7. ‘Elohe ‘Amlāka ‘Avrǝhām

As for the four preceding pieces, this prayer is sung during the Sabbath morning service. Its tune differs on the Seventh Sabbath and this is the version heard in this recording. According to some Qessoch, the text with this tune is also sung in the afternoon of the Səgd festival. On the other hand, the same text with a different melody is sung at non liturgical events. The text firstly alludes to the Forefathers and God’s covenant with them. Then comes an evocation of Jerusalem and the Temple, with quotes from Psalm 122 (verse 3; second half of verse 6 and first half of verse 7). Yet, those portions of verses that allude to the actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem are skipped. The prayer ends by recalling that God is God over the Heavens and Earth.

The piece consists of three sections that follow one another without interruption. The first two are antiphonal: the first one is unmeasured while the second follows a regular metric pattern. The final section is also metric but in the hemiola pattern.