This Too Shall Pass in Hebrew: Gam Zeh Ya'avor (גם זה יעבור)
"This too shall pass" in Hebrew is גַּם זֶה יַעֲבֹר, said gahm zeh yah-ah-VOR. Transliterated it is written Gam Zeh Ya'avor.
Hebrew reads right to left, so the first word, גַּם (gam), sits on the right hand side. That trips up a lot of people copying it into a design.
Israelis use this phrase in ordinary conversation. It is not archaic or ceremonial language.
Breaking the phrase down
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Means |
|---|---|---|
| גַּם | gam | also, too |
| זֶה | zeh | this |
| יַעֲבֹר | ya'avor | will pass |
The verb comes from the root ע־ב־ר, which is about crossing over or passing through. It is the same root behind the word for a Hebrew person, ivri, someone who crossed over.
So the sense is closer to "you will get through this" than "this will disappear."
How to pronounce it
Three beats: gahm, then zeh, then yah-ah-VOR with the stress at the end.
The ע in יעבור is a guttural letter. Most English speakers, and plenty of Israelis, simply glide past it, which is fine.
With vowels or without
You will see the phrase written two ways. With vowel marks it is גַּם זֶה יַעֲבֹר. Without them it is גם זה יעבור.
Everyday Hebrew drops the vowel marks. They appear in prayer books, poetry, and children's books, and they are optional on jewelry.
For engraving there is a real tradeoff. Vowel marks are small dots and dashes under the letters, and at ring scale they can fill in and turn muddy. On a narrow band we usually recommend leaving them off.
The three letter version
Hebrew has a shorthand for this phrase: גַּזַ"י, pronounced gah-ZAI. It is built from the opening letters of each word, gimel, zayin and yod.
This is the single most useful thing to know if you are engraving something small. A signet face, a thin stacking band, or the inside of a wedding ring often cannot hold six syllables of Hebrew at a size anyone can read.
Three letters solve that, and to a Hebrew reader they are instantly recognizable.
Getting the Hebrew right on a real piece
Two things go wrong most often. The letters get reversed by design software that does not handle right to left text, and a decorative "Hebrew style" font gets used instead of actual Hebrew letterforms.
Both produce something that looks fine to an English speaker and looks wrong to anyone who reads Hebrew. If the piece is a gift for a Jewish recipient, that is the difference between a keepsake and an embarrassment.
We cut real Hebrew letterforms and proof the engraving with you at actual size before production. Our Hebrew engraving guide covers spacing, vowels, and how much text fits where.
Related phrases worth knowing
Gam Zu L'Tovah, גַּם זוּ לְטוֹבָה, means "this too is for the good." It is a different idea and a different piece, covered in our Gam Zu L'Tovah guide.
Ein Od Milvado, אֵין עוֹד מִלְבַדּוֹ, means "there is none besides Him." See what Ein Od Milvado means.
You can compare the full set in our Hebrew phrase reference, or browse the pieces in Hebrew spinner rings.
Where to see it engraved
The Eli Spinner Ring carries גם זה יעבור on a band that turns, which gives restless hands something to do. It does not treat anxiety or any condition.
If you want the phrase in English instead, the This Too Shall Pass bangle does that. Both sit in the This Too Shall Pass collection, and custom Hebrew goes through custom spinner rings.
Common questions
How do you write "this too shall pass" in Hebrew?
גם זה יעבור without vowels, or גַּם זֶה יַעֲבֹר with them. Right to left, gam first.
What is the Hebrew tattoo version?
Same text. Take the Hebrew from a native reader rather than a translation tool, and have a Hebrew speaker check the stencil before the needle. Reversed or mirrored Hebrew is the most common tattoo mistake.
Is Gam Zeh Ya'avor in the Torah?
No. It is not in the Tanakh, Talmud or Midrash. See is "this too shall pass" in the Bible.
What does גַּזַ"י mean?
It is the acronym of Gam Zeh Ya'avor, using the first letter of each word. The quotation mark before the final letter is how Hebrew signals an acronym.
