Praise the Lord. Hallelujah is a Hebrew word that means praise the Lord. "Hallelu" is the second-person plural imperative in Hebrew, which translates as "Praise!" And "Ya" is the abbreviation of God's name "Jehovah". "Hallelujah" has been widely used as early as the Old Testament period. It appears most frequently in the Psalms of the Old Testament, because Psalms are songs used by the Israelites to sing and worship. Therefore, at the beginning of hymns, "Hallelujah" is often used to invite the congregation to sing and praise together.