ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees - Aah!, or: Wow!
- The essential art of wondering and rejoicing

André H. Roosma
10 Sept. 2012

Ever since my first encounter with the old (West-)Semitic script from the times of the Torah,1 I continue to be fascinated by that one particular symbol in it: ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees - aah! (or hallul).2 It is a picture of a figure with raised hands and bent knees. In my research I discovered it represents the notion of wonder, awe, rejoicing, jubilation, worship, surrender, space to breathe and life itself.

And regularly, it is as if God shows me more about how essential this notion is.
Let me start elsewhere. Already 365 years ago the Westminster Shorter Catechism concluded that the chief end or main goal of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

Let us get back to the old Semitic script of the second millennium BC. In West-Semitic and early Hebrew of those days there was a verb meaning to live, to be there. That was the verb ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees wawu: tent pin ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees - hawah. A most remarkable verb.
It consists of two human figures with raised hands and bent knees: ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees – they are full of joy, wonder, life and worship towards God. And there is reason to be so, as the Psalmist says (16: 11): “... YaHUaH... in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”3
In between these two human figures, there is depicted a tent pin: wawu: tent pin. This picture stands symbolically for connection and security.4 So, hawah depicts a full life in joyful attachment to each other and in worship full of wonder towards our Creator.

What I observe in my own life as well as in that of others with whom I walk along as a pastoral worker is that indeed in practice it promotes health and well-being in every way when we take time for wonder and worship. In the first place, all honor is due to God Almighty. But if we give Him honor without the awe-struck involvement of our hearts in wonder, it easily becomes shallow, like something done in dreadful, boring duty. With God there is so much more. And it is our task to allow ourselves to get almost overwhelmed by His greatness, His love, His majesty, that can light a fire in our hearts that will give depth to our worship.5
As a by-product, it also changes us from the inside out. As I said: it promotes health and well-being in every possible way.

Back to that significant verb hawah - ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees wawu: tent pin ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees. Most scholars say the glorious Name of God, YaHUaH, yad: arm with open hand, branch ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees wawu: tent pin ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees  in the old script, is derived from or at least related to this verb.3 The prefixed yad: arm with open hand, branch, yad - a giving hand, then denotes that He is the One giving or ‘handing’ us that joyful life full of wonder and worship.
We cannot make or create this on our own, without Him. He knows that. And even in His lovely Name as expression of His Identity and divine Character, He communicates that He loves to be with us always. In this way He wants to give us that full life – day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute!
At the same time, He cannot give what we do not appreciate to receive. We have to open ourselves up to be in awe of all that He is and does, and to be thankful for all that He wants to be for us and for all that He has given us. As it is in ours, this was the problem in the society of the first century, about which the apostle Paul wrote (Romans 1: 18-21, 28):

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is clear to them, because God has made it clear to them. 20 For since the creation of the world, that what is invisible of Himself – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly perceived and understood through the works He has made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify or honor Him as God or give Him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and reasonings and their foolish hearts were darkened. ... 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God in their mind, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.

Paul’s message is clear: we have to acknowledge God and worship Him in order to maintain a healthy mind; a healthy way of thinking. On the other hand, our mind becomes dark when we do not keep God and His greatness and sovereignty in mind.
I emphasize that it is only dependent on our willingness to acknowledge our own limitations and the greatness of God. Are we willing to give up on our idea of self-sufficiency? Are we willing to let the ultimate greatness, immeasurable love and immense glory of God leave us awe-struck and our thinking mind giving up to comprehend the incomprehensible? I love to quote the Rev. Dick van Keulen, an old well-known Dutch pastor who uses to say with childlike simpleness: “I cannot fit the entire ocean of God’s greatness and love into my little bucket!”. A most fitting metaphor! We are left almost speechless at the sight of God’s works.ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees
When, out of joy and as the original symbol depicts, we raise our hands, we may superficially look like football spectators at a goal of their favorite team. But there are substantial differences. Firstly, in the depth of the joy. Secondly, we do so with humility as well. The raising of our hands is both a sign of wonder and joy, and a gesture of surrender, signifying that we give up our own efforts to defend ourselves, our self-sufficiency, and that we yield to the One Who has caught our hearts by His sacrificing Love. Precisely this combination of awe, joy and surrender is what makes it a gesture of worship. Worship towards the One Whose Love we cannot fathom, Whose great works we can never fully describe, but in Whose dear embrace we love to dwell – beyond anything else.

Closely fitting to all of this, and to what Paul wrote, is what the writer of Psalm 111 wrote in the first two verses of this acrostic Psalm:

Hallelu YaH ! [= Praise YaH !]. I will praise YaHUaH wholeheartedly, in the congregation and gathering of the upright.
Great are the works of YaHUaH, sought out by all who delight in them.

Hallelu YaH !


Footnotes

1 For more on the old pictographic Semitic script, see: André H. Roosma, ‘The Written Language of Abraham, Moses and David – A study of the pictographic roots and basic notions in the underlying fabric of the earliest Biblical script.pdf document, Hallelu-YaH Draft Research Report, 1st English version: 18 April 2011 (1st Dutch original: January 2011).
2 In post-Torah Hebrew we find some of aah! back in the words אהה and הה (old script: alp: ox headah: figure with raised hands and bent kneesah: figure with raised hands and bent knees and ah: figure with raised hands and bent kneesah: figure with raised hands and bent knees) - ahāh! / hāh! [162/1929], translated by the KJV as: ah!, or: alas! (one case of hāh! as woe!), and often interpreted more moaning than full of awe...
3 The glorious Name of God I present here - as well as I could - from the oldest Biblical original, instead of replacing this grand personal Name of The Most High by a common word, such as ‘Lord’. For more background information on this see:
André H. Roosma, ‘The wonderful and lovely Name of the God Who was there, Who is there, and Who will be there.pdf document, extensive Accede! / Hallelu-YaH! study, July 2009.
4 In development psychology one has observed that people of all ages thrive and function best in what is called ‘secure attachment’ with others. I observe that that is exactly the goal of the God of the Bible with us.
5 See also:
A.W. Tozer, Worship: The Missing Jewel .pdf document, Heritage Series, Christian Publications, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, 1992; ISBN: 0 87509 483 X; (June 1996 edition: 0 87509 219 5).
John Piper, Seeing and Savouring Jesus Christ, Crossway / Good News Publ., Wheaton, 2001.
John Piper, Desiring God, Multnomah, 2003, ISBN: 1 59052119 6.
(More material by John Piper at the website 'Desiring God'; there a.o. these sermons: Worship - The Feast of Christian Hedonism (after Psalm 63: 5-6), The Happiness of God – Foundation for Christian Hedonism (after Jeremiah 32: 36-41), and: I Will Go to God, My Exceeding Joy (after Psalm 43).)
Judson Cornwall, Let us worship, Bridge, USA, 1983.
André H. Roosma, ‘True Worship’, Accede! web-article, April 2003.

Like the second commandment in Torah is equal to, and inseparable from the first, so here as well: How can we be awe-struck and praise God, when we never allow ourselves to be happily surprised by our ‘neighbor’ (meaning: anyone else, here) and his or her uniqueness, love, or whatever. Expressing heartfelt wonder and appreciation for and towards each other is an important aspect of true hawah, true life as God meant it to be.

Currently, a lot of this is even recognized in brain research. Our brains appear to work better when we are in a state of appreciation with or towards God and/or a ‘neighbor’. The same counts when we keep an ‘open’ mind; when we do not close out any surprises. Our vagus nerve, important in sensing physical well-being ah: figure with raised hands and bent knees and harmonizing the state of our internal organs, is positively stimulated when we engage regularly in worship in the way the old symbol depicts: with raised hands.

added:
19 Feb. 2015

Research at Stanford Graduate School of Business, part of Stanford Univer­sity, in cooperation with the University of Minnesota, confirms the great significance of what I wrote here, for our daily life and well-being. In their article ‘Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being’ (Psycho­logical Science 23, October 2012; p.1130-36; also here), Melanie Rudd, Kathleen D. Vohs and Jennifer Aaker explain that. Across three different experiments, they found that jaw-dropping moments made participants feel like they had more time available and made them more patient, less material­istic, and more willing to volunteer time to help others. Awe – the “Aah!” experience – even has a stronger positive effect than that of happiness.
See also the brief YouTube video by Melanie Rudd: How Awe Expands Our Perception of Time.

added:
6 & 7 Feb. 2024

What I wrote here 11½ years ago about the positive effects of awe and wonder (and worship to God) in our own life, is amply corroborated by recent research. See e.g.: Arndt Büssing, Michael Weit, Klaus Baumann, Experiences of Awe and Gratitude and Related Triggers Among Religious Brothers and Sisters: Findings from a Cross‑Sectional Study in Germany, Jl. Relig. Health, 19 Jan. 2024 (also here). From the summary: "Awe perceptions can be an immediate feeling and the outcome of a process of reflection in response to admiration, inspiration, and elevation. As these perceptions are related to psychological well-being and prosocial behaviors, their training can generate positive effects on quality of life."
See also: Hope Reese, How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health - Experts say wonder is an essential human emotion — and a salve for a turbulent mind, The New York Times, Jan. 3, 2023; a.o. after the book by Dacher Keltner: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, Penguin, 2023.
Interesting is also the research by Neal Krause & R. David Hayward, Assessing Whether Practical Wisdom and Awe of God Are Associated With Life Satisfaction, Psychol.Religion & Spirituality, 7 (1) 2015, p.51-59. A broad survey (N=1535) appears to confirm a.o. that awe of God promotes well-being & life satisfaction.


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Some earlier articles: The Light of the World, His Name is Jesus / Yashu‘ah, Our Father / אבינו - ’abhinu.

 
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