Praise
VIEW:31 DATA:01-04-2020
PRAISE is the recognition and acknowledgment of merit. Two parties are involved: the one possessing at least supposed merit, the other being a person who acknowledges the merit.
Men may praise men. Forms of praise may be used without genuine feelings of praise, and extravagant praise may be rendered Intentionally, because of the advantage that will be gained thereby. This is downright hypocrisy, and the whole burden of the moral teaching of the Bible, and especially of Christ, is against hypocrisy. Again, the estimate of values may be so completely false that praise may be felt and expressed genuinely in cases where it is undeserved. And Jesus whole influence is directed towards the proper appreciation of values so that only the good shall appear to us good.
In its common Biblical use, however, praise has God for its object. This restriction does not involve an essential difference either in the praise or in the sense of moral values. The difference lies rather in the greater praiseworthiness of God. Praise of God is of course called forth only as He reveals Himself to men, only as men recognize His activity and His power in the event or condition which appears to them adequate to call out praise. Men praise God in proportion as they are religious, and so have conscious relations with God. The praiseworthiness of a god is involved in the very definition of a god. If men postulate a god at all, it is as a being worthy to be praised. Every thought and act by which men come into relation with God is a thought and an act of praise. Petition is justifiable only if behind it is the belief that God is worthy of such approach. If the act is confession of sin, the same is true, for confession is not made to a being who does not hold a place of honour and praise. If some active service is rendered to God, this subjugation of ourselves to Him can be explained only by the conviction that God is in every way entitled to service.
Moreover, as in the case of praise of men, there is a very clear distinction to be drawn between genuine and hypocritical ascription of praise to God. The temptation to the latter is extreme, because of the immense gain presumably to be secured by praise; but the hypocrisy and the sin of it are equally great. Indeed, the seriousness of the offence is evident when one reflects that he who praises God knows full well the praiseworthiness of God, so that if he praises while the genuine feeling is lacking and the sincere act of praise is unperformed, only moral perversity can account for the hypocrisy.
In order to genuineness, praise must be spontaneous It may be commanded by another human being, and the praise commanded may be rendered, but the real impelling cause is the recognized merit of God. God may demand praise from His creatures in commands transmitted to them through prophets and Apostles, but if man praises Him from the heart, it is because of the imperative Inseparable from the very being and nature of God.
We are prepared, then, to find that in the Bible praise to God is universal on the part of all who acknowledge Him. It is the very atmosphere of both dispensations. It is futile to attempt to collate the passages that involve it, for its expression is not measured by special terms or confined to special occasions. The author of Gen_1:1-31, like every reader of the chapter, finds the work of creation an occasion for praising God. The chapter is a call to praise, though the word be not mentioned. We have but to turn to the Psalms (e.g. Psa_104:1-35) to find formal expression of the praise that the world inspires.
The legal requirements of the Law likewise depend for their authority with men upon the recognition of the merit of the Law-giver. Ye shall be holy, for I Jehovah your God am holy, has no force except for him who acknowledges holiness in God who commands; and obedience is the creatures tribute of praise to the holy God.
The whole history of Israel, as Israels historians picture it, has in it the constant element of praise to Israels God: we turn to the Psalms (e.g. Psa_102:1-28) or to other songs (e.g. Exo_15:1-27), and find the praise of the heart rising to formal expression.
In the NT, praise of Christ and of God in Christ is the universal note. It is the song of those who are healed of their sicknesses, or forgiven their sins; of Apostles who mediate on the gospel message and salvation through Christ; of those who rehearse the glories of the New Jerusalem as seen in apocalyptic vision.
We are also prepared by this universality to find that praise cannot form a topic for independent treatment. There is no technical terminology to be examined in the hope that the etymology of the terms used will throw light upon the subject, for in this case etymologies may lead us away from the current meaning of the common words employed. The history of praise in the OT and the NT is the history of worship, temple, synagogue, sacrifice, festivals. The literature of praise is the literature of religion, whether as the product of national consciousness or of personal religious experience.
It will suffice to mention one or two points of Interest which the student may well bear in mind as he studies the Bible and consults the articles on related subjects.
The Heb. word oftenest used for praise is hillçl, perhaps an onomatopoetic Semitic root meaning cry aloud. An interesting feature is the use of the imperative in ascriptions of praise. Taken literally, these imperatives are commands to praise; but they are to be taken as real ascriptions of praise, with the added thought that praise from one person suggests praise from all. Cf. the doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow, which consists solely of four imperative sentences.
The imperative of the Hebrew verb, followed by the Divine name, gives us Hallelujah, i.e. Praise ye Jah. The word is used at the beginning and end of Psalms, apparently with liturgical value. Cf. also the Hallel Psalms (113118, 136). The noun from the same root appears as the title of Psa_145:1-21. See Hallel.
The form which praise took as an element of worship in Israel varied with the general character of worship. It was called forth by the acts of Jahweh upon which the Israelites were especially wont to dwell in different periods. For personal and family favours they praised Him in early times with forms of their own choosing. When the national consciousness was aroused, they praised Him for His leading of the nation, in forms suitable to this service. As worship came more and more to conform to that elaborated for, and practised in, the royal sanctuarythe Temple at Jerusalemthe forms of praise could not fail to share the elaboration and to become gradually more uniform. To what extent these modifications took place is to be studied in the history of OT religion.
Praise was certainly a part of the varied service rendered by the Levites in the Temple ritual of later Judaism, and an examination of that ritual will show how far praise was given over to them, and how much was retained by the congregation. The Psalms are certainly adapted to antiphonal rendering. Did the people respond to the priests, or were there two choirs? [This word occurs in EV [Note: English Version.] only in RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] of Neh_12:8.] The element of praise in the synagogue worship is an interesting and disputed question. Cf. also Adoration, Hymn.
O. H. Gates.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909
One characteristic of the life of Gods people is that they constantly praise him. Praise is an expression of homage, adoration and thanksgiving to God either in prayer or in song, and may be accompanied by various expressions of joy (Exo_15:1-2; Exo_15:20-21; Psa_35:18; Psa_63:5; Psa_71:8; Psalms 150; Isa_12:2-6; Luk_2:13-14; Act_2:47; Act_3:8; Col_3:16; Rev_5:9-14; see DANCING; MUSIC; SINGING).
Believers offer praise to God because of who he is and what he has done. Their praise is part of their worship of God, and it will reach its fullest expression in the age to come (Psa_7:17; Psa_66:1-4; Psa_104:1; Psa_138:1-2; Luk_24:53; Rev_19:4-5). All living things, and especially Gods people, have a duty to praise God. They offer this praise both individually and collectively (Ezr_3:10-11; Psa_34:1-3; Psa_35:18; Psalms 117; Psa_135:1-2; Psa_150:6; Joe_2:26; Act_16:25; Heb_13:15; 1Pe_2:9). (For fuller discussion on the subject see WORSHIP.)
Gods people should want their lives and actions to bring praise to God. They should not seek praise for themselves (Pro_27:2; Mat_6:2; Joh_12:43; 2Co_9:1; Eph_1:12; Php_1:11; Col_1:3-4; 1Th_2:6). Yet it is true that, if they live uprightly and behave properly, others will naturally want to give them praise (Pro_31:28; Pro_31:31; Act_16:2; 1Co_11:2; 1Co_11:17; 1Pe_2:14).
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary by Don Fleming
PRINTER 1990.
prāz (תּהלּה, tehillāh, ?psalm,? ?praise,? תּודה, tōdhāh, ?confession? ?thanksgiving,? שׁבח, shābhaḥ, ?to praise? ?glorify,? זמר, zāmar, ידה, yādhāh, ?to stretch out the hand,? ?confess?; αἰνέω, ainéō, ἐπαινέω, epainéō, ἔπαινος, épainos):
1. Its Meaning:
The word comes from the Latin pretium, ?price,? or ?value,? and may be defined generally as an ascription of value or worth. Praise may be bestowed upon unworthy objects or from improper motives, but true praise consists in a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of worth. Its type may be seen in the representation given in the Apocalypse of the adoration of God and of the Lamb, which is inspired by a sense of their worthiness to be adored (Rev_4:11; Rev_5:12).
2. With Man as Its Object:
Man may be the object of praise, and may receive it either from God or from his fellow-men. In the former case (Rom_2:29; 1Co_4:5) the praise is inevitably just, as resting on a divine estimate of worth; in the latter case its value depends upon the grounds and motives that lie behind it. There is a praise which is itself a condemnation (Luk_6:26), an honor which seals the eyes in unbelief (Joh_5:44), a careless use of the epithet ?good? which is dishonoring to God (Luk_18:19). This is the ?praise of men? which Jesus warned His followers to shun as being incompatible with the ?praise of God? (Mat_6:1-4; compare Joh_12:43; Gal_1:10; 1Th_2:6). On the other hand, there is a praise that is the instinctive homage of the soul to righteousness (Luk_23:47), the acknowledgment given to well-doing by just government (Rom_13:3; 1Pe_2:14), the tribute of the churches to distinguished Christian service (2Co_8:18). Such praise, so far from being incompatible with the praise of God, is a reflection of it in human consciousness; and so Paul associates praise with virtue as an aid and incentive to holy living on which the mind should dwell (Phi_4:8).
3. With God as Its Object:
In the Bible it is God who is especially brought before us as the object of praise. His whole creation praises Him, from the angels of heaven (Psa_103:20; Rev_5:11) to those lower existences that are unconscious or even inanimate (Psa_19:1-4; Psa_148:1-10; Rev_5:13). But it is with the praises offered to God by man, and with the human duty of praising God, that the Scriptures are principally concerned. In regard to this subject the following points may be noticed:
(1) The Grounds of Praise.
Sometimes God is praised for His inherent qualities. His majesty (Psa_104:1) or holiness (Isa_6:3) fills the mind, and He is ?glorified as God? (Rom_1:21) in view of what He essentially is. More frequently He is praised for His works in creation, providence, and redemption. References may be dispensed with here, for the evidence meets us on almost every page of the sacred literature from Genesis to Revelation, and the Book of Psalms in particular, from beginning to end, is occupied with these themes. When God's operations under these aspects present themselves, not simply as general effects of His power and wisdom, but as expressions of His personal love to the individual, the nation, the church, His works become benefits, and praise passes into blessing and thanksgiving (Pss 34; 103; Eph_1:3; 1Pe_1:3).
(2) The Modes of Praise.
True praise of God, as distinguished from false praise (Isa_29:13; Mat_15:8), is first of all an inward emotion - a gladness and rejoicing of the heart (Psa_4:7; Psa_33:21), a music of the soul and spirit (Psa_103:1; Luk_1:46 f) which no language can adequately express (Psa_106:2; 2Co_9:15). But utterance is natural to strong emotion, and the mouth instinctively strives to express the praises of the heart (Psa_51:15 and passim). Many of the most moving passages in Scripture come from the inspiration of the spirit of praise awakened by the contemplation of the divine majesty or power or wisdom or kindness, but above all by the revelation of redeeming love. Again, the spirit of praise is a social spirit calling for social utterance. The man who praises God desires to praise Him in the hearing of other men (Psa_40:10), and desires also that their praises should be joined with his own (Psa_34:3). Further, the spirit of praise is a spirit of song. It may find expression in other ways - in sacrifice (Lev_7:13), or testimony (Psa_66:16), or prayer (Col_1:3); but it finds its most natural and its fullest utterance in lyrical and musical forms. When God fills the heart with praise He puts a new song into the mouth (Psa_40:3). The Book of Psalms is the proof of this for the Old Testament. And when we pass to the New Testament we find that, alike for angels and men, for the church on earth and the church in heaven, the higher moods of praise express themselves in bursts of song (Luk_2:14; Eph_5:19; Col_3:16; Rev_5:9; Rev_14:3; Rev_15:3). Finally, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, the spirit of song gives birth to ordered modes of public praise. In their earlier expressions the praises of Israel were joyful outbursts in which song was mingled with shouting and dancing to a rude accompaniment of timbrels and trumpets (Exo_15:20 ff; 2Sa_6:5, 2Sa_6:14 ff). In later times Israel had its sacred Psalter, its guilds of trained singers (Ezr_2:41; Neh_7:44), its skilled musicians (Psa_42:1-11; 49, etc.); and the praise that waited for God in Zion was full of the solemn beauty of holiness (Psa_29:2; Psa_96:9). In the New Testament the Psalter is still a manual of social praise. The ?hymn? which Jesus sang with His disciples after the Last Supper (Mat_26:30) would be a Hebrew psalm, probably from the Hallel (Pss 113 through 118) which was used at the Passover service, and various references in the Epistles point to the continued employment of the ancient psalms in Christian worship (1Co_14:26; Eph_5:19; Col_3:16; Jam_5:13). But the Psalter of the Jewish church could not suffice to express the distinctive moods of Christian feeling. Original utterance of the spirit of Christian song was one of the manifestations of the gift of tongues (1Co_14:15-17). Paul distinguishes hymns and spiritual songs from psalms (Eph_5:19; Col_3:16); and it was hymns that he and Silas sang at midnight in the prison of Philippi (Act_16:25 the Revised Version (British and American)). But from hymns and songs that were the spontaneous utterance of individual feeling the development was natural, in New Testament as in Old Testament times, to hymns that were sung in unison by a whole congregation; and in rhythmic passages like 1Ti_3:16; Rev_15:3 f, we seem to have fragments of a primitive Christian hymnology, such as Pliny bears witness to for the early years of the 2nd century, when he informs Trajan that the Christians of Bithynia at their morning meetings sang a hymn in alternate strains to Christ as God (Ep. x.97). See PERSECUTION.
(3) The Duty of Praise.
Praise is everywhere represented in the Bible as a duty no less than a natural impulse and a delight. To fail in this duty is to withhold from God's glory that belongs to Him (Psa_50:23; Rom_1:20 f); it is to shut one's eyes to the signs of His presence (Isa_40:26 ff), to be forgetful of His mercies (Deu_6:12), and unthankful for His kindness (Luk_6:35). If we are not to fall into these sins, but are to give to God the honor and glory and gratitude we owe Him, we must earnestly cultivate the spirit and habit of praise. From holy men of old we learn that this may be done by arousing the soul from its slothfulness and sluggishness (Psa_57:8; Psa_103:1), by fixing the heart upon God (Psa_57:7; Psa_108:1), by meditation on His works and ways (Psa_77:11 ff), by recounting His benefits (Psa_103:2), above all, for those to whom He has spoken in His Son, by dwelling upon His unspeakable gift (2Co_9:15; compare Rom_8:31 ff; 1Jo_3:1). See also WORSHIP.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Praise
an acknowledgment made of the excellency or perfection of any person or action, with a commendation of the same. The desire of praise, says an elegant writer, is generally connected with all the finer sensibilities of human nature. It affords a ground on which exhortation, counsel, and reproof can work a proper effect. To be entirely destitute of this passion betokens an ignoble mind on which no moral impression Is easily made, for where there is no desire of praise there will also be no sense of reproach; but while it is admitted to be a natural and in many respects a useful principle of action, we are to observe that it is entitled to no more than our secondary regard. It has its boundary set, by transgressing which it is at once transformed from an innocent into a most dangerous passion. When, passing its natural line, it becomes the ruling spring of conduct; when the regard which we pay to the opinions of men encroaches on that reverence which we owe to the voice of conscience and the sense of duty, the love of praise, having then gone out of its proper place, instead of improving, corrupts, and instead of elevating, debases our nature. See Young, Love of Fame; Blair, Sermons, vol. 2, ser. 6; Jortin, Diss. No. 4 passim; Wilberforce, Praeft. View, ch. 4 § 3; Smith, Theory of Moral Sent. 1, 233; Fitzosborne, Letters, No. 18.
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.
Men may praise men. Forms of praise may be used without genuine feelings of praise, and extravagant praise may be rendered Intentionally, because of the advantage that will be gained thereby. This is downright hypocrisy, and the whole burden of the moral teaching of the Bible, and especially of Christ, is against hypocrisy. Again, the estimate of values may be so completely false that praise may be felt and expressed genuinely in cases where it is undeserved. And Jesus whole influence is directed towards the proper appreciation of values so that only the good shall appear to us good.
In its common Biblical use, however, praise has God for its object. This restriction does not involve an essential difference either in the praise or in the sense of moral values. The difference lies rather in the greater praiseworthiness of God. Praise of God is of course called forth only as He reveals Himself to men, only as men recognize His activity and His power in the event or condition which appears to them adequate to call out praise. Men praise God in proportion as they are religious, and so have conscious relations with God. The praiseworthiness of a god is involved in the very definition of a god. If men postulate a god at all, it is as a being worthy to be praised. Every thought and act by which men come into relation with God is a thought and an act of praise. Petition is justifiable only if behind it is the belief that God is worthy of such approach. If the act is confession of sin, the same is true, for confession is not made to a being who does not hold a place of honour and praise. If some active service is rendered to God, this subjugation of ourselves to Him can be explained only by the conviction that God is in every way entitled to service.
Moreover, as in the case of praise of men, there is a very clear distinction to be drawn between genuine and hypocritical ascription of praise to God. The temptation to the latter is extreme, because of the immense gain presumably to be secured by praise; but the hypocrisy and the sin of it are equally great. Indeed, the seriousness of the offence is evident when one reflects that he who praises God knows full well the praiseworthiness of God, so that if he praises while the genuine feeling is lacking and the sincere act of praise is unperformed, only moral perversity can account for the hypocrisy.
In order to genuineness, praise must be spontaneous It may be commanded by another human being, and the praise commanded may be rendered, but the real impelling cause is the recognized merit of God. God may demand praise from His creatures in commands transmitted to them through prophets and Apostles, but if man praises Him from the heart, it is because of the imperative Inseparable from the very being and nature of God.
We are prepared, then, to find that in the Bible praise to God is universal on the part of all who acknowledge Him. It is the very atmosphere of both dispensations. It is futile to attempt to collate the passages that involve it, for its expression is not measured by special terms or confined to special occasions. The author of Gen_1:1-31, like every reader of the chapter, finds the work of creation an occasion for praising God. The chapter is a call to praise, though the word be not mentioned. We have but to turn to the Psalms (e.g. Psa_104:1-35) to find formal expression of the praise that the world inspires.
The legal requirements of the Law likewise depend for their authority with men upon the recognition of the merit of the Law-giver. Ye shall be holy, for I Jehovah your God am holy, has no force except for him who acknowledges holiness in God who commands; and obedience is the creatures tribute of praise to the holy God.
The whole history of Israel, as Israels historians picture it, has in it the constant element of praise to Israels God: we turn to the Psalms (e.g. Psa_102:1-28) or to other songs (e.g. Exo_15:1-27), and find the praise of the heart rising to formal expression.
In the NT, praise of Christ and of God in Christ is the universal note. It is the song of those who are healed of their sicknesses, or forgiven their sins; of Apostles who mediate on the gospel message and salvation through Christ; of those who rehearse the glories of the New Jerusalem as seen in apocalyptic vision.
We are also prepared by this universality to find that praise cannot form a topic for independent treatment. There is no technical terminology to be examined in the hope that the etymology of the terms used will throw light upon the subject, for in this case etymologies may lead us away from the current meaning of the common words employed. The history of praise in the OT and the NT is the history of worship, temple, synagogue, sacrifice, festivals. The literature of praise is the literature of religion, whether as the product of national consciousness or of personal religious experience.
It will suffice to mention one or two points of Interest which the student may well bear in mind as he studies the Bible and consults the articles on related subjects.
The Heb. word oftenest used for praise is hillçl, perhaps an onomatopoetic Semitic root meaning cry aloud. An interesting feature is the use of the imperative in ascriptions of praise. Taken literally, these imperatives are commands to praise; but they are to be taken as real ascriptions of praise, with the added thought that praise from one person suggests praise from all. Cf. the doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow, which consists solely of four imperative sentences.
The imperative of the Hebrew verb, followed by the Divine name, gives us Hallelujah, i.e. Praise ye Jah. The word is used at the beginning and end of Psalms, apparently with liturgical value. Cf. also the Hallel Psalms (113118, 136). The noun from the same root appears as the title of Psa_145:1-21. See Hallel.
The form which praise took as an element of worship in Israel varied with the general character of worship. It was called forth by the acts of Jahweh upon which the Israelites were especially wont to dwell in different periods. For personal and family favours they praised Him in early times with forms of their own choosing. When the national consciousness was aroused, they praised Him for His leading of the nation, in forms suitable to this service. As worship came more and more to conform to that elaborated for, and practised in, the royal sanctuarythe Temple at Jerusalemthe forms of praise could not fail to share the elaboration and to become gradually more uniform. To what extent these modifications took place is to be studied in the history of OT religion.
Praise was certainly a part of the varied service rendered by the Levites in the Temple ritual of later Judaism, and an examination of that ritual will show how far praise was given over to them, and how much was retained by the congregation. The Psalms are certainly adapted to antiphonal rendering. Did the people respond to the priests, or were there two choirs? [This word occurs in EV [Note: English Version.] only in RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] of Neh_12:8.] The element of praise in the synagogue worship is an interesting and disputed question. Cf. also Adoration, Hymn.
O. H. Gates.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909
One characteristic of the life of Gods people is that they constantly praise him. Praise is an expression of homage, adoration and thanksgiving to God either in prayer or in song, and may be accompanied by various expressions of joy (Exo_15:1-2; Exo_15:20-21; Psa_35:18; Psa_63:5; Psa_71:8; Psalms 150; Isa_12:2-6; Luk_2:13-14; Act_2:47; Act_3:8; Col_3:16; Rev_5:9-14; see DANCING; MUSIC; SINGING).
Believers offer praise to God because of who he is and what he has done. Their praise is part of their worship of God, and it will reach its fullest expression in the age to come (Psa_7:17; Psa_66:1-4; Psa_104:1; Psa_138:1-2; Luk_24:53; Rev_19:4-5). All living things, and especially Gods people, have a duty to praise God. They offer this praise both individually and collectively (Ezr_3:10-11; Psa_34:1-3; Psa_35:18; Psalms 117; Psa_135:1-2; Psa_150:6; Joe_2:26; Act_16:25; Heb_13:15; 1Pe_2:9). (For fuller discussion on the subject see WORSHIP.)
Gods people should want their lives and actions to bring praise to God. They should not seek praise for themselves (Pro_27:2; Mat_6:2; Joh_12:43; 2Co_9:1; Eph_1:12; Php_1:11; Col_1:3-4; 1Th_2:6). Yet it is true that, if they live uprightly and behave properly, others will naturally want to give them praise (Pro_31:28; Pro_31:31; Act_16:2; 1Co_11:2; 1Co_11:17; 1Pe_2:14).
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary by Don Fleming
PRINTER 1990.
prāz (תּהלּה, tehillāh, ?psalm,? ?praise,? תּודה, tōdhāh, ?confession? ?thanksgiving,? שׁבח, shābhaḥ, ?to praise? ?glorify,? זמר, zāmar, ידה, yādhāh, ?to stretch out the hand,? ?confess?; αἰνέω, ainéō, ἐπαινέω, epainéō, ἔπαινος, épainos):
1. Its Meaning:
The word comes from the Latin pretium, ?price,? or ?value,? and may be defined generally as an ascription of value or worth. Praise may be bestowed upon unworthy objects or from improper motives, but true praise consists in a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of worth. Its type may be seen in the representation given in the Apocalypse of the adoration of God and of the Lamb, which is inspired by a sense of their worthiness to be adored (Rev_4:11; Rev_5:12).
2. With Man as Its Object:
Man may be the object of praise, and may receive it either from God or from his fellow-men. In the former case (Rom_2:29; 1Co_4:5) the praise is inevitably just, as resting on a divine estimate of worth; in the latter case its value depends upon the grounds and motives that lie behind it. There is a praise which is itself a condemnation (Luk_6:26), an honor which seals the eyes in unbelief (Joh_5:44), a careless use of the epithet ?good? which is dishonoring to God (Luk_18:19). This is the ?praise of men? which Jesus warned His followers to shun as being incompatible with the ?praise of God? (Mat_6:1-4; compare Joh_12:43; Gal_1:10; 1Th_2:6). On the other hand, there is a praise that is the instinctive homage of the soul to righteousness (Luk_23:47), the acknowledgment given to well-doing by just government (Rom_13:3; 1Pe_2:14), the tribute of the churches to distinguished Christian service (2Co_8:18). Such praise, so far from being incompatible with the praise of God, is a reflection of it in human consciousness; and so Paul associates praise with virtue as an aid and incentive to holy living on which the mind should dwell (Phi_4:8).
3. With God as Its Object:
In the Bible it is God who is especially brought before us as the object of praise. His whole creation praises Him, from the angels of heaven (Psa_103:20; Rev_5:11) to those lower existences that are unconscious or even inanimate (Psa_19:1-4; Psa_148:1-10; Rev_5:13). But it is with the praises offered to God by man, and with the human duty of praising God, that the Scriptures are principally concerned. In regard to this subject the following points may be noticed:
(1) The Grounds of Praise.
Sometimes God is praised for His inherent qualities. His majesty (Psa_104:1) or holiness (Isa_6:3) fills the mind, and He is ?glorified as God? (Rom_1:21) in view of what He essentially is. More frequently He is praised for His works in creation, providence, and redemption. References may be dispensed with here, for the evidence meets us on almost every page of the sacred literature from Genesis to Revelation, and the Book of Psalms in particular, from beginning to end, is occupied with these themes. When God's operations under these aspects present themselves, not simply as general effects of His power and wisdom, but as expressions of His personal love to the individual, the nation, the church, His works become benefits, and praise passes into blessing and thanksgiving (Pss 34; 103; Eph_1:3; 1Pe_1:3).
(2) The Modes of Praise.
True praise of God, as distinguished from false praise (Isa_29:13; Mat_15:8), is first of all an inward emotion - a gladness and rejoicing of the heart (Psa_4:7; Psa_33:21), a music of the soul and spirit (Psa_103:1; Luk_1:46 f) which no language can adequately express (Psa_106:2; 2Co_9:15). But utterance is natural to strong emotion, and the mouth instinctively strives to express the praises of the heart (Psa_51:15 and passim). Many of the most moving passages in Scripture come from the inspiration of the spirit of praise awakened by the contemplation of the divine majesty or power or wisdom or kindness, but above all by the revelation of redeeming love. Again, the spirit of praise is a social spirit calling for social utterance. The man who praises God desires to praise Him in the hearing of other men (Psa_40:10), and desires also that their praises should be joined with his own (Psa_34:3). Further, the spirit of praise is a spirit of song. It may find expression in other ways - in sacrifice (Lev_7:13), or testimony (Psa_66:16), or prayer (Col_1:3); but it finds its most natural and its fullest utterance in lyrical and musical forms. When God fills the heart with praise He puts a new song into the mouth (Psa_40:3). The Book of Psalms is the proof of this for the Old Testament. And when we pass to the New Testament we find that, alike for angels and men, for the church on earth and the church in heaven, the higher moods of praise express themselves in bursts of song (Luk_2:14; Eph_5:19; Col_3:16; Rev_5:9; Rev_14:3; Rev_15:3). Finally, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, the spirit of song gives birth to ordered modes of public praise. In their earlier expressions the praises of Israel were joyful outbursts in which song was mingled with shouting and dancing to a rude accompaniment of timbrels and trumpets (Exo_15:20 ff; 2Sa_6:5, 2Sa_6:14 ff). In later times Israel had its sacred Psalter, its guilds of trained singers (Ezr_2:41; Neh_7:44), its skilled musicians (Psa_42:1-11; 49, etc.); and the praise that waited for God in Zion was full of the solemn beauty of holiness (Psa_29:2; Psa_96:9). In the New Testament the Psalter is still a manual of social praise. The ?hymn? which Jesus sang with His disciples after the Last Supper (Mat_26:30) would be a Hebrew psalm, probably from the Hallel (Pss 113 through 118) which was used at the Passover service, and various references in the Epistles point to the continued employment of the ancient psalms in Christian worship (1Co_14:26; Eph_5:19; Col_3:16; Jam_5:13). But the Psalter of the Jewish church could not suffice to express the distinctive moods of Christian feeling. Original utterance of the spirit of Christian song was one of the manifestations of the gift of tongues (1Co_14:15-17). Paul distinguishes hymns and spiritual songs from psalms (Eph_5:19; Col_3:16); and it was hymns that he and Silas sang at midnight in the prison of Philippi (Act_16:25 the Revised Version (British and American)). But from hymns and songs that were the spontaneous utterance of individual feeling the development was natural, in New Testament as in Old Testament times, to hymns that were sung in unison by a whole congregation; and in rhythmic passages like 1Ti_3:16; Rev_15:3 f, we seem to have fragments of a primitive Christian hymnology, such as Pliny bears witness to for the early years of the 2nd century, when he informs Trajan that the Christians of Bithynia at their morning meetings sang a hymn in alternate strains to Christ as God (Ep. x.97). See PERSECUTION.
(3) The Duty of Praise.
Praise is everywhere represented in the Bible as a duty no less than a natural impulse and a delight. To fail in this duty is to withhold from God's glory that belongs to Him (Psa_50:23; Rom_1:20 f); it is to shut one's eyes to the signs of His presence (Isa_40:26 ff), to be forgetful of His mercies (Deu_6:12), and unthankful for His kindness (Luk_6:35). If we are not to fall into these sins, but are to give to God the honor and glory and gratitude we owe Him, we must earnestly cultivate the spirit and habit of praise. From holy men of old we learn that this may be done by arousing the soul from its slothfulness and sluggishness (Psa_57:8; Psa_103:1), by fixing the heart upon God (Psa_57:7; Psa_108:1), by meditation on His works and ways (Psa_77:11 ff), by recounting His benefits (Psa_103:2), above all, for those to whom He has spoken in His Son, by dwelling upon His unspeakable gift (2Co_9:15; compare Rom_8:31 ff; 1Jo_3:1). See also WORSHIP.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Praise
an acknowledgment made of the excellency or perfection of any person or action, with a commendation of the same. The desire of praise, says an elegant writer, is generally connected with all the finer sensibilities of human nature. It affords a ground on which exhortation, counsel, and reproof can work a proper effect. To be entirely destitute of this passion betokens an ignoble mind on which no moral impression Is easily made, for where there is no desire of praise there will also be no sense of reproach; but while it is admitted to be a natural and in many respects a useful principle of action, we are to observe that it is entitled to no more than our secondary regard. It has its boundary set, by transgressing which it is at once transformed from an innocent into a most dangerous passion. When, passing its natural line, it becomes the ruling spring of conduct; when the regard which we pay to the opinions of men encroaches on that reverence which we owe to the voice of conscience and the sense of duty, the love of praise, having then gone out of its proper place, instead of improving, corrupts, and instead of elevating, debases our nature. See Young, Love of Fame; Blair, Sermons, vol. 2, ser. 6; Jortin, Diss. No. 4 passim; Wilberforce, Praeft. View, ch. 4 § 3; Smith, Theory of Moral Sent. 1, 233; Fitzosborne, Letters, No. 18.
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.
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