I got reminded of my schooldays when we did Christian Religious Studies (CRS) and were looking at The Meaning Of Hosanna In The Bible. I did not think I would be doing a whole study and teaching on this topic; see how time flies!
Haha, let me not bore you with my old-school Christian life. I think the challenge many people have is understanding the term Hosanna, especially when considering its usage in the expression Hosanna In The Highest.
One would ask, What does Hosanna mean in the Bible? Therefore, without wasting time, we will look at Hosanna’s meaning in the Bible and discuss the liturgical expression of Hosanna in the highest.
Meanwhile, have you seen the recent message on our Bible Verses series, 10 Encouraging Bible Verses For Men? You should give it a read!
The Meaning Of Hosanna In The Bible
In the Bible, the term Hosanna appears only in the Gospels (Matthew 21:9,15, Mark 11:9–10, and John 12:13) and will aid us in understanding its meaning. But taking one step at a time, let us first look at Hosanna In Hebrew and Greek.
In Matthew 21:9, “The multitudes who went before him, and who followed kept shouting, “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
The word translated as Hosanna there is the term ὡσαννά in Greek, transliterated as hōsanná. Generally, it is agreeable as a word derived from the Hebrew הוֹשִׁיעָה-נָּא, hoshiya-na in English, with transliterations including Hosianna and Hoshana. It means a plea to save and is a call/command to save us now. In a single word, Hosanna means salvation and can be used in prayer or praise the Lord.
For instance, the Psalmist said in Psalms 118:24–29 WEB:
“This is the day that Yahweh has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
Save us now, we beg you, Yahweh! Yahweh, we beg you, send prosperity now.
Blessed is he who comes in Yahweh’s name! We have blessed you out of Yahweh’s house.
Yahweh is God, and he has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will exalt you.
Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.”
Though the scriptures are part of the Psalms Of Praise in the Sukkot (a 7-days festival of Jewish origin, of Thanksgiving to God), from Psalms 113 to 118, a contextual study of the passage presents a prophecy concerning Christ Jesus in the poem.
We can see the fulfillment of the prophecy as accounted in the Gospels of Matthew 21, Mark 11, and John 12, where the Lord Jesus appeared, going to Jerusalem.
John said, “They took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!’” John 12:13 WEB.
Hosanna In The Highest
Did you know that Hosanna in the highest is the same as Hosanna in Excelsis? Yes, and that is because excelsis means the highest degree.
But what is the meaning of Hosanna in the highest? We have seen the word Hosanna, but let us look at the word highest.
The word highest is from the word Hypsistois (ὑψίστοις) in Greek. It means the Most High, the heaven and above. Therefore, Hosanna in the highest, is a poetic expression of the people’s hope for salvation from the Lord. It was a recognition of the Messiah and a call for Him to save them.
In Matthew 21:6–10 WEB, “The disciples went, and did just as Jesus commanded them,
and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them.
A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road.
The multitudes who went before him, and who followed kept shouting, ‘Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’”
See the likeness of the expression in Psalms 118:25 and 26, where we read above, and a description of the act in the Feast of the Tabernacles (Sukkot) recorded in Leviticus 23:33–43.
However, what happened above is generally known today as the Triumphant Entry of Jesus Christ and observed by many Christians as Palm Sunday.
