Lexical Summary
todah: Thanksgiving, praise, confession
Original Word: תּוֹדָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: towdah
Pronunciation: toh-DAH
Phonetic Spelling: (to-daw')
KJV: confession, (sacrifice of) praise, thanks(-giving, offering)
NASB: thanksgiving, thank offerings, choirs, thank offering, choir, confession, hymns of thanksgiving
Word Origin: [from H3034 (יָדָה - give thanks)]
1. (properly) an extension of the hand
2. (by implication) avowal, or (usually) adoration
3. specifically, a choir of worshippers
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Togarmah
From yadah; properly, an extension of the hand, i.e. (by implication) avowal, or (usually) adoration; specifically, a choir of worshippers -- confession, (sacrifice of) praise, thanks(-giving, offering).
see HEBREW yadah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yadahDefinitionthanksgiving
NASB Translationchoir (1), choirs (2), confession (1), hymns of thanksgiving (1), praise (1), sacrifices of thanksgiving (1), thank offering (2), thank offerings (4), thanksgiving (18).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
,
Leviticus 7:12 23t.; construct
Leviticus 7:13,15; plural
Psalm 56:13 3t.;
Nehemiah 12:31,40; —
give praise to Joshua 7:19 (J E; "" ), Ezra 10:11, in both of praise rendered by acknowledging and abandoning sin; see Di. on Joshua, and on Ezra Öttli and especially Ryle; compare verb with ; so RVm; > Thes MV SS Be RV and others confession.
thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship Psalm 26:7; Psalm 42:5; Jonah 2:10; "" Psalm 69:31; Nehemiah 12:27; "" Psalm 95:2; "" Isaiah 51:3; "" Psalm 100:4; "" Psalm 147:7.
thanksgiving choir, procession, line, company Nehemiah 12:31,38,40, probably also Jeremiah 30:19 ("" ).
thank-offering Amos 4:5 ("" ); a division of Leviticus 7:12 a; Leviticus 7:13; Leviticus 7:15; Leviticus 7:12 b (all P), Leviticus 22:29 (H); 2Chronicles 29:31 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 33:16; Psalm 107:22; Psalm 116:17; Jeremiah 17:26; Jeremiah 33:11; Psalm 100:1 (title); in Psalms "" offer a thank-offering Psalm 50:14; Psalm 50:23 (see BrMP. 239); Psalm 56:13.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of Meaning and Range of Usage תּוֹדָה (todah) spans the concepts of thanksgiving, praise, and confession. In the approximately thirty-two Old Testament occurrences it describes both verbal expressions (spoken or sung) and material offerings presented to the LORD. The contexts cluster around worship, sacrifice, testimony, and prophetic vision.
Association with Levitical Sacrifices
Todah appears first in the sacrificial legislation (Leviticus 7:12-15; 22:29-30) as a distinct category within the peace offerings. The worshiper brought an animal and an accompanying grain provision of cakes and loaves, all consumed on the same day. The ritual emphasized immediate gratitude for divine deliverance or blessing and fostered fellowship: the priest, the giver, and often guests shared the meal in Yahweh’s presence. The act embodied a lived theology that every rescue, harvest, or answered prayer rightly culminates in tangible thanksgiving. 2 Chronicles 29:31 and 33:16 show Judah’s reforming kings restoring such offerings when renewing covenant faithfulness.
Liturgical Praise and Worship
Many Psalms employ todah to signify vocal or musical gratitude.
• “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).
• “Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him in song” (Psalm 95:2).
• Processional language in Psalm 42:4 presents todah leading worshipers to the altar, while communal choirs in Nehemiah 11:17 incorporate it after the exile. Recurrent verbs such as “sing,” “declare,” and “shout” bind todah to exuberant public worship rather than private sentiment.
Confession and Testimony
Todah also carries the sense of truthful acknowledgment. Joshua urged Achan, “Give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give Him praise” (Joshua 7:19), calling for honest confession using todah. Ezra 10:11 applies the same concept to national repentance. Thus thanksgiving and confession are two sides of one reality: agreeing with God about His deeds and our deeds.
Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions
Prophets envision future restoration filled with todah.
• Jeremiah 33:11 pictures the desolated Jerusalem ringing again with “the voices of those bringing thank offerings to the house of the LORD.”
• Isaiah 51:3 foretells that Zion “will be called the Garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song.”
Such texts frame todah as an indispensable marker of covenant renewal and eschatological hope.
Theology and Typology
The sacrificial todah prefigures the New Covenant “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). Whereas animals and bread once symbolized gratitude, Christ’s once-for-all atonement enables continual, Spirit-empowered thanksgiving. The early church’s breaking of bread and prayers echo the pattern: gratitude expressed both verbally and around a shared meal.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Worship Planning: Incorporate explicit thanksgiving songs, testimonies, and offerings, mirroring the integrated practice of speech and giving.
2. Prayer Life: Balance petitions with deliberate todah, training hearts to recognize God’s goodness.
3. Spiritual Warfare: Jonah 2:9 shows thanksgiving preceding deliverance; gratitude anchors faith in crisis.
4. Community Formation: Shared meals of gratitude reinforce fellowship, echoing the peace-offering banquet.
Representative Old Testament References
Leviticus 7:12-15; Leviticus 22:29-30
Joshua 7:19
2 Chronicles 29:31; 33:16
Nehemiah 11:17
Psalm 26:7; 42:4; 50:14; 69:30; 95:2; 100:4; 107:22; 116:17; 147:7
Isaiah 51:3
Jeremiah 17:26; 33:11
Jonah 2:9
Amos 4:5
Harmony with New Testament Teaching
Todah’s trajectory culminates in Christ’s table: “When He had given thanks, He broke it” (Luke 22:19). Believers now present continual todah—confession of the gospel, songs of praise, acts of generosity—offered through the mediating priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Summary
Todah threads through Israel’s worship as sacrifice, song, confession, and prophecy, finding its ultimate fulfillment in the church’s ceaseless thanksgiving through Christ. Wherever God’s people gratefully acknowledge His saving works, the ancient voice of todah still sounds.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּתוֹדָ֑ה בְּתוֹדָ֗ה בְתוֹדָֽה׃ בתודה בתודה׃ הַתּוֹדָ֗ה הַתּוֹדֹ֖ת התודה התודת וְהַתּוֹדָ֧ה וְתוֹד֔וֹת וְתוֹד֖וֹת וְתוֹדָ֑ה וְתוֹדָ֗ה וּבְתוֹד֣וֹת ובתודות והתודה ותודה ותודות לְתוֹדָ֑ה לתודה תּוֹדַ֣ת תּוֹדַ֥ת תּוֹדָ֑ה תּוֹדָ֔ה תּוֹדָ֖ה תּוֹדָ֗ה תּוֹדָה֙ תּוֹדָה֮ תּוֹדֹ֣ת תוֹדָ֑ה תוֹדָ֖ה תוֹדָ֛ה תוֹדֹת֩ תודה תודת bə·ṯō·w·ḏāh ḇə·ṯō·w·ḏāh betoDah bəṯōwḏāh ḇəṯōwḏāh hat·tō·w·ḏāh hat·tō·w·ḏōṯ hattoDah hattoDot hattōwḏāh hattōwḏōṯ lə·ṯō·w·ḏāh letoDah ləṯōwḏāh tō·w·ḏāh ṯō·w·ḏāh tō·w·ḏaṯ tō·w·ḏōṯ ṯō·w·ḏōṯ toDah toDat toDot tōwḏāh ṯōwḏāh tōwḏaṯ tōwḏōṯ ṯōwḏōṯ ū·ḇə·ṯō·w·ḏō·wṯ ūḇəṯōwḏōwṯ uvetoDot vehattoDah vetoDah vetoDot wə·hat·tō·w·ḏāh wə·ṯō·w·ḏāh wə·ṯō·w·ḏō·wṯ wəhattōwḏāh wəṯōwḏāh wəṯōwḏōwṯ
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