Verses of Song

p'sukei d'zimra

פסוקי דזמרא

Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

It is customary to stand through the bottom of page 144.

DAVID’S FINAL PRAYER

1 Chronicles 29:10–13

Hebrew

וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִיד אֶת־יְהוָה לְעֵינֵי כָּל־הַקָּהָל וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד׃
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִינוּ, מֵעוֹלָם וְעַד
עוֹלָם. לְךָ יְהוָה הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח
וְהַהוֹד, כִּי כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, לְךָ יְהוָה הַמַּמְלָכָה
וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא לְכֹל לְרֹאשׁ. וְהָעֹשֶׁר וְהַכָּבוֹד מִלְּפָנֶיךָ,
וְאַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל בַּכֹּל, וּבְיָדְךָ כֹּחַ וּגְבוּרָה, וּבְיָדְךָ לְגַדֵּל
וּלְחַזֵּק לַכֹּל. וְעַתָּה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ,
וּמְהַלְלִים לְשֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ׃

Israeli

vayvarech David et-adonai le-einei kol-hakahal vayomer David.
baruch atah Adonai Elohei Yisra-el avinu, me-olam ve-ad
olam. lecha Adonai hagdulah vehagvurah vehatiferet vehanetzach
vehahod, ki chol bashamayim uva-aretz, lecha Adonai hamamlachah
vehamitnasei lechol lerosh. veha-osher vehakavod milefanecha,
ve-atah moshel bakol, uvyadcha koach ugvurah, uvyadcha legadel
ulechazek lakol. ve-atah Eloheinu modim anachnu lach,
umehalelim leshem tifartecha.

English

David praised Adonai in the presence of all the assembled, saying: From the beginning of time to the end of time, blessed are You Adonai, God of our ancestor Israel. Yours, Adonai, is the greatness, the strength and the glory, the triumph and the splendor—for everything in heaven and on earth is Yours. Sovereignty is Yours; You are raised up above all. Wealth and honor come from You; You rule over all. In Your hands are strength and deliverance; it is in Your power to give strength to all and to make everything flourish. Now we thank You, our God, and celebrate Your glorious name.

Nehemiah 9:6–11

Hebrew

אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה לְבַדֶּךָ, אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם,
שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְכָל־צְבָאָם, הָאָרֶץ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיהָ,
הַיַּמִּים וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר בָּהֶם, וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת־כֻּלָּם,
וּצְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים. אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה
הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתָּ בְּאַבְרָם, וְהוֹצֵאתוֹ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים,
וְשַׂמְתָּ שְׁמוֹ אַבְרָהָם, וּמָצָאתָ אֶת־לְבָבוֹ נֶאֱמָן לְפָנֶיךָ׃
וְכָרוֹת עִמּוֹ הַבְּרִית לָתֵת אֶת־אֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי הַחִתִּי הָאֱמֹרִי
וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וְהַגִּרְגָּשִׁי לָתֵת לְזַרְעוֹ, וַתָּקֶם אֶת־דְּבָרֶיךָ
כִּי צַדִּיק אָתָּה. וַתֵּרֶא אֶת־עֳנִי אֲבֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם,
וְאֶת־זַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתָּ עַל־יַם סוּף. וַתִּתֵּן אֹתֹת
וּמֹפְתִים בְּפַרְעֹה, וּבְכָל־עֲבָדָיו וּבְכָל־עַם אַרְצוֹ,
כִּי יָדַעְתָּ כִּי הֵזִידוּ עֲלֵיהֶם, וַתַּעַשׂ לְךָ שֵׁם כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.
וְהַיָּם בָּקַעְתָּ לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיַּעַבְרוּ בְתוֹךְ הַיָּם בַּיַּבָּשָׁה,
וְאֶת־רֹדְפֵיהֶם הִשְׁלַכְתָּ בִמְצוֹלֹת, כְּמוֹ אֶבֶן בְּמַיִם עַזִּים.

Israeli

atah hu Adonai levadecha, atah asita et-hashamayim,
sh'mei hashamayim vechol-tz'va-am, ha-aretz vechol-asher aleha,
hayamim vechol-asher bahem, ve-atah mechayeh et-kulam,
utzva hashamayim lecha mishtachavim. atah hu Adonai
ha-Elohim asher bacharta be-avram, vehotzeito meur Kasdim,
vesamta sh'mo Avraham, umatzata et-levavo ne-eman lefanecha.
vecharot imo habrit latet et-eretz hakna-ani hachiti ha-emori
vehaprizi vehayvusi vehagirgashi latet lezaro, vatakem et-d'varecha
ki tzadik atah. vatere et-oni avoteinu b'Mitzrayim,
ve-et-za-akatam shamata al-yam suf. vatiten otot
umoftim b'faroh, uvchol-avadav uvchol-am artzo,
ki yadata ki hezidu aleihem, vata-as lecha shem kehayom hazeh.
vehayam bakata lifneihem vaya-avru v'toch hayam bayabashah,
ve-et-rodfeihem hishlachta vimtzolot, k'mo even b'mayim azim.

English

You, Adonai alone, are the God who formed the sky, the heavens above and all their hosts, the earth and everything upon it, the seas and all within them. You grant existence to everything; even the hosts of heaven need bow to You. You, Adonai, are God; it was You who chose Abram, took him out of Ur of the Chaldees, changed his name to Abraham, and found him faithful. You made a covenant with him, giving him the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to pass on to his descendants. You kept Your word, for You are righteous. You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Sea of Reeds. You confronted Pharaoh, his court, and the entire Egyptian nation with signs and wonders—for You knew how they had oppressed Your people, and in this way You are known to this day. You split the sea before our ancestors: they crossed on dry land, but their pursuers sank in the deep like stones in a raging sea.

Commentary

DAVID’S FINAL PRAYER. Originally, P’sukei D’zimra consisted only of selections from the Book of Psalms; later, a series of biblical prayers, beginning here and culminating with the Song at the Sea, was added. In these additions we re-experience our collective history: Abram’s leaving his home and setting out for an unknown destination, the exodus from Egypt, and the nation’s arrival in the promised land.

DAVID PRAISED וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִיד. This passage from 1 Chronicles forms part of David’s last speech—his will and testament—as he hands his kingdom over to his son Solomon. Having just read selections from the psalms of David, we begin the closing section of P’sukei D’zimra, Verses of Song, with David’s own concluding words.

BLESSED ARE YOU ADONAI בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה. This is one of only two times that this phrase, which became the formula for all Jewish b’rakhot, is found in the Bible. (The other is Psalm 119:12.) …

WE THANK YOU מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לָךְ. These became the first words of the second-to-last b’rakhah of the Amidah, in which we thank God for the gifts of life.

YOU, ADONAI ALONE אַתָּה הוּא יְהוָה לְבַדֶּךָ. This prayer was recited in the Second Temple when the people, returning from exile, rededicated themselves under the guidance of Ezra and Nehemiah. With its recitation, each morning’s prayer is an act of rededication.

CHANGED HIS NAME וְשַׂמְתָּ שְׁמוֹ. In Genesis 17:5 Abram’s name is changed to Abraham, meaning the “father of many nations,” as a sign of God’s promise that Sarah will bear a child, Isaac. The original name “Abram” may mean “the father [meaning Terah] is exalted.” A name change in the ancient world represented a change in status. (E. A. Speiser) …

THE CANAANITES הַכְּנַעֲנִי. Listed here are six of the seven biblical nations that occupied the Land of Israel before the Israelite settlement.

From Individual to Community Awakening to a new day, we began by reciting modeh/modah ani, “I thank You,” in the singular. Now, at the conclusion of P’sukei D’zimra, our collective awareness and connection to each other has been truly “awakened” and so we can say modim anaḥnu lakh, “we thank You,” in the plural. We are thus ready for the formal call to prayer, Bar’khu (page 149), to which we respond as a community.

Changed His Name to Abraham According to the Babylonian Talmud (Berakhot 13a), Abraham’s name was changed because “in the beginning, he was a leader of Aram [i.e., av ram], and at the end, he was a leader of the whole world [avraham = av hamon, father of multitudes, Genesis 17:5].” The ancient rabbis taught that except when directly quoting Scripture, it is expressly forbidden to refer to Abraham by his former name. This is the import of God’s directive to change “Abram,” which signifies leadership of the single nation of Aram, to “Abraham,” father of a multitude of nations. God was saying to Abraham, “I have raised you beyond this norm of nationalism, which is but a convention and not true justice. Your heart should not be devoted exclusively to the benefit of Aram, but rather seek the peace of all God’s creations. Seek out the well-being of all.” Thus, “one who calls Abraham, ‘Abram,’ transgresses.” By doing so, one causes Israel to regress to a state of nationalism, which is no more than a collective form of egoism, and thus a transgression. —ABRAHAM ISAAC KOOK …