Early 20th century American printed silk which features the Zionist flag, some of the music of "Hatikvah' and some of its lyrics in English.
"Hatikvah" played by the US Navy Band.
The earliest known recording of "Hatikvah", recorded by the American soprano Hulda Lashanska on May 26, 1920.
Survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp sing "Hatikvah" on April 20, 1945, five days after the camp's liberation.
"Hatikvah" (Hebrew: הַתִּקְוָה) is the national anthem of the State of Israel. The word Hatikvah means "the hope" in Hebrew. The text was written by Naftali Herz Imber. The music was written by Samuel Cohen. There are alternative tunes and some variations of the lyrics. While used by Zionist groups and many others as the anthem from before the founding of the modern State of Israel, Hatikvah was not officially adopted an the national anthem until 2004. Only part of the original poem is used in the anthem, and there are some minor changes from the original.
Lyrics[]
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| כֹּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה | Kol ‘od balleivav penimah | As long as in the heart, within, |
| נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה, | Nefesh yehudi homiyah, | A Jewish soul still yearns, |
| וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח, קָדִימָה, | Ul(e)fa’atei mizrach kadimah, | And onward, towards the ends of the east, |
| עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה; | ‘Ayin letziyon tzofiyah; | An eye still gazes toward Zion; |
| עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ, | ‘Od lo avdah tikvateinu, | Our hope is not yet lost, |
| הַתִּקְוָה בַּת שְׁנוֹת אַלְפַּיִם, | Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim, | The hope of two thousand years, |
| לִהְיוֹת עַם חָפְשִׁי בְּאַרְצֵנוּ, | Lihyot ‘am chofshi be’artzeinu, | To be a free people in our land, |
| אֶרֶץ צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַיִם. | Eretz-tziyon (v)'Y(e)rushalayim. | The land of Zion and Jerusalem.:[1] |
Alternative English translation:
- As long as deep in the heart,
- The soul of a Jew yearns,
- And forward to the East
- To Zion, an eye looks
- Our hope will not be lost,
- The hope of two thousand years,
- To be a free nation in our land,
- The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
References[]
External links[]
- "Hatikvah" on Wikisource.
- Anthem - lyrics in English translation, Hebrew transliteration, and Hebrew characters, link to mp3 of instrumental music
- Hatikvah - also has lyrics in English, transliteration and Hebrew, with multiple midi and mp3 links and a short history on the Israel Science and Technology site