The word hand occurs 21 times in these Come Follow Me chapters of Exodus 7-13. In every case, in these chapters, it’s the Hebrew word yad. This is the open hand meaning power, means, or direction. The phrase “to give the hand,” is equivalent to making a pledge or entering into a covenant.
The right hand is the covenant hand. Hands are involved in symbolic gestures, both of a religious nature and non-religious or social gestures. Waving to a friend or giving a thumbs up are examples of common gestures. In temple liturgy, gestures of a spiritual nature are called “gestures of approach” by Bible scholars. These were used in ancient times to differentiate between friend and foe. Certain gestures could be seen from a distance as someone was approaching. Then, as they got closer, more detailed gestures were given which could be seen close up. In the temple, we symbolically walk back to the presence of God.
God’s hand symbolizes His power. Hands are used as a sign of God’s covenant with us. Ancient Israelites were commanded to wear phylacteries, which were small parchments inscribed with certain scriptures to be worn on the left wrist or forehead. Exodus 13:9 explains, “And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.” Many of these verses in Exodus using the word hand describe how the Lord delivered His people out of Egyptian bondage, as the Israelites went out with a “high hand.”
Jesus invites us to come unto Him with outstretched hands. In Isaiah chapters 9 and 10, He reminds us that even when life looks bleak, “His hand is stretched out still.”
Moses said to Pharoah, “As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord’s” (Exodus 9:29). This gesture of “spreading abroad the hands,” or “spreading forth the hands toward heaven” (see 1 Kings 8:22) is what Bible scholars call the “Hallel Gesture.” Hallel is a Hebrew word meaning “to give praise.” The word Hallelujah is actually a full Hebrew sentence meaning, “Praise ye the Lord.”
Hugh Nibley observed that the Zoramites in the Book of Mormon were using the Hallel Gesture as an apostate form of worship when they would “stretch forth (their) hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice” (Alma 31:14). Alma calls this form of worship a “perversion” twice in this chapter. They were “perverting” a sacred form of worship.
I will cover this in more detail later in the year when we get to the dedication of Solomon’s Temple and in Isaiah where more of the symbolism of this gesture is revealed. In the Exodus verse above, the symbolism involves petitioning the Lord in prayer. Moses is acting as a mediator, as a type of Christ, and petitioning the Lord to stop the thunder and hail. We see the Hallel Gesture in many other settings as a prayer gesture. One of these is in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul said, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8).
The Hallel Gesture is a good example of multiple symbolisms. I can think of four different symbolic meanings. The guiding principle is that personal revelation given through the Holy Ghost as you study the scriptures, listen to General Conference talks, or attend the temple is of the highest importance.
The open hand (yad) also symbolizes direction. David M. Mitchell, in his great book The Songs of Ascents, speaks of how the ancient high priest would raise his hands to varying heights to highlight different concepts. For example, the high priest wore a gold crown with the words engraved “HOLINESS TO THE LORD.” (Exodus 39:30). We also see this on the outside of modern temples. The high priest would raise his hands high and then lower them to the level of his crown to point to the words on the crown—thus, emphasizing the holiness of God.
