"Dod ohev otach": the strangest love song in Israeli pop
דּוֹד אוֹהֵב אוֹתָךְ (dod ohev otach) means "Dod loves you" — Dod being the singer's own name in the song. Written by Meir Goldberg with music by Dudi Levi, who also performs it, this is one of Israeli pop's beloved oddities: a declaration of love made in enormous, absurd, deadly-serious images.
The chorus, word by word
The chorus is the part every Israeli can sing, and it is almost entirely beginner-level Hebrew.
- דּוֹד Dod — a man's name here (the word normally means "uncle")
- אוֹהֵב ohev — loves (masculine singular present)
- אוֹתָךְ otach — you (feminine object)
- אַל תַּגִּידִי שֶׁלֹּא יָדַעַת — don't say you didn't know
- לָנֶצַח lanetzach — forever
What the verses actually say
The narrator follows raindrops to marble mountains and sculpts her face there. He asks every traveller if they know anything about her. He crosses the bridge, draws the bow, and discovers that the weapon is hot. He crosses dune after dune, every desert and lagoon, every field and every dunam of sea.
It is love as an epic expedition — and then it lands on the most ordinary, most Israeli line of all: וְרוֹצֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת לָךְ בַּת, "and I want to make you a daughter" — followed by a shrug: או בן, או משהו… "or a son, or something".
Lines worth memorising
- כְּבָר הָלַכְתִּי אַחֲרַיִךְ — I already walked after you
- בְּעִקְבוֹת טִיפּוֹת הַמַּיִם — following the drops of water
- כְּשֶׁהַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יוֹרֶדֶת — when the sun goes down
- בִּגְלָלֵךְ אֲנִי לֹא נִרְדָּם — because of you I can't fall asleep
Vocabulary from this song
- מַיִם mayim — water
- הַר har — mountain (plural הָרִים harim)
- אוֹפֶק ofek — horizon
- גֶּשֶׁר gesher — bridge
- מִדְבָּר midbar — desert
- לְהֵירָדֵם leheradem — to fall asleep
Why learners like it
The chorus is short, repeats four times and uses the single most useful sentence pattern in Hebrew: subject + present-tense verb + object pronoun (אוֹהֵב אוֹתָךְ / אוֹהֵב אוֹתְךָ). Learn it here and you can say it to anyone.
Frequently asked questions
What does dod ohev otach mean in English?
"Dod loves you" — Dod is the name of the singer in the song, addressed to a woman (otach).
Does dod mean uncle?
As a word, yes — דּוֹד means uncle. In this song it is used as the man's name, which is part of the song's charm.
Who wrote and performs Dod?
Words by Meir Goldberg, music and vocals by Dudi Levi. It reached no. 18 in the 2005 Israeli year-end radio chart.
How do I say 'I love you' in Hebrew?
To a woman: אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אוֹתָךְ (ani ohev otach) if you're male. To a man: אֲנִי אוֹהֶבֶת אוֹתְךָ (ani ohevet otcha) if you're female.