אין כאלוהינו אין כאדונינו
אין כמלכנו אין כמושיענו
Ein keloheinu, ein kadoneinu,
ein kemalkeinu, ein kemosheinu.
There is none like our God: none like our Lord.
There is none like our King: none like our Savior.
מי כאלוהינו מי כאדונינו
מי כמלכנו מי כמושיענו
Mi chelohenu, mi chadonenu,
mi chemalkenu, mi chemoshi’enu.
Who is like our God, who is like our lord,
Who is like our king, who is like our saviour.
נודה לאלוהינו נודה לאדונינו
נודה למלכנו נודה למושיענו
Nodeh lelohenu, nodeh ladonenu,
nodeh lemalkenu, nodeh lemoshi’enu,
Let us thank our God, let us thank our lord,
Let us thank our king, Let us thank our saviour.
ברוך אלוהינו ברוך אדונינו
ברוך מלכנו ברוך מושיענו
Baruch Elohenu, baruch Adonenu,
baruch Malkenu, baruch Moshi’enu.
Blessed be our God, blessed be our Lord,
Blessed be our king, blessed be our savior.
אתה הוא אלוהינו אתה הוא אדונינו
אתה הוא מלכנו אתה הוא מושיענו
Atah hu Elohenu, atah hu Adonenu,
atah hu Malkenu, atah hu Moshi’enu.
Thou art our God, thou art our Lord,
Thou art our king, thou art our savior.
אתה הוא שהקטירו אבותינו
לפניך את קטרת הסמים.
Atah hu she-hiktiru avoteinu
l’fanekha et k’toret ha-samim.
Thou art the one before whom our fathers
offered the spice offering.
Ein Keloheinu: A deceptively simple, upbeat hymn, fun to sing, beautifully constructed. In English translation, each line is five words; in Hebrew, only two words apiece.
This compact blessing powerhouse builds around four words for God — eloheinu (our God), adoneinu (our Lord), malkeinu (our King), moshienu (our Savior) — all from the Bible and together review Israel’s relationship with God over the course of the entire Torah. The first, God, appears in the very first line of the Torah, Genesis 1:1. The second, Lord, comes from Genesis 15:2, and is the word Abraham uses to address God personally. The third, King, comes from the beautiful Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, which Moses and the Israelites sang as they crossed the Reed Sea, grateful to have been redeemed from Egypt (Exodus 15:18). And the fourth, Savior, comes from the very end of the Torah, Deuteronomy 33:29, which describes God in that role. Together, these four epithets — God, Lord, King, Savior — provide a shorthand for Israel’s relationship to the Almighty.
The title Ein Keloheinu and the first clause says “None is like our God.”
The second verse is much like the first in meaning but phrased in the form of a question: “Who is like our God?” derived from the Song of the Sea, makes this verse feel more personal. The third verse switches to explicit gratitude for God, and the fourth verse, similarly, blesses God.
The best verse comes last. It switches to the most personal form of address, second person. It is the verse that draws God closest: “You are our God.” Ein Keloheinu has allowed the pray-er to review the history of God’s relationship with Israel as told in the Torah, and steadily draw God closer.