ה' צבאות שמו' בברכת 'המעריב ערבים':גלגולם ושחיקתם של מטבעות תפילה'

The present article studies the sentence that precedes the concluding formula of the benediction Ha-maʿariv ʿAravim. This sentence is either ה' צבאות שמו קדוש ישראל (Isa 47:4) or ה' צבאות שמו חי וקיים תמיד ימלוך עלינו לעולם ועד. The words ה' צבאות שמו (‘The Lord of Hosts is His Name’) are the common denominator. It is suggested that these words are a remnant of the verse ת ירח וכוכבים לאור לילה... ה' צבאות שמוֹן שמש לאור יומם חֻקֵנֹתה' (‘the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night... the Lord of hosts is his name’, Jer 31:34[35]), a verse that is perfectly suitable before the concluding formula of this benediction. Citing verses before the concluding formulae of benediction was a usual liturgical practice. It is suggested that only the words ה' צבאות שמו survived out of this verse, and they were elaborated in different ways. Echoes of this verse in the Qumran scrolls are mentioned.