Ein Kamocha: Removing the Torah from the Ark

Ein Kamocha means “There is none like You.” In the synagogue, it is sung just before the ark is opened and the Torah scroll is brought out for the public Torah reading, usually on Shabbat, festivals, and other days when the Torah is read.

The prayer gathers biblical words of praise, especially from the Psalms, into one short confession: God has no equal, His reign is over every generation, and He gives His people strength and peace.

When Ein Kamocha is said

The Torah reading normally comes after the Amidah, the standing prayer. The scroll is not simply taken out like a book from a shelf. The congregation marks the moment with verses, singing, standing, and often a procession through the room.

In many synagogues, the order is close to this. First, the congregation sings Ein Kamocha. Then the ark is opened and verses from Numbers 10 and Isaiah 2 are sung. Numbers 10:35 remembers the words Moses spoke when the ark set out in the wilderness: “Rise up, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered” (Numbers 10:35). Isaiah 2:3 looks toward the nations coming to learn from the Lord: “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

After that, the Torah scroll is taken out. The leader may recite declarations of faith, including the Shema, and the congregation answers. The scroll is then carried to the bima, the reading platform, where the Torah portion will be read.

Ein Kamocha is the opening praise for that whole movement. Before the scroll is lifted from the ark, the congregation says who the Lord is.

Where the words come from

Ein Kamocha is not one long verse. It is a liturgical collection of biblical phrases.

The opening line comes from Psalm 86:8: “There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and there are no deeds like Yours.” The next line comes from Psalm 145:13: “Your kingdom is a kingdom for all eternities, and Your dominion is throughout every generation.” The line about strength and peace is Psalm 29:11.

The closing section, placed in parentheses in the prayer text below, draws on Psalm 51:18 in English numbering (Psalm 51:20 in Hebrew numbering): “Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.” Some congregations include this section in this place, and some omit it.

The well-known refrain “Adonai Melech, Adonai Malach, Adonai Yimloch l’olam va’ed” is a compact kingship declaration. It speaks of the Lord as King in the present, past, and future. Its language echoes biblical declarations such as “The LORD is king forever and ever” (Psalm 10:16) and “The LORD will reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18).

Transliteration of Ein Kamocha:

Ein kamocha va’Elohim, Adonai,
ve’ein kema’asecha.
Malchut’cha malchut kol olamim,
umemshal’techa b’chol dor vador.

Adonai Melech,
Adonai Malach,
Adonai Yimloch l’olam va’ed.

Adonai oz l’amo yiten,
Adonai yevarech et amo vashalom.

(Av harachamim, heitivah virtzon’cha et Tziyon,
tivneh chomot Yerushalayim.
Ki vecha levad batachnu,
Melech El ram v’nisa, Adon olamim.)

Ein Kamocha Prayer in Hebrew:

אֵין כָּמוֹךָ בָאֱלֹהִים אֲדֹנָי
וְאֵין כְּמַעֲשֶׂיךָ
מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כָּל עוֹלָמִים
וּמֶמְשַׁלְתְּךָ בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר

ה' מֶלֶךְ
ה' מָלָךְ
ה' יִמְלךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

ה' עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן
ה' יְבָרֵךְ אֶת עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם

אַב הָרַחֲמִים. הֵיטִיבָה בִרְצוֹנְךָ אֶת צִיּון)
תִּבְנֶה חוֹמוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָיִם
כִּי בְךָ לְבַד בָּטָחְנוּ
(מֶלֶךְ אֵל רָם וְנִשּא אֲדוֹן עֹלָמִים

Translation of Ein Kamocha:

There is none like You among the gods, O Lord,
and there are no deeds like Yours.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all eternities,
and Your dominion is throughout every generation.

The Lord is King,
the Lord was King,
the Lord shall be King forever and ever.

The Lord will give strength to His people;
the Lord will bless His people with peace.

(Father of compassion, do good in Your will to Zion;
build the walls of Jerusalem.
For in You alone we have trusted,
O exalted and uplifted God, King, Master of all worlds.)

What the prayer is saying

“There is none like You”

Kamocha means “like you.” With ein in front of it, the phrase becomes “there is none like You.” The same idea appears in the Song at the Sea: “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?” (Exodus 15:11). That question is sung in the synagogue in Mi Chamocha. Ein Kamocha gives the answer: no one.

Psalm 86 is not abstract theology. It is a prayer from distress. David is asking for help, mercy, and rescue. So when the congregation says, “There is none like You,” it is not just making a statement about God’s greatness. It is saying, “No one else can save like You can.”

God’s kingdom in every generation

“Your kingdom is a kingdom for all eternities” comes from Psalm 145, a psalm of praise built around the greatness and goodness of God. The Torah scroll is about to be read, but first the congregation remembers that Torah is not merely ancient law. It is instruction from the King.

That matters for disciples of Yeshua (Jesus). Rabbi Yeshua began His public message with the kingdom: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). He also taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). Ein Kamocha trains the mouth to say what the Gospels announce: God reigns.

“Adonai Melech, Adonai Malach, Adonai Yimloch”

This is the line many people remember first. Melech means “King.” Malach is usually translated here as “was King.” Yimloch means “will reign.” In one short line, the congregation confesses that the Lord’s kingship is not trapped in one moment.

He is King now. He was King before us. He will reign when our strength, governments, plans, and anxieties have all passed away.

Strength and peace

Psalm 29 is full of thunder. The voice of the Lord breaks cedars, shakes the wilderness, and flashes with fire. Then the psalm ends quietly: “The LORD will give strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).

That is a beautiful line to say before hearing Torah. God’s word is not weak. It can shake us. But the God who shakes the wilderness also gives strength to His people and blesses them with shalom.

A prayer for Zion and Jerusalem

The final section asks the Father of compassion to do good to Zion and build the walls of Jerusalem. The line comes from Psalm 51, David’s great prayer of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba. After confessing his own sin, David turns outward and prays for Zion.

That movement is healthy. Repentance does not end with me staring at myself. It turns my face back toward God, His people, His city, and His purposes.

The first-century connection

We should be careful with dates. The verses of Ein Kamocha are from the Tanakh, and Yeshua and the apostles knew these Scriptures. But Ein Kamocha as a fixed synagogue prayer for removing the Torah from the ark belongs to later Jewish liturgy. We should not claim that Yeshua sang this exact arrangement in Nazareth.

What we can say is that public Scripture reading in the synagogue was already part of the world of Yeshua and the apostles. Luke 4:16-20 tells us that Yeshua stood up to read on Shabbat, was handed the scroll of Isaiah, read from it, rolled it up, and gave it back to the attendant. Acts 13:15 mentions “the reading from the Law and the Prophets” in a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. James says in Acts 15:21 that Moses “is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

The reverence around the scroll also has older biblical roots. In Nehemiah 8:5, when Ezra opened the book in the sight of the people, “all the people stood.” The details of later synagogue practice developed over time, but the instinct is ancient: when God’s word is opened, God’s people stand ready to listen.

The themes of Ein Kamocha also appear in the apostolic writings. Revelation 15:3-4 speaks of the song of Moses and says, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?” Revelation 11:15 declares, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The apostles were not inventing a new vocabulary from nothing. They were speaking the language of Israel’s Scriptures.

How to pray Ein Kamocha at home

You do not need an ark or a Torah scroll to use this prayer with honor. You can pray it before opening the Bible with your family. It is a simple way to say, “We are about to listen to the King.”

You might begin by learning only the refrain: “Adonai Melech, Adonai Malach, Adonai Yimloch l’olam va’ed.” Children can learn that line quickly, and it gives them a strong picture of God’s rule over past, present, and future.

Another good practice is to read the full chapters behind the prayer. Read Psalm 86 one day, Psalm 145 another day, then Psalm 29 and Psalm 51. The short prayer becomes clearer when you hear the larger prayers it comes from.

And when you come to the words about Zion and Jerusalem, stop and pray. Pray Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Pray also that the word of the Lord would go out with clarity, mercy, and truth.

The next time you open Scripture, try beginning with one line: “There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and there are no deeds like Yours.” Then read as someone listening for the voice of the King.

Questions people ask

What does Ein Kamocha mean?

Ein Kamocha means “There is none like You.” It comes from Psalm 86:8 and gives its name to the prayer sung before the Torah scroll is taken from the ark.

What does kamocha mean in Hebrew?

Kamocha means “like you.” In Exodus 15:11 the question is asked, “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?” In Psalm 86:8, Ein Kamocha answers that question: there is none like You.

What does Adonai Melech Adonai Malach Adonai Yimloch l’olam va’ed mean?

It means “The Lord is King, the Lord was King, the Lord shall be King forever and ever.” The line declares God’s reign in the present, past, and future. It is one of the best-known parts of Ein Kamocha.

When is Ein Kamocha said?

Ein Kamocha is sung in the synagogue just before the ark is opened and the Torah scroll is brought out for reading. This usually happens after the Amidah in the Torah service on Shabbat, festivals, and other Torah-reading days.

Is Ein Kamocha the same as Ana BeKoach?

No. Ein Kamocha is part of the Torah service and is sung when the Torah is taken from the ark. Ana BeKoach is a different Jewish prayer, with a different text and use in the prayer tradition.