"Fight the Good Fight"

Last September, I noticed a small connection between "Fight the Good Fight" and the tune "Mendon."

Here's the last musical phrase:

The first and fourth verses both end with a melisma'd "eternally" (A G A F# G) - "Lay hold on life, and it shall be / Your joy and crown eternally" and "Only believe, and you will see / That Christ is all eternally."  Because these "eternally"s are drawn out and because they span three measures, there's a sense of duration.

LSB #530 "No Temple Now, No Gift of Price"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Hebrews 9:11-28, 10:10-22; Jeremiah 31:31-34

Hebrews 9:11-28:  "11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he 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.

"15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.  16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.  17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.  18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood.  19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, 'This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.'  21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.  22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

"23 Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.  25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.  But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

Hebrews 10:10-22:  "10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

"11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.  14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

"15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 'This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord:  I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,' 17 then he adds, 'I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.'  18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

"19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

Jeremiah 31:31-34:  "31 'Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.  33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.  And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.  For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.'"

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The texts from Hebrews are the main sources for the hymn.  The beginning of the first verse ("No temple now, no gift of price, / No priestly round of sacrifice, / Retain their ancient pow'rs.") comes from 9:11-14 and 10:11.

The second verse begins by describing Jesus' "One final full self-off'ring made, / Complete in ev'ry part," which is described in Hebrews 9:25-28 and 10:10, 14.  The end of the verse refers to "The law within the heart," which is mentioned in Hebrews 10:16 and Jeremiah 31:33.

The third verse, specifically the lines "In faith and confidence draw near, / Within the holiest appear" and the description "One great imperishable Priest," comes from Hebrews 10:19-22.

The fourth verse extends from the third, but I don't think it draws from any of the cited texts.

"O Traurigkeit" (TLH #167)

I transposed this from F minor to E minor.

"All Praise to Thee, for Thou, O King Divine"

Last year, I noticed a small feature in "All Praise to Thee, for Thou, O King Divine," sung to the tune "Engelberg."  The second line of the fourth verse is "[Thou] Art high exalted o'er all creatures now," sung to this phrase:

"High" is sung to the highest pitch in this phrase (the highest pitch in the whole tune, in fact), so there's a musical sense of the word's meaning.

LSB #529 "Since Our Great High Priest, Christ Jesus"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Hebrews 1:3, 4:14, 9:24

Hebrews 1:3:  "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.  After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high"

Hebrews 4:14:  "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession."

Hebrews 9:24:  "For Christ has entered, not into the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf."

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Hebrews 4:14 appears in the first verse, specifically in the first line ("Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus...") and the last two lines ("Since to heav'n our Lord has passed, / Let us hold our witness fast!").  The second line ("Bears the name above all names") comes from 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."

That Hebrews 4 citation should really extend to verse 16 because the hymn's second verse comes directly from verses 15 and 16:  "15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Here's the hymn's second verse for comparison:

Since we have a priest who suffered,
Knowing weakness, tears, and pain,
Who like us was tried and tempted,
Unlike us, without a stain -
Since He shared our lowly place,
Let us boldly seek His grace.

Hebrews 1:3 appears in the third verse:  "Sacrifice and suff'ring over, / Now He sits at God's right hand."

Hebrews 9:24 seems to appear in the last verse.  "On our behalf" is rendered as "Mighty advocate and friend" and "Christ has entered... into heaven itself" as "Jesus, high in glory raised."

"Spanish Chant" (TLH #166)

I transposed this from Ab major to G major because I don't like the flat keys.

"If God Himself Be for Me"

About a year ago, I happened to notice some anaphora in "If God Himself Be for Me," specifically in verses five, eight, and nine:

For no one can condemn me
Or set my hope aside;
Now hell no more can claim me:
Its fury I deride.
No sentence now reproves me,
No guilt destroys my peace;
For Christ, my Savior, loves me
And shields me with His grace.

No danger, thirst, or hunger,
No pain or poverty,
No earthly tyrant's anger
Shall ever vanquish me.
Though earth should break asunder,
My fortress You shall be;
No fire or sword or thunder
Shall sever You from me.

No angel and no gladness,
No throne, no pomp, no show,
No love, no hate, no sadness,
No pain, no depth of woe,
No scheming, no contrivance,
No subtle thing or great
Shall draw me from Your guidance
Nor from You separate.

These verses are drawing from Romans 8:38-39:  "38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."  In the same way that "nor" is repeated in this passage, "no" is repeated in the hymn, and this repetition provides a sense of that surety.

LSB #528 "Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 96:1-3, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Revelation 5:11-13, Ephesians 2:8-9

Psalm 96:1-3:  "1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!  2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.  3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!"

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."

Revelation 5:11-13:  "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!'"

Ephesians 2:8-9:  "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

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The text is public domain:

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! The name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears,
'Tis life and health and peace.

He breaks the pow'r of canceled sin;
He sets the pris'ner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood avails for me.

Look unto Him, ye nations; own
Your God, ye fallen race.
Look and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid;
The Lamb of God was slain.
His soul was once an off'ring made
For ev'ry soul of man.

To God all glory, praise, and love
Be now and ever giv'n
By saints below and saints above,
The Church in earth and heav'n.

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The first two verses come primarily from Psalm 96, especially verse 3.  Singing God's praise also occurs in the citation from Revelation 5, but this text shows up more clearly in the hymn's last verse.

1 Peter 1:18-19 appears in the second half of the fourth verse:  "His blood can make the foulest clean; / His blood avails for me," and Ephesians 2:8-9 appears in the second half of the fifth verse:  "Look and be saved through faith alone, / Be justified by grace."

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The line "He sets the pris'ner free" in the fourth verse seems to come from the end of Psalm 146:7:  "The LORD sets the prisoners free."  At first, however, I thought of Isaiah 61:1, which Jesus quotes in Luke 4:18 and which contains the same idea in a more elaborate form:  "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."

The first half of the fifth verse ("See all your sins on Jesus laid; / The Lamb of God was slain") refers 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!'"  The second half ("His soul was once an off'ring made / For ev'ry soul of man.") comes from Hebrews 10:10:  "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

"Ecce Agnus" (TLH #165)

I transposed this from F minor to E minor.  The first phrase is identical to that in "Southwell."  About halfway through the tune, there are two beats of rests that sound really odd to me, but I just followed the notation.  The title of the tune (and the hymn text:  "Behold the Lamb of God!") comes from John 1:29.  "Ecce Agnus" is "Behold the Lamb" in Latin.

"Come, Thou Almighty King"

About a year ago, I wrote a post on "Come, Thou Almighty King."  A few days after posting that, I transcribed the hymn and noticed an-other small feature.

The last verse begins with the lines "To Thee, great One in Three, / Eternal praises be."  The second of those two lines is sung to this phrase (the tune is "Italian Hymn"):

"Praises" is sung with a melisma (Bb C Bb A), and because it's drawn out, there's a sense of those praises' being "eternal."

LSB #527 "O Savior, Precious Savior"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Peter 1:8-9, Philippians 2:9, Colossians 1:19, Revelation 7:9-14

1 Peter 1:8-9:  "8 Though you have not seen him, you love him.  Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Philippians 2:9:  "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name"

Colossians 1:19:  "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell"

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."

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The text is public domain:

O Savior, precious Savior,
Whom yet unseen we love;
O name of might and favor,
All other names above,
We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
To Thee, O Christ, we sing;
We praise Thee and confess Thee,
Our holy Lord and King.

O bringer of salvation,
Who wondrously hast wrought
Thyself the revelation
Of love beyond our thoughts,
We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
To Thee, O Christ, we sing;
We praise Thee and confess Thee,
Our gracious Lord and King.

In Thee all fullness dwelleth,
All grace and pow'r divine;
The glory that excelleth,
O Son of God, is Thine.
We worship Thee, we bless Thee,
To Thee, O Christ, we sing;
We praise Thee and confess Thee,
Our glorious Lord and King.

O grant the consummation
Of this our song above
In endless adoration
And everlasting love;
Then shall we praise and bless Thee
Where perfect praises ring,
And evermore confess Thee,
Our Savior and our King!

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The first two citations are in the first verse.  1 Peter 1:8 appears in the lines "O Savior, precious Savior, / Whom yet unseen we love," and Philippians 2:9 is in the lines "O name of might and favor, / All other names above."

Colossians 1:19 is at the beginning of the third verse:  "In Thee all fullness dwelleth."

The text from Revelation 7 appears in the last verse ("In endless adoration / And everlasting love") and in the second half of each verse, which describes our worshipping and praising God.

"St. Cross" (TLH #164)

"Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord"

Last summer, I noticed a small feature in "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord."  The fourth line of the third verse is "Let trials turn us not aside," sung to this musical phrase (the tune is "Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott"):

"Turn" is sung with a melisma (A C), so while it's negated, there's a sense of literal movement or metaphorical diverging.

LSB #526 "You Are the Way; through You Alone"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, Acts 4:12

John 14:6:  "Jesus said to him [Thomas], 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

1 Timothy 2:5:  "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus"

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."

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The text is public domain:

You are the way; through You alone
Can we the Father find;
In You, O Christ, has God revealed
His heart and will and mind.

You are the truth; Your Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
You only can inform the mind
And purify the heart.

You are the life; the empty tomb
Proclaims Your conqu'ring arm,
And those who put their trust in You
Not death nor hell shall harm.

You are the way, the truth, the life;
Grant us that way to know,
That truth to keep, that life to win
Whose joys eternal flow.

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John 14:6 is the main source for the hymn.  The first three verses each detail one element of "the way, and the truth, and the life," and the last verse lists all three together.  "Through You alone / Can we the Father find" in the first verse is a paraphrase of "'No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

1 Timothy 2:5 reiterates "'No one comes to the Father except through me.'"  Acts 4:12 is also similar, but the salvation mentioned there seems to appear in the hymn's third verse:  "And those who put their trust in You / Not death nor hell shall harm."