When Jesus entered Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion, many people welcomed him. Remember what they cried out? First, they cried, “Hosanna” (הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא in Hebrew from Psalm 118:25), which means “save, we pray.”¹ Then they quoted from the next verse in Psalm 118: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:9). You learned two of these words in the devotional to Lesson 1, and the other two in your vocab from Lesson 2. Now we learn them in a song.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the victorious king of Psalm 118, the one who came to save his people. The crowds cried out in acknowledgment of his triumph before it happened, even though many, no doubt, didn’t know clearly what they were saying. But we, on this side of the cross, can sing these words knowing that Jesus is the great Victor over death. We can sing them in faith, waiting for the day that he destroys his enemies and rescues his people!
Let’s practice your reading. You should find this easier than in Lesson 2, since you have now been introduced to vowels.