Hatikva – The Hope - The original nine-verse poem that was adapted to the Israeli national anthem

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I’ve republished this video as the original version, from 25 Nov 2023, included images that were not public domain.

In 1878, the land of Israel was a hope – Ha Tikva – “The Hope” of every Jew.
The Romans renamed the land after their ancient enemy, the Philistines, when they evicted the Jews from their homeland.

Around the world for millennia, generation after generation faced exile after exile as they faced a new massacre from their neighbours.
Naftali Herz Imber, from Poland captured their hope of returning to their homeland in this poem.

By 1920, this was adapted by Zionists to express the hope realized. This later become the Israeli national anthem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatikvah


I’ve enjoyed getting into an eastern European style of music again from this melody originating from Romania. As a Christian, I feel my hope is intertwined with that of the Jews. Having no homeland, Israel is the closest we’ve got, and we look forward to living in the New Jerusalem for eternity with the Messiah. My other hope is that I’ve presented the essence of this beautiful poem and the hope it carries with tolerable artistic license; and that I haven’t butchered the Hebrew language too much.


Shalom to you all. Be blessed.


***** English translation *****

Our hope is not yet lost,
The ancient hope,
To return to the land of our fathers;
The city where David encamped.

As long as in his heart within,
A soul of a Jew still yearns,
And onwards towards the ends of the east,
His eye still looks towards Zion.

As long as tears from our eyes
Flow like benevolent rain,
And throngs of our countrymen
Still pay homage at the graves of our fathers.

As long as our precious Wall
Appears before our eyes,
And over the destruction of our Temple
An eye still wells up with tears.

As long as the waters of the Jordan
In fullness swell its banks,
And down to the Sea of Galilee
With tumultuous noise fall.

As long as on the barren highways
The humbled city-gates mark,
And among the ruins of Jerusalem
A daughter of Zion still cries.

As long as pure tears
Flow from the eye of a daughter of my nation
And to mourn for Zion at the watch of night
She still rises in the middle of the nights.

As long as the feeling of love of nation
Throbs in the heart of a Jew,
We can still hope even today
That a wrathful God may have mercy on us.

Hear, oh my brothers in the lands of exile,
The voice of one of our visionaries,
“That only with the very last Jew,
Only there is the end of our hope!”

***** Attribution *****

Background image from https://openclipart.org/detail/345111/israel-flag#google_vignette