הִמְנוֹן (Hymnon) — hymn, national anthem
Etymology
The word hymnon originates from the Greek hymnos (ὕμνος), meaning a "song of praise" usually dedicated to a deity or a hero. The earliest examples, the Homeric Hymns, date back to the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. As Christianity spread, the Church fathers adopted the term to describe the Psalms and new liturgical songs of praise, translating it into Latin as hymnus. From there, it branched into various European languages (e.g., Russian gimen, Spanish himno).
While Jews did not adopt Christian liturgy, the word entered the Hebrew lexicon during the Middle Ages, appearing for the first time in the 11th or 12th-century Midrash Shemot Rabbah. In this context, it described angels singing praises before God. Over time, its meaning expanded to include secular praise, particularly for kings and rulers.
The modern definition—a song representing a nation—emerged from the French Revolution of 1789. When the National Assembly declared "La Marseillaise" as the Hymne National, it set a precedent for the "national anthem" as a symbol of statehood. Hebrew adapted this modern usage in the late 19th century, with journals like Ha-Melitz using the term to describe the national songs of European powers. This eventually culminated in the adoption of "Hatikvah" (The Hope) as the Zionist and later Israeli national anthem, a status formally legislated only in 2004.
Key Quotes
"והיו מלאכי-השרת באין לומר הימנון לפניו" — שמות רבה, המאה ה-11/12
"בלינץ אמרו הפועלים להפריע את החגיגה... בנגן הימנון אוסטריא" — המליץ, 1895
Timeline
- 7th–6th BCE: Composition of the Homeric Hymns in Ancient Greece.
- 11th–12th Century CE: The word "hymnon" first appears in Hebrew literature (Shemot Rabbah).
- 1789: The French Revolution redefines "hymn" as a national, rather than purely religious, song.
- 1895: The term is used in the Hebrew press (Ha-Melitz) to describe European national anthems.
- 1933: "Hatikvah" is officially declared the anthem of the Zionist movement at the 18th Congress.
- 2004: The Knesset officially passes the "Flag and Emblem Law" amendment, legally designating "Hatikvah" as the national anthem.
Related Words
- הַלֵּל (Hallel) — praise/liturgical song
- תִּקְוָה (Tikvah) — hope (the name of the Israeli anthem)
- שִׁיר לְאֻמִּי (Shir Le'umi) — national song/anthem