Verses Of Praise

Pesukei D'zimrah

פְּסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָה

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All creations in the heavens should praise God

Hebrew

הַלְלוּיָהּ, הַלְלוּ אֶת יְיָ מִן
הַשָּׁמַיִם, הַלְלוּהוּ
בַּמְּרוֹמִים: הַלְלוּהוּ כָל
מַלְאָכָיו, הַלְלוּהוּ כָּל צְבָאָיו:
הַלְלוּהוּ שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ, הַלְלוּהוּ
כָּל כּוֹכְבֵי אוֹר: הַלְלוּהוּ שְׁמֵי
הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְהַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל
הַשָּׁמָיִם: יְהַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם יְיָ, כִּי
הוּא צִוָּה וְנִבְרָאוּ:1 וַיַּעֲמִידֵם
לָעַד לְעוֹלָם, חָק נָתַן וְלֹא
יַעֲבוֹר:

Sephardi

Halleluyah, hallelu et Adonai min
hashamayim, halleluhu
bameromim: halleluhu kol
mal'achav, halleluhu kol tzeva'av:
halleluhu shemesh veyareiach, halleluhu
kol kochvei or: halleluhu shemei
hashamayim, vehamayim asher mei'al
hashamayim: yehalelu et shem Adonai, ki
hu tzivah venivra'u: vaya'amidem
la'ad le'olam, chok natan v'lo
ya'avor:

English

הַלְלוּיָהּ Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the spiritual heights. All of His angels should praise Him. All of His creations throughout the universe should praise Him. The sun and moon should praise Him. All the shining stars should praise Him. The upper heavens and the waters—the clouds—that are above the lower heavens, should praise Him. All of these creations should praise the name of the Lord, because He commanded that they exist, and they were created with this command.1 He has set the creations in the sky to last forever, for all time; He gave them each a decree, a specific purpose, which will not be transgressed.

All creations on earth should praise God

Hebrew

הַלְלוּ אֶת יְיָ מִן הָאָרֶץ,
תַּנִּינִים וְכָל תְּהֹמוֹת: אֵשׁ
וּבָרָד שֶׁלֶג וְקִיטוֹר, רוּחַ
סְעָרָה עֹשָׂה דְבָרוֹ: הֶהָרִים
וְכָל גְּבָעוֹת, עֵץ פְּרִי וְכָל
אֲרָזִים: הַחַיָּה וְכָל בְּהֵמָה,
רֶמֶשׂ וְצִפּוֹר כָּנָף: מַלְכֵי
אֶרֶץ וְכָל לְאֻמִּים,2 שָׂרִים וְכָל

Sephardi

Hallelu et Adonai min ha'aretz,
taninim vechol tehomot: esh
uvarad sheleg vekitor, ruach
se'arah osah devaro: heharim
vechol geva'ot, etz peri vechol
arazim: hachayah vechol behemah,
remes vetzipor kanaf: malchei
eretz vechol le'umim, sarim vechol

English

When people see the wonders of nature on earth, they should praise the Lord from the earth. The big fish and all the other creatures that live in the depths of the ocean, the fire, hail, snow, and steam, the stormy winds that carry out His commands, the mountains and all the hills, the fruit trees and all the cedar trees, the wild animals and all the tame animals, the creeping animals and the birds that have wings—all of these natural wonders show God's greatness, and we should praise Him for them. Kings of the earth and all nations,2 rulers and all judges of the earth, young men as well as young women, old people together with young people should all praise the name of

Hebrew

שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ: בַּחוּרִים וְגַם
בְּתוּלוֹת, זְקֵנִים עִם נְעָרִים:
יְהַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם יְיָ, כִּי נִשְׂגָּב
שְׁמוֹ לְבַדּוֹ, הוֹדוֹ עַל אֶרֶץ
וְשָׁמָיִם: וַיָּרֶם קֶרֶן לְעַמּוֹ,
תְּהִלָּה לְכָל חֲסִידָיו, לִבְנֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל עַם קְרֹבוֹ, הַלְלוּיָהּ:

Sephardi

shoftei aretz: bachurim vegam
betulot, zekenim im ne'arim:
yehalelu et shem Adonai, ki nisgav
shemo levado, hodo al eretz
veshamayim: vayarem keren le'amo,
tehilah lechol chasidav, livnei
Yisrael am kerovo, halleluyah:

English

the Lord, because even His name is so lofty and holy that it is alone. Only its beauty is revealed on the earth and in the heavens. God will raise and increase the glory of the Jewish Nation, His people, and increase the praise of all of His devoted people, of the Children of Israel, the nation that is close to Him. Praise the Lord.

The Jewish Nation will praise God for the respect they receive from the nations

Hebrew

הַלְלוּיָהּ, שִׁירוּ לַיְיָ שִׁיר
חָדָשׁ, תְּהִלָּתוֹ
בִּקְהַל חֲסִידִים:3 יִשְׂמַח
יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֹשָׂיו, בְּנֵי צִיּוֹן
יָגִילוּ בְמַלְכָּם: יְהַלְלוּ שְׁמוֹ
בְמָחוֹל, בְּתֹף וְכִנּוֹר יְזַמְּרוּ
לוֹ: כִּי רוֹצֶה יְיָ בְּעַמּוֹ, יְפָאֵר
עֲנָוִים בִּישׁוּעָה:

Sephardi

Halleluyah, shiru la-adonai shir
chadash, tehilato
bikehal chasidim: yismach
Yisrael be'osav, b'nei Tziyon
yagilu vemalkam: yehalelu shemo
vemachol, betof vechinor yezameru
lo: ki rotzeh Adonai be'amo, yefa'er
anavim bishu'ah:

English

הַלְלוּיָהּ Praise the Lord. When the Redemption arrives, we will sing a new song of praise to the Lord, fitting for the new levels of greatness that will be revealed to us. At that time, God's praise will be sung by a community of devoted people.3 The nation, the Children of Israel, will rejoice in the fact that God is its Maker. God will return His Divine Presence to Jerusalem. The children of Zion, the Jewish Nation, will rejoice in the fact that God is their King. They will praise His name by dancing, and they will sing to Him with the drum and harp. Because they will see how the Lord wants them as His nation, the Jewish Nation will praise Him. When the Redemption arrives, the Jewish Nation, the humble people, will become beautiful by God's salvation.

The evil rulers among the nations will be destroyed

Hebrew

יַעְלְזוּ חֲסִידִים בְּכָבוֹד,
יְרַנְּנוּ עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם:
רוֹמְמוֹת אֵל בִּגְרוֹנָם, וְחֶרֶב
פִּיפִיּוֹת בְּיָדָם: לַעֲשׂוֹת
נְקָמָה בַּגּוֹיִם, תּוֹכֵחוֹת
בַּלְאֻמִּים: לֶאֱסֹר מַלְכֵיהֶם
בְּזִקִּים, וְנִכְבְּדֵיהֶם בְּכַבְלֵי
בַרְזֶל: לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּהֶם מִשְׁפָּט
כָּתוּב, הָדָר הוּא לְכָל
חֲסִידָיו, הַלְלוּיָהּ:

Sephardi

Ya'alezu chasidim bechavod,
yeranenu al mishkevotam:
romemot El bigronam, vecherev
pifiyot beyadam: la'asot
nekomah bagoyim, tochechot
bal'umim: le'esor malcheihem
bezikim, venichbadeihem bechavlei
varzel: la'asot bahem mishpat
katuv, hadar hu lechol
chasidav, halleluyah:

English

The Jewish Nation, the devoted people, will rejoice because of the glory that will come to them. They will sing to God, thanking Him for the peace and rest He gave them. With their throats, they will tell exalting praises of God. Their praises will be like a double-edged sword in their hand, which they will use to take retribution from the nations, to punish the nations of the world, to tie their kings with chains, and their honored people with iron shackles. They will carry out upon them the judgment that was written by the prophet Ezekiel, that God will take retribution from the nation of Edom when the Redemption arrives. Doing this will make all of God's devoted people glorious. Praise the Lord.

Commentary

1 The words "He commanded and they were created" can imply that there is a great distance between God and His creations. We therefore need to praise God—the word הַלֵל (praise) is similar to the word בְּהִילוּ (shine forth)—to bring His shining light closer to His creations.

2 These phrases refer to the four categories of creations. הֶהָרִים וְכָל גְּבָעוֹת refers to lifeless matter; עֵץ פְּרִי refers to plants; הַחַיָּה וְכָל בְּהֵמָה refers to animals; and מַלְכֵי אָרֶץ refers to humans. The end of the chapter, however, refers to an entirely different category: The Jewish Nation. Only the Jewish Nation is "close" to God, above all other categories.

3 When the Redemption arrives and the Jewish Nation is gathered together into the Land of Israel as one "community," we will sing great songs of "praise" to God.