Tehillim
/təˈhɪlɪm/noun
The Hebrew name for the Book of Psalms, or for its individual psalms in Jewish tradition.
Did you know?Tehillim comes from the Hebrew root ה־ל־ל (H-L-L), the same root heard in “hallelujah,” meaning “praise Yah,” or praise the Hebrew name for God.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*hallal
“To praise, celebrate, or boast; a reconstructed ancestral root”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
הָלַל (halal)
“To praise, glorify, or celebrate”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
תְּהִלָּה (tehillah)
“Praise, a song of praise, or an act of glorifying”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
תְּהִלִּים (tehillim)
“Praises; the plural title traditionally given to the Book of Psalms”
Medieval Hebrew
Hebrew
Tehillim
“The Psalms as a book of prayer, recitation, and devotional song”
Modern English
English
Tehillim
“A Jewish designation for the Book of Psalms or its recitation”
Explore more surprising origins