שִׁירַת מִרְיָם | The Song of Miriam — a reconstruction based on the fragmentary pseudobiblical composition found in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q365)

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5 February 2026 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Shirat ha-Yam, Parashat b'Shalaḥ, 7th Day of Pesaḥ

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Classical Antiquity, Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish Women's Prayers, Miriam, גאולה geūlah (redemption), Second Temple Period, שבת שירה shabbat shirah

In 4Q365, from the Rewritten Torah genre texts found at Qumran, Miriam’s song is substantially longer than the one half of a verse that she is given in the Masoretic text! Unfortunately, the 4Q365 Song of Miriam is quite fragmentary, so a completely accurate construction is not possible. But that didn’t stop me from trying! Here is a reconstruction (read: original composition to fulfill the extensive lacunae in the text in a more-or-less Biblically-accurate register) of the Qumran Song of Miriam, rewritten in Masoretic norms with vowels and cantillation, and with unfilled parallels filled out. (For a scholarly analysis of the work as it is actually found at Qumran, rather than my poetic rewriting of a poetic rewriting, find Ariel Feldman‘s 2013 article in the Journal of Biblical Literature.)

Black text is found in 4Q365.
Grey text is not found in 4Q365 but has been reconstructed by other scholars, largely based on the work of Dr. Ariel Feldman.
Purple text is my original creation to fill ellipses in the text.

Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.” All divine referents (pronouns, epithets, names) are rendered in unicase.

Source and Reconstruction (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
כִּ֣י בָ֗א ס֥וּס פַּרְעֹ֛ה בְּרִכְבּ֥וֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁ֖יו בַּיָּ֑ם וַיָּ֧שֶׁב יְהֹוָ֛ה עֲלֵהֶ֖ם אֶת־מֵ֥י הַיָּֽם׃ וּבְנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָלְכ֥וּ בַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֑ם וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חוֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם׃	For Pharaoh’s horse with its rider and cavalry went in the sea, and the Cause returned the waters of the sea over them. And the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea,^[1] Exodus 15:19, here re-cantillated as one and a half verses for the sake of the next phrase. and the water was for them a wall on their right and left.^[2] A phrase found in both Exodus 14:22 and Exodus 14:29, inserted between Exodus 15:19 and Exodus 15:20 in 4Q365.
וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כׇֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃ וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם	And Miriam the prophetess, Aharon’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed after her with timbrels and dance. And Miriam responded to them:
שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽיהֹוָה֙ כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃	Sing to the Cause who has triumphed, triumphed! Horse and rider thrown in the sea!^[3] Exodus 15:20–21. Before 15:22, 4Q365 inserts an extended Song of Miriam, reconstructed here.
בִּימִינְךָ֥ הַחֲזָקָ֖ה הָרַ֣סְתָּ קָמֶ֑יךָ וּבִזְרוֹעֲךָ֣ הַנְּטוּיָ֔ה בָּזִ֖יתָ עַל־אוֹיבֶֽיךָ׃	With Your strong right hand You destroyed Your opponents; and with Your outstretched arm You had scorn on Your enemies.
אָשִׁ֥ירָה לַֽיהֹוָ֖ה כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֑ה עׇזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָֽה׃	I will sing to the Cause who has triumphed, triumphed! My strength and might is Yah, who is for me salvation!
וּבְרֹ֥ב חַסְדְּךָ֖ עַם־ז֣וּ גָּאָ֑לְתָּ גָּד֣וֹל אַתָּ֔ה מוֹשִׁ֖יעַ אֶת־עַמֶּֽךָ׃	And in Your great mercy, this people You redeemed; great are You, saving Your people.
אָבְדָה֙ תִּקְוַ֣ת שׂוֹנֵ֔א וְנִשְׁכַּ֖ח זִכְר֑וֹ אָבְד֛וּ בְּמַ֥יִם אַדִּירִ֖ים שׂוֹנְאֶֽיךָ׃	Lost is the hope of the hateful, and his memory forgotten; lost in the mighty waters were those who hate You.
עַמְּךָ֗ יְרוֹמְמ֙וּךָ֙ לַמְּרוֹמָ֔ם כִּֽי־בְּרִ֥ית נָתַ֖תָּ לַאֲבוֹתֵ֑ינוּ כִּי־אַתָּה֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ עוֹשֶׂ֖ה גֵּאֽוּת׃	Your people will exalt You to exaltation, for a covenant You gave to our ancestors; for You are the Cause our God, doing triumph!
וַיַּסַּ֨ע מֹשֶׁ֤ה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙…	And Moses had Israel embark…^[4] Continuing with Exodus 15:22

This is the Song of Miriam from a parabiblical (or pseudo-biblical) attestation in 4Q365, as reconstructed by scholars based on the work of largely based on the work of Dr. Ariel Feldman, and with addition lacunae filled in by Issac Gantwerk Mayer. Isaac also vocalized, cantillated, and translated the test according to Masoretic norms, and provided a rendering of the text styled according to the Shirat ha-Yam as reproduced by scribes in the Masoretic tradition.

Recordings

Source(s)

Song of Miriam – reconstructed from DSS 4Q365 (Isaac Gantwerk Mayer 2026) – English translation

Song of Miriam – reconstructed from DSS 4Q365 (Isaac Gantwerk Mayer 2026) – Hebrew

Notes

Notes
1	Exodus 15:19, here re-cantillated as one and a half verses for the sake of the next phrase.
2	A phrase found in both Exodus 14:22 and Exodus 14:29, inserted between Exodus 15:19 and Exodus 15:20 in 4Q365.
3	Exodus 15:20–21. Before 15:22, 4Q365 inserts an extended Song of Miriam, reconstructed here.
4	Continuing with Exodus 15:22

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

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 transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic texts, 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.

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.

Unknown

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Associated Image:

Miriam’s Song of Praise (1836) by Wilhelm Hensel in the Royal Collection (UK)

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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)