Isn’t it interesting and comforting how God cares about every aspect of our lives?
Take our words. There is more to them than just their meaning.
A word’s sound and form have power and purpose as well.
Alliteration, consonance, and assonance — the repetition of consonant or vowel sounds — create cohesion or rhythm or music or mood.
And then there is the form of the word itself. Is the word closed, a moment unto itself like “stop”? Short and tight and over in a moment, just like the word suggests? Or is the word open from beginning to end like “alleluia” or “hallelujah”— “God be praised.”
We were singing a worship song last week in church when we came to this word, and I realized that there is no way to sing “alleluia” with only a portion of your being.
It begins with a full, open mouthed, vowel sound and ends the same way with only one full consonant sound, the L, which is rich and mellow and moves you along until the Y sound pushes you home. You can’t sing this song half-heartedly, the word won’t allow it. You must sing it from the core of your being.
And isn’t that the way it should be? Whether Greek or Hebrew. Whether Alleluia or Hallelujah, the word requires us to fully engage. God be praised!
Please enjoy one of my favorite artists, Lauren Daigle, and one of my favorite songs of hers — “Let it be a Hallelujah.”
Take our words. There is more to them than just their meaning.
A word’s sound and form have power and purpose as well.
Alliteration, consonance, and assonance — the repetition of consonant or vowel sounds — create cohesion or rhythm or music or mood.
And then there is the form of the word itself. Is the word closed, a moment unto itself like “stop”? Short and tight and over in a moment, just like the word suggests? Or is the word open from beginning to end like “alleluia” or “hallelujah”— “God be praised.”
We were singing a worship song last week in church when we came to this word, and I realized that there is no way to sing “alleluia” with only a portion of your being.
It begins with a full, open mouthed, vowel sound and ends the same way with only one full consonant sound, the L, which is rich and mellow and moves you along until the Y sound pushes you home. You can’t sing this song half-heartedly, the word won’t allow it. You must sing it from the core of your being.
And isn’t that the way it should be? Whether Greek or Hebrew. Whether Alleluia or Hallelujah, the word requires us to fully engage. God be praised!
Please enjoy one of my favorite artists, Lauren Daigle, and one of my favorite songs of hers — “Let it be a Hallelujah.”
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