Leviticus 7:12 · Symbol · Gratitude
The Words Todah, Yadah and Eucharisteo
Todah and yadah in Hebrew and eucharisteo in Greek are three of Scripture's words for thanks to God.
When Leah named her fourth son Judah, she drew his name from the Hebrew verb for praising and thanking God.
If he offers it in thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.
- The word
- תּוֹדָה (todah), H8426
- First appears
- Leviticus 7:12 “If he offers it in thanksgiving, then along…”
Summary
Each of these words names thanks as something done in the open, at the altar, in a spoken confession or at a meal. The Hebrew of the Old Testament joins thanks to the offering a worshipper brought and to the confession he spoke aloud. The Greek of the New Testament uses one verb for the thanks Jesus gave at meals and for the thanks Paul commands in every circumstance. The meaning of each word is set by how Scripture uses it, so each is read in its verses.
- Todah (H8426) means thanksgiving and also names the thank offering, one kind of peace offering.
- Yadah (H3034) means both to give thanks and to confess, and its plural command hodu, give thanks, opens Psalm 136.
- Eucharisteo (G2168), to give thanks, names Jesus' thanks over the bread, and the church's word Eucharist comes from it.
- Scripture names the opposite of thanks with acharistos, ungrateful, and with the grumbling words lun in Hebrew and gongyzo in Greek.
Thanks Brought to the Altar
The law names thanksgiving first among the reasons an Israelite could bring a peace offering.
Scripture speaks of thanks to God with a small family of words, Hebrew in the Old Testament and Greek in the New. Todah and yadah carry thanks through Israel's law and psalms, and eucharisteo and its relatives carry it through the Gospels and the letters of Paul. Each word has a range of senses, and reading them closely shows what thanks meant to those who first gave it.
The words belong to gratitude because the value is taught through them. The psalms' call to give thanks, the thank offering of the law and Paul's command to give thanks in every circumstance all rest on them. This word study answers one question: what did the writers of the Bible say when they gave thanks, and what did they mean by it? It reads thirteen words in all, sets the chief ones side by side, follows them from Genesis to Revelation, and gives four cautions for reading them.
The Words Side by Side
Psalm 100:4 holds all three Hebrew words of the table in one verse: be-todah, hodu and barkhu.
Three Hebrew words and four Greek words carry thanks and blessing, and a standard lexicon names one Septuagint link between them, from barak to eulogeo.
| Word | Gloss in the Tyndale House lexicon | Uses | A verse where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew | |||
| todah, תּוֹדָה, H8426 | thanksgiving | 31 | Psalm 100:4, with thanksgiving |
| yadah, יָדָה, H3034 | to give thanks | 114 | Psalm 136:1, give thanks |
| barak, בָרַךְ, H1288 | to bless | 330 | Deuteronomy 8:10, you are to bless |
| Greek | |||
| eucharisteo, εὐχαριστέω, G2168 | to thank | 38 | 1 Corinthians 11:24, when He had given thanks |
| eucharistia, εὐχαριστία, G2169 | thankfulness | 15 | Philippians 4:6, with thanksgiving |
| charis, χάρις, G5485 | grace | 153 | 2 Corinthians 9:15, thanks be to God |
| eulogeo, εὐλογέω, G2127 | to praise or bless | 41 | Matthew 26:26, spoke a blessing |
| The link a lexicon names | |||
| barak to eulogeo | Abbott-Smith gives eulogeo as used in the Septuagint for the Piel of barak | one link | Deuteronomy 8:10, which Abbott-Smith cites |
eucharistia, εὐχαριστία, G2169, charis, χάρις, G5485, eulogeo, εὐλογέω, G2127, The link a lexicon names, barak to eulogeo
The Words Through the Canon
Eight verses, from Joshua to Revelation, show what the words of thanks were used for.
The 8 texts in canon order.
- Joshua 7:19
- Nehemiah 12:31
- Psalm 32:5
- Luke 17:16
- John 6:11
- Romans 1:21
7A command to keep giving thanks
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- Revelation 7:12
Each station opens its verse page.
A command to keep giving thanks, Thanks before the throne
A CONFESSION BEFORE THE LORD
Joshua tells Achan to make a confession, and the word for it is todah.
CHOIRS ON THE WALL
Nehemiah appoints two great thanksgiving choirs, and the Hebrew calls them todot, the plural of todah.
SIN ACKNOWLEDGED
The psalmist says he will confess his transgressions, and the verb is yadah, the same verb that gives thanks.
THE ONE WHO RETURNED
The Samaritan falls at Jesus' feet giving thanks, a present participle of eucharisteo.
THANKS AT THE LOAVES
Jesus gives thanks over the loaves before He feeds the crowd, and John's verb is eucharisteo.
THANKS WITHHELD
Paul traces the darkened heart to people who knew God and did not give Him thanks.
A COMMAND TO KEEP GIVING THANKS
In Paul's command to give thanks in every circumstance, the verb is a present imperative of eucharisteo, the form of a command to go on doing.
THANKS BEFORE THE THRONE
The worshippers before the throne give God thanks among seven words of praise, and the noun is eucharistia.
Sin acknowledged, The one who returned, Thanks at the loaves, Thanks withheld, A command to keep giving thanks, Thanks before the throne
Four Cautions in Reading the Words
Four points the lexicons settle about reading these words.
Eucharisteo and the root fallacyG2168 and G5485
Eucharisteo is built on charis, grace, and readers sometimes define the verb by its parts as good grace. A word's meaning is set by its use, and in the New Testament eucharisteo means to give thanks; Strong's adds that it is used specially of saying grace at a meal. The likeness to charis is real and may be shown, as when Paul writes charis for thanks in 2 Corinthians 9:15, but it does not define the verb.
Yadah and the raised handH3034
Strong's gives yadah a physical sense, to throw, and a sense of worship with extended hands. Brown, Driver and Briggs give the simple stem as throw or cast and say that the senses give thanks and confess are commonly derived from it, perhaps from gestures that went with them. The raised hand belongs to the word's early history and to some uses, so a verse with yadah does not by itself show that hands were lifted.
Lun, to lodge and to grumbleH3885
The Tyndale House lexicon glosses lun first as to lodge and second as to grumble. The grumbling sense stands in two stems: Exodus 16:2 has the Niphal, they grumbled, and Numbers 14:27 has mallinim, a Hiphil participle, for the congregation grumbling against the LORD.
Strong's numbers and the standard lexiconsStrong's and BDB
Strong's numbers are an index that ties an English word to its Hebrew or Greek word, and the short definitions beside them date from 1890. The standard Hebrew lexicon of the same age is Brown, Driver and Briggs (1906), which a reader can open in full.
The Thank Offering in Israel
The law required the meat of the thank offering to be eaten on the day it was offered (Leviticus 7:15).
The peace offerings, the shelamim, take their name from a word Strong's defines as a voluntary sacrifice in thanks. In the order of the standard Hebrew lexicon of 1906, todah means praise given to God, thanksgiving in the songs of worship, a thanksgiving choir or procession, and the thank offering.
the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those bringing thank offerings into the house of the LORD, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good; His loving devotion endures forever.’ For I will restore the land from captivity as in former times, says the LORD.Jeremiah promises that after the exile thank offerings will again be brought into the house of the LORD with the refrain of thanks on the worshippers' lips.
The Whole Table of Words
Thirteen words, six Hebrew and seven Greek, with their glosses, counts and forms.
todah, תּוֹדָה
thanksgiving; 31 uses
yadah, יָדָה
to give thanks; 114 uses
barak, בָרַךְ
to bless; 330 uses
shelem, שֶׁלֶם
peace offering; 87 uses
lun, לוּן
to lodge, and in a second sense to grumble; 84 uses
telunah, תְּלוּנָה
murmuring; 8 uses
eucharisteo, εὐχαριστέω
to thank; 38 uses
eucharistia, εὐχαριστία
thankfulness; 15 uses
eucharistos, εὐχάριστος
thankful; 1 use
charis, χάρις
grace; 153 uses
acharistos, ἀχάριστος
ungrateful; 2 uses
gongyzo, γογγύζω
to murmur; 8 uses
eulogeo, εὐλογέω
to praise or bless; 41 uses
The lexicon in full2 tables and figures
The Hebrew words6 words
A table of six Hebrew words, each with its gloss and count from the Tyndale House lexicon, its range in Strong's dictionary of 1890, and verses where it stands with the form it takes there.
| Word | Gloss and uses | Range in Strong's | Verses and forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| todah, תּוֹדָה, H8426 | thanksgiving; 31 uses | an extension of the hand, i.e. avowal, or (usually) adoration; specifically, a choir of worshippers | Leviticus 7:12; Psalm 100:4, be-todah, with thanksgiving; Joshua 7:19, make a confession |
| yadah, יָדָה, H3034 | to give thanks; 114 uses | to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan | Psalm 136:1 and 100:4, hodu, give thanks, a Hiphil plural command; Psalm 32:5, I will confess; Genesis 29:35, I will praise |
| barak, בָרַךְ, H1288 | to bless; 330 uses | to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration) | Deuteronomy 8:10, you are to bless; Psalm 100:4, barkhu, bless |
| shelem, שֶׁלֶם, H8002 | peace offering; 87 uses | requital, i.e. a (voluntary) sacrifice in thanks | Leviticus 7:11, the peace offering |
| lun, לוּן, H3885 | to lodge, and in a second sense to grumble; 84 uses | to stop (usually over night); hence (in a bad sense) to be obstinate (especially in words, to complain) | Numbers 14:27, mallinim, a Hiphil participle, where the Berean reads grumble |
| telunah, תְּלוּנָה, H8519 | murmuring; 8 uses | a grumbling | Exodus 16:8, twice; Numbers 14:27 |
The Greek words7 words
A table of seven Greek words, each with its gloss and count from the Tyndale House lexicon, its range in Strong's dictionary of 1890, and verses where it stands with the form it takes there.
| Word | Gloss and uses | Range in Strong's | Verses and forms |
|---|---|---|---|
| eucharisteo, εὐχαριστέω, G2168 | to thank; 38 uses | to be grateful, i.e. (actively) to express gratitude (towards); specially, to say grace at a meal | Luke 17:16, in thanksgiving, a present participle; 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Give thanks, a present imperative; John 6:11, gave thanks, and 1 Corinthians 11:24, when He had given thanks, an aorist participle |
| eucharistia, εὐχαριστία, G2169 | thankfulness; 15 uses | gratitude; actively, grateful language (to God, as an act of worship) | Philippians 4:6 |
| eucharistos, εὐχάριστος, G2170 | thankful; 1 use | well favored, i.e. (by implication) grateful | Colossians 3:15, its one use |
| charis, χάρις, G5485 | grace; 153 uses | graciousness, of manner or act, including gratitude | 2 Corinthians 9:15, thanks be to God |
| acharistos, ἀχάριστος, G884 | ungrateful; 2 uses | thankless, i.e. ungrateful | Luke 6:35 and 2 Timothy 3:2 |
| gongyzo, γογγύζω, G1111 | to murmur; 8 uses | to grumble | 1 Corinthians 10:10, twice |
| eulogeo, εὐλογέω, G2127 | to praise or bless; 41 uses | to speak well of, i.e. (religiously) to bless (thank or invoke a benediction upon, prosper) | Matthew 26:26 and Luke 24:30, spoke a blessing |
The Lord's Supper and the Name Eucharist
Matthew and Paul tell the Supper with two verbs, eulogeo and eucharisteo.
and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”Paul's participle eucharistesas, having given thanks, is the same form John uses for Jesus' thanks over the loaves in John 6:11.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.Matthew tells the bread with eulogeo and the cup with eucharisteo, so the two verbs stand together at the one meal.
At Emmaus Jesus blessed the bread with eulogeo (Luke 24:30), so the verbs of the Supper are also the verbs of His other meals. What the Supper is, whether a memorial, a spiritual presence of Christ or His real presence, is a question the churches answer in different ways.
Voices on the Words
Charles Spurgeon read the thank offering of Psalm 50:14 for the church of his day.
1834 to 1892 · Charles Spurgeon
The Treasury of David, Vol. 2
The quotation1 quotation, 1 paragraph
Spurgeon makes gratitude the substance and soul of every offering God accepts.
“Offer unto God thanksgiving. No longer look at your sacrifices as in themselves gifts pleasing to me, but present them as the tributes of your gratitude; it is then that I will accept them, but not while your poor souls have no love and no thankfulness to offer me. The sacrifices, as considered in themselves, are contemned, but the internal emotions of love consequent upon a remembrance of divine goodness, are commended as the substance, meaning, and soul of sacrifice.”
Charles Spurgeon · The Treasury of David, Vol. 2 · on Psalm 50:14
Books to Read Next
Two standard lexicons a reader can open in full, one Hebrew and one Greek.
A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament
Francis Brown, S. R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs · 1906
The entries for todah and yadah give the senses of each word with the verses for each sense.
Read on archive.orgA Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament
G. Abbott-Smith · 1922
The entries for eucharistia and eulogeo give the senses with their New Testament verses and note their use in the Septuagint.
Read on archive.orgThanks as an Answer
The value of gratitude gathers these words into one teaching.
Gratitude in Scripture is the answer of God's people to His goodness, and these words are the language in which that answer was given.
Sources
Scripture is the Berean Standard Bible.
- STEP Bible TBESH and TBESG glosses (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0), the Brief lexicon based on Abbott-Smith (1922), with the Strong's definitions (1890) the rows carry.
- The word-by-word morphology of the Hebrew and Greek text in the site's database.
- James Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, with brief dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek words of the original (1890)
- Francis Brown, S. R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford, 1906), entries תּוֹדָה (BDB03829) and יָדָה (BDB03826)
- Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, volume 2.
Keep Studying
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