yada · praise, give thanks; confess

What it means

yada (יָדָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “praise, give thanks; confess”.

In one form of the verb, praise, give thanks. In another, confess: acknowledge sins or the name of God aloud. Its root sense is to throw.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To thank YHWH and praise him aloud for what he did.
2. To own aloud before God and others one's own sins.
3. To throw an arrow or a stone with force.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

A verb with two senses according to its form. In the causative form, to give thanks, to praise by acknowledging what God is or has done. In the reflexive form, to confess: to acknowledge sins aloud. BDB: to throw, cast; in the causative form, to praise, give thanks, confess. From it comes תּוֹדָה, “thanksgiving”.

• “Give thanks to YHWH, for {he is} good” Psalms 136:11 Chronicles 16:34
• Praising a person Genesis 49:8
• Confessing sins Leviticus 5:5Leviticus 16:21Nehemiah 9:2

Historical and cultural background

The name Judah is explained with this verb: Leah said “This time I will give thanks to YHWH”, and so she called him Judah (Genesis 29:35); Jacob plays on it when he blesses him: “Judah, you your brothers will praise” (Genesis 49:8).

How we translate it

“Give thanks” 52 times, “give you thanks” 16, “I will give you thanks” 14, “give him thanks” 4…; “confess” 5, “confessing” 3, “confessed” 1. This edition sets הוֹדָה = “give thanks” (also “give thanks to your name”) and הִתְוַדָּה = “confess”, so that the two forms of the verb are kept apart.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• give thanks ×52
• give you thanks ×16
• I will give you thanks ×14
• confess ×5
• give him thanks ×4
• giving thanks ×4
• confessing ×3
• gave thanks ×2
• cast ×1
• confessed ×1
• others ×12

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Leviticus×3
• Numbers×1
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×2
• 1 Chronicles×9
• 2 Chronicles×8
• Ezra×2
• Nehemiah×6
• Job×1
• Psalms×67
• Proverbs×1
• Isaiah×5
• Jeremiah×2
• Lamentations×1
• Daniel×2
• Zechariah×1

• Genesis 29:35

  She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will give thanks to YHWH.” That is why she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

• Genesis 49:8

  Judah, you your brothers will praise; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father will bow down to you.

• Leviticus 5:5

  When he becomes guilty in one of these, he shall confess that in which he has sinned.

• Leviticus 16:21

  And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions, for all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is ready.

• Leviticus 26:40

  But they will confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their unfaithfulness that they committed against me, and also that they walked with me in opposition,

• Numbers 5:7

  they shall confess their sin that they have committed; and he shall restore in full what he is guilty of, and add to it a fifth of it, and give it to the one against whom he became guilty.

• 2 Samuel 22:50

  Therefore I will give you thanks, YHWH, among the nations, and to your name I will sing psalms.

• 1 Kings 8:33

  When your people Israel are struck down before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and give thanks to your name and pray and make supplication to you in this house,

• 1 Kings 8:35

  When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and give thanks to your name and turn back from their sin because you afflict them,

• 1 Chronicles 16:4

  He appointed before the ark of YHWH some of the Levites as ministers, to make remembrance and to give thanks and to praise YHWH, the Elohim of Israel:

• 1 Chronicles 16:7

  On that day then David first assigned the giving of thanks to YHWH by the hand of Asaph and his brothers:

• 1 Chronicles 16:8

  “Give thanks to YHWH; call on his name; make known among the peoples his deeds.

• 1 Chronicles 16:34

  Give thanks to YHWH, for he is good, for his loyal love is forever.

• 1 Chronicles 16:35

  And say, ‘Save us, Elohim of our salvation; gather us and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to glory in your praise.’

• 1 Chronicles 16:41

  And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest of the selected ones who were designated by name to give thanks to YHWH, for his loyal love is forever;

• 1 Chronicles 23:30

  and to stand every morning to give thanks and to praise YHWH, and likewise in the evening;

• 1 Chronicles 25:3

  Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun, Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in giving thanks and praising YHWH.

• 1 Chronicles 29:13

  And now, our Elohim, we give thanks to you and praise the name of your beauty.

• 2 Chronicles 5:13

  and it happened, as one, that the trumpeters and the singers were to make one voice heard to praise and to give thanks to YHWH; and when they raised their voice with the trumpets and with cymbals and with instruments of song, and praised YHWH, “For he is good, for his loyal love is forever,” then the house was filled with a cloud, the house of YHWH,

• 2 Chronicles 6:24

  And if your people Israel is struck down before an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they return and give thanks to your name and pray and make supplication before you in this house,

• 2 Chronicles 6:26

  When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and give thanks to your name and turn from their sin because you afflict them,

• 2 Chronicles 7:3

  All the sons of Israel were watching the fire come down and the glory of YHWH upon the house, and they knelt with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and bowed down and gave thanks to YHWH, “For he is good, for his loyal love is forever.”

• 2 Chronicles 7:6

  The priests were standing at their posts, and the Levites with the instruments of song of YHWH that David the king had made for giving thanks to YHWH, “For his loyal love is forever,” when David praised by their hand; and the priests were sounding the trumpets opposite them, and all Israel was standing.

• 2 Chronicles 20:21

  He took counsel with the people and appointed singers to YHWH and men praising in the splendor of holiness, as they went out before the equipped troops, and saying, “Give thanks to YHWH, for his loyal love is forever.”

• 2 Chronicles 30:22

  Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites who showed good insight in the service of YHWH. And they ate what belonged to the appointed feast the seven days, sacrificing sacrifices of peace and giving thanks to YHWH, the Elohim of their fathers.

• 2 Chronicles 31:2

  Hezekiah set the divisions of the priests and the Levites by their divisions, each according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offering and for peace offerings, to minister and to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the camps of YHWH.

• Ezra 3:11

  And they answered one another praising and giving thanks to YHWH: “For he is good, for his loyal love is forever over Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout, praising YHWH, because the house of YHWH had been founded.

• Ezra 10:1

  And while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and lying prostrate before the house of Elohim, a very great assembly from Israel gathered to him, men and women and children, for the people wept with much weeping.

• Nehemiah 1:6

  let your ear, I beg you, be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant, which I am praying before you today, day and night, for the sons of Israel your servants, and confessing the sins of the sons of Israel, which we have sinned against you; and I and my father’s house have sinned.

• Nehemiah 9:2

  And the offspring of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

• Nehemiah 9:3

  And they stood up in their place and read in the book of the law of YHWH their Elohim a fourth of the day, and for another fourth they were confessing and prostrating themselves before YHWH their Elohim.

• Nehemiah 11:17

  and Mattaniah son of Micah, son of Zabdi, son of Asaph, head of the beginning, who gave thanks in the prayer; and Bakbukiah, the second among his brothers; and Abda son of Shammua, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun.

• Nehemiah 12:24

  And the heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of Elohim, watch opposite watch.

• Nehemiah 12:46

  For in the days of David and Asaph, of old, there were heads of the singers and song of praise and thanksgivings to Elohim.

• Job 40:14

  Then I too will acknowledge you, that your right hand can save you.

• Psalms 6:5

  For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you thanks?

• Psalms 7:17

  I will give thanks to YHWH according to his righteousness, and I will sing psalms to the name of YHWH Elyon.

• Psalms 9:1

  For the director. Almut labben. A psalm of David. I will give thanks to YHWH with all my heart; I will recount all your wonders.

• Psalms 18:49

  Therefore I will give you thanks among the nations, YHWH, and to your name I will sing psalms.

• Psalms 28:7

  YHWH is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusted, and I was helped; and my heart leaped for joy, and with my song I will give him thanks.

And 74 more times.