hallelujah,Hebrew liturgical expression, usually rendered in English as “praise the Lord.” It appears in theHebrew Bible (Old Testament) in severalpsalms, usually at the beginning or end of the psalm or in both places. In ancientJudaism it was probably chanted as an antiphon by theLevite choir. In theNew Testament it appears only inRevelation 19, where it occurs four times. It was translated in theSeptuagint (JewishGreek version of theBible made in the pre-Christian period) and became “alleluia” in theVulgate (4th-century ChristianLatin version). The earlyChristians adopted the expression in theirworship services, and it appeared in Orthodox,Roman Catholic,Anglican, and someProtestantliturgies and in hymns.