Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
and
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
. In Judaism it refers to a cry expressing an appeal for
divine
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...
help.Friberg Lexicon In Christianity it is used as a cry of praise.
Etymology
The word ''hosanna'' (Latin ', Greek , ''hōsanná'') is from
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
, ' and related to
Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...
(ʾōshaʿnā) meaning 'save, rescue, savior'.
In the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" '' Gospels it is used as a shout of jubilation, and this has given rise to complex discussions.
In that context, the word ''Hosanna'' seems to be a "special kind of respect" given to the one who saves, saved, will save, or is saving now. If so Hosanna means 'a special honor to the one who saves'. The literal interpretation "Save, now!", based on Psalm 118:25, does not fully explain the occurrence of the word.
Liturgical use in different traditions
Judaism
In Jewish liturgy, the word is applied specifically to the Hoshana Service, a cycle of prayers from which a selection is sung each morning during
Sukkot
or ("Booths, Tabernacles")
, observedby = Jews, Samaritans, a few Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews, Semitic Neopagans
, type = Jewish, Samaritan
, begins = 15th day of Tishrei
, ends = 21st day of Tis ...
, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. The complete cycle is sung on the seventh day of the festival, which is called Hoshana Rabbah (הושענא רבא, "Great Hoshana"). In Judaism it is always used in its original
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
form, הושע נא ''Hosha na'' or ''הושענא ''Hoshana''.
Christianity
"Hosanna" was the shout of praise or adoration made in recognition of the
messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
ship of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
Sanctus
The Sanctus ( la, Sanctus, "Holy") is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the ''epinikios hymnos'' ( el, ἐπινίκιος ὕμνος, "Hymn of Victory") when referring to the Greek rendition.
In Western Christianity, th ...
'' prayer.
It is applied in numerous verses of the New Testament, including "Hosanna; blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" (); "hosanna in the highest" (); and "hosanna to the Son of David" ().
The "Hosanna Anthem", based on the phrase ''Hosanna'', is a traditional
Moravian Church
The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...
anthem written by Bishop Christian Gregor of Herrnhut sung on Palm Sunday and the first Sunday of Advent. It is antiphonal, i.e. a call-and-response song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between trombone choirs.
Many songs for church use bear the title "Hosanna", including songs written by New Zealand singer Brooke Fraser Ligertwood (released on the 2007 Hillsong United albums '' All of the Above'' and live on '' Saviour King'' and covered by the Canadian group Starfield on their album '' I Will Go''); another song by
Paul Baloche
Paul Joseph Baloche Work ID No. 884337863 ISWC No. T9126089325 ( ; born on June 4, 1962) is an American Christian music artist, worship leader, and singer-songwriter. A native of Maple Shade Township, New Jersey,Price, Deborah Evans. "Higher Grou ...
Jeanette Threlfall
Jeanette Threlfall ( pen name, J. T.; 24 March 1821 – 30 November 1880) was a 19th-century English hymnwriter and author of other sacred poems. She published ''Woodsorrel'', 1856; ''The Babe and the Princess'', 1864; ''Sunshine and Shadow'', 1 ...
.
In the Philippines, particularly in
Tagalog
Tagalog may refer to:
Language
* Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines
** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language
** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language
* Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Taga ...
-speaking provinces, the term ''Osanahan'' refers to a procession of the faithful with the priest from a prayer station (termed ''kuból'' or ''Galilea'' in some places) after the blessing of palms to the local church for the Palm Sunday liturgy. At each stop, children dressed as angels sing the antiphon ''Hosanna Filio David'' in Filipino or Latin along with traditional music by a rondalla or a brass band.
Other examples of modern usage
The Latin phrase features in the refrain of the 1924
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French or ...
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
famously used the word in his exclamation "Hosanna! A client!" after securing a commission, breaking a long, dry spell.
In the 1969 Broadway musical '' 1776'' the word is used repeatedly as part of the chorus of the song "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men."
"Hosanna" is the name of one of the songs featured in the 1971 rock opera '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. The song covers the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, as in the above Biblical passages. Jesus is briefly harassed by the high priest Caiaphas but the people celebrate him as the Messiah. There is also a reprise of the chorus when Jesus is sent to King Herod.
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
composed the song " Hosanna" for the 2010 Tamil movie '' Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa''. Here the word is used as an exclamation of joy when a man sees his beloved. The Christian Catholic Secular Forum (CSF) objected to this song and asked film-makers Fox Star Studios to remove it from the final cut of the
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
remake of the film, '' Ekk Deewana Tha''.
Paul McCartney's album
New
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, released in 2013, features a song titled Hosanna. Contextually, he uses the phrase as a cry for help in light of the world's current state of affairs.
American comedians
Tim and Eric
Tim & Eric are an American comedy duo consisting of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. They are the creators and stars of the Adult Swim television series ''Tom Goes to the Mayor'', ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'', ''Check It Out! with ...
use the phrase "blessed Hosanna" freely in their piece "Morning Prayer with Skott and Behr."