Hallelujah Psalms and the Hallel Psalms
Fourteen psalms open or close with Praise ye the LORD in the KJV. The Hallel is a separate group, Psalms 113 to 118.
Fourteen psalms open or close with the words "Praise ye the LORD" in the King James Version. Eight do both: Psalms 106, 113, 135 and 146 to 150. Psalms 111 and 112 only open with it, and Psalms 104, 105, 116 and 117 only close with it. These are the hallelujah psalms, because "Praise ye the LORD" is how the KJV renders hallelujah. The Hallel is a different group: Psalms 113 to 118, recited as a unit on Jewish festivals, including at Passover.
The table lists all fourteen with their verse counts and KJV opening words. The World English Bible used on this site prints the same call as "Praise the LORD". The sections below explain the word, the Hallel, and how the book of Psalms ends.
Open and close with "Praise ye the LORD" (KJV)
- 106Psalm 106: We Have Sinned with Our FathersNo heading. Forty-eight verses. A historical psalm that confesses the people's repeated failures and God's repeated mercy.48 verses · Historical and Prayer
- 113Psalm 113: Who Is Like the LORD?No heading and no named author. Nine verses. A psalm of praise that begins and ends with the words Praise the LORD.9 verses · Praise
- 135Psalm 135: Praise the LORD's NameNo heading and no named author. Twenty-one verses. A praise psalm that opens and closes with Praise the LORD.21 verses · Praise
- 146Psalm 146: Praise the LORD, My SoulNo heading and no named author. Ten verses. A hallelujah psalm that warns against trusting princes and lists what the LORD does.10 verses · Hallelujah and Praise
- 147Psalm 147: He Heals the Broken in HeartNo heading. Twenty verses. A praise psalm that opens and closes with Praise the LORD.20 verses · Praise and Hallelujah
- 148Psalm 148: Praise Him, Sun and MoonA psalm with no heading, fourteen verses long: a call to all creation, from the heavens down to the earth, to praise the LORD.14 verses · Hallelujah and Praise
- 149Psalm 149: His Praise in the AssemblyNo heading and no author named. Nine verses. A hallelujah psalm that begins and ends with Praise the LORD.9 verses · Hallelujah and Praise
- 150Psalm 150: Let Everything That Has BreathNo heading. Six verses. The last psalm, a Hallelujah psalm that calls everything that breathes to praise the LORD.6 verses · Hallelujah and Praise
Open with it only
- 111Psalm 111: The Beginning of WisdomNo heading. Ten verses. A psalm of praise for the LORD's works that ends with the fear of the LORD as the beginning of wisdom.10 verses · Praise and Wisdom
- 112Psalm 112: Light Dawns in the DarknessNo heading. Ten verses. A wisdom psalm that opens with Praise the LORD and describes the life of a person who fears him.10 verses · Wisdom and Praise
Close with it only
- 104Psalm 104: Bless the LORD, My SoulNo heading and no named author. Thirty-five verses. A praise psalm that walks through creation from sky to sea.35 verses · Praise
- 105Psalm 105: Remember His Marvelous WorksNo heading and no named author. Forty-five verses. A historical psalm that retells Israel's story, from Abraham to the land of Canaan, as praise.45 verses · Historical and Praise
- 116Psalm 116: I Love the LORDNo heading. Nineteen verses. A thanksgiving psalm from someone rescued from death who promises to call on the LORD for life.19 verses · Thanksgiving
- 117Psalm 117: Praise the LORD, All You NationsA psalm with no heading, two verses long and the shortest in the book: a call to all nations and peoples to praise the LORD.2 verses · Praise
What is a hallelujah psalm?
Wikipedia's article on the word explains hallelujah as a call to "praise ye Jah", where Jah or Yah is a short form of God's name. The same article counts the word in 24 verses of the Psalms, all between Psalm 104 and Psalm 150. This page uses a simpler test that anyone can check in a KJV: does the psalm begin or end with "Praise ye the LORD". That gives fourteen psalms. Psalm 115 just misses the list, because its last verse ends with the shorter "Praise the LORD". Outside the Psalms, the word itself appears four times in Revelation 19:1 to 6, where voices in heaven cry "Hallelujah".
What are the Hallel psalms?
The Hallel is a set of six psalms, Psalms 113 to 118, read together as one unit. According to Wikipedia's Hallel article, observant Jews recite it as praise and thanksgiving on joyous occasions: each day of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, and at Hanukkah and Rosh Chodesh, the start of a new month. It is not said on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur. The same article says the name Great Hallel is used for Psalm 136, while other opinions in the Talmud apply it to Psalms 135 and 136 or Psalms 134 to 136. Only three Hallel psalms are on the hallelujah list above: 113, 116 and 117.
The Hallel at Passover and the Last Supper
Wikipedia's Hallel article says the Hallel is recited in all communities during the Passover Seder. It also links the Hallel to the Last Supper. Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 both say that after the meal, "when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives". The Gospels do not name the hymn. The article says only that it may have been the Hallel, so that link is a possibility, not a fact the text states. Psalm 118, the last psalm of the Hallel, opens and closes with almost the same line: "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever."
How the book of Psalms ends
The last five psalms, Psalms 146 to 150, all open and close with "Praise ye the LORD", so the book ends on a run of praise. Psalm 146 warns against trusting princes. Psalm 147 says God heals the broken in heart. Psalm 148 calls on the sun, moon and stars to praise him. Psalm 149 calls for a new song. Psalm 150, only 6 verses long, ends the whole book: "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." Psalm 117, also on this list, is the shortest psalm of all, with 2 verses.
Guides to the Book of Psalms
What is a psalm?How to study the psalmsPsalms KJVShort psalm versesMost popular psalmsVerse of the dayWhat Selah meansHeading words explainedPsalms in HebrewCatholic psalm numbersPsalms in the New TestamentPsalms and ProverbsPsalms, hymns and spiritual songsFree commentariesPsalm 151The Bay Psalm Book
Questions
What are the Hallel psalms?
The Hallel is Psalms 113 to 118, recited as a unit on joyous Jewish festivals, according to Wikipedia's Hallel article. Psalm 136 is known as the Great Hallel.
Which psalms are said at Passover?
The Hallel, Psalms 113 to 118, is recited on each day of Passover and during the Passover Seder, according to Wikipedia's Hallel article.
What is the difference between the Hallel and the hallelujah psalms?
The Hallel is a fixed set of six psalms, 113 to 118, used together in worship. The hallelujah psalms are the fourteen psalms that open or close with "Praise ye the LORD" in the KJV, and only Psalms 113, 116 and 117 are in both groups.
What does hallelujah mean?
Wikipedia's Hallelujah article explains it as "praise ye Jah", a call to praise God using a short form of his name. The KJV renders it "Praise ye the LORD".
How many hallelujah psalms are there?
Fourteen psalms open or close with "Praise ye the LORD" in the KJV. Eight of them, Psalms 106, 113, 135 and 146 to 150, do both.
Did Jesus sing the Hallel at the Last Supper?
Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 say only that Jesus and his disciples sang a hymn before going to the Mount of Olives. Wikipedia's Hallel article says this may have been the Hallel, but the Gospels do not name it.
Keep reading
Psalms of Praise and WorshipPsalms of Thanksgiving and ThankfulnessPsalms for Singing: Music in the PsalmsTypes of Psalms in the BibleThe Five Books of PsalmsPsalms of Ascent: The 15 Songs of Ascents
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org
- Hallelujah: Wikipedia, Hallelujah: meaning "praise ye Jah", 24 verses in Psalms 104 to 150, four times in Revelation 19
- Hallel: Wikipedia, Hallel: Psalms 113 to 118, the festivals and Passover Seder where it is recited, the Great Hallel, and the Last Supper hymn