UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: hosanna

Semantic entry: 33.364

Semantic domains: Communication

Subdomains: Praise

Definition: (an Aramaic expression meaning ‘help, I pray’ or ‘save, I pray,’ but which had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise) a shout of praise or adoration

Notes: In OET MAT 21:9 ὡσαννὰ τῷ υἱῷ Δαυίδ may also be rendered as ‘praise to you, Son of David’ or ‘we praise you who are the Son of David’ or ‘… a descendant of David.’|Though for many early Christians, and especially those of Jewish background, ὡσαννά would be known from its Aramaic background as meaning ‘help’ or ‘save,’ nevertheless, its association with liturgical expressions involving praise and exaltation resulted in the expression acquiring quite a different significance; hence, a phrase such as ‘hosanna in the highest’ became equivalent to ‘praise be to God.’ For growing numbers of Christians without Jewish background, ὡσαννά probably acquired much the same meaning as it now has in English.