Hatikvah, literally “the hope,” is Israel’s national anthem. Its lyrics were written in 1886 by Naphtali Herz Imber, a poet originally from Galicia. The melody was written by Samuel Cohen, who based the melody on a musical theme from Bedrich Smetana’s “Moldau.”

Download a printable version of the lyrics in Hebrew, English and transliterated Hebrew here.

Learn more about Hatikvah’s history here.

Listen to “Hatikvah” in the video below:

For Hebrew text of the lyrics, go here.

For a free musical score of Hatikvah, go here.

Hatikvah’s Lyrics in  English Transliteration and Translation:

Transliteration:

Kol od ba’le’vav p’nima,Nefesh yehudi ho’miyah.

U’lefa-atei mizrach kadimah,

Ayin le’Tziyyon tzofiyah.

Od lo avda tikva-teinu,

Ha’tikvah bat sh’not al-payim

Lih-yot am chofshi b’ar-tzeinu

Eretz Tziyyon v’Yerushalayim.

Translation:

As long as within our hearts

The Jewish soul sings,

As long as forward to the East

To Zion, looks the eye –

Our hope is not yet lost,

It is two thousand years old,

To be a free people in our land

The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

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