BEHAR HAGILBO'A


 

Yavesh hakayitz be'ito
Behar haGilboa.
Nish'an Sha'ul al chanito
Behar haGilboa.
Rak na'ar ger imo,
Rak na'ar mibnei Amalek.
Yavesh vecham, yavesh vecham
Hakayitz ba'emek*.

Ha'adama - tziv'ah pecham
Bakayitz ba'emek -
Ulai haya sharav.
Ulai zo hay'ta she'at shki'a.
Ulai shki'at zahav -
Kmo hayom be'ota hasha'ah.

Nifras ha'emek le'raglav
Behar haGilboa.
Haya hakayitz kmo achshav
Behar haGilboa.
Mineged haTavor
Vehar haChermon bamerchak.
Ke'ilu lo avru shanim
Behar haGilboa.

Otam sela'im - sela'im shchunim
Behar haGilboa.
Ulai haya sharav.
Ulai zo hay'ta she'at shki'a.
Ulai shki'at zahav -
Kmo hayom be'ota hasha'ah

ON MOUNT GILBOA


Summer was dry in its time
On Mount Gilboa.
King Saul leaned on his spear
On Mount Gilboa.
Only a foreign boy was with him,
Only a boy of the Amalek people.
Dry and hot, dry and hot,
Was the summer in the valley*.

The earth - its color is charcoal
In the summer in the valley -
Perhaps there was a hot, dry heatwave.
Perhaps it was at sunset.
Perhaps a golden sunset -
Like today at the same hour.

The valley spread out at his feet
On Mount Gilboa.
The summer was then as it is now
On Mount Gilboa.
Opposite is Mount Tavor
And Mount Chermon is in the distance.
As though no years have passed
On Mount Gilboa .

Those same cliffs - very dry and hot cliffs
On Mount Gilboa.
Perhaps there was a hot, dry heatwave.
Perhaps it was at sunset.
Perhaps a golden sunset -
Like today at the same hour.


בהר הגלבוע

Hebrew words
Click here for the Hebrew pdf

Portuguese   

Note:
The song refers to the death of King Saul (Sha'ul), first king of ancient Israel, who battled the Philistines on Mt. Gilboa.

Conflicting accounts of what happened are given in the last chapter of Samuel I, and first chapter of Samuel II.

In the first, Saul, about to be overcome by the Philistines, falls on his sword in order to kill himself. It seems clear he died that way. But later, an Amalekite boy comes to David's camp with Saul's crown and bracelet, reporting he killed Saul.

According to him, Saul, leaning on his spear (perhaps paralyzed by stroke or injury, perhaps crouching as he leaned on the spear after an unsuccessful suicide attempt?) spots the boy and asks him to kill him.

The boy obeys, claiming Saul would have died in any case. Possibly the boy is lying. He may have come along afterwards and taken credit, thinking David would reward him.

The song supports the boy's story, picturing Saul and him alone together in Saul's moment of weakness.


* The emek (valley) is Emek Yizrael, Israel's largest valley, often called just Ha'Emek (The Valley). In English, the Jezreel Valley.

LYRICS
Leah Na'or
MUSIC
Yosef Hadar
SINGER
Parvarim (original version)
Ronit Ophir
Ofra Haza
CD
The Parvarim - 40th Anniversary Vol 4 Disc 1 Track 15
Ofra Haza Shirey Moledet A-B Track 4
Bemanginat Halev - Melody of the Heart - Greatest Hits Disc 3 Track 9
Chai/Bayit Cham, Disk 2 (Bayit Cham) Track 3
DANCE CHOREOGRAPHER
Sefi Aviv 1986
DANCE FORMAT
Circle

Words transliterated and translated by Chana Shuvaly of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Portuguese translation by Helena Wajsfeld Zins of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Assisted by Malka Tischler of New York, USA.
Contact the publisher of Hebrew Songs.com

Portuguese

 
NO MONTE GUILBOA

O verão foi seco naquele tempo
no Monte Guilboa.
O Rei Saul cravou sua lança
no Monte Guilboa.
Somente um estrangeiro estava com ele
somente um menino do povo de Amalek.
Seco e quente, seco e quente
foi o verão no vale.

A terra - da cor do carvão
no verão do vale -
talvez sob uma onda de calor seco
talvez fosse um por-de-sol
talvez um por-de-sol dourado
como hoje em dia à mesma hora.

O vale se estendia a seus pés
no Monte Guilboa.
O verão era então como o de agora
no Monte Guilboa.
Do lado oposto fica o Monte Tabor
e o Monte Chermont ao longe.
É como se os anos não tivessem passado
no Monte Guilboa.

Os mesmos penhascos -
muito quentes e secos no Monte Guilboa.
Talvez sob uma onda de calor seco
talvez fosse um por-de-sol
talvez um por-de-sol dourado
como hoje em dia à mesma hora.

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We thank our more than 400 volunteer translators from 190 cities in 42 countries.
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