Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

LSB #524 "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Song of Solomon 1:3, Acts 4:12, John 14:13, Acts 2:21

Song of Solomon 1:3:  "Your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you."

Acts 4:12:  "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

John 14:13:  "'Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.'"

Acts 2:21:  "'"And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."'"

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The text is public domain:
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds,
And drives away our fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the heart's unrest;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul
And to the weary, rest.
Dear name! The rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place;
My never-failing treasury filled
With boundless stores of grace.
O Jesus, shepherd, guardian, friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my life, my way, my end,
Accept the praise I bring.
How weak the efforts of my heart,
How cold my warmest thought!
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I'll praise Thee as I ought.
Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With ev'ry fleeting breath;
And may the music of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death!
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All four of the Biblical citations seem to be combined in the title line:  "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds."  The rest of the hymn simply expands on this.

The manna mentioned in the second verse refers to God's sending bread from heaven in Exodus 16.  "My shield and hiding place" could come from a number of Psalms, but I first thought of Psalm 28:7 and Psalm 46:1.  "And to the weary, rest" at the end of the verse is from Matthew 11:28:  "'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'"  "The rock on which I build" in the third verse is a reference to Ephesians 2:20:  "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone."  The title "shepherd" in the fourth verse combines Psalm 23:1 ("The LORD is my shepherd") and John 10:11 ("'I am the good shepherd.'").  "My Prophet, Priest, and King" comes from the section on the Apostles' Creed in Luther's Small Catechism.  While not an exact quotation, "My Lord, my life, my way, my end" seems to come from John 14:6 ("'the way, and the truth, and the life'").