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הִלּוּל

𐤄𐤋𐤅𐤋

hillûwl

H1974 noun

SILEX Entry

Root הלל to shine, to praise, to boast, to rejoice

Definition

hillûwl refers primarily to a festal celebration characterized by jubilation, rejoicing, or praise—particularly in contexts related to agricultural harvests. It denotes a communal event marked by expressions of joy, thanksgiving, or ritual festivity, often associated with the successful gathering of crops or with worshipful exuberance. The term embodies both the act and the atmosphere of joyful praise or merrymaking.

Semantic Range

celebration of joy, festal rejoicing, harvest thanksgiving, expression of communal praise, ritual merrymaking, exultant song

Root / Etymology

Root: הלל (h-l-l). The root הלל chiefly means 'to shine, to praise, to boast, to rejoice.' hillûwl is formed as a nominal derivative, functioning as a concrete expression of the action ('rejoicing' or 'praise') indicated by the root. The noun encapsulates the sense of collective, ritualized joy rather than mere individual praise or boastfulness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The usage of הִלּוּל (hillûwl) is relatively rare in the Hebrew Bible, found notably in relation to agricultural festivals such as the vintage or harvest celebrations (e.g., Lev 19:24). In these contexts, the term conveys both religious thankfulness and communal festivity. This noun stands apart from more common praise words like תְּהִלָּה (tehillah, 'praise') or תּוֹדָה (todah, 'thanksgiving'), as its sense is specifically communal, festival-oriented, and agricultural. In later tradition and usage, words from the same root (such as הַלֵּל, hallel, 'praise') come to have broader liturgical connotations, but hillûwl in biblical context generally retains the nuance of celebration rather than liturgical praise. English translations often narrow the term to 'praise' or 'merrymaking,' but the biblical sense encompasses both joyful festivity and thankful celebration, especially in relation to the cycle of harvests. Term usage reflects Israelite social and religious life—specifically its intersection of agricultural rhythms with worship.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from הָלַל (in the sense of rejoicing); a celebration of thanksgiving for harvest; merry, praise.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

הלל (h-l-l) — to shine, to praise, to boast, to rejoice

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1947 הוֹלֵלָה acts of folly
H1948 הוֹלֵלוּת reckless foolishness
H1966 הֵילֵל shining one
H1984 הָלַל I will extol
H1985 הִלֵּל Praise-One

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1974-01 הִלּוּלִ֖ים hilulim HNcmpa festivals festal rejoicings 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1974-01 Leviticus 19:24 הִלּוּלִ֖ים hilulim HNcmpa praises festal rejoicings
H1974-01 Judges 9:27 הִלּוּלִ֑ים hilulim HNcmpa festivals festal rejoicings
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