What does Alleluia mean in the Bible?

Alleluia is an exclamation of worship or a call to praise transliterated by two Hebrew words meaning "Praise the Lord" or "Praise the Eternal". Some versions of the Bible carry the phrase "Praise the Lord". The Greek form of the word is alleluia.

Nowadays, the alleluia is quite popular as an expression of praise, but it has been an important statement in the worship of the church and synagogue since ancient times.

Alleluia in the Old Testament
The alleluia is found 24 times in the Old Testament, but only in the book of Psalms. It appears in 15 different Psalms, between 104-150, and in almost all cases when the Psalm is opened and / or closed. These passages are called "Psalms alleluia".

A good example is Psalm 113:

Pray to the Lord!
Yes, rejoice, O servants of the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the Lord
now and forever.
Everywhere, from east to west,
praise the name of the Lord.
For the Lord is high above the nations;
his glory is higher than the heavens.
Who can be compared to the Lord our God,
who is enthroned above?
He bends down to look
heaven and earth.
Get the poor out of the dust
and the needy from the landfill.
It places them among the principles,
even the principles of his own people!
Give the childless woman a family,
making her a happy mother.
Pray to the Lord!
In Judaism, Psalms 113-118 are known as Hallel, or song. These verses are traditionally sung during the Jewish Passover, the feast of Pentecost, the feast of tabernacles and the feast of dedication.

Alleluia in the New Testament
In the New Testament the term appears exclusively in Revelation 19: 1-6:

After this I heard what seemed to be the strong voice of a large multitude in heaven, shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation, glory and power belong to our God, since his judgments are true and right; for he judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with his immorality and avenged her the blood of his servants ".
Once again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever. "
And the twenty-four elders and four living creatures fell and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Alleluia!"
And from the throne came a voice saying: "Praise our God, all of you his servants, you who fear him, small and great".
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and the sound of powerful thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For the Lord our Almighty God reigns ”.
Hallelujah at Christmas
Today, alleluia is recognized as a Christmas word thanks to the German composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). His timeless "Hallelujah Chorus" of the masterpiece Oratory Messiah has become one of the best known and loved Christmas presentations of all time.

Interestingly, during his thirty years of Messiah performances, Handel did not conduct any during the Christmas season. He considered it a Lenten piece. Even so, history and tradition have altered the association, and now the inspiring echoes of “Alleluia! Alleluia!" they are an integral part of the sounds of the Christmas period.

Pronunciation
hahl lying LOO yah

Example
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord Almighty God reigns.