PSALM 118
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
I have been doing some study and reflection on the Holy Week scriptures through the Lent Season. I want to share with you a bit of a word study today about the word HOSANNA. We sing this word in several songs that we sing in worship not just on Palm Sunday but throughout the year.
Most of us are familiar with the New Testament readings when it says in three different places, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" Matthew 21:9, 15; or, "Hosanna in the highest!" Mark 11:9, 10; or simply, "Hosanna!" John 12:13. What is interesting is that the word Hosanna appears only in one Old Testament passage, that passage is in Psalm 118.
Psalm 118 is the last of the so-called “Hallal Psalms” or “Praise Psalms” which began in Psalm 113. This group of psalms was recited at most of the main Jewish festivals, so it would not have been unusual to hear these words being sung by pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem near Passover. In fact, the Hallal Psalms are sung at the conclusion of Passover meals to this day. (it is actually a good exercise to read these Psalms) These praises, combined with royal symbol of Jesus riding on a donkey, the song of the people took on a much greater significance.
Our English word "hosanna" comes from a Hebrew phrase "hoshiya na" found in Psalm 118:25 where it carries the meaning “Save, Please!” or “Help me, Save me!” As you can tell, it is a cry to God for help. Hoshiya na! “Help, save me.”
But something happened to that phrase, hoshiya na. The meaning changed over the years. In Psalm 118 it was immediately followed by the exclamation: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The cry for help, hoshiya na, was answered almost before it came out of the psalmist's mouth. And over the centuries the phrase hoshiya na stopped being a cry for help in the ordinary language of the Jews. Instead it became a shout of hope and exultation. It used to mean, "Save, please!" But gradually, it came to mean, "Salvation! Salvation! Salvation has come!" It is the bubbling over of a heart that sees hope and joy and salvation on the way and can't keep it in.
So "Hosanna!" means, "Hooray for salvation! It's coming! It's here! Salvation! Salvation!"
And "Hosanna to the Son of David!" means, "The Son of David is our salvation! Hooray for the king! Salvation belongs to the king!"
And "Hosanna in the highest!" means, "Let all the angels in heaven join the song of praise. Salvation! Salvation! Let the highest heaven sing the song!"
The crowd in the Gospel are not praying for salvation, they are welcoming salvation. Hosanna eventually became more a shout of praise than a request for salvation. In Psalm 118, as noted above it was a request for God’s blessing, and it is followed by the granting of the request. The priests reply with God’s answer, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD” (v. 26). In other words, the people see in Jesus the answer to their request.
So, hosanna used to be a request, “save us, please!” but it has been transformed into a praise, “you have saved us!” This crowd celebrates because their king has arrived.
When we sing "Hosanna" from now on, let's make it very personal. Let's make it our praise and our confidence. The Son of David has come. He has saved us from guilt and fear and hopelessness. Salvation! Salvation belongs to our God and to the Son! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!
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