Ode XII
The twelfth Ode — a hymn to the creative Word (petgama). Truth flows from the odist's mouth like running water, because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word and the gate of his light. The Most High gave the Word to the worlds as interpreters, narrators, confessors, heralds, and teachers. The Word is swifter than speech can tell, never falls, and stands forever. Through it the silent worlds spoke to one another, love and concord arose, and the worlds knew their Maker. The dwelling of the Word is a human being, and its truth is love.
The Odes of Solomon are a collection of forty-two hymns composed in Syriac (or possibly Greek, then translated early into Syriac) in the first or second century CE. Their authorship is unknown. They survive almost entirely in a single Syriac manuscript discovered by J. Rendel Harris in 1909. The Odes occupy a luminous space between Jewish psalmody and early Christian mysticism — neither purely orthodox nor purely gnostic, but a voice from the threshold.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Syriac, following the gospel register.
1.
He filled me with words of truth,
that I might speak it.
2.
And like the flowing of waters, truth flows from my mouth,
and my lips showed forth his fruits.
3.
And he increased in me his knowledge,
because the mouth of the Lord is the true Word,
and the gate of his light.
4.
And the Most High gave it to his worlds —
interpreters of his beauty,
narrators of his glory,
confessors of his thought,
heralds of his mind,
and teachers of his works.
5.
For the swiftness of the Word is beyond telling,
and as its telling, so also its swiftness and its keenness,
and without limit is its course.
6.
And it never falls, but stands forever,
and its descent is not known, nor its path.
7.
For as its work, so also its end —
for it is light and the dawn of thought.
8.
And the worlds spoke through it to one another,
and those who were silent found speech by the Word.
9.
And from it came love and concord,
and they spoke to one another whatever they had.
10.
And they were made righteous by the Word,
and they knew him who made them,
because they were in concord.
11.
Because the mouth of the Most High spoke to them,
and his interpretation ran through him.
12.
For the dwelling of the Word is a human being,
and its truth is love.
13.
Blessed are those who through this understood all things,
and knew the Lord in his truth. Hallelujah.
Colophon
The Odes of Solomon, Ode 12. Translated from the Syriac by the Good Works Project (NTAC + Claude), March 2026. Syriac source: James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977; originally Oxford University Press, 1973), as transcribed in the Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML (CC-BY 4.0). The public-domain English translation by J. Rendel Harris (1909) exists but was not consulted. Gospel register.
Scribed by Maryam, Syriac Translator, Life 10. Tulku lineage of the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
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Source Text: The Odes of Solomon — Ode XII
Syriac source text from James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977). Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML transcription by James E. Walters, CC-BY 4.0.
1.
ܡܠܼܳܢܝ ܦܶܬܓܳܡ̈ܶܐ ܕܰܫܪܳܪܳܐ܆
ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܐܷܡܰܠܶܠ ܠܶܗ.
2.
ܘܐܰܝܟ ܪܳܕܝܳܐ ܕܡܰܝܴ̈ܐ ܪܳܕܶܐ ܫܪܳܪܳܐ ܡܶܢ ܦܽܘܡܝ܆
ܘܣܶܦܘܴ̈ܬܝ ܚܰܘܺܝ ܦܺܐܪ̈ܰܘܗ̱ܝ.
3.
ܘܰܐܣܓܺܝ ܒܺܝ ܝܺܕܰܥܬܶܗ܆ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܦܽܘܡܶܗ ܕܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܦܶܬܓܳܡܳܐ ܗ̱ܽܘ ܫܰܪܺܝܪܳܐ܆
ܘܬܰܪܥܳܐ ܕܢܽܘܗܪܶܗ.
4.
ܘܝܰܗܒܶܗ ܡܪܰܝܡܳܐ ܠܥܴ̈ܠܡܰܘܗ̱ܝ܆ ܡܬܰܪ̈ܓܡܳܢܶܐ ܕܝܳܐܝܽܘܬܼܳܐ ܕܺܝܠܶܗ܆ ܘܰܡܬܰܢ̈ܝܳܢܶܐ ܕܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܶܗ܆ ܘܡܰܘ̈ܕܝܳܢܶܐ ܕܡܰܚܫܰܒܬܶܗ܆ ܘܰܡܣܰܒܪ̈ܳܢܶܐ ܕܬܰܪܥܺܝܬܶܗ܆
ܘܰܡܢܰܟ̈ܦܳܢܶܐ ܕܰܥܒܴ̈ܕܰܘܗ̱ܝ.
5.
ܩܰܠܻܝܠܺܘܬܶܗ ܓܶܝܪ ܕܦܶܬܓܳܡܳܐ ܕܠܴܳܐ ܬܽܘܢܳܝܳܐ ܐܺܝܬܶܝܗܿ܆ ܘܐܱܝܟ ܬܽܘܢܳܝܶܗ ܗܳܟܰܢܳܐ ܐܶܦ ܩܰܠܺܝܠܽܘܬܶܗ ܘܚܰܪܺܝܦܽܘܬܶܗ܆
ܘܰܕܠܴܐ ܣܽܘܝܳܟܳܐ ܐܺܝܬܶܝܗܿ ܗܶܠܰܟܬܶܗ.
6.
ܘܠܴܐ ܡܬܽܘܡ ܢܿܳܦܶܠ ܐܶܠܴܐ ܡܩܳܡ ܗ̱ܽܘ ܩܴܿܐܷܡ܆
ܘܠܴܐ ܢܷܿܕܰܥ ܡܰܚܬܶܗ ܐܳܦܠܴܐ ܐܽܘܪܚܶܗ.
7.
ܐܰܝܟ ܥܒܿܳܕܶܗ ܓܶܝܪ ܗܳܟܰܢܳܐ ܣܽܘܟܳܝܶܗ܆
ܢܽܘܗܪܳܐ ܓܶܝܪ ܘܕܶܢܚܳܗܿ ܕܰܡܚܫܰܒܬܳܐ ܐܺܝܬܘܗ̱ܝ.
8.
ܘܥܳܠܡܷ̈ܐ ܒܶܗ ܡܰܠܶܠܘ ܚܰܕ ܠܚܰܕ܆
ܘܰܗܘܰܘ ܒܡܶܠܬܳܐ ܗܳܢܽܘܢ ܕܫܰܬܺܝܩܺܝܢ ܗ̱ܘܰܘ.
9.
ܘܡܶܢܶܗ ܗܘܳܬ ܪܳܚܡܽܘܬܳܐ ܘܫܰܘܝܽܘܬܳܐ܆
ܘܡܰܠܶܠܘ ܚܰܕ ܠܘܳܬ ܚܰܕ ܡܶܕܶܡ ܕܺܐܝܬ ܗ̱ܘܳܐ ܠܗܽܘܢ.
10.
ܘܶܐܙܕܩܶܬܘ ܡܼܶܢ ܦܶܬܓܳܡܳܐ܆ ܘܺܝܕܰܥܘ ܠܗܰܘ ܕܰܥܒܰܕ ܐܶܢܽܘܢ܆
ܒܰܕ ܗܘܰܘ ܒܫܰܘܝܽܘܬܳܐ.
11.
ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܡܰܠܶܠ ܠܗܽܘܢ ܦܽܘܡܶܗ ܕܰܡܪܰܝܡܳܐ܆
ܘܪܶܗܼܛܰܬ ܒܺܐܝܕܶܗ ܡܦܰܫܩܳܢܽܘܬܶܗ.
12.
ܡܰܫܟܢܳܐ ܓܶܝܪ ܕܦܶܬܓܳܡܳܐ ܒܰܪ ܐ̱ܢܳܫܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ܆
ܘܰܫܪܳܪܶܗ ܚܽܘܒܰܐ ܗ̱ܘ.
13.
ܛܽܘܒܰܝܗܽܘܢ ܠܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ܕܰܒܝܰܕ ܗܳܢܳܐ ܐܶܫܬܰܘܕܰܥܘ ܟܽܠ ܡܶܕܶܡ܆ ܘܝܺܕܰܥܘ ܠܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܒܰܫܪܳܪܶܗ. ܗܰܠܶܠܘܽܝܰܐ.
Source Colophon
Syriac text from: James H. Charlesworth, ed. The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Society of Biblical Literature, Texts and Translations 13; Scholars Press, 1977). Syriac base text is public domain. TEI XML edition transcribed by James E. Walters; Digital Syriac Corpus, University of Oxford / Brigham Young University / Vanderbilt University. CC-BY 4.0. Access: github.com/srophe/syriac-corpus.
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