This volume is the editio princeps of a collection of hymns, seventy-seven in all, from Ephrem the Syrian (d. 373) dealing with Nisibis and other subjects. An annotated Latin translation and an introduction are included.

This brief contribution to the discussion of Semitic metrics was written by a renowned scholar of biblical languages. Concentrating on the partial acrostic poem in Nahum 1.2-2.3, Bickell addresses the metrics of the piece. Laying out the text in Hebrew and in transliteration, Bickell gives his own translation along with his metrical observations. For anyone interested in the poetic structures of Semitic languages, particularly biblical Hebrew, this booklet will provide considerable insight.