The shout is a symbol of how the crowds reacted to Jesus during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the last week of His life. “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest,” the New Testament record says.
Hosanna comes from two Hebrew words that, as used in Psalms 118:25, are rendered in the King James Version as “Save [us] now, I beseech thee.” In the Mosaic law, a priest recited this psalm each day during the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles, when the people were commanded to “rejoice before the Lord” (Leviticus 23:40). The Feast of Tabernacles was a time of exultation for the ancient Israelites. Thus, the Hosanna, though supplicatory at first, became associated with rejoicing. This is also its meaning in the New Testament, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. In these texts, hosanna is a recognition of and praise for the goodness of God and the saving power of Jesus Christ.
The history of the use of “hosanna” in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints goes back to before the Church was formally organized in 1830. In an 1829 revelation, Martin Harris was commanded to “preach, exhort, declare the truth, even with a loud voice, with a sound of rejoicing, crying—Hosanna, hosanna, blessed be the name of the Lord God!” Similar commandments were given to individuals in 1830and 1831.
The Hosanna Shout became a collective membership experience at the 1836 dedication of the Church’s Kirtland Temple. Near the conclusion of the dedicatory services, the congregation joined in shouting three times: “Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna to God and the Lamb, Amen, Amen and Amen!” Historically, other events throughout the history of the Church have been graced with the Hosanna Shout.
Since the 1892 capstone ceremony of the Salt Lake Temple, the Hosanna Shout has been done while waving a white handkerchief.
07/25/2022