one participant to signal to others that he/she has paused to think but is not yet finished speaking. These are not to be confused with placeholder names, such as thingamajig, which refer to objects or people whose names...
word.
Hosanna was also used as the subject for a religious song by Henry Purcell.
See also
- Aramaic of Jesus#Hosanna
- HallelujahHallelujahHallelujah, Halleluyah, and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yah". The last syllable is from the first two letters of the name of God, YHWH, written JHVH in Latin). Hallelujah is found primarily in the book of Psalms...
- Hosanna ShoutHosanna ShoutIn The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a hosanna shout is an organized ritual by a congregation of shouting hosanna. It was first performed as a ritual in the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, and was a part of the Kirtland Endowment ceremony...
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) - Hosanna (song)Hosanna (song)"Hosanna" is a Tamil song from the 2010 Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa composed by Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman, featuring lyrics by Thamarai and Blaaze. The song features vocals by Suzanne, Blaaze and Vijay Prakash, who is the main vocalist. It also features additional vocals by Vivek...
by A.R.Rahman