Poem – Then Said the Devil (Az Amar Ha’Satan) by Nathan Alterman

The Hebrew poem אָז אָמַר הַשָׂטָן (az amar ha’satan), which literally translates to ‘then said the devil’, is believed to be the last poem written by Nathan Alterman – one of Israel’s most prominent and influential poets. It got published in 1970, shortly after his tragic and sudden death of complications of an intestine illness. His daughter, the late Tirtza Atar went through his estate and found it scribbled on a note in his desk drawer.

It is a very rough and minimalistic poem, and pretty safe to say it was still a work in progress when found, though an argument could be made that it is its crudeness and conciseness are the very things that make it so impactful. Let’s have a look, shall we?

Az Amar Ha’Satan – Hebrew

אָז אָמַר הַשָּׂטָן: הַנָּצוּר הַזֶּה
אֵיךְ אוּכַל לוֹ.
אִתּוֹ הָאֹמֶץ וְכִשְׁרוֹן הַמַּעֲשֶׂה
וּכְלֵי מִלְחָמָה וְתוּשִׁיָּה עֵצָה לוֹ.
וְאָמַר: לֹא אֱטֹל כֹּחוֹ
וְלֹא רֶסֶן אָשִׂים וָמֶתֶג
וְלֹא מֹרֶךְ אָבִיא בְּתוֹכוֹ
וְלֹא יָדָיו אַרְפֶּה כְּמִקֶּדֶם,
רַק זֹאת אֶעֱשֶׂה: אַכְהֶה מֹחוֹ
וְשָׁכַח שֶׁאִתּוֹ הַצֶּדֶק.

כָּךְ דִּבֵּר הַשָּׂטָן, וּכְמוֹ
חָוְרוּ שָׁמַיִם מֵאֵימָה
בִּרְאוֹתָם אוֹתוֹ בְּקוּמוֹ
לְבַצֵּע הַמְּזִמָּה.

Here’s a recording of me reciting this song in case you want to know how it (or I) sounds like:

There’s also an official musical version at the of the post.

Vocabulary Table

As you can see, it’s not a very long poem and has only 14 lines in total. It has a very biblical air – primarily in its vocabulary and choice of words, but also in its grammar. Here is a table of the key words from the poem, and in parentheses you’ll find how the word are spelled without niqud, in cases there’s a difference.

* This is the biblical spelling of the word. In modern Hebrew it is spelled מוח in both ways.

Then Said the Devil – English translation

Poems are never easy to translate, and this one is no exception. Here is my stab at it, and I should tell you that since Hebrew grammar enables more minimalism than its English counterpart, I prioritized coherence over meaning anytime I had to choose between the two.

Then said the Devil: So well-protected this one
How can I defeat him.
With him are courage and the skill to act
And weapons of war and resourcefulness is his advice.
And he said: I will not take away his strength
And I will not place a bridle nor bit upon him
And I will not plant fear within him
Nor will I weaken his hand as in the days of old
Only this will I do: I shall dim his mind
And he will forget that justice is with him

Thus spoke the devil, and it was as if
The skies grew pale with terror
When they saw him rise
To execute his scheme.

Context and Background

The poem ‘Than Said the Devil’ was written in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. Alterman, who was one of the founders of the Movement for Greater Israel, was very outspoken about his belief that Israel should keep holding the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. In fact, he warned that acknowledging the existence of a Palestinian national identity, and validating their narrative will inevitably lead to two things – Israel losing legitimacy in the eyes of the world, and Israelis losing faith in the righteousness of their ways and in the just nature of their cause – a concept which in Hebrew is known as צִדְקָת הַדֶּרֶך (tsidkat ha’derekh).

For many Israelis צדקת הדרך is the unofficial title of this poem, thought it is mostly known by the first three words it opens with.

Even though it was written with Israel in mind, its prophetic words and dire warning certainly also apply to The West in general – especially the dimming of the mind part. Whenever I think of this poem there is one YouTube clip that comes to mind, and that is the clip of Yuri Bezmenov explaining ideological subversion:

Chilling, isn’t it? The full interview can be found here, if you are interested. To me, this poem is post-Modernism in a nutshell. We are so well protected in the west. We are so well protected we don’t even see the walls and fences that keep us safe, and our minds have been dulled to oblivion.

The word ‘devil’ in Hebrew

The Hebrew word for devil שָׂטָן (satan) started as an obscure term for obstacle or enemy, but became the common way to refer to devil already in ancient times (more specifically in the Books of Job and Zechariah). This semantical shift into a more demonic sense was probably influenced by other neighboring cultures and the Babylonian Exile. It is around that time that we also see the adage of the Hebrew definite article ה to the word, hinting it refers to a specific person, character or creature.

The etymology of the name Satan

The etymology of the name Satan in Hebrew is unclear. The shoresh it is based on שׂ-ט-נ (Sin–Tet-Nun) is associated with very dated ways to say hate (as a verb) or hatred. It is also very similar and probably related to the shoresh שׂ-ט-מ (Sin-Tet-Mem) which expressed the exact same meaning but is considered to be slightly less dated in that sense.

However, there are people who believe that the name Satan actually derives from the shoresh שׂ-ט-ה (Sin-Tet-Heh) and is somehow related to the shoresh ס-ט-ה (Samekh-Tet-Heh) which means to deviate (also written ש-ט-ה with Sin in Biblical Hebrew). The logic behind this claim is that Satan’s purpose is to influence people and make them deviate from the path of righteousness.

Demons and Dementia?

It is also worth noting that the name Satan in Hebrew (שטן) bears a striking resemblance to the word שִׁטָיוֹן (shitayon) – the common Hebrew word for dementia. The root of שיטיון is ש-ט-י (Shin-Tet-Yod) from which we get the word שׁוֹטֶה (shote) which is a very fancy and dated way to say fool (like dotard or imbecile), and the verb שִׁטָּה (shita) which means to fool or to deceive. Even though the sound of שׁ (Shin) and שׂ (Sin) are closely related (and they were even more similar in Ancient Hebrew), it is still quite a stretch to claim that Satan and Dementia are related in Hebrew.

However, it does work quite nicely in the context of this poem, especially when considering that the angelic name of Satan in Hebrew is סַמָּאֵל (sama’el) – a name which either means to blind someone to (the truth of) God, or to serve as God’s (venomous) drug. Both meanings correspond very well with the whole dimming of the mind solution the devil finally decided to go with in the poem.

By the way, it is interesting that Alterman went with the verb אַכְהֶה (akh’heh) with a Kaf (כ) and not אַקְהֶה (aqheh) with a Qof (ק) before the word מוח (mo’ach) and in the context of mind. The first verb הִכְהָה (hikh’ha) means to change color into a darker shade and isn’t commonly used for sight, memory or mental capacity. The second one הִקְהָה (hiqha) means to turn sharp objects dull or blunt (or an angle more obtuse) and therefore is far more commonly used with the deterioration of mental faculties, as well as eyesight.

In fact, in 2014 the Academy of the Hebrew Language officially change the Hebrew term for dementia from שיטיון (shitayon) to קיהיון (qihayon) which is based on the shoresh ק-ה-ה (Qof-Heh-Heh) which expresses dullness, bluntness and obtuseness. This was done because the term שיטיון (shitayon) was deemed too offensive, and many family members of people who suffer from dementia apparently petitioned to change it.

Then said the Devil – Cabaret?

The poem ‘Then said the Devil’ was revived in 2017 by the Israeli Public TV Station Kan 11 for documentary series about the IDF Chiefs of Staff throughout the years call Ramatkalim (from the abbreviation רמטכ”ל). The poem was composed by Israeli singer and musician Tamar Eisenman and she chose a strong cabaret vibe to represent the tricky nature of the devil:

She pronounces a couple of the words inaccurately (particularly מורך and ארפה) but it is still an interesting take and a worthy attempt at a very difficult task.