LSB #565 "Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Titus 3:3-7, John 14:6, Philippians 3:7-9, Acts 4:12

Titus 3:3-7:  "3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaved to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

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.'"

Philippians 3:7-9:  "7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith"

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:

Thy works, not mine, O Christ,

Speak gladness to this heart;

They tell me all is done,

They bid my fear depart.

To whom save Thee,

Who canst alone

For sin atone,

Lord, shall I flee?

Thy wounds, not mine, O Christ,

Can heal my bruised soul;

Thy stripes, not mine, contain

The balm that makes me whole.

To whom save Thee,

Who canst alone

For sin atone,

Lord, shall I flee?

Thy cross, not mine, O Christ,

Has borne the crushing load

Of sins that none could bear

But the incarnate God.

To whom save Thee,

Who canst alone

For sin atone,

Lord, shall I flee?

Thy death, not mine, O Christ,

Has paid the ransom due;

Ten thousand deaths like mine

Would have been all too few.

To whom save Thee,

Who canst alone

For sin atone,

Lord, shall I flee?

Thy righteousness, O Christ,

Alone can cover me;

No righteousness avails

Save that which is of Thee.

To whom save Thee,

Who canst alone

For sin atone,

Lord, shall I flee?

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The passage from Titus is in the first verse ("Thy works, not mine, O Christ"), and the passage from Philippians appears in the fifth ("Thy righteousness, O Christ, / Alone can cover me").  The other verses have a similar structure, so these two passages could be cited for all of them.  Some of the specific words in the second verse come from Isaiah 53:5:  "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."

John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 are the basis for the refrain.  The phrasing also recalls John 6:68:  "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.'"

"Nun danket alle Gott" (TLH #36)

There are some odd rests in this one, which is why I'd skipt it originally.

"When in the Hour of Deepest Need"

A couple years ago, I wrote a post about "When in the Hour of Deepest Need," specifically about how "deepest" in the title line is sung with a descending melisma for a sense of depth.  I was looking at the hymn again recently, and I realized that because "deepest" is a superlative adjective, this melisma could also serve to emphasize the degree.

LSB #564 "Christ Sits at God's Right Hand"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Hebrews 7:15-28, 9:11-15, 10:19-23; Hebrews 4:14-16

Hebrews 7:15-28:  "15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.  17 For it is witnessed of him, 'You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.'  18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

"20 And it was not without an oath.  For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, 21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who aid to him:  'The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever."'  22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

"23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.  25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

"26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.  27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.  28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever."

Hebrews 9:11-15:  "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."

Hebrews 10:19-23:  "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.  23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."

Hebrews 4:14-16:  "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.  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."

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The passages cited from Hebrews appear in this same order in the hymn.  7:15-28 appears in the second verse, particularly in the lines "'A priest forevermore,' / An oath God would not break, / 'A priest within the order of / Melchizedek.'"  9:11-15 is in the third verse, specifically "He shed a blood, unlike the blood / Of goat or calf."  10:19-23 seems to appear from the end of the third verse through the fifth verse, and 4:14-16 is in both the fifth and sixth verses.

The first verse, however, seems to come from the end of Ephesians 1.  "Christ sits at God's right hand, / His saving work complete" from part of verse 20:  "when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places," and "To reign till ev'ry foe will lie / Beneath His feet" from verses 21-22:  "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church."

"O dass ich tausend" (TLH #30)

I made some of the half notes into whole notes because otherwise there are three beats of rest in between some of the phrases, which I think is odd and which is the reason I'd skipt this originally.

"We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God"

I was looking at "We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God" recently and noticed a few things, all within this phrase from the tune "Thaxted":

(This is the second phrase, but it's also repeated as the last phrase.)

In the first verse, the text here is "The Father everlasting, by all the earth adored."  "Everlasting" is sung with a melisma (A F Bb C D), and since it's drawn out, there's something of a sense of the word's meaning.

The text here in the third verse, addressed to Christ, is "Yet You, with boundless love, sought to rescue ev'ryone."  "Love" is sung with a melisma (Bb C), and because the word isn't limited to a single pitch, there's a musical representation of that "boundless."

In the fourth verse, the text is "Upholding earth and heaven by forces You command."  "Upholding" is sung to an ascending group of notes (D F G Bb), giving a sense of its meaning.  The melisma provides some emphasis.

When this musical phrase is repeated at the end of the fourth verse, the text is "In glory everlasting.  Amen, O Lord, amen!"  As above, "everlasting" is sung with a melisma (the same notes, even:  A F Bb C D), giving a sense of duration.

LSB #563 "Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Isaiah 61:10, Hebrews 12:24, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 7:9-14

Isaiah 61:10:  "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

Hebrews 12:24:  "and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."

1 John 1:7:  "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

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:

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness

My beauty are, my glorious dress;

Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,

With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in that great day,

Cleansed and redeemed, no debt to pay;

Fully absolved through these I am

From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,

Which at the mercy seat of God

Pleads for the captives' liberty,

Was also shed in love for me.

Lord, I believe, were sinners more

Than sands upon the ocean shore,

Thou hast for all a ransom paid,

For all a full atonement made.

When from the dust of death I rise

To claim my mansion in the skies,

Then then shall be my only plea:

Jesus hath lived and died for me.

Jesus, be endless praise to Thee,

Whose boundless mercy hath for me,

For me, and all Thy hands have made,

An everlasting ransom paid.

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The Biblical sources for this hymn appear mostly in the first half.  The first two verses use the images from Isaiah 61:10 and the white robes from the passage from Revelation 7.  The hymn's third verse seems to combine the verses from Hebrews 12:24 and 1 John 1:7.  Part of Revelation 7 could also be cited for "Jesus, be endless praise to Thee" in the last verse.

The phrase "the captives' liberty" in the third verse bears some resemblance to part of 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 lines "When from the dust of death I rise / To claim my mansion in the skies" in the fifth verse seem to refer to John 14:2:  "'In my Father's house are many rooms.  If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?'"

"Sollt' ich meinem Gott" (TLH #25)

I transposed this from C minor to D minor.

"The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns"

"The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns" is sung to the tune "St. Magnus."  Here's the last phrase:

In the second verse, the text here, describing Jesus, is "And heav'n's eternal Light."  "Eternal" is sung with a melisma (D C B A), giving a sense of duration.

There's a similar feature in the last (sixth) verse, where the text here, now describing the cross, is "Their everlasting theme."  "Everlasting" is also sung with a melisma (D D C B A) for a sense of duration.

LSB #562 "All Mankind Fell in Adam's Fall"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 45; Romans 3:12; Genesis 3:1-19

Romans 5:12-21:  "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 - 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.  14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

"15 But the free gift is not like the trespass.  For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.  16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin.  For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.  17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

"18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.  19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.  20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

[To be consistent, I used the ESV translation, but I think the redundant "free gift" is a poor rendering.  For what it's worth, here's the Greek interlinear.]

1 Corinthians 15:21-22:  "21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."

1 Corinthians 15:45:  "Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit."

Romans 3:12:  "'All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.'"

Genesis 3:1-19:  "1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

"He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, "You shall not eat of any tree in the garden"?'  2 And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die."'  4 But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die.  5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'  6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.  And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

"8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'  10 And he said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.'  11 He said, 'Who told you that you were naked?  Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?'  12 The man said, 'The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.'  13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?'  The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'

"14 The LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beats of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.'

"16 To the woman he said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.'

"17 And to Adam he said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, "You shall not eat of it," cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.'"

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The text is public domain:

All mankind fell in Adam's fall;

One common sin infects us all.

From one to all the curse descends,

And over all God's wrath impends.

Through all our pow'rs corruption creeps

And us in dreadful bondage keeps;

In guilt we draw our infant breath

And reap its fruits of woe and death.

From hearts depraved, to evil prone,

Flow thoughts and deeds of sin alone;

God's image lost, the darkened soul

Seeks not nor finds its heav'nly goal.

But Christ, the second Adam, came

To bear our sin and woe and shame,

To be our life, our light, our way,

Our only hope, our only stay.

As by one man all mankind fell

And, born in sin, was doomed to hell,

So by one Man, who took our place,

We all were justified by grace.

We thank You, Christ; new life is ours,

New light, new hope, new strength, new pow'rs.

This grace our ev'ry way attend

Until we reach our journey's end.

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The first two lines of the hymn ("All mankind fell in Adam's fall; / One common sin infects us all.") come from the first part of the text from Romans 5.  The second verse also comes from Romans 5 but seems to incorporate parts of 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 too.  The third verse seems to draw from Romans 3:12.  Of course, the text from Genesis 3 is the background for all of this.

The second half of the hymn comes primarily from Romans 5, although parts of the passages from 1 Corinthians 15 are also present in the last verse, specifically:  "new life is ours."

"Dir, dir, Jehovah" (TLH #21)

"Hosanna, Loud Hosanna"

I have a few things from quite a few years ago to note about "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna," sung to the tune "Ellacombe."  Here are the third and fourth musical phrases, repeated later as the seventh and eight phrases:

In the second verse, the text in the third and fourth lines is "The victor palm branch waving / And chanting clear and loud."  "Waving" is sung with a melisma (C# D E), giving something of an impression of its meaning.

In the fourth verse, the text in the seventh and eighth lines is "And in His blissful presence / Eternally rejoice!"  Here, "eternally" is sung with a melisma (E F# G# A A), giving a sense of duration.

There's a similar feature in the preceding two lines of the fourth verse:  "Oh, may we ever praise Him / With heart and life and voice," sung to these phrases:

"Praise" is sung with a melisma (B G# A), giving a sense of "ever."

LSB #561 "The Tree of Life"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Genesis 3:1-15, 1 Peter 2:24, Revelation 22:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:21-22

Genesis 3:1-15:  "1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

"He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, "You shall not eat of any tree in the garden"?'  2 And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die."'  4 But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die.  5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'  6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.  And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

"8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'  10 And he said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.'  11 He said, 'Who told you that you were naked?  Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?'  12 The man said, 'The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.'  13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?'  The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'

"14 The LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beats of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.  15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.'"

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."

Revelation 22:1-3:  "1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him."

1 Corinthians 15:21-22:  "21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.  22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."

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The text from Genesis 3 is the basis of the first two verses, and "he shall bruise your head" from verse 15 is at the end of the hymn's third verse:  "To crush the ancient serpent's head!"

The passages from 1 Peter 2 and 1 Corinthians 15 are both in the third and fourth verses of the hymn, although 1 Peter 2:24 is clearer to see than 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.

The passage from Revelation is also in the fourth verse.