יְוָנִים עָמְדוּ קָמוּ | Yevanim ‘Amdu Qamu, a piyyuṭ before Yishtabaḥ on Shabbat Ḥanukkah by Yaaqov ibn Tsur

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Yaaqov ibn Tsur

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18 December 2025 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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Tags:

18th century C.E., 55th century A.M., Acrostic signature, Maghrebi Jewry, Meknes, Morocco, פיוטים piyyuṭim, זמירות zemirot

Yevanim ‘Amdu Qamu — a piyyuṭ intended to be sung before Yishtabaḥ in the Shaḥarit of Shabbat Ḥanukkah — was written by the great Moroccan paytan Yaaqov ibn Tsur (1673–1753) of Fez. It was first put to print in the Sefer ‘Et l-Kol Ḥefetz, printed by ibn Tsur’s descendants in 1893 in Alexandria. It may be sung to the melody of Ḥai Ani Goel Avi Aleikhem.”

Source (Hebrew)

Translation (English)

יְׄוָנִים עָׄמְדוּ קָׄמוּ בִּׄזְדוֹנָם
צׄוּׄרׄ עֻזִּי הִשְׁפַּלְתָּם הִפַּלְתָּם
עַמְּךָ בְּךָ שָׂמוּ בִּטְחוֹנָם
מִצַּר הוֹשַׁעְתָּם וְהִצַּלְתָּם
קַרְנָם רוֹמַֽמְתָּ דַּנְתָּ אֶת־דִּינָם
וְגַם נָקַֽמְתָּ אֶת־נִקְמָתָם
וְגִבּוֹרֵיהֶם וְכׇל־הֲמוֹנָם
בְּיַד־חַלָּשִׁים הֵן מְסַרְתָּם
בְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ מָעוֹז מַחְסֵֽנוּ
הֵן פְּצִיתָנוּ מִיַּד שׁוֹסֵֽינוּ
יִשְׁתַּבַּח שִׁמְךָ לָעַד מַלְכֵּֽנוּ
בְּפִי יְשָׁרִים וּבְשִׂפְתוֹתָם׃
בְּרֹב…

Jumping up, the Greeks stood arrogantly;
my strong Rock humbled them, felled them.
At You Your people placed their trust,
from stress You saved them and rescued them.
Crowning their horn, You judged their judgment,
and avenged their vengeance,
Overturning their heroes and all their crowds
into the hands of the weak.
By Your great kindness, Fortress of our refuge,
yea, You saved us from our despoilers.
By Your great…
Your Name be praised forever, our Sovereign,
in the mouths and lips of the upright!

בְּתוֹךְ נָוְךָ צוּר וּבְחַצְרוֹתֶֽיךָ
רָאשֵׁי אָבוֹת הִדְלִֽיקוּ נֵרוֹת
נִסֶּֽיךָ וְגַם נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ
הִגְדַּֽלְתָּ בְּעֹז וּבִגְבוּרוֹת
צִדְקְךָ נֶהְגֶּה וּתְהִלּוֹתֶֽיךָ
דּוֹדִי צַח יוֹצֵר הַמְּאוֹרוֹת
וּנְפָאֵר תָּמִיד שֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּֽךָ
בְּהַלֵּל גָּמוּר וּבִזְמִירוֹת
רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן מָגֵן יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ
רֹב טוֹבוֹתֶֽיךָ עוֹד תַּשְׂבִּיעֵֽנוּ
יָהּ וּפְצֵֽנוּ עוֹד מִמַּכְנִיעֵֽנוּ
וְתַצִּילֵֽנוּ מִפַּח רִשְׁעָתָם׃
בְּרֹב…

Between Your courtyards, Rock, and in Your abode,
Elder chieftains kindled lamps.
Not just Your miracles but also Your wonders
You increased in strength and in might.
Zealously we ponder Your righteousness and praises,
my ruddy Beloved, Maker of luminaries,
Unto always we will glorify Your splendid Name,
with a complete hallel and with songs.
Ruthful and merciful Shield of our salvation,
Your great goodnesses will yet sate us,
By Your great…
Yah, and yet free us from our subjugators,
and save us from the trap of their evil.

Source(s)

Sefer Et l-Kol Ḥefets (Yaaqov ibn Tsur) page 33a

Notes

Notes
1	Note that the recording linked here does not feature these specific words in question. It is an abbreviated recording of the Moroccan piyyut צור חילי, piyyut 276 in Shir Yedidot, in which the quoted line appears in the fourth-to-last stanza.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Yaaqov ibn Tsur

Yaaqov ben Reuven ibn Tsur, or Jacob Abensur (1673–1753), born in Fez, Morocco, was a poet, scholar and leading Moroccan rabbi of the 18th century. He studied under the rabbis Vidal Serfaty and Menahem Serero. In 1693, he was appointed as registrar at the bet din (rabbinical court) of Fez, and then as a rabbi and head of the bet din in 1704, a post which he held for another thirty years. Thereafter, oppressive taxation induced him to move to Meknès, where he became a member of the bet din for eleven years, and after that he moved to Tétouan to serve in its bet din for another seven years. Ibn Tsur authored Mishpat u-Tsedeqah be-Ya’aqov, a published collection of some of his responsa, as well as Et le-khol Ḥefeẓ, a collection of piyyutim.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)