Praise Verses in the Bible (Towdah) – and how to use them!

This week we’re going to be digging into the third of 7 of the Hebrew words for praise (Towdah) and do a Hebrew word study on Towdah. Did you know there are over 15 Greek + Hebrew words used in the Bible to describe “Praise?” When we use 1 word to describe in English, ancient writers used 15.

Do you think maybe we’re losing some of the value here?
Yup. I totally agree.

This is one of the reasons I love doing word studies in my everyday reading. Studying the original word in the original language gives so much depth and meaning to verses we may have read 1000 times! 

If you want to study along with me, check out this post and download this free resource!

Ready to dive in?

Step One | GATHER

Key Verse

Psalm 56:11-13 NKJV

11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, 13 For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God In the light of the living?

English Definition

Praise

Verb
1: to express a favorable judgment of : COMMEND
2: to glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections: to express praise

Noun
1a: an expression of approval : COMMENDATION
1b: WORSHIP
2: VALUE, MERIT, barchaic : one that is praised

Context + Literary Clues

• Literary form: poetry.
• The author was writing to God in the midst of a trial
• Each Psalm ultimately reveals something about Jesus
• Luke 24:44 says “I told you that everything written about me would be fulfilled, including all the prophecies from the law of Moses through the Psalms and the writings of the prophets – that they would all find their fulfillment.” The key to understanding is to look for Jesus in each Psalm

Additional Notes

Many collections preceded this final compilation of the Psalms. In fact, the formation of psalters  probably goes back to the early days of the first (Solomon’s) temple (or even to the time of David), when the temple liturgy began to take shape. Reference has already been made to “the prayers of David.” Additional collections expressly referred to in the present Psalter titles are: (1) the songs and/or psalms “of the Sons of Korah” (Ps 42-49; 84-85; 87-88), (2) the psalms and/or songs “of Asaph” (Ps 50; 73-83) and (3) the songs “of ascents” (Ps 120-134).

Hebrew Word Study

• Original word: Towdah (08426)
• Phonetic: to-daw’
• Part of speech: Noun Feminine
• Origin meaning: from Yadah (03034) <–catch up on our previous study on Yadah
• Definition: confession, praise, thanksgiving
  • give praise to God
  • thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship, hymn of praise
  • thanksgiving choir or procession or line or company
  • thank-offering, sacrifice of thanksgiving
  • confession
• KJV word usage: 32 times
• Examples: thanksgiving 18, praise 6, thanks 3, thank offerings 3, confession 2
• Also used in verses like Nehemiah 12:27 to denote thanksgiving with singing and playing instruments, and Leviticus 7:12 in reference to one of the sacrificial offerings, the thank offering.

Step Two | INTERPRET

Piecing Things Together

Now you’re ready to begin the interpretation process.

IMPORTANT: At this stage, you must not begin applying what you’re learning to yourself. 

Let me say it again. DO NOT begin a personal application process yet. 🙂

If you skip the interpretation step and move straight into “How does this apply to me” you risk misinterpretation, taking things out of context and leading others astray.

When interpreting any ancient text, Biblical or secular, there are set rules that all scholars follow to ensure accurate interpretation. This is one of them. 

Also important – read the passages (chapters are even better) before and after the one containing the key verse. What is the verse saying in context with the entire set of passages/chapters?

Take some notes in your Additional Notes section of the handout

What Was Happening At The Time This Was Written?

David was on the run from King Saul. Saul was trying to kill David because through the prophet Samuel, God said that David would replace Saul on the throne of Israel. 

At this point during his exile, David had been captured by the Philistines, who were sworn enemies of the Israelites. This was a time when David was constantly fleeing for his life. He was never safe and was in constant danger of being executed and faced possible betrayal every minute of every day. 

For David, the temptation to live in fear HAD to be very real. In many Psalms he wrote during this time he shared about the emotional roller coaster he was living. But ultimately he’d always come back to the choice to trust God. Because He is faithful and trustworthy.

What Did The Original Author Want To Communicate?

The author wanted to communicate absolute trust in God and the promises God made to him. Clearly stating “what could man ever do to me?” drives home the point that fear owns no ground in his heart. His heart overflows with thanks because of God’s track record of faithfulness.

It’s interesting to note that the author in Psalm 56 is recounting PAST acts of faithfulness. He was living in Gath and in danger of losing his life. Yet, he chooses to declare the great works of God in keeping him safe, God’s greatness, and how He kept past promises. He offers towdah for everything God has done and promises to continue to be faithful to what he has vowed to God.

This floors me. At a moment when he is captured by the enemy, while his own country is hunting him down, when faced with fear and what common sense would whisper is certain death, his heart is still filled with gratitude. 

How in the WORLD is that possible?

Because in this passage his eyes aren’t fixed on where he is, David’s eyes are fixed on what God promised him and the lengthy track record of God keeping His promises.

Rewrite Verse To Original Audience In Your Own Words

In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I will keep all the promises made to You, they are binding upon me, O God; I will give thanks to you with all my heart, for You have delivered my soul from death. You have kept my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living!

I also love The Passion Translation version of this passage:

Psalm 56:10-13 TPT

“I trust in the Lord. And I praise him! I trust in the Word of God. And I praise him! What harm could man do to me? With God on my side I will not be afraid of what comes. My heart overflows with praise to God and for his promises. I will always trust in him. So I’m thanking you with all my heart, with gratitude for all you’ve done. I will do everything I’ve promised you, Lord.”

Step Three | APPLY

Get Relational

Ok, You’ve done all the work, now it’s FINALLY time to get personal. To turn that interpretation into personal application. Invite Holy Spirit to turn that principle into application for your own life. 

Ask Him these questions:

• What does this mean for me?
• What do you want to say to me through this?
• Do I need to take action? Repent of some misaligned thought patterns? Extend gratitude and praise? Share this revelation with someone else?
• What are some next steps for us?

Then sit still and listen.
I promise… He’ll respond.

Journaling

Pay attention to where your thoughts go and write them down. If you’re not used to hearing God’s voice, this is a major way He starts conversations in the beginning. Soon you’ll begin to recognize His unique language with you and it will become easier to recognize His thoughts apart from yours. Remember, He is jealous for you. He desires a relationship with you and with any step you take toward Him, He will respond over-and-above in kind. That is His nature. He is a good, good father. Write down what you hear and build on where that takes you.

If you’re not a journaler by nature, make lists instead. But don’t skip the “write this down” step. To those who are faithful to steward what He gives us, more will be given. (Matthew 13:1-12) Think of writing down what He says as a concrete way to steward the gift of His voice.

Don’t get to that writing stage too quickly though. 🙂 It’s so easy in our hustle and bustle to get into action mode too soon. It’s a discipline to sit in stillness and wait for Him to speak. So much of our “praying” is us talking TO Him without leaving space for Him to talk back. 

And that’s the BEST PART.

Don’t miss out on the best part. You’ll never be the same again.

Digging Deeper

During this study, I was struck by the fact that this word is not just used to represent singing thankfulness to God out of a grateful heart. It is used over and over in the Old Testament when referring to the Thank (or Peace) Offering.

Studying the Thank Offering is a whole other topic, if you’re interested here’s a great article to start digging into that.

I have a beautiful and spirited 6 year old daughter. She is a feeler and feels all the highs and all the lows. She sparkles and I love her to death.

When she asks to have dessert and I say yes (a semi-rare occurrence at our house, I’m rather granola), her face will literally shine with joy and she’ll THROW her arms around me and say “Thank you thank you thank you Mommy! You are the bestest, most beautifullest, most sweet and kind Mommy in the whole wide world!”

And I grab her, swing her around, smush my face into her cheek and cover it with “you’re welcome” kisses. Of course I love it.

But when I’m holding her as she grieves the loss of our family dog and she looks up at me with a teary, “I love you Mommy, I’m so glad you’re here to make me feel better” -waaaay better.

That activates my Mommy heart in a way nothing else can match.

It’s the same way with God. Thanksgiving on the mountaintop is ALWAYS a blessing to His heart and always a good idea. There’s never a bad time or reason to express love from a thankful heart. 

But gratitude in the valley is much more costly, and it activates the heart of the Father in a deeper way.

Gratitude in the Valley

Let’s take another look at David’s circumstances when he penned this verse. 

After being anointed as the future King of Israel as a teenager, David has spent years and years headed in what looked like the opposite direction.

He was a fugitive from King Saul who was trying to kill him. He had been captured by the Philistines and lived in constant danger of being executed. At this point he has lived through years of what COULD be construed as broken promises and being abandoned by God

But in the light of all of that, he still offered a praise offering of thanksgiving. I’m sure it was no coincidence that he chose Towdah as the praise He was giving God.

A sacrifice of praise.
A choice.

In the darkness, David fixed his eyes on God and His track record. He recalled God’s faithfulness and His promises. Declared aloud the greatness of God and that in the storm, God is enough for him.

If you read the full chapter, you can see the journey David’s emotions take. He gives an honest account of what he’s facing and then counters it with what his God can and has done.

By the end of the chapter, his heart is overflowing with Towdah.

Challenge Your Status Quo

I’ll be honest, I had to sit with this one for several days. The depth of application to my own life was stunning.

There have been times over the past 5 years when I sat in utter darkness, feeling the very real loss of having full access to my kids (thank you joint custody), the loss of this life I’d built with another person, being ripped down to almost nothing financially and personally and having my very foundation shattered. 

Looking ahead, all I saw was hopelessness and fear.

I wasn’t in danger of losing my life, but I can still relate to our friend David.

I’m sure you can relate as well. Both personally and globally where we sit with pandemic and governmental unrest. Perhaps you lost a job, a home, or God forbid, a loved one. Perhaps you lost connection as a stay-at-home order kept you from your family or community. Maybe when you look around you it’s tempting to focus on the loss and hopelessness.

But this is the time when that praise, that Towdah becomes powerful.

Why tho?

When we make a choice to focus on God’s faithfulness rather than our current circumstances, our center of “gravity” so to speak, shifts. Our context and perspective moves from looking at the natural, to remembering who God is and what He has promised you.

Offering a sacrifice of Towdah means more when it’s offered BEFORE the breakthrough. If it’s easy, it’s probably not a sacrifice.

Let me be clear, nothing is wrong with easy praise from the mountaintops! But that’s not the kind of praise I’m talking about today.

What if when the going gets tough and trials seem insurmountable, we choose to look at who God is and declare aloud who He is and who we are in Him?

In gratefulness say “You are my provider because You said You would be. You said you’d never leave me nor forsake me. (Deut 31:6) You’ve reminded me that if you care for the lillies that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, You will certainly care for me. You said seek You first and You will provide for me everything I need. Not to worry about tomorrow. Matt 6:25-34) I’ve seen you come through for me before and I know You’ll continue to do it again.”

Then praise his name.

Watch the atmosphere change along with the position of your heart.

Towdah In Action

Watch this video of Jireh by Elevation Worship & Maverick City

Jireh is one of the names of God (Jehovah Jireh) and according to Nave’s Topical Bible means “Jehovah will see; i.e., will provide, the name given by Abraham to the scene of his offering up the ram which was caught in the thicket on Mount Moriah. The expression used in Genesis 22:14 , “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen,” has been regarded as equivalent to the saying, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.”

If you’re going through a storm, or faced by fear today, just close your eyes and let the presence of God wash over you. Let him sing over you right now, wherever you are.

Jireh Lyrics

Wrapping It Up

One of the most beautiful things about Towdah is the intimacy that it brings. Choosing to praise Him when it’s a sacrifice to do so touches His heart. 

It breaks down our defenses and leaves us vulnerable, and God has always been faithful to draw near to us when we’re broken.

When we go through trials, sometimes I think we pray for God to change our circumstances. To “fix” the things that are going wrong. To stop the storm and calm the waves. 

But how much more powerful is it to allow Jesus instead to come into our trial with us. To hold us, to grieve with us, to comfort us and breathe life into our spirits IN THE MIDST of the storm. This is how we build trust and intimacy with Him.

Intimacy with God is where true power lies.

And Towdah takes us there.

At Home

Practice at home. Play this song (on YouTube or download the chart here and play it on your instrument). Allow your heart to be laid bare before Him as you declare His promises and offer him a sacrifice of thankful towdah. 

He’ll show up.
Every single time.
Because He’s faithful.

Be on the lookout for upcoming word studies on the 7 Hebrew words for praise! Be sure to follow this blog or join the list for notifications! And as always, shoot me an email or comment below, I’d love to hear from you! 🙂

Hey, are you new here? I help worship musicians, singers and songwriters grow in their gift through technical training and discipleship. Here are some of our most popular blog posts, check these out!

Please follow and like us: