"O dass ich tausend" (TLH #88)

"Away in a Manger"

A couple weeks before Christmas last year, I listened to an album of Christmas songs sung by Bing Crosby, and I noticed something about "Away in a Manger," which - of course - is also in the hymnal.

The third line of the first verse is "The stars in the sky looked down where He lay," sung to this musical phrase (the tune is also called "Away in a Manger"):

The phrase descends (diatonically and spanning a whole octave), as if musically representing the stars' "look[ing] down."

The phrase also portrays looking down in the second verse, where the text here is "I love Thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky," although "Look down from the sky" spans only a fourth (F to C).

LSB #443 "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 21:15, Mark 11:1-11, Psalm 118:25-26

Matthew 21:15:  "But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant..."

Mark 11:1-11:  "1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, 'Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Untie it and bring it.  3 If anyone says to you, "Why are you doing this?" say, "The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately."'  4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.  5 And some of those standing there said to them, 'What are you doing, untying the colt?'  6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.  7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.  8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.  9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, 'Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!  Hosanna in the highest!'

"11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.  And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve."

Psalm 118:25-26:  "25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!  O LORD, we pray, give us success!

"26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!  We bless you from the house of the LORD."

+++

The text is public domain:

Hosanna, loud hosanna,
The little children sang;
Through pillared court and temple
The lovely anthem rang.
To Jesus, who had blessed them,
Close folded to His breast,
The children sang their praises,
The simplest and the best.

From Olivet they followed
Mid an exultant crowd,
The victor palm branch waving
And chanting clear and loud.
The Lord of earth and heaven
Rode on in lowly state
Nor scorned that little children
Should on His bidding wait.

"Hosanna in the highest!"
That ancient song we sing;
For Christ is our Redeemer,
The Lord of heav'n our King.
Oh, may we ever praise Him
With heart and life and voice
And in His blissful presence
Eternally rejoice!

+++

The text from Mark is the main source (appearing most obviously in the second verse), but the hymn's first verse is drawn from the text from Matthew.  The lines "To Jesus, who had blessed them, / Close folded to His breast" seem to refer to Matthew 19:13-15, where the disciples rebuke those who bring children to Jesus, but Jesus says, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

As The Lutheran Service Book notes below the hymn, Hosanna is "a Hebrew word of praise meaning 'save us now.'"  This seems to be why Psalm 118 and its "Save us, we pray, O LORD!" is also cited.

"Antioch" (TLH #87)

I'd previously tried doing both parts on the bass clef, but recording both on bass guitar made the final sound too muddy.  For this recording, I experimenting with playing the higher of the two bass clef parts on guitar, which seems to have workt fairly well.

"On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry"

"On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry" was one of the hymns in an Advent service last year, and I noticed some musical mirroring of the text at the beginning of the fourth verse.  The first two lines are "Lay on the sick Thy healing hand / And make the fallen strong to stand," sung to these phrases from the tune "Puer nobis."*

"Thy healing hand" is sung to a descending group of notes (G F# E D), musically representing its being laid "on the sick."  In the same way (but in the opposite direction), "And make the fallen strong to stand" is sung to an ascending phrase (from A to D), illustrating that "stand[ing]" up after having "fallen."

---
*The Lutheran Hymnal provides the full title of the tune: Puer nobis nascitur, which is "to us a child is born" (from Isaiah 9:6) in Latin.

LSB #442 "All Glory, Laud, and Honor"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 12:12-15, Psalm 118:26, Psalm 24:7-9

John 12:12-15:  "12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!'  14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 'Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!'"

Psalm 118:26:  "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!  We bless you from the house of the LORD."

Psalm 24:7-9:  "7 Lift up your heads, O gates!  And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  8 Who is the King of glory?  The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!  9 Lift up your heads, O gates!  And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in."

+++

The text is public domain:

All glory, laud, and honor
To You, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

You are the King of Israel
And David's royal Son,
Now in the Lord's name coming,
Our King and Blessed One.

All glory, laud, and honor
To You, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

The company of angels
Is praising You on high,
And we with all creation
In chorus make reply.

All glory, laud, and honor
To You, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

The multitude of pilgrims
With palms before You went;
Our praise and prayer and anthems
Before You we present.

All glory, laud, and honor
To You, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

To You before Your passion
They sang their hymns of praise;
To You, now high exalted,
Our melody we raise.

All glory, laud, and honor
To You, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

As You received their praises,
Accept the prayers we bring,
O Source of ev'ry blessing,
Our good and gracious King.

All glory, laud, and honor
To You, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

+++ 

The text from John is the main source, appearing in the second half of the refrain ("To whom the lips of children / Made sweet hosannas ring") and the verses (although some verses simply elaborate on the text).  "Now in the Lord's name coming, / Our King and Blessed One" in the first verse comes from both John 12:13 and Psalm 118:26 ("Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!").  "The King of glory" from Psalm 24 seems to be the source for "All glory, laud, and honor / To You, Redeemer, King" in the refrain, although - as a whole - the cited portion also describes Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

"Salvator natus" (TLH #86)

"O Lord, How Shall I Meet You"

Last Advent, I noticed a small point about "O Lord, How Shall I Meet You."  The last line of the hymn is "And guide us safely home," sung to this musical phrase (the tune is "Wie soll ich dich empfangen," which I would translate from German as "How should I receive you"):

"Home" is sung to a D note, the tonic note (the "home" note) in D major, so there's a musical representation of this "home" too.

Looking at the hymn again recently, I noticed something about the line "My heart shall bloom forever" in the second verse, sung to this phrase:

"Forever" is sung with a melisma (A A G# A), and since it's stretched out, there's a musical sense of that long period of time.

Looking over the hymn in order to write this post, I found a few Biblical references that I'd missed when I wrote about them back in December 2016.  The third verse begins with the lines "I lay in fetters, groaning; / You came to set me free," which comes from Isaiah 61:1: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound," which Jesus quotes in Luke 4:18.

The third verse ends with the lines "A glorious crown You give me, / A treasure safe on high / That will not fail or leave me / As earthly riches fly."  The "glorious crown" seems to come from a section of Revelation 2:10:  "'Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.'" The final three lines use the same imagery that Jesus uses in Matthew 6:19-20: "'Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.'"

LSB #441 "Ride On, Ride On in Majesty"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 12:12-16, Psalm 118:25-26, Zechariah 9:9

John 12:12-16:  "12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!'  14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 'Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!'  16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him."

Psalm 118:25-26:  "25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!  O LORD, we pray, give us success!

"26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!  We bless you from the house of the LORD."

Zechariah 9:9:  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

+++

The text is public domain:

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hark! All the tribes hosanna cry.
O Savior meek, pursue Thy road,
With palms and scattered garments strowed.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
O'er captive death and conquered sin.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
The angel armies of the sky
Look down with sad and wond'ring eyes
To see the approaching sacrifice.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh.
The Father on His sapphire throne
Awaits His own anointed Son.

Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain,
Then take, O God, Thy pow'r and reign.

+++

The text from John 12 is the main source for the hymn.  The other two texts cited just contain the same details.

The only other comment I have is that the "sapphire throne" in the fourth verse seems to come from Exodus 24:9-10:  "9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel.  There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness."

"Vom Himmel hoch" (TLH #85)

"Savior of the Nations, Come"

Now that it's Advent again, I can continue writing posts about features I noticed in Advent hymns last year.

In "Savior of the Nations, Come," the first line of the fifth verse is "God the Father was His source," sung to this phrase (from the tune "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland"):

"God" and "source" are both sung to a G notes, the tonic note of the tune (in G minor), so there's a mirroring between God as the "source" and the tonic note (the foundation) of the key.

The third line of the fifth verse is "Into hell His road went down," and - musically reflecting this going "down" - the melody (generally) descends:

The last line of the eighth verse (the last verse of the hymn) ends the doxology with "Now and through eternity," sung to this musical phrase (which is the same as the first phrase):

"Eternity" is sung with a melisma (Bb A G A G), and since the word is stretched out, there's something of a sense of that long period of time.

LSB #440 "Jesus, I Will Ponder Now"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 53:3-6, John 3:16, Romans 12:1-2, John 4:19

Isaiah 53:3-6:  "3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.  6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

John 3:16:  "'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.'"

Romans 12:1-2:  "1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

1 John 4:19:  "We love because he first loved us."

+++

The text is public domain:

Jesus, I will ponder now
On Your holy passion;
With Your Spirit me endow
For such meditation.
Grant that I in love and faith
May the image cherish
Of Your suff'ring, pain, and death
That I may not perish.

Make me see Your great distress,
Anguish, and affliction,
Bonds and stripes and wretchedness
And Your crucifixion;
Make me see how scourge and rod,
Spear and nails did wound You,
How for them You died, O God,
Who with thorns had crowned You.

Yet, O Lord, not thus alone
Make me see Your passion,
But its cause to me make known
And its termination.
Ah! I also and my sin
Wrought Your deep affliction;
This indeed the cause has been
Of Your crucifixion.

Grant that I Your passion view
With repentant grieving.
Let me not bring shame to You
By unholy living.
How could I refuse to shun
Ev'ry sinful pleasure
Since for me God's only Son
Suffered without measure?

If my sins give me alarm
And my conscience grieve me,
Let Your cross my fear disarm;
Peace of conscience give me.
Help me see forgiveness won
By Your holy passion.
If for me He slays His Son,
God must have compassion!

Graciously my faith renew;
Help me bear my crosses,
Learning humbleness from You,
Peace mid pain and losses.
May I give You love for love!
Hear me, O my Savior,
That I may in heav'n above
Sing Your praise forever.

+++

The text from Isaiah (particularly Christ's suffering and the exchange of "with his stripes we are healed") appears in the first three verses, although the Passion accounts could also be cited for some details, especially in the second half of the second verse.

The fourth verse, specifically "Let me not bring shame to You / By unholy living," comes from the text from Romans.

"If for me He slays His Son, / God must have compassion!" at the end of the fifth verse is drawn from John 3:16.

Finally, "May I give You love for love!" in the last verse seems to come from 1 John 4:19:  "We love because he first loved us."

"Yorkshire" (TLH #84)

"Eat This Bread"

Back in April, I transcribed "Eat This Bread" (which I don't think I've ever sung in a church service), and I noticed a small feature in the third verse.

The hymn's tune is also titled "Eat This Bread," and each verse has its own melody.  The third verse is "Eat His flesh and drink His blood, and Christ will raise you up on the Last Day," sung to this melody:

The second half of the melody ascends, musically representing Christ's "rais[ing] you up on the Last Day."

LSB #439 "O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Luke 23:20-24; Isaiah 53:4-6; John 10:11, 14-15; Romans 12:1

Luke 23:20-24:  "20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, 'Crucify, crucify him!'  22 A third time he said to them, 'Why, what evil has he done?  I have found in him no guilt deserving death.  I will therefore punish and release him.'  23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified.  And their voices prevailed.  24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted."

Isaiah 53:4-6:  "4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.  6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

John 10:11:  "'I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.'"

John 10:14-15:  "14 'I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.'"

Romans 12:1:  "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

+++

The text is public domain:

O dearest Jesus, what law hast Thou broken
That such sharp sentence should on Thee be spoken?
Of what great crime hast Thou to make confession,
What dark transgression?

They crown Thy head with thorns, they smite, they scourge Thee;
With cruel mockings to the cross they urge thee;
They give Thee gall to drink, they still decry Thee;
They crucify Thee.

Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?
It is my sins for which Thou, Lord, must languish;
Yea, all the wrath, the woe, Thou dost inherit,
This I do merit.

What punishment so strange is suffered yonder!
The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander;
The Master pays the debt His servants owe Him,
Who would not know Him.

The sinless Son of God must die in sadness;
The sinful child of man may live in gladness;
Man forfeited his life and is acquitted;
God is committed.

There was no spot in me by sin untainted;
Sick with sin's poison, all my heart had fainted;
My heavy guilt to hell had well-nigh brought me,
Such woe is wrought me.

O wondrous love, whose depth no heart hath sounded,
That brought Thee here, by foes and thieves surrounded!
All worldly pleasures, heedless, I was trying
While Thou wert dying.

O mighty King, no time can dim Thy glory!
How shall I spread abroad Thy wondrous story?
How shall I find some worthy gifts to proffer?
What dare I offer?

For vainly doth our human wisdom ponder -
Thy woes, Thy mercy, still transcend our wonder.
Oh, how should I do aught that could delight Thee!
Can I requite Thee?

Yet unrequited, Lord, I would not leave Thee;
I will renounce whate'er doth vex or grieve Thee
And quench with thoughts of Thee and prayers most lowly
All fires unholy.

But since my strength will nevermore suffice me
To crucify desires that still entice me,
To all good deeds O let Thy Spirit win me
And reign within me!

I'll think upon Thy mercy without ceasing,
That earth's vain joys to me no more be pleasing;
To do Thy will shall be my sole endeavor
Henceforth forever.

Whate'er of earthly good this life may grant me,
I'll risk for Thee; no shame, no cross, shall daunt me.
I shall not fear what foes can do to harm me
Nor death alarm me.

But worthless is my sacrifice, I own it;
Yet, Lord, for love's sake Thou wilt not disown it;
Thou wilt accept my gift in Thy great meekness
Nor shame my weakness.

And when, dear Lord, before Thy throne in heaven
To me the crown of joy at least is given,
Where sweetest hymns Thy saints forever raise Thee,
I, too, shall praise Thee.

+++

The hymn's first verse comes from the Luke text, specifically part of verse 22: "'Why, what evil has he done?  I have found in him no guilt deserving death.'"

The next four verses are drawn primarily from the Isaiah text, although any of the Passion accounts could also be cited for the second verse.  "They give Thee gall to drink" is a detail from Matthew 27:34.  "The Shepherd dies for sheep that loved to wander" in the fourth verse combines Isaiah 53:6 ("All we like sheep have gone astray") and the two selections from John where Jesus says, "'The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.'"

The tenth through fourteenth verses seem to come from and expand upon "present[ing] your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" from Romans 12:1.

"Stuttgart" (TLH #83)

"Dives and Lazarus"

Last year, one of the songs that Roger McGuinn did for his Folk Den project was "Dives and Lazarus," based on Luke 16:19-31 (and sung to the tune "Kingsfold").  In the Bible, the rich man isn't named, but yester-day, I discovered why he's called Dives in the song.

As part of my self-assigned Latin homework, I lookt up the word divitias (riches) for a sentence I was translating.  Among the adjacent glossary entries was dives, an adjective that means rich or wealthy.  In the song, this adjective is used as a substantive:  the "rich [man] and Lazarus."

LSB #438 "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 53:1-12, Exodus 12:5, John 1:29

Isaiah 53:1-12:  "1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.  3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.  6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

"10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.  12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."

Exodus 12:5:  "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old.  You may take it from the sheep or from the goats..."

John 1:29:  "The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"

+++

All three of the cited texts refer to a lamb, and this is also the image used in the hymn:  "A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth, / The guilt of sinners bearing."

The verse from Exodus appears in the second half of the first verse:  "That spotless life to offer."

John 1:29 and parts of Isaiah 53 (especially part of verse 6: "the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all") appear in "And, laden with the sins of earth" in the first verse.

Of the three cited texts, Isaiah 53 is referred to most often.  "A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth" and "To slaughter led without complaint" in the hymn's first verse come from verse 7: "like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth."  "He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies, / The mockery..." in the hymn's first verse comes from Isaiah 53:3-5.

The remaining three verses of the hymn elaborate and reflect on what's described in the first verse and don't seem to incorporate these Bible passages any further.

"Gladness" (TLH #82)

I wasn't familiar with this tune, so I might have taken it a bit too fast, but it was fun to play.

"Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face"

Way back in April, I transcribed "Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face" and noticed a small feature in the sixth verse.  The first line is "Too soon we rise; the vessels disappear," sung to this phrase from the tune "Farley Castle":

"Too soon we rise" is sung to an ascending group of notes (C E F G), musically representing that "ris[ing]."

LSB #437 "Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 27:45-50; Romans 5:6-12, 12:1; 1 Peter 2:24

Matthew 27:45-50:  "45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'  47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, 'This man is calling Elijah.'  48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.  49 But the others said, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.'  50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit."

Romans 5:6-12:  "6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

"12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned..."

Romans 12:1:  "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

1 Peter 2:24:  "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By his wounds you have been healed."

+++

The text is public domain:

Alas! And did my Savior bleed,
And did my sov'reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in
When God, the mighty maker, died
For His own creatures' sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away:
'Tis all that I can do.

+++

Matthew 27:45-50 is the main referent.  Verse 50 is rendered as "He groaned upon the tree" in the second verse, and the darkness mentioned in verse 45 appears as "Well might the sun in darkness hide..." in the third verse.

Romans 5:6-12 is the basis for the questions in the first verse, and - in the same way - 1 Peter 2:24 is behind the question "Was it for crimes that I had done / He groaned upon the tree?" in the second verse.

"Present[ing] your bodies as a living sacrifice" from Romans 12:1 appears at the end of the hymn, in the line "Here, Lord, I give myself away."

"Gelobet seist du, Jesu" (TLH #80)

I'm going to skip #81 because it's in Eb major and because it's one of those tunes with phrases of irregular length (alternating between 12 beats and 16 beats per measure).

"Our Father Who Art in Heaven" (LSB #957)

In a church service earlier this year, I sang LSB #956 "Create in Me" (a setting of Psalm 51:10-12), and I noticed a small feature in LSB #957 "Our Father Who Are in Heaven" (a setting of the Lord's Prayer) on the opposite page.  "Forever and ever" is sung to this musical phrase (no title for the tune is provided):

"Ever" is sung with a melisma (G F F), and because the word is stretched out, there's something of a sense of the long period of time it describes.

LSB #436 "Go to Dark Gethsemane"

Biblical citations in the hymnal: Mark 14:32-38, 15:1-20; Luke 23:33-46; Matthew 27:33-50; John 20:1-18

Mark 14:32-38:  "32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane.  And he said to his disciples, 'Sit here while I pray.'  33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.  34 And he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.  Remain here and watch.'  35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prated that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.  36 And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.  Remove this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what you will.'  37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'Simon, are you asleep?  Could you not watch one hour?  38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'"

Mark 15:1-20:  "1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council.  And they bound Jesus and let him away and delivered him over to Pilate.  2 And Pilate asked him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?'  And he answered him, 'You have said so.'  3 And the chief priests accused him of many things.  4 And Pilate again asked him, 'Have you no answer to make?  See how many charged they bring against you.'  5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

"6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.  7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.  8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.  9 And he answered them, saying, 'Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?'  10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.  11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.  12 And Pilate again said to them, 'Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?'  13 And they cried out again, 'Crucify him.'  14 And Pilate said to them, 'Why, what evil has he done?'  But they shouted all the more, 'Crucify him.'  15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

"16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.  17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.  18 And they began to salute him, 'Hail, King of the Jews!'  19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.  20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him.  And they led him out to crucify him."

Luke 23:33-46:  "33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.  34 And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'  And they cast lots to divide his garments.  35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, 'He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!'  36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!'  38 There was also an inscription over him, 'This is the King of the Jews.'

"39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ?  Save yourself and us!'  40 But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  41 And indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.'  42 And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'  43 And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'"

"44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!'  And having said this he breathed his last."

Matthew 27:33-50:  "33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.  35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.  36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.  37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, 'This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.'  38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.  39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, 'You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!  If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.'  41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 'He saved others; he cannot save himself.  He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.  43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him.  For he said, "I am the Son of God."'  44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

"45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'  47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, 'This man is calling Elijah.'  48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.  49 But the others said, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.'  50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit."

John 20:1-18:  "1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.  2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.'  3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.  4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.  6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.  He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.  8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.  10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

"11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.  12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.  13 They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?'  She said to them, 'They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.'  14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.  15 Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you seeking?'  Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.'  16 Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'  She turned and said to him in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means Teacher).  17  Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."'  18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord" - and that he had said these things to her."

+++

The text is public domain:

Go to dark Gethsemane,
All who feel the tempter's pow'r;
Your Redeemer's conflict see,
Watch with Him one bitter hour;
Turn not from His griefs away;
Learn from Jesus Christ to pray.

Follow to the judgment hall,
View the Lord of life arraigned;
Oh, the wormwood and the gall!
Oh, the pangs His soul sustained!
Shun not suff'ring, shame, or loss;
Learn from Him to bear the cross.

Calv'ry's mournful mountain climb;
There, adoring at His feet,
Mark that miracle of time,
God's own sacrifice complete.
"It is finished!" hear Him cry,
Learn from Jesus Christ to die.

Early hasten to the tomb
Where they laid His breathless clay;
All is solitude and gloom.
Who has taken Him away?
Christ is ris'n!  He meets our eyes.
Savior, teach us so to rise.

+++

The first verse comes from Mark 14:32-38.  The second verse combines a few of the cited Biblical selections but is mostly from Mark 15:1-20, summarized in "Follow to the judgment hall, / View the Lord of life arraigned."  The gall is mentioned in Matthew 27:34, and "the pangs His soul sustained" seems to refer to the mocking by the soldiers, the passers-by, and the robbers in Mark 15:16-20, Luke 23:35-39, and Matthew 27:39-44.

The hymn's third verse summarizes Jesus' death.  From the cited verses, this is in Luke 23:46 and Matthew 27:46-50, but "It is finished" is only in John 19:30:  "When Jesus has received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

The last verse summarizes John 20:1-18.

"Wie schön leuchtet" (TLH #79)

I considered skipping this because it's in Eb major and has some weird rests, but it's "Wie schön leuchtet"!  I played it in E major, which is an easier key.  I couldn't have played some of the bass notes in Eb major anyway because they're below the range of standard tuning.

"Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared"

During the Maundy Thursday service earlier this year, one of the hymns was "Lord Jesus Christ, You Have Prepared" (located in The Lord's Supper section of the hymnal).  I noticed a small feature about it.

The fifth line in the first verse is "As weary souls, with sin oppressed," sung to this musical phrase (from the tune "Du Lebensbrot, Herr Jesu Christ"):

The phrase generally descends, and it includes the lowest note in the entire tune (a B).  Both of these features musically represent the qualities mentioned in the text.  It's as if the tune itself sinks because of weariness and being oppressed by sin.

LSB #435 "Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Zechariah 13:1, Hebrews 9:14, Matthew 27:33-35, Isaiah 25:6-8

Zechariah 13:1:  "'On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.'"

Hebrews 9:14:  "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Matthew 27:33-35:  "33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.  35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots."

Isaiah 25:6-8:  "6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.  7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.  8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken."

+++

The text is public domain:

Come to Calv'ry's holy mountain,
Sinners, ruined by the fall;
Here a pure and healing fountain
Flows for you, for me, for all,
In a full, perpetual tide,
Opened when our Savior died.

Come in poverty and meanness,
Come defiled, without, within;
From infection and uncleanness,
From the leprosy of sin,
Wash your robes and make them white;
Ye shall walk with God in light.

Come in sorrow and contrition,
Wounded, impotent, and blind;
Here the guilty, free remission,
Here the troubled, peace may find.
Health this fountain will restore;
They that drink shall thirst no more.

They that drink shall live forever;
'Tis a soul-renewing flood.
God is faithful; God will never
Break His covenant of blood,
Signed when our Redeemer died,
Sealed when He was glorified.

+++

"Calv'ry's holy mountain" in the first verse seems to be the mountain described in Isaiah 25, and the "pure and healing fountain" comes from Zechariah 13:1.  The purifying blood of Christ from Hebrews 9:14 is in the second half of the first verse ("a full, perpetual tide, / Opened when our Savior died").  "Wash your robes and make them white" in the second half of the second verse is related, but it actually comes from the second half of Revelation 7:14:  "'They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'"

Similarly, verse three combines the fountain mentioned in Zechariah 13:1 ("Health this fountain will restore") with the story of the woman at the well in John 4.  "They that drink shall thirst no more" and "They that drink shall live forever" from the beginning of the next verse paraphrase a section of John 4:13-14:  "13 Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"

I don't see any evidence of Matthew 27:33-35 in the hymn, unless it's cited in order to point out the contrasts between Calvary's holy mountain and Golgotha, between the "soul-renewing flood" of the "pure and healing fountain" and the wine mixed with gall, and between the clean, white robes and Jesus' garments' being divided among the soldiers.

"Der Tag, der ist" (TLH #78)

I skipt #77 because it's in Eb major and I didn't feel like transposing it.

I inserted an extra measure (just holding the last notes from the previous measure) between the two verses and between the end of the second verse and the Amen cadence. The hymn felt a bit rushed otherwise.

"The Infant Priest Was Holy Born"

Back in March, I transcribed "The Infant Priest Was Holy Born" and noticed a lot of features that connect the text to the music (the tune is "Rockingham Old").  I'm going to go phrase by phrase.

The first phrase:

In the fifth verse, the text here is "The veil is torn, our Priest we see."  "Veil" is sung with a melisma (F# G).  Because it's sung with an extra syllable, it's musically "torn."

The second phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "For us unholy and forlorn."  "Forlorn" is sung with a descending melisma (F# F# E), musically giving a sense of this misery.

In the fourth verse, the text is "Of Him who hung upon the tree."  The musical phrase generally descends, so with this line, there's almost a sense of Jesus' being suspended upon the cross.

In the fifth verse, the text is "As at the rail on bended knee."  Here, the descent musically illustrates the "bended knee."  "Bended" is even sung with a descending melisma (A G F#), which furthers this image.

In the seventh verse, the text is "Our voices join the endless hymn."  "Endless" is sung with a melisma (A G F#).  Since the word is stretched out, there's something of a sense of this long period of time.

The fourth phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Anointed from eternity," and in the fifth verse, it's "The bread of immortality."  Both "eternity" and "immortality" are sung with melismas (D D E F# E D for "eternity" and E D D E F# E D for "immortality").  As with "endless" above, that these words are stretched out gives something of a sense of the long periods of time they describe.

LSB #434 "Lamb of God, Pure and Holy"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 1:29, 35-36; Isaiah 53:6-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; John 14:27

John 1:29:  "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'"

John 1:35-36:  "35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God!'"

Isaiah 53:6-7:  "6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth."

1 Peter 1:18-19:  "18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

John 14:27:  "'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.'"

+++

The text is public domain:

Lamb of God, pure and holy,
Who on the cross didst suffer,
Ever patient and lowly,
Thyself to scorn didst offer.
All sins Thou borest for us,
Else had despair reigned o'er us:
Have mercy on us,
O Jesus!  O Jesus!

Lamb of God, pure and holy,
Who on the cross didst suffer,
Ever patient and lowly,
Thyself to scorn didst offer.
All sins Thou borest for us,
Else had despair reigned o'er us:
Have mercy on us,
O Jesus!  O Jesus!

Lamb of God, pure and holy,
Who on the cross didst suffer,
Ever patient and lowly,
Thyself to scorn didst offer.
All sins Thou borest for us,
Else had despair reigned o'er us:
Thy peace be with us,
O Jesus!  O Jesus!

+++

The name "Lamb of God" comes from the two citations from John 1, although Jesus is also compared to a lamb in Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 1.

"Ever patient and lowly, / Thyself to scorn didst offer" paraphrases Isaiah 53:7 (just without the specific imagery), and the redemption mentioned in John 1:29, Isaiah 53, and 1 Peter 1 appears in the hymn as "All sins Thou borest for us."

Jesus' peace in John 14 appears at the very end: "Thy peace be with us, / O Jesus!"

"Es ist ein' Ros'" (TLH #76)

I skipt #75 because it had a weird meter.  It was one of those tunes where one measure has twelve beats and the next has nine, and I couldn't really figure it out.

This is the first hymn in the Christmas section.

"Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"

When I transcribed "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" back in March, I noticed a small thing about it, and looking at it again recently in order to write this post, I found something else.

The second line in the first verse is "And with fear and trembling stand," sung to this musical phrase (from the tune "Picardy"):

"Trembling" is sung with a melisma (Bb A G), and this articulation gives an impression of the word's meaning.  It's as if the music itself is "trembling."

The fourth line of the third verse is "From the realms of endless day," sung to the same musical phrase.  Here, "endless" is sung with that same melisma, and since the word is stretched out (three syllables instead of two), there's something of a sense of the long time period the word describes.

LSB #433 "Glory Be to Jesus"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Peter 1:18-19, Ephesians 1:6-8, Revelation 7:9-14

1 Peter 1:18-19:  "18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

Ephesians 1:6-8:  "6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight..."

Revelation 7:9-14:  "9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'  11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'

"13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, 'Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?'  14 I said to him, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said to me, 'These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

+++

The text is public domain:

Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the life-blood
From His sacred veins!

Grace and life eternal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind!

Blest through endless ages
Be the precious stream
Which from endless torment
Did the world redeem!

Abel's blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

Oft as earth exulting
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel hosts rejoicing
Make their glad reply.

Lift we, then, our voices,
Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
Praise the precious blood!

+++

The first three verses and the second half of the fourth describe Jesus' blood "Which... Did the world redeem."  These verses are drawn from 1 Peter 1:18-19 and Ephesians 1:6-8, both of which explain that "we have redemption through his blood."

The first half of verse four ("Abel's blood for vengeance / Pleaded to the skies") comes from Genesis 4:10:  "And the LORD said, 'What have you done?  The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.'"

The last two verses (and specifically "Angel hosts rejoicing") come from the text from Revelation.

"Gottes Sohn ist kommen" (TLH #74)

"Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior"

Back in March, I transcribed "Thy Body, Given for Me, O Savior" (sung to the tune "Ich sterbe täglich") and noticed a small thing about it.

The third line of the first verse is "These [Christ's body and blood] are my life and strength forever," sung to this phrase:

"Forever" is sung with a melisma (G E D C), and since the word is drawn out, there's something of a sense of that long period of time.

LSB #432 "In Silent Pain the Eternal Son"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 10:34-39, 27:45-54; 1 Peter 2:24

Matthew 10:34-39:  "34 'Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.  37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'"

Matthew 27:45-54:  "45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.  46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'  47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, 'This man is calling Elijah.'  48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.  49 But the others said, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.'  50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

"51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.  52 The tombs also were opened.  And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'"

1 Peter 2:24:  "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.  By his wounds you have been healed."

+++

Since the hymn is about Jesus' crucifixion, the second text from Matthew (27:45-54) seems to be the main referent, although there aren't many textual similarities between it and the hymn.  The darkness mentioned in verse 45 is present in the hymn's first verse: "In darkened day His work is done."  1 Peter 2:24 appears at the end of the first verse and the beginning of the second: "For in His body on the tree / He carries all our ill. // He died that we might die to sin / And live for righteousness."

Jesus' coming to bring a sword in Matthew 10:34 is at the beginning of the hymn's third verse: "For strife He came to bring a sword."  Later in the third verse, there's the line "For in His hand He holds the stars," which seems to come from Revelation 1:16: "In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength."

"Macht hoch die Tür" (TLH #73b)

There are three tunes for "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" in The Lutheran Hymnal.  This is the second.  I skipt the first because part of it is in 4/4 and part of it is in 3/4 and I don't know how to set my click track to accommodate that, and I'll probably skip the third because it's in Ab major and I'm disinclined to transpose it.  Confusingly, all three tunes are titled "Macht hoch die Tür."

"The God of Abraham Praise"

Back in March, I watched the One LSB Hymn a Week video for "The God of Abraham Praise."

I noticed only a single thing then, but in looking at the hymn again in order to write this post, I found a handful of others.

The tune is "Yigdal."  Here's the first phrase:

In the eighth verse, the text here is "The God who reigns on high."  "High" is sung to the highest pitch in the phrase (C), musically giving an impression of this.

The third phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "From earth I rise and seek the joys."  "From earth I rise" is sung to an ascending group of notes (G Ab Bb C), giving a sense of this "ris[ing]."

The sixth phrase:

In the sixth verse, the text here is about the Promised Land: "And oil and wine abound."  Both "oil" and "abound" are sung with melismas (F G and F F E, respectively), both of which give a musical impression of the ample supply.

In the eighth verse, the text here is "And evermore shall be," describing God with a phrase adapted from Revelation 4:8 ("Who was and is the same / And evermore shall be").  Here, "evermore" is sung with a melisma (F G Ab Bb C).  Because the word is stretched out, there's something of a sense of that long period of time.

The seventh phrase:

In the sixth verse, describing the Promised Land, the text here is "And trees of life forever grow."  Similar to "evermore" mentioned above, "forever" is sung with a melisma (Bb C Bb C), giving a sense of that long period of time.

The eighth (and final) phrase:

Verses one, four, and seven end with "Forever..." or "Forevermore" sung with a melisma (C Bb Ab G [plus F for "Forevermore"]), which - as described above - musically gives a sense of the word's meaning.

LSB #431 "Not All the Blood of Beasts"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Hebrews 10:1-4, 11; Hebrews 9:12-14; Galatians 3:13; Revelation 5:6-14

Hebrews 10:1-4:  "1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.  2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?  3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.  4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

Hebrews 10:11:  "And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."

Hebrews 9:12-14:  "12 He [Christ] entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.  13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Galatians 3:13:  "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.'"

Revelation 5:6-14:  "6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.  8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  9 And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'  11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'  13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'  14 And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped."

+++

The text is public domain:

Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash away the stain.

But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.

My faith would lay its hand
On that dear head of Thine,
While as a penitent I stand,
And there confess my sin.

My soul looks back to see
The burden Thou didst bear
When hanging on the cursed tree;
I know my guilt was there.

Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice
And sing His bleeding love.

+++

The two citations from Hebrews 10 are summarized in the first verse, and the citation from Hebrews 9 is summarized in the second verse.

Revelation 5 is the source for "We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice" in the last verse, and it also seems to inform "the heav'nly Lamb, / Takes all our sins away" in the second.  On their own, these two lines bear some resemblance to John 1:29: "The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" but Revelation 5 also presents Christ as a Lamb.

Galatians 3:13 appears in the fourth verse: "The burden Thou didst bear / When hanging on the cursed tree."

"Valet will ich dir geben" (TLH #72)

"When in the Hour of Deepest Need"

Back in March, I transcribed "When in the Hour of Deepest Need" and noticed a small feature about the first line.  It's sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein":

The title line "When in the hour of deepest need" is sung to this phrase, with "deepest" sung to a group of descending notes (Bb A G), musically giving a sense of that depth.

LSB #430 "My Song Is Love Unknown"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 52:13-53:3; Romans 5:6, 10; Philippians 2:5-11, Acts 3:13-15

Isaiah 52:13-53:3:  "13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.  14 As many were astonished at you - his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind - 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

"53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.  3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Romans 5:6:  "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

Romans 5:10:  "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

Philippians 2:5-11:  "5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  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."

Acts 3:13-15:  "13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.  14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.  To this we are witnesses."

+++

The text is public domain:

My song is love unknown,
My Savior's love to me,
Love to the loveless shown
That they might lovely be.
Oh, who am I
That for my sake
My Lord should take
Frail flesh and die?

He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
The longed-for Christ would know.
But, oh, my friend,
My friend indeed,
Who at my need
His life did spend!

Sometimes they strew His way
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King.
Then "Crucify!"
Is all their breath,
And for His death
They thirst and cry.

Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight.
Sweet injuries!
Yet they at these
Themselves displease
And 'gainst Him rise.

They rise and needs will have
My dear Lord made away;
A murderer they save,
The Prince of Life they slay.
Yet cheerful He
To suff'ring goes
That He His foes
From thence might free.

In life no house, no home
My Lord on earth might have;
In death no friendly tomb
But what a stranger gave.
What may I say?
Heav'n was His home
But mine the tomb
Wherein He lay.

Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine!
Never was love, dear King,
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my friend,
In whose sweet praise
I all my days
Could gladly spend!

+++

Romans 5:6 and 5:10 seem to be the two main sources for the hymn.  "At the right time Christ died for the ungodly" and "while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" are expressed in various spots in the hymn, particularly the first verse and the end of the fifth: "Yet cheerful He / To suff'ring goes / That He His foes / From thence might free."  These lines from the fifth verse and "My Lord should take / Frail flesh and die" from the first verse also connect to the text from Philippians, especially "taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" and "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

The first half of verse five comes from Acts 3:13-15.  "But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life" is rendered as "A murderer they save, / The Prince of Life they slay."

The text from Isaiah (particularly "He was... acquainted with grief" from 53:3) seems to appear in the last verse: "Never was grief like Thine."  "His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind" from 52:14 might also be hinted at in the line "Sweet injuries!"

The third verse has a few lines with uncited Biblical sources.  The first half ("Sometimes they strew His way / And His sweet praises sing; / Resounding all the day / Hosannas to their King.") summarizes the triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-15).  The second half (Then "Crucify!" / Is all their breath") is in all four Gospels:  Matthew 27:22: "Pilate said to them, 'Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?'  They all said, 'Let him be crucified!'"  Mark 15:12-14: "12 And Pilate again said to them, 'Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?'  13 And they cried out again, 'Crucify him.'  14 And Pilate said to them, 'Why, what evil has he done?'  But they shouted all the more, 'Crucify him.'"  Luke 23:20-23:  "20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, 'Crucify, crucify him!'  22 A third time he said to them, 'Why, what evil has he done?  I have found in him no guilt deserving death.  I will therefore punish and release him.'  23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified.  And their voices prevailed."  John 19:6: "When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'"

"In death no friendly tomb / But what a stranger gave" in the sixth verse refers to Joseph of Arimathea.  As far as I can tell, that the tomb is Joseph's own is mentioned only in Matthew 27:59-60:  "59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock.  And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away."