With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s a great time to practice two biblical Hebrew words that have a thankful meaning: yah-dah and toh-dah. These words are related at the root level, but they appear in different forms in scripture.
Let’s look at these biblical Hebrew words and several Bible verses where they appear. You always want to find the meaning of a biblical Hebrew word within the context of the Bible verse where it appears. To do that, you’ll need a lexicon.
Using the Lexicon Online
If you go to blueletterbible.org (free site) you can look up Hebrew words in the lexicon within the context of the verse where they appear.
- Type the verse in the search box. A new page will open with verses listed below and a tool button next to them.
- Click on the verse you’re looking for. When the new page opens, scroll down to see the English and Hebrew together.
- When you find the word you’re looking for, click on the Strong’s number that appears between the English and Hebrew. A new page opens.
- Scroll down till you see options for lexicons. Choose Brown-Driver-Briggs.
- Scroll through the entries till you find the verse you’ve been searching. That is the meaning you want to take away.
If you’re doing this search for the first time, it may seem like a lot of steps. After you’ve done it a few times, it’ll be second nature.
Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) is not the only lexicon, but it’s simple and free to use online for beginners. It’s a starting place and will help you get into the habit of looking up the meaning within the context of the verse where the word appears. (I know I keep repeating that; it’s important to remember and practice.)
Two Thankful Words in Biblical Hebrew
Let’s look and see what the lexicon has to say about these two thankful words within the context of these verses. Go ahead and read each verse in your native language first, so you know what it’s talking about. Then compare the Hebrew meaning.
Yah-dah / יָדָה
Psalm 106:1 — means to give thanks and is followed by “to God.”
2 Samuel 22:50 — overall meaning is to give thanks, laud, and praise. The BDB lexicon shows a meaning of “will praise” God. Some Bible translations go with “will give thanks” to God and may cite the alternative “will praise.”
This is a glimpse of the challenges translation teams go through. It’s not easy. This is why I find learning the original Hebrew and reading multiple translations to be enriching.
At the end of the day, when you practice saying the word yah-dah, you are learning a biblical Hebrew word and telling God you want to thank and praise Him. That’s what it’s all about.
Toh-dah / תּוֹדָה
Psalm 100:4 — meaning of thanksgiving, specifically in the context of “thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship” (BDB lexicon). We also revisit yah-dah in this verse, with its meaning of “give thanks” in ritual worship.
Isaiah 51:3 — same meaning as in Psalm 100:4: “thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship” in response to the promised comfort of the Lord.
Now that we’ve looked at two thankful words in biblical Hebrew, let’s practice them over the Thanksgiving holiday. Practice saying the words yah-dah יָדָה and toh-dah תּוֹדָה. Become familiar with the Hebrew letters. Include each word in your own prayer of thankfulness to God.
That’s all you need to focus on for now: saying the words, seeing the Hebrew letters, and connecting them to your feelings of thankfulness toward God.
The more you interact with biblical Hebrew words and bring them into your prayers and Bible reading, the more comfortable you will become with biblical Hebrew. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Adventures with God 