For the youth participating in the procession of palms this Sunday, here is the simple melody we’ll be singing “hosanna” to:
What does “Hosanna” mean?
“Our English word ‘hosanna’ comes from a Greek word ‘hosanna’ which comes from a Hebrew phrase ‘hoshiya na.’ And that Hebrew phrase is found one solitary place in the whole Old Testament, Psalm 118:25, where it means, ‘Save, please!’ It is a cry to God for help. But something happened to that phrase ‘hoshiya na.’ The meaning changed over the years. In the psalm it was immediately followed by the exclamation ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The cry for help, ‘hoshiya na,’ was answered almost before it came out of the psalmist’s mouth. And over the centuries the phrase ‘hoshiya na’ stopped being a cry for help in the ordinary language of the Jews. Instead it became a shout of hope and exultation. It used to mean ‘Save, please!’ but gradually, it came to mean ‘Salvation! Salvation! Salvation has come!’ The word moved from plea to praise, from cry to confidence.”
Dr. John Piper, desiringgod.org