Psalm 103 Sung in Hebrew

[Recipient of Grace]

Recently I made a thread with Psalm 148 sung in Hebrew by the YouTube channel Aleph with Beth. Yesterday they released a rendition of Psalm 103. Here it is, for those of you who enjoy that kind of thing:

I transliterated the lyrics as they are sung in the video. For some reason Andrew pronounces the tsere as a segol in certain words, perhaps there is a rule for that that I’m unaware of, or perhaps it’s just a stylistic choice; in any case, his pronunciation was favored over the literal phonetic Hebrew pronunciation in those instances.

Psalm 103

1 barᵃkhi nafshi ’et-Yahweh vᵉkhol-qᵉravai ’et-shem qodsho.
2 barᵃkhi nafshi ’et-Yahweh vᵉ’al-tishkᵉḥi kol-gᵉmulav.
3 hasoleaḥ lᵉkhol-‘ᵃvonekhi hařofe lᵉkhol-taḥᵃlu’aykhi.
4 hagoel mishaḥat ḥayaykhi hamᵉ‘atᵉrekhi ḥesed vᵉřaḥᵃmim.
5 hamasbiya‘ batov ‘edyekh titḥadesh kanesher nᵉ‘uraykhi.
6 ‘osei tzᵉdaqot Yahweh umishpatim lᵉkhol-‘ᵃshuqim.
7 yodia‘ dᵉrakhav lᵉmoshe livnei yisra’el ‘ᵃlilotav.
8 řaḥum vᵉḥanun Yahweh ’erekh ’apayim vᵉřav-ḥased.
9 lo-lanetzaḥ yariv vᵉlo lᵉ‘olam yitor.
10 lo khaḥᵃta’enu ‘asa lanu vᵉlo kha‘ᵃvonotenu gamal ‘alenu.
11 ki khigvoah shamayim ‘al-ha’aretz gavar ḥasdo ‘al-yᵉrei’av.
12 kirḥoq mizraḥ mima‘ᵃrav hirḥiq mimenu ’et-pᵉsha‘enu.
13 kᵉřaḥem ’av ‘al-banim riḥam Yahweh ‘al-yᵉrei’av.
14 ki-hu yada‘ yitzrenu zakhur ki-‘afar ’ᵃnaḥnu.
15 ’ᵉnosh keḥatzir yamav kᵉtzitz hasade ken yatzitz.
16 ki řuaḥ ‘avᵉra-bo vᵉ’einenu vᵉlo-yakirenu ‘od mᵉqomo.
17 vᵉḥesed Yahweh mei‘olam vᵉ‘ad-‘olam ‘al-yᵉrei’av vᵉtzidqato livnei vanim.
18 lᵉshomᵉrei vᵉrito ulᵉzokhᵉrei fiqudav la‘ᵃsotam.
19 Yahweh bashamayim hekhin kis’o umalkhuto bakol mashala.
20 barᵃkhu Yahweh mal’akhav giborei khoaḥ ‘osei dᵉvaro lishmoa‘ bᵉqol dᵉvaro.
21 barᵃkhu Yahweh kol-tzᵉva’av mᵉsharᵉtav ‘osei řᵉtzono.
22 barᵃkhu Yahweh kol-ma‘ᵃsav bᵉkhol-mᵉqomot memshalto barᵃkhi nafshi ’et-Yahweh.

Other Psalms by Aleph with Beth: 96, 98, 115, 117, 121, 133, 136, and 148.

 

[Sam Jer]

Let me preface this by saying that I am very thankful that they are doing this, and happy that it is being done. The idea is great.

But, though this is better than some of the others they did, but still not that terribly singable for the average man. I wish they made singability a higher priority.

Lastly, I have a little squible with their'e pronunciation of the tetragrammaton. It is just out of place in the rest of the pronociation they did. If they really wanted to pronounce it as יַהְוֶה, they should have been consistent with their'e pronunciation and pronounced it yahve. However, I think the pronunciation יְהֹוָה is probably correct, which would be pronounced Yehova in both modern Hebrew and their'e pronunciation, and also sound more natural.

 

[Recipient of Grace]

But, though this is better than some of the others they did, but still not that terribly singable for the average man. I wish they made singability a higher priority.

Interesting. I can easily sing all their other Hebrew songs entirely from memory, and I will probably start learning this one sometime today, so I’m curious why you find it difficult to sing, seeing as you are from Israel, and presumably already natively speak Hebrew.

Lastly, I have a little squible with their'e pronunciation of the tetragrammaton. It is just out of place in the rest of the pronociation they did. If they really wanted to pronounce it as יַהְוֶה, they should have been consistent with their'e pronunciation and pronounced it yahve. However, I think the pronunciation יְהֹוָה is probably correct, which would be pronounced Yehova in both modern Hebrew and their'e pronunciation, and also sound more natural.

I think he did a pretty long video on why that particular pronunciation was chosen. Here is the longer academic study: The Divine Name.

 

[Sam Jer]

Interesting. I can easily sing all their other Hebrew songs entirely from memory, and I will probably start learning this one sometime today, so I’m curious why you find it difficult to sing, seeing as you are from Israel, and presumably already natively speak Hebrew.

Nothing about knowing Hebrew. I would find anything with this kind of melody difficult to sing, in any language. It is better suited for performance than singing by the average Joe (or I guess in this case, the average Yossi)

I think he did a pretty long video on why that particular pronunciation was chosen. If I find it, I’ll link it,

Even if they think the original is יַהוֶה (or יָהוֵה, יַהוֶה, יַהוֵה ext), singing it as /iauwe/ when they pronounce vav with a v-sound elsewhere is odd.
Either way, I already know who these people are and listened to the man's podcast. I have since changed my views on textual issues quite a bit. His views taken to their'e logical conclusion lead to the question of how you can know that any text at all in the old testament is original.

 

[Recipient of Grace]

Nothing about knowing Hebrew. I would find anything with this kind of melody difficult to sing, in any language. It is better suited for performance than singing by the average Joe (or I guess in this case, the average Yossi)

Ah. I see your point, and I agree.

His views taken to their'e logical conclusion lead to the question of how you can know that any text at all in the old testament is original.

I was not aware of this, as I mostly only listen to the Psalms sung.

But, though this is better than some of the others they did

I’m curious which ones you thought were better, and which you thought were worse than this one. (I’m not trying to argue with you or anything, just pure curiosity here.)

 

[Sam Jer]

I’m curious which ones you thought were better, and which you thought were worse than this one. (I’m not trying to argue with you or anything, just pure curiosity here.)

I don't remember exactly what I thought of each one, but this one is better than most in this regard.