Hine Ma Tov

Lyrics and transliteration

The lyrics, in Hebrew, read: .הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד

In Romanized Hebrew:

Hine(y) ma tov u’ma-nayim

Shevet ach-im gam ya-chad

Or in Romanized Biblical Hebrew:

Hinneh mah Tov umah naʿiym

sheveth aḥiym gam yaḥadh

Origins and translation

Its lyrics are the first verse of Psalm 133, which reads, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"

.הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב = Hine mah tov
Behold how good

וּמַה נָּעִים = uMah-Nayim
and how pleasing

שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד = shevet achim gam yachad
if brothers (people) could sit together in unity
(in Hebrew, the masculine also includes the feminine when a mixed group of people are concerned)

Yachad is from the word Yachid which means absolute unity and has a higher connotation than just peace and harmony.

Popularity

Hine Ma Tov continues to be a popular hymn for Shabbat feasts and is the basis for several Israeli folk dances. It has been recorded by artists as diverse as Theodore Bikel, Dalida, Meir Finkelstein, Ishtar, the Miami Boys Choir, the Abayudaya of Uganda and the dub group Adonai and I. Harry Belafonte recorded a version on his 1960 album, Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall. Matisyahu has recorded a version of it too. A dance/club version has also been released by Metallic Glide [1]

In popular entertainment

In the 1977 television film Raid on Entebbe, Yonathan Netanyahu and Sammy Berg led the Israeli commandos in singing the refrain while the commandos' plane is en route to rescue the hostages. It is also played during the closing credits. The song also features in the 1990 film Europa Europa where the lyrics are translated as How sweet it is to be sitting, surrounded by all of your brothers.

U.S. President Donald Trump, at his presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017, culturally appropriated the prayer into his inaugural address.