תהלים צ״ג | Psalms 93, the psalm for Friday (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International

Date: 2017-07-28

Last Updated: 2025-02-18

Categories: Erev Shabbat, Tehilim Book 4 (Psalms 90–106), Friday, Psalm of the Day

Tags: devotional interpretation, English Translation, Friday, interpretive translation, Psalm of the Day, Psalms 93, שיר של יום Shir Shel Yom, תהלים Psalms

Excerpt: Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z"l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Friday (Psalms 93) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm. . . .

Content:

This psalm was the Friday song of the Levites in the Holy Temple.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א יְהוָ֣ה מָלָךְ֮ גֵּא֪וּת לָ֫בֵ֥שׁ לָבֵ֣שׁ יְ֭הוָה עֹ֣ז הִתְאַזָּ֑ר אַף־תִּכּ֥וֹן תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל בַּל־תִּמּֽוֹט׃ ^ב נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵֽעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃	¹ Yah, You ruled, robed in dignity. Donning intensity, Girded with strength, Even the cosmos you arrayed That it not falter. ² Your Throne Is prepared from the farthest past. You have been before There was a world.
^ג נָשְׂא֤וּ נְהָר֨וֹת ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה נָשְׂא֣וּ נְהָר֣וֹת קוֹלָ֑ם יִשְׂא֖וּ נְהָר֣וֹת דָּכְיָֽם׃ ^ד מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה׃ ^ה עֵֽדֹתֶ֨יךָ ׀ נֶאֶמְנ֬וּ מְאֹ֗ד לְבֵיתְךָ֥ נַאֲוָה־קֹ֑דֶשׁ יְ֝הוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃	³ The currents raise their roar, The rivers raise the spumes, The mighty torrents’ thunder. ⁴ The thunder of the ocean’s breakers: All exclaim, ‘Most powerful are You, Yah!’ ⁵ Oh, Yah! Your creation witnesses You well. Of sacred beauty is Your house– Through all of time.

Source (Hebrew)

Translation (English)

^א יְהוָ֣ה מָלָךְ֮ גֵּא֪וּת לָ֫בֵ֥שׁ
לָבֵ֣שׁ יְ֭הוָה
עֹ֣ז הִתְאַזָּ֑ר
אַף־תִּכּ֥וֹן תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל
בַּל־תִּמּֽוֹט׃
^ב נָכ֣וֹן
כִּסְאֲךָ֣
מֵאָ֑ז
מֵֽעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃

¹ Yah, You ruled, robed in dignity.
Donning intensity,
Girded with strength,
Even the cosmos you arrayed
That it not falter.
² Your Throne
Is prepared from the farthest past.
You have been before
There was a world.

^ג נָשְׂא֤וּ נְהָר֨וֹת ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה
נָשְׂא֣וּ נְהָר֣וֹת קוֹלָ֑ם
יִשְׂא֖וּ נְהָר֣וֹת דָּכְיָֽם׃
^ד מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם
אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה׃
^ה עֵֽדֹתֶ֨יךָ ׀
נֶאֶמְנ֬וּ מְאֹ֗ד
לְבֵיתְךָ֥ נַאֲוָה־קֹ֑דֶשׁ יְ֝הוָ֗ה
לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃

³ The currents raise their roar,
The rivers raise the spumes,
The mighty torrents’ thunder.
⁴ The thunder of the ocean’s breakers: All exclaim,
‘Most powerful are You, Yah!’
⁵ Oh, Yah! Your creation
witnesses You well.
Of sacred beauty is Your house–
Through all of time.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Friday (Psalms 93) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm. –Aharon N. Varady

The association of particular psalms sung by Levites in the Temple for each day of the week is first attested in Mishnah Tamid 4.7.

Source

Contributor: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)

Co-authors:

Name: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)
Bio: Rabbi Dr. Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, affectionately known as "Reb Zalman" (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014) was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement. Born in Żółkiew, Poland (now Ukraine) and raised in Vienna, he was interned in detention camps under the Vichy Regime but managed to flee the Nazi advance, emigrating to the United States in 1941. He was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947 within the ḤaBaD Hasidic movement while under the leadership of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and served ḤaBaD communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He subsequently earned an M.A. in psychology of religion at Boston University, and a doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He was initially sent out to speak on college campuses by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but in the early 1960s, after experimenting with "the sacramental value of lysergic acid", the main ingredient in LSD, leadership within ḤaBaD circles cut ties with him. He continued teaching the Torah of Ḥassidut until the end of his life to creative, free and open-minded Jewish thinkers with humility and kindness and established warm ecumenical ties as well. In September 2009, he became the first contributor of a siddur to the Open Siddur Project database of Jewish liturgy and related work. Reb Zalman supported the Open Siddur Project telling its founder, "this is what I've been looking forward to!" and sharing among many additional works of liturgy, an interview he had with Havurah magazine in the early to mid-1980s detailing his vision of "Database Davenen." The Open Siddur Project is proud to be realizing one of Reb Zalman's long held dreams.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zalman_Schachter-Shalomi
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/zalman-schachter-shalomi-translation

Name: the Masoretic Text
Bio: The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Tanakh for Karaite and Rabbinic Judaism. It was primarily copied, edited and distributed by a group of Jews known as the Masoretes between the 7th and 10th centuries CE. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocalization and accentuation known as the Masorah.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masoretic_Text
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/mesorah

Name: Unknown Author(s)
Bio: Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/unknown

Featured Image:

Title: 508439main_PIA00007_full
Caption: