yadah

Often this word is said to mean “the raising of hands” in praise. The problem here is that the meaning of word cannot be accurately obtained from its derivation (etymology). The meaning is found by looking at the context. The word means expressing acknowledgment and is used three different ways.

Acknowledging what God has done = thanks

Acknowledging what God is like = praise

Acknowledging your sin = confess

The NIV Dictionary list two words for yadah - (NIV Word Study Dictionary)

H3343 יָדָה1 yādâ-1, v. [3] [cf. 3341]. [Q] to shoot (a bow); [P] to throw (down)

H3344 יָדָה2 yādâ-2, v. [111] [H] to express praise, give thanks, extol, make a public confession, make an admission; to praise is to speak of the excellence of someone or something; to give thanks has a focus on the gratitude of the speaker:

Strongs lists only one . . .

(Olive Tree Enhanced Strong's Dictionary) h3034. יָדָה yâḏâ; literally, to use (i.e. hold out) the hand; physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively, to bemoan (by wringing the hands):

Here you can see how combining the two meanings causes confusion.

Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words

 

Verb: יָדָה(yādâ), GK 3344 (S 3034), 111x. yādâ means “praise, (give) thanks, confess.” The core meaning of this verb is to express acknowledgment of some sort. Sixty percent of its uses occur in the psalms. The psalmists frequently call on the people to “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” (e.g., Ps. 106:1; 107,1; 136,1-3, 26; cf. 1 Chr. 16:34). God’s unfailing love to his people never ends. Similarly, the psalmists call on us “to praise the Lord,” not only with the voice (Ps. 67:3, 5) but also with musical instruments 33:2; 71,22; 92,1). Ultimately, all praise and thanksgiving must come from the heart 9:1; 28,7). One of the formal ways to thank God is through a tôdâ (GK 9343, a “thank offering,” a noun related to this verb; see Lev. 7:12-15; Ps. 50:14, 23). . . .

This same verb can also mean the acknowledgment of one’s sins. God is a God who expects us to “confess” our sins, for he is a God of unfailing love and mercy and will forgive our sins (Lev. 26:40; Ps. 32:5; Prov. 28:13). Involved in that process is “confessing” the name of the Lord (1 Ki. 8:33, 35; 2 Chr. 6:24, 26), that is, acknowledging that from him alone is forgiveness possible. In three important OT passages, this confession of sin involves not only the individual’s own sin but especially the sins of the entire people (Ezr. 10:1; Neh. 1:6; 9,2-3; Dan. 9:4, 20).