פֶּֽסַח אֱמוּנִים שִׁיר | Pesaḥ Emunim Shir (At Passover the faithful sang), a piyyuṭ for the seventh night of Pesaḥ by Yosef ben Yaaqov (translated by Elsie Davis)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Elsie Davis (translation) and Yosef ben Yaaqov

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

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Tags:

11th century C.E., 49th century A.M., alphabetic mesostic, מערבות maaravot, mesostic, פיוטים piyyuṭim, rhyming translation, שירת הים Shirat haYam

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
פֶּֽסַח אֱמוּנִים שִׁיר שׁוֹרֲרֽוּהוּ וַיּֽוֹשַׁע יְיָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover the faithful sang a song, That selfsame day when God did save His throng In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח בַּת קוֹל יִשָּׁמַע מִמְּרוֹמִים יִשְׂרָאֵל נוֹשַע בַּיָי תְּשׁוּעַת עוֹלָמִים (ישעיה מה:יז) פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover a voice the heavens o’er:— “Israel is saved of God for evermore” (Isaiah 45:17) — In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח גְאוּלִים עָבְרוּ בְּמַשְׂאַת יָד וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַיָּד פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover they passed at His command, And Israel saw that day the mighty hand In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח דָּגוּל בְּעֹז כְּבוֹדוֹ יוֹסִיף אֲדֹנָי שֵׁנִית יָדוֹ פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover the glorious Lord alone Will send His hand again to save His own In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח הֲמוֹן חֲיָלָיו בְּטוּב דַּיָּם הָלְכוּ בַיַּבָּשָׁה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover His thronging hosts, content, Dryshod between the parted breakers went In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח וְהֵנִיף יָדוֹ בְּרֽוּחַ בַּעְיָם וְהֶחֱרִים יְיָ אֵת לְשׁוֹן יָם (ישעיה טו:יא) פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover the Lord will shake His hand, Summon His storm and make the sea dry land (Isaiah 11:15) In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח זִלְעַף בְּמִכְתָּב שֻׁנָּן מַחֲנֵה מִצְרַֽיִם בְּעַמּוּד אֵשׁ וְעָנָן פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover, ’tis said, amazement dire Struck Egypt’s camp with pillar of cloud and fire, In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח חִדּוּשׁ מוֹפֵת עֲלֵי יָשָׁן דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימְרוֹת עָשָׁן פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	The Passover new marvels shall unfold, Blood, fire, and clouds of smoke beyond the old, In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח טִכֵּם בְּצָרָיו לְהַחֲרִֽימָה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יוֹצְאִים בְּיָד רָמָה פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover He faced His foe’s array, But Israel went in triumph forth that day In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח יֶֽשַׁע וְתַעֲצוּם שָׁלוֹם בְּשִׂמְחָה תֵצֵֽאוּ וּבְשָׁלוֹם פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover salvation shall not cease, “For ye shall journey forth in joy and peace” In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח כְּלִיל עֲנָמִים לְהַצְמֵת כִּי אֵין בַּֽיִת אֲשֶׁר אֵין שָׁם מֵת פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover all Egypt’s pride was shed— No house there was which held not any dead In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח לְאֻמִּים יֶהְגּוּ רִיק לְנָגְפָה וְזֹאת תִּהְיֶה הַמַּגֵּפָה (זכריה יד:יט) פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover all they that think to smite, Shall think in vain—and this shall be their blight (Zechariah 14:19) In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח מִלּוּי שְׁעָרִים פָתַח וּפָסַח יְיָ עַל הַפֶּֽתַח פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover the gates were wide before The Lord, the night He passed o’er Israel’s door In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח נוֹרָאוֹת עִזּוּז רַב וְשַׁלִּיט גָּנוֹן וְהִצִּיל פָּסֽוֹחַ וְהִמְלִיט פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover the powerful Lord and Chief Will shield and save, will pass and give relief In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח סְגוּלִים לְמַטַּע שִׁירָֽיִם כִּי יְיָ נִלְחָם לָהֶם בְּמִצְרָֽיִם פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover to plant His own He brought His remnant forth, when God for Israel fought In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח עָתִיד לְפִדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִם וְיָצָא יְיָ וְנִלְחַם בַּגוֹיִם פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover the Lord will loose the bound, He will go forth and fight the nations round In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח פְּתִיחַת קוֹל עָנְתָה נְבִיאָה שִֽׁירוּ לַיְיָ כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה (שמות טו:כא) פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover so sang the Prophetess: “Sing to the Lord, His glorious triumph bless” (Exodus 15:21) In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח צָפוּי בְּאוֹת אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה זַמְּרוּ יְיָ כִּי גֵאוּת עָשָׂה פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover a sign of wonders new!— Sing to the Lord of works that He will do In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח קִדֵּר לְצָרָיו מְאֽוֹרֵי אוֹר וּלְכׇל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָֽיָה אוֹר פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover the foe walked deep in night, But for the sons of Israel there was light In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח רָצוּי בְּמַאֲמַר צוּרֵךְ קֽוּמִי אֽוֹרִי כִּי בָא אוֹרֵךְ פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover accept thy Rock’s decree To rise and shine, for light shall come to thee In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח שִׁבְּחֽוּהוּ בְּעֹז תַּעֲצוּמוֹ כִּי פָקַד יְיָ אֶת עַמּוֹ פֶּֽסַח מִצְרָֽיִם׃	At Passover, O praise Him for His strength! For God did visit His opprest at length In Egypt at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח תֹּֽקֶף תּהִלּוֹת רִשּׁוּמוֹ גּוֹאֲלֵֽנוּ יְיָ צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ פֶּֽסַח לֶעָתִיד׃	At Passover His glorious praise proclaim, Saviour and Lord of Hosts inscribe His Name In time to come at Passover.
פֶּֽסַח יוֹסֵף עַל יְשׁוּעוֹת יְשׁוּעָה. בְּרִיתוֹ יִזְכּוֹר לְהושִֽׁיעָה עַם קְרוֹבוֹ בְּאַֽהַב לְהִוָּשֵֽׁעָה כַּאֲשֶׁר שֵֽׁמַע לְמִצְרַֽיִם לְצוֹר נִשְׁמָֽעָה׃	At Passover salvation He will crown With triumph; yea, His bond He will fulfil. The people nigh to Him He loveth still. But Tyre, like Egypt proud, He hurleth down.
בְּגִילָה ‎בְּרִנָּה בְּשִׂמְחָה רַבָּה וְאָמְרוּ כֻלָּם…	With gladness and song and great joy they all said…

This is the piyyut “Pesaḥ Emunim (At Passover, the faithful…)” by Yosef bar Yaaqov Kalai for maariv (after the shema) on the seventh night of Pesaḥ, published in Adler and Davis’s Maḥzor for Shavuot, Avodat Ḥag ha-Matzot (1909), pp. 219-222.

Source(s)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Elsie Davis (translation)

Elsie Naomi Davis Schryver (1876-1933), born in Derby, England, was a Jewish translator of liturgy and a mother. She was born at Friarfield House, Derby, the oldest of two children of Louisa (née Jonas) and Arthur Davis. Her father's family were secular Jewish precision instrument makers, who had immigrated to England from Bavaria in the early nineteenth century. A civil engineer by trade, Arthur Davis became religiously observant and mastered the Hebrew language, becoming an accomplished Hebraist noted for his study of cantillation marks in the Tanakh. The family moved to Kilburn, London when Nina was six weeks old, later settling in Bayswater. There, Davis gave his daughters an intensive scholarly education in Hebrew and Jewish studies, teaching them himself each morning before breakfast from the age of four, and taking them regularly to the synagogue. The Davis's moved in learned Jewish circles, and friends of Nina's parents included the families of Nathan Adler, Simeon Singer, Claude Montefiore, Solomon Schechter, Herbert Bentwich, and Elkan Adler. Arthur Davis was one of the "Kilburn Wanderers"—a group of Anglo-Jewish intellectuals that formed around Solomon Schechter in the 1880s—members of which took an interest in Nina's work and helped her find publication for her writings. Eleven of Elsie's translations of piyyutim are credited in the maḥzorim of Herbert Adler and her father Arthur Davis. With her husband, Samuel Barnett Schryver, she was the parent of two daughters, Rosalind Leah Schryver and Priscilla Naomi Schryver. Elsie was the older sister of Nina Salaman Davis (1877-1925), who also translated medieval piyyutim.

Yosef ben Yaaqov

Yosef ben Yaaqov (fl. 11th century) was a liturgical poet. His compositions, among which was a qerovah in four parts for Ne'ilah (unpublished) as well as ma'araviyyot for Pesaḥ and Shavuot, were part of the French rite at a very early period. Single poems by him have been included in both the Roman and German-Polish maḥzor.

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=64280

Associated Image:

“Mi Kamokha” by Emily K. This ontomorphic calligraphic image is the phrase “מי כמכה / Mi Chamocha” written in the form of the parted Sea of Reeds. “Mi Chamocha” is of course the opening line to the Song of the Sea, where Miriam the prophetess leads the Israelites in celebration of the Exodus.

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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)