A SHOUT, A CHEER, A CRY! Rinnah, feminine noun (Strong’s 7440); Ranan, verb (Strong’s 7442); Rua, verb (Strong’s 7321). See also posting on T’ruah: Give a Joyful Shout.
Root: רִנָּה
Sounds like: ree’nah
I recently made an ‘80’s music play-list for a long road trip to Cape Breton. One song that was replayed a lot was the Tears for Fears song, “Shout”. If you’re from my vintage, you probably know it well:
Shout! Shout! Let it all out!
These are the things I can do without.
Come on, I’m talking to you
Come on!
These lyrics could fit in well with many of the Psalms that we read in Scripture. Many call out with a shout to God and say, “Hey! I don’t like what’s going on in my life. I’m talking to You!”. That might sound disrespectful, but the truth is, YHWH welcomes our shouting. He wants to hear from us. He’d rather hear our yelling instead of a silent treatment.
There are a lot of Hebrew words that express shouting, singing, crying, proclaiming, wailing, rejoicing, pleaing, praising… and translators tend to mix and mash all the different words together, using whatever English word fits their vision. Rinnah is one of those words, but I would suggest that many of our English translations are somewhat off the mark.
Let’s take a look at one of those passages:
Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with Your graciousness, that we may sing for joy [u-n-ranne’nah וּֽנְרַנְּנָ֥ה] and rejoice all our days.
Rinnah is most often translated as “sing for joy” or the slightly better “shout for joy” but the translator assumes the “for joy” part and the singing part. There are specific words for singing and joy in Hebrew and these are not present in the sentences that include the root words of rinnah.
Rinnah is used very rarely in the Torah (first five books of the Bible) but when we do come across the word we can find clues that point to its ancient Hebrew understanding:
Leviticus 9:22-24
Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of YHWH appeared to all the people. Then fire went out from YHWH and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted [wai’ya-ronnu וַיָּרֹ֔נּוּ] and fell face downward.
This was an audible primal cry of awe mixed with fear. It was a reactionary sound to an incredible sight. With this in mind, rinnah is something like a yelp, a howl, a wail, or in a more positive circumstance, a cheer.
In modern society this is the kind of sound we might find in a sports arena. We might shout or cheer in reaction to our favourite team scoring a goal. We also might shout or cry out in disappointment when our team drops the ball. As a figure skating fan I’ve jumped up and cheered when my favourite skater landed a quad jump; I’ve also been known to let out an empathetic groan when that same skater falls. This is what rinnah is all about… it’s a uncontrollable reaction to something we experience, like an excited cheer, a cry of sadness, or a yelp of shock. Rinnah is simply a single-word-shout in reaction to something good or bad, thrilling or terrifying.
Moses finished his song of redemption in Deuteronomy 32 with theses words:
Deuteronomy 32:43
“Rejoice Shout [Ha-r’ninu הַרְנִ֤ינוּ], you nations, with His people; for He [YHWH] will avenge the blood of His servants, and will return vengeance on His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people.”
In the writings of Proverbs, Wisdom was given human-like attributes and was described as shouting:
Proverbs 1:20-23
Wisdom shouts [ta-ronnah תָּרֹ֑נָּה] in the street, she raises her voice in the public square; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:
“How long, you naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking? And how long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Turn to my rebuke, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.”
Wisdom shouted in reaction to appalling human behaviour. It was a shout of protest and a cry for change.
Shouting Happy Cheers!
For humans, rinnah, in a positive context, is almost always a single reactionary response to God’s generosity and mercy. This kind of shout is a cheer and it is found all over the Bible. Here are only a few examples:
Psalm 84:2
[Sons of Korah:] My soul longed and even yearned for the courtyards of YHWH; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to cheer [y-rannenu יְ֝רַנְּנ֗וּ] for the living God.
Psalm 5:11
[David:] Rejoice, all who take refuge in You, sing for joy cheer [y-rannenu יְ֭רַנֵּנוּ] forever! And may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Psalm 20:5-7
[David:] We will sing for joy cheer [n-ranne’nah נְרַנְּנָ֤ה] over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May YHWH fulfill all your desires.
Now I know that YHWH saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some praise their chariots and some their horses, but we will praise the name of YHWH, our God.
Isaiah 12:5-6
Praise YHWH in song, for He has done glorious things; let this be known throughout the earth. Rejoice and shout for joy Cry out and shout [wa-ronni וָרֹ֖נִּי], you inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Shouting Painful Cries
Rinnah wasn’t just cheerful shouting, it was also a groaning or crying shout. The book of Lamentations was written in response to the destruction of Jerusalem and subsequent exile to Babylon. Undoubtedly there were many who cried out in agony during those dark days:
Lamentations 2:19
“Arise, whimper cry out [ronni רֹ֣נִּי] in the night at the beginning of the night watches; pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord; raise your hands to Him for the life of your little ones who languish because of hunger at the head of every street.”
Although they struggled for many years as exiles in Babylon, many of the Hebrew people held onto their faith. They shouted out to God in their agony and God listened to them:
Psalm 106:44-46
…He looked at their distress when He heard their cry [et rinnatam אֶת־רִנָּתָֽם]; and He remembered His covenant for their sake, and relented according to the greatness of His mercy. He also made them objects of compassion in the presence of all their captors.
The people had a reactionary cry to their predicament and YHWH had a reactionary response. He remembered the Covenant made between them and showed them mercy and compassion.
Individuals could also shout out to YHWH in their despair. David never shied away from calling out to God:
Psalm 61:1-4
[David:] Hear my cry [rinnati רִנָּתִ֑י], God; give Your attention to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
In Psalm 30 David went from a prayer for help to a shout of joy, from a cry to a cheer:
Psalm 30:1-5
[David:] I will exalt You, YHWH, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. YHWH my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me. YHWH, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to YHWH, you His godly ones, and praise the mention of His holiness. For His anger is but for a moment, His favour is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a cheer [rinnah רִנָּֽה] comes in the morning.
Facing death, heading to the pit, approaching Sheol, however humans have described it over the centuries, this may be the number one reason humans have shouted out to God. David had celebrated the fact that YHWH had saved him from death, but the end of life was a constant worry and some of the poetry we read in the Bible just lays the worries all out at YHWH’s feet, without the thought of a happy ending:
Psalm 88:1-5
[Sons of Korah:] YHWH, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry [l-rinnati לְרִנָּתִֽי]! For my soul has had enough troubles, and my life has approached Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I have become like a man without strength, abandoned among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You no longer remember, and they are cut off from Your hand.
This Psalm doesn’t end with a happy conclusion, it is a straight up cry. The poet felt like God no longer remembered him. It is not a sugar-coated praise, but an honest, raw, emotional cry. The Bible lets us know that God wants to hear it all, from our greatest praise to our darkest groanings. We may feel alone in our struggles, but YHWH wants us to know that He is listening. We are not alone after all.
Creation Cheers!
Humans are the greatest shouters and cheerers, but the Bible poetically expresses that all of Creation feels the beauty of God’s love and they warmly sends cheers to their Creator by their mere existence:
Psalm 65:8
[David:] They who dwell at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the sunrise and the sunset cheer [ta-r’nin תַּרְנִֽין].
Isaiah 55:12
“For you will go out with joy and be led in peace; the mountains and the hills will break into shouts [rinnah רִנָּ֔ה] (of joy) before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
1 Chronicles 16:31-34 (see also Psalm 96:11-13)
[David:] Let the heavens be joyful, and the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, “YHWH reigns.”
Let the sea roar, and everything it contains; let the field rejoice, and everything that is in it. Then the trees of the forest will cheer [y-ranne’nu יְרַנְּנ֖וּ] in the presence of YHWH; for He is coming to judge the earth.
Give thanks to YHWH, for He is good; for His faithfulness is everlasting.
David’s song uses many synonyms for the concept of crying out: the trees cheer (y-ranne’nu), the sea roars (yi-ram), the field rejoices (ya-alos), the heavens are joyful (yis’m’khu), and the earth is glad (ta-gel). Personally, I love the image of cheering trees, swaying and raising their branches!
Isaiah 44:23
Shout [rannu רָנּ֨וּ], you heavens, for YHWH has done it! Shout [ha-ri’u הָרִ֙יעוּ֙], you lower parts of the earth; break into a shout of jubilation cheer [rinnah רִנָּ֔ה], you mountains, forest, and every tree in it; for YHWH has redeemed Jacob, and in Israel He shows His glory.
The Universe will break out into ecstatic cheers when YHWH fulfills His plan of redemption! What an incredible image that is!
Good News is Worth Cheering For
But why do humans need to be redeemed? What do we need saving from?
At the beginning of the human story Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden with God. We all know how that story went. In their disobedience the two humans had to leave the Garden and enter the wilderness. But God did not abandon them. He promised to, one day, reunite with humanity and bring them home.
In their disobedience, humanity became prisoners of death which barred their entrance into the Garden. Those cursed with death couldn’t live in the Presence of God, but YHWH knew how to release them from their bondage. He had a plan, and it involved a part of Him entering the wilderness to guide us home:
Zechariah 2:10-13
“Shout [ranni רָנִּ֥י] (for joy) and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares YHWH. “And many nations will join themselves to YHWH on that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that YHWH of armies has sent Me to you. And YHWH will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
“Be silent, all mankind, before YHWH; for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”
This idea that God would come to earth to save the people permeates the Tanakh. It was the great hope of the Hebrew people:
Isaiah 35:4-6
Say to those with an anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the retribution of God will come, but He will save you.”
Then the eyes of those who are blind will be opened, and the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped. Then those who limp will leap like a deer, and the tongue of those who cannot speak will shout [w-ta-rohn וְתָרֹ֖ן]. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
When YHWH comes all those whose tongues were muted would shout out and cheer. This is a beautiful image of being freed from captivity. All of our hindrances would be released. YHWH not only promised salvation, He promised freedom from everything that held us down.
In one of the Psalms of Ascents, we get a double cheer:
Psalm 132:13-18
For YHWH has chosen Zion; He has desired it as His dwelling place.
[YHWH:] “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her food; I will satisfy her needy with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her godly ones will sing aloud for joy cheer-cheer! [rannen y-rannenu רַנֵּ֥ן יְרַנֵּֽנוּ]. I will make the horn of David spring forth there; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but upon himself his crown will gleam.”
This double cheer is found in a passage that highlights God’s a dwelling place on earth and the promise that a seed from the “horn of David” would spring forth. The long-awaited Messiah would be from the unbroken line of King David.
This great hope of God’s salvation wasn’t just about being rescued from enemies or from our simple human infirmities. It was about being rescued from the worst fate of all: death.
Psalm 118:15-18
The sound of cheering [rinnah רִנָּ֬ה] and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of YHWH performs valiantly. The right hand of YHWH is exalted; the right hand of YHWH performs valiantly. I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of YHWH. YHWH has disciplined me severely, but He has not turned me over to death.
YHWH has always been the God of Life and True Living. Death is the domain of YHWH’s adversary. It would take a sacrifice to fix the death problem, but God was unwilling to sacrifice any human. He, Himself, would provide the sacrifice:
John 1:29
The next day he [John the Baptiser] saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
John the Baptist saw Yeshua (Jesus) and understood God’s plan. Death would only be appeased by a sacrificce, but God was a God who created life and championed life. He was the only thing that could overcome death. Yeshua, the Son of God from the line of David, bore the weight of sin, the chains that held us to the curse of death, and died on our behalf.
Yeshua was the long-awaited Messiah (anointed one). He went to the grave, but He did not stay there. Instead, He unlocked the chains that held us down and set us free. Through His sacrifice we can now enter the gates of God’s garden, without cost, and see YHWH face to face. That’s worth cheering about!
1 John 4:10
This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
This was the salvation all the prophets had been waiting for:
Isaiah 26:19a
Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and cheer [w-ranne’nu וְרַנְּנ֜וּ]!…
Salvation was worth celebrating and the prophet Zephaniah encouraged everyone to cheer at God’s great mercy:
Zephaniah 3:14-17
Shout [ranni רָנִּי֙] (for joy), daughter of Zion! Shout [ha-ri’u הָרִ֖יעוּ] in triumph, Israel! Rejoice and triumph with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! YHWH has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, YHWH, is in your midst; You will no longer fear disaster.
On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, Zion; do not let your hands fall limp. YHWH your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with cheering [b-rinnah בְּרִנָּֽה].
Not only should we cheer for our salvation, but notice that YHWH also cheers for us! This is what He always wanted… a chance for us all to be together; to live alongside each other, a reunited family. This is why YHWH rejoices over us with cheering! He’s out there, cheering us on! He wants us to win and take the prize that He freely offers… an eternity walking in the Garden with Him.
Psalm 32:11
Be glad in YHWH and rejoice, you righteous ones; and cheer [w-ha-r’ninu וְ֝הַרְנִ֗ינוּ], all you who are upright in heart.
Shout out and cheer… because God is counting down the days to welcome you home!
Next week: In the Wilderness
Hebrew Word Lessons 