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{{Short description|Liturgical word in Judaism and Christianity}}
{{other uses}}
'''''Hosanna''''' ({{IPAc-en|h|oʊ|ˈ|z|æ|n|ə}}) is a [[liturgy|liturgical]] word in [[Judaism]] and [[Christianity]]. In Judaism it refers to a cry expressing an appeal for [[God in Abrahamic religions|divine]] help.<ref name=Friberg>Friberg Lexicon</ref>  In Christianity it is used as a cry of praise.
== Etymology ==
The word ''hosanna'' (Latin ''{{lang|la|osanna}}'', [[Koine Greek|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ὡσαννά}}, ''hōsanná'') is  from [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] {{lang|he|הוֹשִׁיעָה־נָּא}}, {{lang|he|הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא}} ''{{transl|sem|hôšîʿâ-nā}}'' and related to [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] {{lang|syr|ܐܘܿܫܲܥܢܵܐ}} (ʾōshaʿnā) meaning 'save, rescue, savior'.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]] and [[Bauer lexicon]]</ref>
In the [[Hebrew Bible]] it is used only in verses such as "help" or "save, I pray" ({{bibleverse||Psalms|118:25|HE}}). However, in the [[Gospel]]s it is used as a shout of jubilation,<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Hosanna |volume=13 |page=783}}</ref> and this has given rise to complex discussions.<ref>See the articles {{cite encyclopedia |last=Thayer|first=J. H.|author-link=Joseph Henry Thayer|editor=James Hastings|editor-link=James Hastings|encyclopedia=[[Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible|A Dictionary of the Bible]] |title=Hosanna |url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/hastings/dictv2/Page_418.html |year= 1902}} and more especially
{{cite encyclopedia |last=Cheyne|first=T. K.|author-link=Thomas Kelly Cheyne|editor=Cheyne and Black |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia Biblica]] |title=Hosanna |url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclopaedia_Biblica/Hizkijah-Huz#HOSANNA }}</ref>
In that context, the word ''Hosanna'' seems to be a "special kind of respect" given to the one who saves, saved, will save, or is saving now.  If so Hosanna means "a special honor to the one who saves."  The literal interpretation "Save, now!",<ref name="artScrollSiddur">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YASyAkPenAsC&q=הושענא+רבה |title=סדור קול יעקב The Complete ArtScroll Siddur: Nusach Ashkenaz |publisher=Mesorah Publications |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-89906-650-9 |editor-last=Zlotowitz |editor-first=Meir |edition=3rd |series=ArtScroll Mesorah Series |location=Brooklyn, N.Y |page=727 |translator-last=Scherman |translator-first=Nosson}}</ref> based on [[Psalm 118]]:25, does not fully explain the occurrence of the word.<ref name=EB1911/>
== Liturgical use in different traditions ==
=== Judaism ===
In [[Jewish liturgy]], the word is applied specifically to the Hoshana Service, a cycle of prayers from which a selection is sung each morning during [[Sukkot]], the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. The complete cycle is sung on the seventh day of the festival, which is called [[Hoshana Rabbah]] (הושענא רבה, "Great Hoshana").{{R|artScrollSiddur|p=726}} In Judaism it is always used in its original [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] form, הושע נא ''Hosha na'' or ''הושענא ''Hoshana''.
===Christianity===
[[File:The Bible panorama, or The Holy Scriptures in picture and story (1891) (14598369549).jpg|thumb|Crowds cry "Hosanna" during Jesus' [[entry into Jerusalem]]]]
===Historical meaning===
Since those welcoming Jesus were Jewish, as of course Jesus himself was, some would interpret the cry of "Hosanna" on the entry of Jesus in its proper meaning, as a cry by the people for salvation and rescue.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
===Christian reinterpretation===
"Hosanna" many interpret as a shout of praise or adoration made in recognition of the [[messiah]]ship of [[Jesus]] on his [[entry into Jerusalem]],<ref name=EB1911/>
It is applied in numerous verses of the [[New Testament]], including "Hosanna! blessed is the one who comes in the name of the [[Tetragrammaton|Lᴏʀᴅ]]!" ({{bibleverse|Matthew|21:9,15}}; {{bibleverse|Mark|11:9-10}}; {{bibleverse|John|12:13}}), which forms part of the ''[[Sanctus]]'' prayer; "hosanna in the highest" ({{bibleverse|Mark|11.10}}); and "hosanna to the Son of David" ({{bibleverse|Matt|21:9}}). These quotations, however, are of words in the Jewish [[Psalm 118]]. Although not used in the [[book of Luke]], the testimony of Jesus's entry into Jerusalem is recorded in [[Luke 19]].
===In church music===
The "Hosanna Anthem",<ref>The Moravian Hymn Book with Services (authorized for use in the British Province of the Moravian Church), 1960</ref> based on the phrase ''Hosanna'', is a traditional [[Moravian Church]] anthem written by Bishop [[Christian Gregor]] of [[Herrnhut]] sung on [[Palm Sunday]] and the first Sunday of [[Advent]]. It is [[antiphonal]], i.e. a [[call-and-response (music)|call-and-response]] song; traditionally, it is sung between the children and adult congregation, though it is not unheard of for it to be done in other ways, such as between choir and congregation, or played between [[trombone]] choirs.
Many songs for church use bear the title "Hosanna", including songs written by New Zealand singer [[Brooke Fraser]] Ligertwood (released on the 2007 [[Hillsong United (band)|Hillsong United]] albums ''[[All of the Above (Hillsong United album)|All of the Above]]'' and live on ''[[Saviour King]]'' and covered by the Canadian group [[Starfield (band)|Starfield]] on their album ''[[I Will Go]]''); another song by [[Paul Baloche]] on his 2006 album ''[[A Greater Song]]''; another by gospel artist [[Kirk Franklin]], and another by [[Andrew Peterson (musician)|Andrew Peterson]] on his 2008 album ''[[Resurrection Letters, Volume Two|Resurrection Letters II]]''.  Sidney Mohede's "Hosanna (Be Lifted High)" was included on [[Israel Houghton]]'s 2011 Grammy Award-winning album ''[[Love God, Love People]]''. "Hosanna! Loud Hosanna" is a well-known hymn by [[Jeanette Threlfall]].
===''Osanahan'' procession (Philippines)===
In the Philippines, particularly in [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]-speaking provinces, the term ''Osanahan'' refers to a procession of the faithful with the priest from a prayer station (termed ''kuból'' or ''Galilea'' in some places) after the blessing of palms to the local church for the Palm Sunday liturgy. At each stop, children dressed as angels sing the [[antiphon]] ''Hosanna Filio David'' in Filipino or Latin along with traditional music by a [[rondalla]] or a brass band.<ref>Zialcita, F., et al. ''Cuaresma''. Bookman. Manila. 1997</ref>
==Other examples of modern usage==
The Latin phrase {{poemquote|'' Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!''
[Glory! Hosanna in the highest!]}} features in the refrain of the 1924 [[Christmas carol]] "[[Ding Dong Merrily on High]]".
Architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] famously used the word in his exclamation "Hosanna! A client!" after securing a commission, breaking a long, dry spell.<ref>{{cite video | title = Frank Lloyd Wright: The Fellowship | url  = http://digital.films.com/play/F8JTME | access-date = December 21, 2011 | time  = 17:20 }}</ref>
In the 1969 Broadway musical ''[[1776 (musical)|1776]]'' the word is used repeatedly as part of the chorus of the song "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men".
"Hosanna" is the name of one of the songs in the 1971 [[rock opera]] ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]''.  The song covers the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on [[Palm Sunday]]. The message that Jesus conveys in this sequence is "There is not one of you that cannot win the kingdom, / The slow, the suffering, the quick, the dead."<ref name="JCS">[https://lyrics.lyricfind.com/en-GB/lyrics/london-symphony-orchestra-hosanna Lyrics of Hosanna] Accessed 2 January 2024.</ref>  The crowd's Hosannas become progressively tinged with foreboding ("Hey JC, JC, won't you smile for me/fight for me/die for me"),.<ref name="JCS"/>  Their adoration is seen as a dangerous civil disturbance by the high priest [[Caiaphas]], witnessing the event with members of the  [[Sanhedrin]] and the [[Pharisees]].   ("Tell the rabble to be quiet/We anticipate a riot/This common crowd is much too loud.").<ref name="JCS"/>  There is also a [[reprise]] of the chorus when Jesus is sent to [[Herod Antipas|King Herod]].
[[A. R. Rahman]] composed the song "[[Hosanna (A. R. Rahman song)|Hosanna]]" for the 2010 Tamil movie ''[[Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa]]''. Here the word is used as an exclamation of joy when a man sees his beloved. The [[Catholic Secular Forum]] (CSF) objected to this song and asked film-makers Fox Star Studios to remove it from the [[final cut (film editing)|final cut]] of the [[Hindi movie|Hindi]] remake of the film, ''[[Ekk Deewana Tha]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Music/AR-Rahman-reacts-to-Hosanna-controversy/Article1-799668.aspx |title=AR Rahman reacts to Hosanna controversy |newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]] |author=Prashant Singh |date=20 January 2012 |access-date=20 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120232437/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Music/AR-Rahman-reacts-to-Hosanna-controversy/Article1-799668.aspx |archive-date=20 January 2012 }}</ref>
Paul McCartney's album [[New (Paul McCartney album)|''New'']], released in 2013, features a song titled "Hosanna". Contextually, he uses the phrase as a cry for help in light of the world's current state of affairs.
American comedians [[Tim and Eric]] use the phrase "blessed Hosanna" freely in their piece "Morning Prayer with Skott and Behr".<ref>{{citation|url=https://vimeo.com/12377558|title=Vimeo clip|date=7 June 2010}}</ref>
The [[Sweden|Swedish]] Black Metal band [[Funeral Mist]] song "Hosanna" uses the cry with the opposite intent of its Christian origins, as the band typically
does with biblical references.
[[David Gilmour]] references Hosanna in the song "A Single Spark" in his album, [[Luck and Strange]], singing "Who will keep things rolling, who to sing Hosannas to".<ref>{{Citation |title=David Gilmour – A Single Spark |url=https://genius.com/David-gilmour-a-single-spark-lyrics |access-date=2024-09-07}}</ref>
==See also==
* {{section link|Language of Jesus#Hosanna (Ὡσαννά)}}
* [[Hallelujah]]
* [[Hosanna shout]] – a Latter Day Saint practice
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==Sources==
* Yohannan Aharoni & Michael Avi-Yonah, ''The MacMillan Bible Atlas'', Revised Edition, pp.&nbsp;157–165 (1968 & 1977 by Carta Ltd).
* {{Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Hosanna |volume=7 |first=Cornelius |last=Aherne}}
==External links==
*{{wiktionary-inline}}
{{Tridentine Latin Mass}}
{{Sukkot}}
[[Category:Christian worship and liturgy]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Jewish services]]
[[Category:New Testament Aramaic words and phrases]]
[[Category:New Testament Hebrew words and phrases]]
[[Category:Hoshana Rabbah]]
[[Category:English words]]
[[Category:Sukkot]]