The title of the album itself evokes the cyclical nature of life, as new creatures are born and begin the journey everyone must embark on towards the end. “Who By Fire” is more direct, packing imagery of various demises into the song’s tight 2:32 runtime. The title is a reference to the “Un’taneh Tokef Kedushat Hayom,” a Hebrew prayer chanted on Yom Kippur. The prayer is said to have been written by a Rabbi dying from his wounds after he was put to death for his unwillingness to convert.

Where Un’taneh details causes of death typical for Holy Texts (stoning, plague, flood), Cohen’s bounces between times, asking “who by high ordeal” — a form of trial in the medieval period such as trial by combat — before switching to modern parlance in the next stanza:

SOURCE:https://blog.sevenponds.com/expressive-music/who-by-fire-by-leonard-cohen