Hymn to the Creator
9Great and Holy are you, Yhwh,
the Most Holy from generation to generation.
In front of him walks glory
10and behind him the din of many waters.
Kindness and truth are around his face,
truth, 11uprightness and justice are the base of his throne.
He separated light from darkness,
the dawn he established with the knowledge of 12his heart.
Then all his angels…
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This hymn, found in the Qumran Psalms scroll from Cave 11, praises God for creation, which it portrays as a manifestation of divine wisdom. The psalm is replete with biblical language and imagery and concludes with the standard blessing formula, “Blessed be he who . . .”
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Related Guide
What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
2nd Century BCE–1st Century CE
Found in caves in the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea Scrolls preserve the writings of an ancient Jewish sect.
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The Praise of the Righteous
Psalms Scrolla 18:1–20 (Psalm 154:3–19)
[Unite] your souls with the good ones
and with the perfect ones to glorify the Most High.
Join together to make his salvation…
The Mishnah on the Blessing of Song
m. Pesaḥim 10:7
[At the Passover eve meal:] The fourth [cup of wine]—he completes the Hallel [psalms] over it and recites over it the Blessing of Song.
The Talmud on the Blessing of Song
b. Pesaḥim 118a
What is the Blessing of Song? R. Judah said: “All your works shall praise You, Adonai our God [ . . . ]”; while R. Yoḥanan said: “The breath of every living thing [ . . . ].”
Yehalelukha (All Your Works Shall Praise You)
All Your works shall praise You, Adonai our God,
and Your pious ones shall praise, glorify, laud, magnify, recall, exalt, and unify Your name…
Nishmat kol ḥai (The Breath of Every Living Thing)
The breath of every living thing shall praise Your name, Adonai our God,
and the spirit of all flesh shall glorify and exalt Your remembrance…