The people hoped Jesus would be their Messiah. "Hosanna" is the transliteration of a Greek word that transliterated the Hebrew hosi ah na (lit. "O save us now," Psalm 118:25 a). It was an exclamation of praise calling for deliverance. [source][source][source]
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" is a quotation from Psalm 118:26 that was part of the liturgy the Jews used during the Passover. This was a common greeting for visitors to Jerusalem. [1] However on this occasion it took on new meaning (cf. Genesis 49:10). [source][source][source]
The peoples" reference to the coming Davidic kingdom shows that they hoped for its establishment soon ( 2 Samuel 7:16; Amos 9:11-12). Some in the crowd acknowledged Jesus as the Son of David ( Matthew 21:9). [source][source][source]
"Hosanna in the highest" meant "O, you who lives in heaven, save us now." This was a call to God to deliver His people. The chiastic structure of the peoples" words shows that they were chanting antiphonally, as was customary at Passover. [source][source][source]
Someone who knew nothing about Jesus might have concluded from witnessing this procession that it was just a part of the traditional Passover celebration. Often when pilgrims caught sight of the temple for the first time, coming from the east over the Mount of Olives, they burst out in jubilant praise. [2] It did not provoke action from the Roman soldiers. [source][source][source]