While the above is the standard form of the hymn, a few psalms repeat the call to praise at intervals throughout the psalm, creating somewhat the impression of a union of little hymns. Thus Psalm 147 is in three parts each introduced by a call to praise. Part I has the call to praise in verse 1, and the reasons for praise in verses 2-6. Part II has the call to praise in verse 7 and the reasons for praise in verses 8-11. Part III has the call to praise in verse 12 and the reasons for praise in verses 13-20. The whole hymn then concludes with “Hallelujah.” Likewise Psalm 148 is in two parts. Part I has the call to praise in verses 1-5a, and the reasons for praise in verse 5b and verse 6. Part II has the call to praise in verses 7-13a, and the reasons for praise in verses 13bc and 14abc. Again there is a concluding “Hallelujah.”
It is worth observing that in general the Old Testament hymn of praise speaks of Yahwe in the third person. Human being calls upon human being to praise Yahwe, and human being tells human being why Yahwe is worthy to be praised. Hymns which thus use the third person exclusively are Psalms 150, 149, 148, 147, 146, 134, 117, 113, 111, 100, 98, 96, 95, 47, 29, 24, 19:2-5b; 19:5c-7. Yahwe is addressed in the second person in the following verses: Psalm 135:13; Psalm 97:9; Psalm 99:3, 8; Psalm 115:1, 2; Psalm 93:2, 3, 5. The second and third persons are used in about equal degree in Psalm 68, 145, 194, while Psalms 8, 84, 67 use the second person exclusively. Now the use of the second person is of course characteristic of prayer. The fact therefore that in the standard Hebrew hymn of praise the third person is used, because Hebrew is calling upon his fellow Hebrew to Praise Yahwe, testifies rather powerfully to the social and democratic character of worship in Israel.
Taking up now the three divisions of the Hebrew hymn in order, it is to be noticed that the call to praise has undergone certain changes in the wording. While in the great majority of the hymns the call to praise is “Hallelujah” in Psalm 134 the call is: “Bless ye Yahwe”; and in Psalm 100 all the land is bidden: “Shout to Yahwe”; and in Psalm 33 the righteous are called upon to: “Rejoice in Yahwe.” Most impressive perhaps of all the calls to praise is that of Psalm 29, where the summons is addressed to the residents of heaven:
Ascribe to Yahwe, ye gods,
Ascribe to Yahwe glory and strength.
Again, when it is an individual who sings his hymn of praise, he must either address deity in the first person, as in Psalm 145:1:
I will extol thee, my God, O King;
And I will bless thy name for ever and ever;
or he must call upon himself to praise Yahwe as in Psalm 146:1:
Praise Yahwe, O my soul.