Lexical Summary
yadah: To give thanks, to praise, to confess
Original Word:יָדָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:yadah
Pronunciation:yah-DAH
Phonetic Spelling:(yaw-daw')
KJV: cast (out), (make) confess(-ion), praise, shoot, (give) thank(-ful, -s, -sgiving)
NASB:give thanks, praise, confess, give you thanks, thank, confessed, giving thanks
Word Origin:[a primitive root; used only as denominative fromH3027 (יָד - hand)]
1. (literally) to use (i.e. hold out) the hand
2. (physically) to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away
3. (especially) to revere or worship (with extended hands)
4. (intensively) to bemoan (by wringing the hands)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cast out, make confession, praise, shoot, give thankful,
A primitive root; used only as denominative fromyad; literally, to use (i.e. Hold out) the hand; physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by wringing the hands) -- cast (out), (make) confess(-ion), praise, shoot, (give) thank(-ful, -s, -sgiving).
see HEBREWyad
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto throw, cast
NASB Translationconfess (10), confessed (3), confesses (1), confessing (2), gave (1), gave praise (1), give you thanks (5), give thanks (59), giving praise (1), giving thanks (3), glorify (1), hymns of thanksgiving (1), making confession (1), placed (1), praise (17), shoot (1), thank (5), thanksgiving (1), throw down (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Arabic
exeruit, emisit, II. IV.
emisit (all now in special senses); Ethiopic
throw, cast on or in (very often; compare
); where
give thanks, confess (originallyacknowledge ?) is commonly derived, perhaps from gestures accompanying the act, see Thes LagOr. ii. 22, yet connection uncertain; Aramaic Pa`el , Aph`elconfess,
,
id.; but Ethiopic
accuse, perhaps also from gesture; Palmyrenerender thanks, often in votive inscriptions, see Vog on No. 79; VogNo. 101 = ; VogNo. 93. 1; Palmyrenepious, read ) SAC80 also IdJQ 1904, 593.pious VogNo. 29) —
Imperativeshoot (arrows)atJeremiah 50:14 (read probably, with some Manuscripts ).
ImperfectLamentations 3:53and they cast (stones)on me; InfinitiveZechariah 2:4to cast down (the horns of the nations).
(connection withthrow, obscure, yet see above)Perfect1 Kings 8:33 3t.;Psalm 75:2 (twice in verse);ImperfectNehemiah 11:17 (on form see Ges§ 53, R. 7);Psalm 6:6; 1singular suffixPsalm 28:7 (Gesl.c.);Psalm 42:6;Psalm 42:12;Psalm 43:5; pluralPsalm 99:3 6t.; suffixPsalm 45:18 (Gesl.c.);Psalm 49:19, etc. + 41 t. Imperfect;ImperativeIsaiah 12:4 16t.;Psalm 107:1;Infinitive1 Chronicles 25:3 11t.;Ezra 3:11;1 Chronicles 16:7 4t. (see. BaerPsalm 92:2);ParticipleProverbs 28:13; plural1 Chronicles 29:13; —
give thanks, laud, praise;
with accusative (1) of men, JudahGenesis 49:8 (poetic play on name); Job (ironical)Job 40:14; the kingPsalm 45:18; the richPsalm 49:19; (2) of ,Genesis 29:35 (J explanation name ); elsewhere (mostly Psalms and Chronicles) ofritual worship (see LagOr. ii. 22 f.); objectIsaiah 25:1;Psalm 44:9;Psalm 54:8;Psalm 99:3;Psalm 138:2;Psalm 142:8;Psalm 89:6;Psalm 7:18;Psalm 9:2;Psalm 109:30;Psalm 111:1;Psalm 118:10; suffix #NAME?Psalm 30:10;Psalm 30:13;Psalm 35:18;Psalm 43:4;Psalm 52:11;Psalm 67:4 (twice in verse);Psalm 67:6 (twice in verse);Psalm 71:22;Psalm 76:11;Psalm 88:11;Psalm 118:21,28;Psalm 119:7;Psalm 138:1;Psalm 139:14;Isaiah 38:18,19 (song of Hezekiah); —Psalm 42:6;Psalm 42:12;Psalm 43:5;Psalm 28:7with my song will I praise him;I will praise thee2 Samuel 22:50 =Psalm 18:50 =Psalm 108:4,Isaiah 12:1 (exilic hymn);Psalm 57:10;Psalm 86:12, comparePsalm 138:4;Psalm 145:10.
followed by only of the ritual worship:Psalm 106:47 =1 Chronicles 16:35;Psalm 122:4;Psalm 140:14;Psalm 30:5;Psalm 97:12;1 Chronicles 16:4,7,41;1 Chronicles 23:30;1 Chronicles 25:3; 2Chronicles 5:13; 7:6; 20:22;Psalm 33:2;Psalm 92:2;Psalm 105:1 =1 Chronicles 16:8 =Isaiah 12:4;give thanks tofor he is goodPsalm 106:1;Psalm 107:1;Psalm 118:1;Psalm 118:29;Psalm 136:1;1 Chronicles 16:34; soJeremiah 33:11 (followed by ); compare 2Chronicles 7:3;Ezra 3:11;Psalm 107:8;Psalm 107:15;Psalm 107:21;Psalm 107:31;Nehemiah 12:46;Psalm 136:1;Psalm 136:3;Psalm 136:26; suffixes referring to God:Psalm 6:6;Psalm 79:13;Psalm 119:62;Psalm 100:4; +Psalm 75:2 (twice in verse);1 Chronicles 29:13; absolute 2Chronicles 31:2;Nehemiah 11:17;Nehemiah 12:24 all of the ritual worship.
confess,
the name of God, "" , , ,1 Kings 8:33,35 2Chronicles 6:24,26.
Psalm 32:5 ("" );Proverbs 28:13confessing and forsaking (his transgressions; opposed to ).
PerfectLeviticus 5:5;Leviticus 16:21;Leviticus 26:40;Numbers 5:7;Imperfect1singularDaniel 9:4; pluralNehemiah 9:2;Infinitive suffixEzra 10:1;ParticipleNehemiah 1:6;Daniel 9:20; plural 2Chronicles 30:22;Nehemiah 9:3; —
confess, absoluteEzra 10:1;Nehemiah 9:3;Daniel 9:4; with accusativeLeviticus 16:21 (P),Leviticus 26:40 (H);Numbers 5:7 (P),Daniel 9:20;Leviticus 5:5 (P);Nehemiah 1:6;Nehemiah 9:2.
give thanks, , in the ritual worship 2 Chronicles 30:22.
Topical Lexicon
Concept and Imageryיָדָה (yāḏâ) unites verbal acclaim with a physical act. The root picture is an open hand that “throws” praise or confession toward its object. Whether lifted in worship, stretched over a sacrifice, or extended toward another person, the hand embodies public declaration. Thus yāḏâ moves between two poles—joyful thanksgiving and humble confession—but never in silence.
Birth of Judah and Covenant Hope
The first occurrence sets the theological tone: “This time I will praise the LORD. So she named him Judah” (Genesis 29:35). Judah’s very name carries yāḏâ. The tribe that would bear the scepter (Genesis 49:10) and bring forth Messiah is anchored in praise. The chronic refrain of Judah’s kings—“Hezekiah… ordered the Levites to sing praise to the LORD” (2 Chronicles 29:30)—echoes Leah’s naming act and anticipates the Lion of Judah whose followers are “a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called” (1 Peter 2:9).
Praise and Thanksgiving in Corporate Worship
1. Levitical ministry: David “appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark… to thank (yāḏâ) and praise the LORD” (1 Chronicles 16:4). From that day forward, the Levitical choir institutionalized yāḏâ with cymbals, stringed instruments, and unified voices (1 Chronicles 25:3;2 Chronicles 5:13).
2. Temple liturgy: Solomon dedicated the temple while “praising and thanking (yāḏâ) the LORD” until “the glory of the LORD filled the house” (2 Chronicles 7:3).
3. Post-exilic renewal: “With praise and thanksgiving they sang responsibly to the LORD… all the people shouted with a great shout” (Ezra 3:11; cf.Nehemiah 12:27‐47). Yāḏâ frames both foundation and wall of the restored sanctuary, testifying that worship survives exile.
Yāḏâ in the Psalms
Roughly half of the occurrences cluster in Psalms, giving vocabulary to every facet of devotion:
• Celebration: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise; give thanks (yāḏâ) to Him” (Psalm 100:4).
• Remembrance: “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, for Your Name is near” (Psalm 75:1).
• Testimony after deliverance: the four stanzas ofPsalm 107 end with the refrain, “Let them give thanks (yāḏâ) to the LORD for His loving devotion.”
• Perpetual doxology:Psalm 136 begins and ends, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”
• Mission: “Therefore I will praise (yāḏâ) You, O LORD, among the nations” (Psalm 18:49 =2 Samuel 22:50), later applied to Gentile inclusion inRomans 15:9.
Confession and Atonement
When the hand is laid upon sin offerings, yāḏâ shifts from praise to penitence.
• Personal guilt: “When someone becomes aware of his sin, he is to confess (yāḏâ) that sin” (Leviticus 5:5).
• National atonement: “Aaron shall lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites” (Leviticus 16:21).
• Confrontation: Joshua urged Achan, “Give glory to the LORD… and give Him the praise (yāḏâ); tell me what you have done” (Joshua 7:19).
• Individual restoration: “Then I acknowledged (yāḏâ) my sin to You… and You forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
Public, verbal confession is indispensable to reconciliation with God and neighbor.
Songs of Deliverance and Kingship
Following military victory or divine rescue, Israel voiced yāḏâ:
• David’s thanksgiving song (2 Samuel 22;Psalm 18).
• Jehoshaphat’s choir advanced into battle “singing to the LORD and praising (yāḏâ) Him for the splendor of His holiness” (2 Chronicles 20:21).
• Hezekiah’s Passover revival concluded with “great rejoicing… while the Levites and the priests praised (yāḏâ) the LORD day after day” (2 Chronicles 30:21).
Relationship to Sacrifice of Thanksgiving (Todah)
The noun תּוֹדָה (todah) grows from the same stem. A todah offering fused confession, testimony, and communal meal (Leviticus 7:12‐15;Psalm 116:17). Jonah vowed, “With the voice of thanksgiving (todah) I will sacrifice to You” (Jonah 2:9), illustrating that even from the depths, yāḏâ finds expression.
Post-Exilic and Messianic Resonance
Jeremiah foresaw a future in which “out of them will come thanksgiving (todah) and the sound of rejoicing” (Jeremiah 30:19). Zechariah anticipated nations grasping the hem of a Jew to seek the LORD (Zechariah 8:23), echoing the missionary thrust ofPsalm 18:49. In the New Covenant, the Greek verbs homologeō (confess) and eucharisteō (give thanks) mirror the two primary shades of yāḏâ, revealing continuity between Testaments.
Practical Ministry Implications
• Worship leaders should engage both heart and body, encouraging visible, audible thanksgiving.
• Corporate confession remains essential; silence before God is broken by yāḏâ that names sin and magnifies grace.
• Testimony gatherings echo the todah sacrifice, allowing the redeemed to “tell of His works with shouts of joy” (Psalm 107:22).
• Evangelism finds biblical warrant when praise is aimed “among the nations” (Psalm 18:49).
Representative Passages by Theme
Thanksgiving/Praise:Genesis 29:35;1 Chronicles 16:4;2 Chronicles 5:13;Psalm 30:4;Psalm 92:1;Psalm 100:4;Psalm 136:1.
Confession of Sin:Leviticus 5:5;Leviticus 16:21;Numbers 5:7;Ezra 10:1;Psalm 32:5;Daniel 9:4.
Deliverance/Testimony:2 Samuel 22:50;Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31;Isaiah 12:4.
Musical Worship:1 Chronicles 23:30;2 Chronicles 29:30;Nehemiah 12:46.
Prophetic/Future Hope:Jeremiah 33:11;Jonah 2:9.
Summary
Across covenant eras yāḏâ binds Israel’s history with the Church’s calling: hands lifted in grateful praise, hearts laid bare in sincere confession, voices publishing God’s steadfast love to all nations until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Forms and Transliterations
א֘וֹדֶ֤ה א֤וֹדֶה א֭וֹדְךָ אֲהוֹדֶֽנּוּ׃ אֽוֹדְךָ֗ אהודנו׃ אוֹדְךָ֖ אוֹדְךָ֣ אוֹדְךָ֤ ׀ אוֹדְךָ֥ אוֹדֶ֑ךָּ אוֹדֶ֑נּוּ אוֹדֶ֗נּוּ אוֹדֶ֣ה אוֹדֶ֤ה אוֹדֶ֥ה אוֹדֶֽךָּ׃ אודה אודך אודך׃ אודנו ה֘וֹדִ֤ינוּ ה֭וֹדִינוּ ה֭וֹדוּ הֲיוֹדְךָ֥ הֹד֣וּ הֹד֥וֹת הֽוֹדוּ־ הדו הדות הוֹד֣וּ הוֹד֤וּ הוֹדוּ֩ הודו הודו־ הודינו היודך וְ֝הוֹד֗וּ וְ֝יוֹדֻ֗ךָ וְא֘וֹדֶ֤ה וְאוֹדְךָ֥ וְאוֹדֶ֑ךָּ וְהִ֨תְוַדָּ֔ה וְהִתְוַדָּ֣ה וְהִתְוַדּ֗וּ וְהִתְוַדּ֤וּ וְהֹד֖וֹת וְהוֹד֣וּ וְהוֹד֤וֹת וְי֘וֹד֤וּ וַיִּתְוַדּוּ֙ וַיַּדּוּ־ וָאֶתְוַדֶּ֑ה וּבְהוֹדֹ֤ת וּכְ֨הִתְוַדֹּת֔וֹ וּלְהֹד֣וֹת וּלְהֹדוֹת֮ וּלְהוֹד֣וֹת וּמִ֨תְוַדִּ֔ים וּמִתְוַדֶּ֗ה וּמִתְוַדֶּה֙ וּמוֹדֶ֖ה ואודה ואודך ואתודה ובהודת והדות והודו והודות והתודה והתודו וידו־ ויודו ויודך ויתודו וכהתודתו ולהדות ולהודות ומודה ומתודה ומתודים י֝וֹד֗וּךָ יְ֝הוֹדֻ֗ךָ יְד֣וּ יְהוֹדֶ֣ה יֽוֹדֶה־ ידו יהודה יהודך יוֹד֖וּךָ יוֹד֣וּ יוֹד֣וּךָ יוֹד֬וּךָ יוֹדֶ֖ךָ יודה־ יודו יודוך יודך לְ֝הֹד֗וֹת לְ֭הֹדוֹת לְהֹד֖וֹת לְהֹד֤וֹת לְהֹד֥וֹת לְהֹדוֹת֙ לְהוֹד֔וֹת לְהוֹד֣וֹת לְהוֹד֪וֹת לְיַדּ֞וֹת להדות להודות לידות מִתְוַדִּ֣ים מוֹדִ֥ים מודים מתודים נ֤וֹדֶ֥ה נוֹדֶ֣ה נודה תּוֹדֶ֑ךָּ תּוֹדֶ֖ךָּ תודך ’ă·hō·w·ḏen·nū ’ăhōwḏennū ’ō·w·ḏe·kā ’ō·w·ḏeh ’ō·w·ḏen·nū ’ō·wḏ·ḵā ’ōwḏeh ’ōwḏekā ’ōwḏennū ’ōwḏḵā ahoDennu hă·yō·wḏ·ḵā hayodCha hăyōwḏḵā hō·ḏō·wṯ hō·ḏū hō·w·ḏî·nū hō·w·ḏū hō·w·ḏū- hoDinu hoDot hōḏōwṯ hoDu hōḏū hōwḏînū hōwḏū hōwḏū- lə·hō·ḏō·wṯ lə·hō·w·ḏō·wṯ lə·yad·dō·wṯ lehoDot ləhōḏōwṯ ləhōwḏōwṯ leyadDot ləyaddōwṯ miṯ·wad·dîm mitvadDim miṯwaddîm mō·w·ḏîm moDim mōwḏîm nō·w·ḏeh noDeh nōwḏeh odCha oDeh oDeka oDennu tō·w·ḏe·kā toDeka tōwḏekā ū·ḇə·hō·w·ḏōṯ ū·ḵə·hiṯ·wad·dō·ṯōw ū·lə·hō·ḏō·wṯ ū·lə·hō·w·ḏō·wṯ ū·miṯ·wad·deh ū·miṯ·wad·dîm ū·mō·w·ḏeh ūḇəhōwḏōṯ uChehitvaddoTo ūḵəhiṯwaddōṯōw ulehoDot ūləhōḏōwṯ ūləhōwḏōwṯ umitvadDeh uMitvadDim ūmiṯwaddeh ūmiṯwaddîm umoDeh ūmōwḏeh uvehoDot vaetvadDeh vaiyaddu vaiyitvadDu veHitvadDah vehitvadDu vehoDot vehoDu veodCha veoDeh veoDeka veYoDu veyoDucha wā’eṯwaddeh wā·’eṯ·wad·deh way·yad·dū- way·yiṯ·wad·dū wayyaddū- wayyiṯwaddū wə’ōwḏeh wə’ōwḏekā wə’ōwḏḵā wə·’ō·w·ḏe·kā wə·’ō·w·ḏeh wə·’ō·wḏ·ḵā wə·hiṯ·wad·dāh wə·hiṯ·wad·dū wə·hō·ḏō·wṯ wə·hō·w·ḏō·wṯ wə·hō·w·ḏū wə·yō·w·ḏū wə·yō·w·ḏu·ḵā wəhiṯwaddāh wəhiṯwaddū wəhōḏōwṯ wəhōwḏōwṯ wəhōwḏū wəyōwḏū wəyōwḏuḵā yə·ḏū yə·hō·w·ḏeh yə·hō·w·ḏu·ḵā yeDu yəḏū yehoDeh yehoDucha yəhōwḏeh yəhōwḏuḵā yō·w·ḏe·ḵā yō·w·ḏeh- yō·w·ḏū yō·w·ḏū·ḵā yoDecha yodeh yoDu yoDucha yōwḏeh- yōwḏeḵā yōwḏū yōwḏūḵā
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