Pray
Tasbeha, the Midnight Praises
Tasbeha is the Coptic Orthodox service of Midnight Praise: the Church standing through the night in canticles and hymns. Each day has its own praises, sung in the night before it, and the season changes them again. Pick a day and watch its praises assemble.
- Arise, O Children of the LightThe hymn that opens the praises once the midnight hour of the Agpeya is prayed: “Arise, O children of the light, let us praise the Lord of hosts.”
- The First Canticle (Hoos)The Song of Moses after the crossing of the Red Sea, “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously”, followed by its Lobsh, the explanation.
- The Second Canticle“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever,” with its Lobsh.
- The Third CanticleThe Song of the Three Holy Youths in the furnace, “Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord”, followed by the Psali of the Three Youths in Greek and in Coptic.
- Commemoration of the SaintsThe saints are called on by name, beginning with the Theotokos and the archangels, each with the same request: intercede for us, that the Lord may forgive us our sins.
- The DoxologiesShort hymns of glory, opening with the Midnight Doxology of the Theotokos and going on to the heavenly orders, St. John the Baptist, the apostles and St. Mark, then the saints the church keeps.
- The Fourth Canticle“Praise the Lord from the heavens… praise Him with the sound of the trumpet”, the praises of the heights.
- The PsaliA metrical hymn of praise, chanted in the tune of the day.
- The TheotokiaThe Sunday Theotokia, the day’s praises of the Theotokos, telling her through the Old-Testament types: the burning bush, the ark, the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod.
- ConclusionNear the end of the Theotokia the priest reads the Song of Simeon, Luke 2:29–32. Then come the conclusion of the Theotokia, the Creed, the litany “Holy, Holy, Holy” and the Lord’s Prayer, with the absolution when a priest is present. The Difnar, the Antiphonarium, gives verses for the saint of the day.
An overview of the order of the praises in the Coptic Orthodox tradition, not the hymn texts themselves. Local practice and feast days vary the doxologies and additions.
Questions about Tasbeha
What is Tasbeha?
Tasbeha is the Midnight Praise of the Coptic Orthodox Church, sung late at night after the midnight hour of the Agpeya. It is built on four canticles taken straight from Scripture, with the Commemoration of the Saints and the doxologies before the fourth, and the Psali and the Theotokia of the day after it.
What does the word Tasbeha mean?
Tasbeha is Arabic for praise. The book that holds the service is the Psalmodia, and each of its four biblical canticles is called a Hoos, Coptic for praise.
When is Tasbeha prayed?
Late at night, ahead of a Divine Liturgy the next morning. Parishes most often keep it on Saturday night before the Sunday Liturgy, and monasteries pray it every night.
What are the four canticles of the Midnight Praise?
The First Hoos is the Song of Moses after the crossing of the Red Sea, from Exodus 15. The Second is Psalm 136, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” The Third is the Song of the Three Holy Youths in the furnace, from Daniel 3, and the Fourth is Psalms 148 to 150.
Why is Tasbeha different on each night?
Each day of the week has its own Psali and Theotokia, sung in the night before it, so Sunday’s are sung on Saturday night. The praises of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday take the Adam tune, and those of Wednesday through Saturday the Watos tune. As Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty’s outline of the liturgy puts it, the Psalmody is the Church’s weekly cycle of praise, “differing from day to day in material and music.”
What is the Seven and Four in Kiahk?
On the Saturday nights of Kiahk, the Coptic month before the Nativity, all seven Theotokias of the week are chanted in one night together with the four canticles. That is the Seven and Four, and it makes those vigils the longest praises of the year.