An exclamation of praise or joy, especially in religious contexts; originally a Hebrew expression.
From Hebrew 'hallelu' (praise you/let us praise) + 'Yah' (God/Yahweh), meaning literally 'praise God,' appearing throughout the Bible and entering English through religious texts.
Leonard Cohen's song 'Hallelujah' subverted the word's sacred meaning to express spiritual doubt and heartbreak—which is why the same word could be equally at home in a gospel church or that song, showing how language layers meaning over time.
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