The first line of the second verse is "Who is sweeter than Christ Jesus?" "Sweeter" is sung with a melisma (E D B D), giving a sense of the comparative nature of this adjective (more notes for a greater degree).
The third musical phrase:
In the third verse, the text here is "Strong in Christ through death's dark valley." "Valley" is sung to a group of descending notices (G E D), giving something of a sense of its depth.
