LSB #841 "O Son of God, in Galilee"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Mark 7:32-37

Mark 7:32-37:  "32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.  33 And taking him aside from the crowd privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue.  34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, 'Ephphatha,' that is, 'Be opened.'  35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.  36 And Jesus charged them to tell no one.  But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.  37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, 'He has done all things well.  He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.'"

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While it's obvious that the hymn is based on this passage from Mark 7, there are only a couple elements from the passage that are actually in the hymn text.  Part of verse 37 is the basis for the first three lines of the hymn ("O Son of God, in Galilee / You made the deaf to hear, / The mute to speak, the blind to see") and for the first half of the third verse ("The speechless tongue, the lifeless ear / You can restore, O Lord"), and the word ephphatha from verse 34 appears in the second half of the third verse ("Your 'Ephphatha,' O Savior dear, / Can instant help afford").

The line "O bid them cast on You their care" in the second verse bears some resemblance to the first part of Psalm 55:22 ("Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you") and 1 Peter 5:7 ("casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you").

"Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest"

A couple years ago, I noticed two small features in "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest" (paired with the tune "Komm, Gott Schöpfer").

The fourth verse starts with the line "Your light to ev'ry thought impart," sung to this musical phrase:

The words "ev'ry thought" are sung to notes of all different pitches (spanning a fifth:  Eb F Bb), giving a sense of this extent.

The third verse ends with the lines "While You with tongues of fire proclaim / To all the world His holy name."  The second of these is sung to this musical phrase:

Similar to the above, the phrase "all the world" is sung to notes of all different pitches (again spanning a fifth:  Bb G Eb), lending some sense of the entirety of "all."

LSB #840 "Christ High-Ascended, Now in Glory Seated"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28-18-20, Acts 1:8, Philippians 2:9-11, John 16:19-24

Matthew 28:18-20:  "18 And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

Acts 1:8:  "'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'"

Philippians 2:9-11:  "9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

John 16:19-24:  "19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, 'Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, "A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me"?  20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.  You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.  21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.  23 In that day you will ask nothing of me.  Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.  24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.'"

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Matthew 28:18-20 is paraphrased in the second verse, in the line "To win disciples out of ev'ry nation" in the third verse, and in the fourth verse.

Acts 1:8 appears in the line "We are His witnesses" at the end of each verse and in the line "Filled with His Spirit, love and pow'r receiving" near the end of the fifth verse.

The passage from Philippians 2 is referred to at the beginning of the first verse:  "Christ high-ascended, now in glory seated, / Throned and exalted, victory completed."

The passage from John 16 is the basis for the line "As at His parting, joy shall banish grieving" at the beginning of the fifth verse.

"Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord"

Last year, I noticed two instances in "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord" (sung to the tune "Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott") where phrases starting with "all" are sung to notes of all different pitches, lending a sense of extent or entirety, especially since both span the interval of a fifth.

In the first verse, the phrase "all Your graces" in the line "With all Your graces now outpoured" is sung to the notes D C G Bb in this musical phrase:

In the second verse, the phrase "all our might" in the line "In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide" is sung to the notes A G D in this musical phrase:

LSB #839 "O Christ, Our True and Only Light"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 60:1-3, Luke 1:78-79, John 8:12, Ephesians 5:8-14

Isaiah 60:1-3:  "1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.  2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.  3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."

Luke 1:78-79:  "78 'because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.'"

John 8:12:  "12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"

Ephesians 5:8-14:  "8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.  11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.  12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.  13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light.  Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'"

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The text is public domain:

1 O Christ, our true and only light,

Enlighten those who sit in night;

Let those afar now hear Your voice

And in Your fold with us rejoice.

2 Fill with the radiance of Your grace

The souls now lost in error's maze;

Enlighten those whose inmost minds

Some dark delusion haunts and blinds.

3 O gently call those gone astray

That they may find the saving way!

Let ev'ry conscience sore oppressed

In You find peace and heav'nly rest.

4 Shine on the darkened and the cold;

Recall the wand'rers to Your fold.

Unite all those who walk apart;

Confirm the weak and doubting heart,

5 That they with us may evermore

Such grace with wond'ring thanks adore

And endless praise to You be giv'n

By all Your Church in earth and heav'n.

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All of the cited passages mention light, which is the main image of the hymn, so it's difficult to say whether any given part of the hymn text comes from one passage rather than an-other.  John 8:12 is clearly the basis for the first line, however:  "O Christ, our true and only light."

LSB #838 "The Saints in Christ Are One in Every Place"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Philippians 1:1-21

Philippians 1:1-21:  "1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

"To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

"2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

"3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.  8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

"12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.  14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

"15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.  16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  17 The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  18 What then?  Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

"Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.  21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

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There's only one passage cited, so obviously, this is the main source for the hymn text.  More specifically, Philippians 1:6 is referenced in the line "The work that You began, You will complete" in the fourth verse, and Philippians 1:21 appears at the beginning of the third verse:  "To live is Christ, for us, to die is gain."

Incidentally, "rich and poor" in the line "Our joy to preach good news to rich and poor" in the third verse is a merism.

"Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"

I recently watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 17 April.  The hymn was "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," and I noticed some significance in the rhyme scheme.

The third verse begins with the lines "Vain the stone, the watch, the seal; / Christ hath burst the gates of hell."  "Seal" and "hell" exhibit a slant rhyme, unlike the perfect rhymes of all of the preceding couplets.  In a way, this lack of coherence illustrates the vanity, and the break from the established pattern matches the gates' being "burst."

LSB #837 "Lift High the Cross"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 12:32; Hebrews 13:12-15; Isaiah 11:10, 12; Matthew 16:24

John 12:32:  "'And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.'"

Hebrews 13:12-15:  "12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.  13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.  14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.  15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."

Isaiah 11:10:  "In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples - of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious."

Isaiah 11:12:  "He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

Matthew 16:24:  "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'"

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John 12:32 is referred to in the fourth verse:  "O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, / As Thou hast promised, draw us all to Thee."

The passage from Hebrews 13 appears in the fifth and sixth verses:  "Let ev'ry race and ev'ry language tell / Of Him who saves our lives from death and hell. // So shall our song of triumph ever be: / Praise to the Crucified for victory!"

Both passages from Isaiah 11 are alluded to at the beginning of the second verse ("Led on their way by this triumphant sign") and in the first line of the refrain ("Lift high the cross..."), and Isaiah 11:12 (specifically "gather the dispersed of Judah...") overlaps with John 12:32 in the fourth verse.

Matthew 16:24 is the basis for the first line of the first verse:  "Come, Christians, follow where our Captain trod."

"O Sons and Daughters of the King"

I wrote about a couple small features in "O Sons and Daughters of the King" last year, but I recently found an-other small point when it was the hymn in the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service on 16 April (specifically LSB #471, where the text is paired with the tune "O filii et filiae").

Here's the first musical phrase:

The second verse starts with the line "That Easter morn, at break of day."  "Break" is sung with a melisma (C Bb), giving a slightly more literal representation of its metaphorical meaning here.

LSB #836 "O God of Light"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 119:105, 1 Peter 1:10-12, Isaiah 51:4

Psalm 119:105:  "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

1 Peter 1:10-12:  "10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.  12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look."

Isaiah 51:4:  "'Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go out from me, and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.'"

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Psalm 119:105 appears in the first verse, especially in the first and last lines:  "O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing, / Shall... guide our footsteps to the perfect day."

The passage from 1 Peter 1 is the basis for the second half of the second verse and the third verse.

Isaiah 51:4 overlaps a bit with the light imagery in Psalm 119:105, but it also appears at the beginning of the third verse:  "Undimmed by time, those words are still revealing / To sinful hearts Your justice and Your grace."

LSB #835 "On Galilee's High Mountain"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 28:16-20, Isaiah 49:6, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, 2 Corinthians 4:10-11

Matthew 28:16-20:  "16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  17 And when they saw him they worshipped him, but some doubted.  18 And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"

Isaiah 49:6:  "he says:  'It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'"

2 Corinthians 12:9-10:  "9 But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 4:10-11:  "10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh."

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The passage from Matthew 28 is paraphrased in the first verse, and the rest of the hymn expands upon it.

Isaiah 49:6 seems to be alluded to at the end of the second verse:  "This Lord, our living brother... Has chosen us to carry / His truth to ev'ry land."  This also echoes Matthew 28:19.

The passage from 2 Corinthians 12 appears at the beginning of the third verse:  "His strength within my weakness / Will make me bold...."

The passage from 2 Corinthians 4 seems to be referred to at the end of the fourth verse:  "Let them through me see Jesus, / Who served and saved us all."

LSB #834 "O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 1:1-7; Hebrews 2:14-15; Romans 5:17; 15:5-6

John 1:1-7:  "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

"6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him."

Hebrews 2:14-15:  "14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

Romans 5:17:  "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ."

Romans 15:5-6:  "5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

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The passage from John 1 is alluded to at the end of the first verse:  "Thy Word meant life triumphant hurled / In splendor through Thy broken world. / Since light awoke and life began, / Thou hast desired Thy life for man."

The passage from Hebrews 2 appears at the end of the second verse ("Thy servant, Prince of Peace, / Breached all its walls for our release"), but most of the verse comes from Romans 5:17.

The passage from Romans 15 is the basis for the fourth verse:  "O Spirit... Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more, / That... There may be those whose life is praise, / Each life a high doxology / To Father, Son, and unto Thee."

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The title "Prince of Peace" in the second verse comes from Isaiah 9:6:  "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The phrase "How beautiful the feet," which occurs twice in the third verse, refers to Isaiah 52:7:  "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"  This verse is also cited in Romans 10:15.