"I Know My Faith Is Founded"

I wrote about a small feature in "I Know My Faith Is Founded" about a year ago, but when it was one of the hymns on Worship Anew last month (5 October, Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost), I noticed something else.

The fourth line of the first verse is "Unmoved I stand on His sure Word," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Nun lob, mein' Seel'":

The words "Unmoved I stand" are all sung to the same pitch, and this musical constancy matches the meaning.

LSB #810 "O God of God, O Light of Light"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 5:12-13; Acts 2:22-24, 36; Revelation 19:4-6

Revelation 5:12-13:  "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!'"

Acts 2:22-24:  "22 'Men of Israel, hear these words:  Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know - 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.  24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.'"

Acts 2:36:  "'Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.'"

Revelation 19:4-6:  "4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, 'Amen.  Hallelujah!'  5 And from the throne came a voice saying, 'Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.'  6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 'Hallelujah!  For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns."

+++

The text is public domain:

1 O God of God, O Light of Light,

O Prince of Peace and King of kings:

To You in heaven's glory bright

The song of praise forever rings.

To Him who sits upon the throne,

The Lamb once slain but raised again,

Be all the glory He has won,

All thanks and praise!  Amen, amen.

2 For deep in prophets' sacred page,

And grand in poets' winged word,

Slowly in type, from age to age

The nations saw their coming Lord;

Till through the deep Judean night

Rang out the song, "Goodwill to men!"

Sung once by firstborn sons of light,

It echoes now, "Goodwill!"  Amen.

3 That life of truth, those deeds of love,

That death so steeped in hate and scorn -

These all are past, and now above

He reigns, our King once crowned with thorn.

Lift up your heads, O mighty gates!

So sang that host beyond our ken.

Lift up your heads, your King awaits.

We lift them up.  Amen, amen.

4 Then raise to Christ a mighty song,

And shout His name, His mercies tell!

Sing, heav'nly host, your praise prolong,

And all on earth, your anthem swell!

All hail, O Lamb for sinners slain!

Forever let the song ascend!

Worthy the Lamb, enthroned to reign,

All glory, pow'r!  Amen, amen.

+++

The two passages from Revelation appear in the first and fourth verses.  Revelation 5 with its "Worthy is the Lamb" and doxology is a bit more prominent than Revelation 19.

The two passages from Acts 2 seem to be the basis for the first half of the third verse, and "God raised him up" from verse 24 appears in the last half of the line "The Lamb once slain but raised again" in the first verse.

+++

In the first verse, the titles "God of God" and "Light of Light" come from the Nicene Creed.  The title "Prince of Peace" comes from Isaiah 9:6, and the title "King of kings" appears in 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, and Revelation 19:16.

The goodwill in the second verse comes from some translations of Luke 2:13-14:  "13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:  14 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'' [NKJV].

The line "Lift up your heads, O mighty gates!" in the third verse refers to Psalm 24:7-10:  "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.  10 Who is this King of glory?  The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!"

"What Is the World to Me"

Near the end of September, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 23rd.  The hymn was "What Is the World to Me," and I noticed a small feature at the beginning of the first verse.

The hymn starts with the lines "What is the world to me / With all its vaunted pleasure," sung to these phrases from the tune "Was frag' ich nach der Welt":

"Pleasure" is sung with a melisma (E D C), lending a sense of the entirety or breadth of "all."  That the word is sung to all different pitches may contribute to this, too.

LSB #809 "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Lamentations 3:22-24, James 1:17, Genesis 8:20-22, Psalm 89:1-2

Lamentations 3:22-24:  "22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  24 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'"

James 1:17:  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

Genesis 8:20-22:  "20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.  21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, 'I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.  Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.  22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.'"

Psalm 89:1-2:  "1 I will sing of the steadfast love the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.  2 For I said, 'Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.'"

+++

Lamentations 3:22-24 appears in the first line ("Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father") and in the refrain ("Great is Thy faithfulness! / Great is Thy faithfulness! / Morning by morning new mercies I see...").  The phrase "Thy great faithfulness" also occurs in the second verse.  To a lesser degree, Psalm 89:1-2 is included in these lines, too.

James 1:17 is paraphrased in the first verse:  "There is no shadow of turning with Thee. / Thou changest not...."

The passage from Genesis 8, particularly verse 22, appears in the second verse:  "Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, / Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above / Join with all nature in manifold witness / To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love."

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

I've written about small features in "All Praise to Thee, for Thou, O King Divine" twice before, but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service last month (on 12 September), I noticed an-other one.

In the line "[Thou] Art high exalted o'er all creatures now" near the beginning of the fourth verse, the phrase "all creatures" is sung to notes of all different pitches (spanning a fifth:  A G D), providing a sense of breadth or entirety.  Here's the musical phrase (from the tune "Engelberg") to which the line is sung:

LSB #808 "O Sing to the Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 98, Psalm 150, 1 Corinthians 12:3

Psalm 98:  "1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!  His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.  2 The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.  3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.  All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

"4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!  5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!  6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

"7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!  8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity."

Psalm 150:  "1 Praise the LORD!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!  2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

"3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!  4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!  5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!  6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD!"

1 Corinthians 12:3:  "Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says 'Jesus is accursed!' and no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit."

+++

Psalm 98 is the primary source for the hymn.  The first verse is paraphrased in the hymn's first two verses ("O sing to the Lord, / O sing God a new song" and "For God is the Lord! / And God has done wonders") and in the line "O sing to our God," which appears at the end of each verse, albeit as "And sing to our God" at the end of the third.  Psalm 150:3-4 and Psalm 98:6 are combined in the hymn's third verse ("So dance for our God / And blow all the trumpets").

1 Corinthians 12:3 is alluded to in the fourth verse ("Who gave us the Spirit"), and it appears in the fifth verse ("For Jesus is Lord!").

"All for Christ I Have Forsaken"

I wrote a post about some small features in "All for Christ I Have Forsaken" a few years ago, but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service last month (on 11 September), I noticed two more.

Both occur in the third musical phrase (the tune is "Restoration"):

In the first verse, the text here is "Worldly joy, its fame and fortune" (the sense continues into the next line:  "Now I count as worthless dross").  "Joy" is sung with a melisma (B A), lending a sense of this ebullience.

In the fifth verse, the text is "Though my cross-shaped path grows steeper" (again, the sense continues into the next line:  "With the Lord, I am secure").  Here, "steeper" is sung with a melisma (G E D), emphasizing the comparative nature of this adjective (more notes for a greater degree).

LSB #807 "When Morning Gilds the Skies"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Luke 19:37-38; Philippians 2:9-11; John 1:1-4, 14; Revelation 6:11-14

Luke 19:37-38:  "37 As he was drawing near - already on the way down the Mount of Olives - the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!'"

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."

John 1:1-4:  "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men."

John 1:14:  "14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Revelation 6:11-14:  "11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

"12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.  14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place."

+++

The text is public domain:

1 When morning gilds the skies,

My heart, awaking, cries,

"May Jesus Christ be praised!"

When evening shadows fall,

This rings my curfew call:

"May Jesus Christ be praised!"

2 When mirth for music longs,

This is my song of songs:

"May Jesus Christ be praised!"

God's holy house of prayer

Hath none that can compare

With "Jesus Christ be praised!"

3 No lovelier antiphon

In all high heav'n is known

Than "Jesus Christ be praised!"

There to the eternal Word

The eternal psalm is heard:

"May Jesus Christ be praised!"

4 Ye nations of mankind,

In this your concord find:

"May Jesus Christ be praised!"

Let all the earth around

Ring joyous with the sound:

"May Jesus Christ be praised!"

5 Sing, suns and stars of space,

Sing, ye that see His face,

Sing, "Jesus Christ be praised!"

God's whole creation o'er,

Both now and evermore

Shall Jesus Christ be praised!

+++

These citations seem to be only tenuously connected to the hymn text.  Luke 19:37-38 and Philippians 2:9-11 refer to praising God, so they could be cited for the repeated "Jesus Christ be praised!" throughout the hymn.  The two passages from John 1 are the source for the title "the eternal Word" in the third verse.  The only similarity between the passage from Revelation 6 and the hymn text seems to be the mention of the sun and stars (in the hymn's fifth verse), but those lines bear a much stronger resemblance to Psalm 148:3:  "Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!"

The first verse seems to be drawn from Psalm 113:3:  "From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!"  Both texts involve praising God and are framed by a temporal merism.

"In God, My Faithful God"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 5 September.  The hymn was "In God, My Faithful God," and I noticed yet an-other instance of a feature I've been finding a lot lately.  In the lines "'So be it,' then, I say / With all my heart each day" at the beginning of the fifth verse, the phrase "all my heart" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A G F), lending a slight sense of this entirety.  The lines are sung to these musical phrases from the tune "Auf meinen lieben Gott":

LSB #806 "Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  2 Corinthians 9:15; 12:9-10; 2 Corinthians 8:9

2 Corinthians 9:15:  "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"

2 Corinthians 12:9-10:  "9 But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 8:9:  "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich."

+++

2 Corinthians 9:15 appears in the repeated "Give thanks" throughout the hymn.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and 8:9 are the basis for the section "And now let the weak say 'I am strong,' / Let the poor say 'I am rich,' / Because of what the Lord has done for us."

"By All Your Saints in Warfare"

A little more than a month ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 29 August.  The hymn was "By All Your Saints in Warfare" (with the stanza for The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist inserted).  I noticed a small feature in the first two lines:  "By all Your saints in warfare, / For all Your saints at rest."  They're sung to these musical phrases from the tune "King's Lynn":

Both times, the phrase "all Your saints" is sung to notes of all different pitches (G A D and G F D, respectively), giving some sense of the entirety of these "all"s.

LSB #805 "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 150, Isaiah 6:1-4, Revelation 4:8

Psalm 150:  "1 Praise the LORD!  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!  2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

"3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!  4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!  5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!  6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD!"

Isaiah 6:1-4:  "1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  2 Above him stood the seraphim.  Each had six wings:  with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  3 And one called to another and said:  'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'  4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke."

Revelation 4:8:  "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'"

+++

The text is public domain:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host:

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

+++

Psalm 150 is the main source for the hymn; both texts repeated exhort one to praise the Lord.  The other two citations are summarized in the line "Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host."

"Jerusalem, O City Fair and High"

"Jerusalem, O City Fair and High" was the hymn in the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service on 27 August, and I noticed three instances where phrases that begin with "all" are sung to notes of all different pitches, giving a sense of this breadth or entirety.

In the third verse, the line "With all Christ's foll'wers true" is sung to this musical phrase (from the tune "Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt"):

"All Christ's foll'wers" is sung to the notes A E F# G#.  Because one of these (G#) is an accidental, there's an even further sense of breadth.

In the fourth verse, the lines "And all its host rejoices, / And all its blessed throng" (the sense continues into the next line:  "Unite their myriad voices," which I've written about before) are sung to these phrases:

"All its host" is sung to the notes B C# D, and "all its blessed throng" to the notes B A G F# E.

LSB #804 "O Worship the King"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 104, Psalm 103:20-22, Isaiah 66:15, Luke 1:78

Psalm 104:  "1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.  3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

"5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.  6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.  7 At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.  8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.  9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.

"10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; 11 they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.  12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.  13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

"14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth 15 and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart.

"16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.  17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees.  18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

"19 He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.  20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about.  21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens.  23 Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.

"24 O LORD, how manifold are your works!  In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  25 Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.  26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

"27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.  28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.  29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.  30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

"31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works, 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!  33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.  35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more!  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!"

Psalm 103:20-22:  "20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!  21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!  22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!"

Isaiah 66:15:  "'For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.'"

Luke 1:78:  "because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high"

+++

The text is public domain:

1 O worship the King, all-glorious above.

O gratefully sing His pow'r and His love;

Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,

Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

2 O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,

Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,

And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

3 This earth, with its store of wonders untold,

Almighty, Thy pow'r hath founded of old,

Established it fast by a changeless decree,

And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

4 Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light,

It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,

And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

5 Frail children of dust and feeble as frail,

In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail.

Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,

Our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend!

6 O measureless Might, ineffable Love,

While angels delight to hymn Thee above,

Thy humbler creation, though feeble their lays,

With true adoration shall sing to Thy praise.

+++

Psalm 104, primarily verses 1-11, is the basis for the hymn's second through fourth verses.  Isaiah 66:15 is combined with Psalm 104:3 in the line "His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form" in the second verse.

Psalm 103:20-22 appears in the line "While angels delight to hymn Thee above" in the sixth verse and in the first two lines of the hymn:  "O worship the King, all-glorious above. / O gratefully sing His pow'r and His love."

The "tender mercy" in Luke 1:78 is referred to in the line "Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end" in the fifth verse.  The phrase also appears in the NKJV translation of Psalm 145:9:  "The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works."

+++

The title "the Ancient of Days" in the first verse comes from Daniel 7:9.

"Church of God, Elect and Glorious"

I wrote about a number of features in "Church of God, Elect and Glorious" last year, but when it was one of the hymns in the opening service for the academic year at Concordia University Wisconsin last month, I noticed something else.

The second verse ends with the lines "And all find fresh hope and purpose / In Christ Jesus crucified," and the phrase "Christ Jesus crucified" is sung to a melody that includes a number of overlapping cross inscriptions, musically portraying this "crucified" in a way.

The tune is "Abbot's Leigh."

LSB #803 "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 5:11, Philippians 4:4, Psalm 8:3

Psalm 5:11:  "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you."

Philippians 4:4:  "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice."

Psalm 8:3 (with verse 4 for more context):  "3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

+++

The text is public domain:

1 Joyful, joyful we adore Thee,

God of glory, Lord of love!

Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,

Praising Thee, their sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,

Drive the gloom of doubt away.

Giver of immortal gladness,

Fill us with the light of day.

2 All Thy works with joy surround Thee,

Earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays,

Stars and angels sing around Thee,

Center of unbroken praise.

Field and forest, vale and mountain,

Flow'ry meadow, flashing sea,

Chanting bird, and flowing fountain

Call us to rejoice in Thee.

3 Thou art giving and forgiving,

Ever blessing, ever blest,

Well-spring of the joy of living,

Ocean-depth of happy rest!

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Fountainhead of love divine:

Joyful, we Thy heav'n inherit!

Joyful, we by grace are Thine!

+++

The "joy" and the call to "rejoice" from Psalm 5:11 and Philippians 4:4 appear throughout the hymn.  Psalm 8:3 seems to be the basis for the second verse, although there's a stronger resemblance to parts of Psalm 148.

This is a minor point, but "vale and mountain" in the second verse is a merism.

"Before You, Lord, We Bow"

I was looking at "Before You, Lord, We Bow" last month, and I noticed a feature and also discovered something I'd previously noted but neglected to write about.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Darwall's 148th."  Here are the fifth and sixth phrases:

In the third verse, the text here is "May ev'ry tongue / Be tuned to praise."  The phrase "ev'ry tongue" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A B C), giving a slight sense of this entirety.

The seventh and eighth musical phrases:

In the first verse, the text here is "Our hearts we raise / To You, our King!"  "Our hearts we raise" is sung to an ascending phrase, demonstrating the meaning, even if the text is a bit more metaphorical.

LSB #802 "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 104:1-5, 31-35; Daniel 7:13; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16

Psalm 104:1-5:  "1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.  3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

"5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved."

Psalm 104:31-35:  "31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works, 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!  33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.  35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more!  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!"

Daniel 7:13:  "'I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.'"

1 Timothy 1:17:  "To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

1 Timothy 6:15-16:  "15 which he will display at the proper time - he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.  To him be honor and eternal dominion.  Amen."

+++

The text is public domain:

1 Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

2 Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

3 To all life Thou givest - to both great and small -

In all life Thou livest, the true Life of all;

We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree

And wither and perish - but naught changes Thee.

4 Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render: O help us to see

'Tis only the splendor of light that hides Thee.

+++

Part of 1 Timothy 1:17 appears nearly verbatim in the line "Immortal, invisible, God only wise," but this also seems to incorporate part of Romans 16:27:  "to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!  Amen."

The passage from 1 Timothy 6 appears in the line "In light inaccessible hid from our eyes" in the first verse and in the line "'Tis only the splendor of light that hides Thee" in the fourth; to a lesser degree, the image of God clothed in light from Psalm 104:1-2 is also included.

Daniel 7:13 is the source for the title "the Ancient of Days" in the first verse, and Psalm 104:31-35 appears in the line "Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise."

+++

This is a minor point, but "great and small" in the third verse is a merism.

"Seek Ye First"

"Seek Ye First" was one of the hymns on Worship Anew last month (3 August, Eighth Sunday after Pentecost), and I noticed a small feature in it.  Near the end of the first verse, there's the line "And all these things shall be added unto you!" sung to this musical phrase:

The phrase "all these things" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# G A), lending a slight sense of this breadth.

LSB #801 "How Great Thou Art"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 15:3b-4, Genesis 1:1-25, Isaiah 53:3-12, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Revelation 15:3b-4:  "'Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!  Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!  4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?  For you alone are holy.  All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.'"

Genesis 1:1-25:  "1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

"3 And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.  4 And God saw that the light was good.  And God separated the light from the darkness.  5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

"6 And God said, 'Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.'  7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse.  And it was so.  8 And God called the expanse Heaven.  And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

"9 And God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.'  And it was so.  10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.  And God saw that it was good.

"11 And god said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.'  And it was so.  12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.  13 and there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

"14 And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night.  And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.'  And it was so.  16 And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars.  17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness.  And God saw that it was good.  19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

"20 And God said, 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.'  21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.  22 And God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.'  23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

"24 And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds - livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.'  and it was so.  25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good."

Isaiah 53:3-12:  "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.  8 By oppression and judgement he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?  9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in 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."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:  "16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."

+++

The text from Revelation 15 appears primarily in the refrain (the repeated "How great Thou art!"), but "Great and amazing are your deeds" from verse 3 seems to be combined with the Creation account in Genesis 1 in the hymn's first verse:  "O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder / Consider all the works Thy hand hath made...."  Specific examples of God's handiwork are given in the remainder of the first verse and throughout the second.

The text from Isaiah 53 is the basis for the third verse, and the passage from 1 Thessalonians 4 is paraphrased at the beginning of the fourth verse:  "When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation / And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!"

"Splendor and Honor"

I was looking at "Splendor and Honor" last month and noticed a couple small features.  The hymn is sung to the tune "Shades Mountain."  Here's the second musical phrase:

In the first verse, the text here is "Are Yours, O Lord God, fount of ev'ry blessing" (it continues the sense from the previous line:  "Splendor and honor, majesty and power").  The phrase "ev'ry blessing" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F E D C), giving a sense of this breadth.

The third verse is a doxology, ending with "Now and forever," sung to this phrase:

"Forever" is sung to notes that have a combined total of nine beats (a quarter note and two whole notes), and since this is the longest of any word in the entire hymn, there's a sense of this duration.

LSB #800 "Alabaré - II"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 5:8-13; 7:9-15

Revelation 5:8-13:  "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!'"

Revelation 7:9-15:  "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.

"15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence."

+++

The first verse, which is the same as that of "Alabaré - I," paraphrases Revelation 7:9-10.  Parts of the second and third verses ("Voices united in joy and in singing, / We offer praise and glory to God..." and "We bless You, we adore You without end") seem to be drawn from the same source and from Revelation 5:13.  The third verse contains a sort of doxology ("Mercy and justice, / Power and wisdom") that contains some of the same qualities as Revelation 5:12-13 and Revelation 7:12.

"All Glory Be to God Alone"

I was looking at "All Glory Be to God Alone" earlier this month, and I noticed a small feature in the last line of the third verse:  "To all the world Your grace extend," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "All' Ehr' und Lob":

The phrase "all the world" is sung to notes of all different pitches (B A G), giving a small sense of this entirety.

(A couple years ago, I noted some other features in this same line.)

LSB #799 "Alabaré - I"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Revelation 5:8-13; 7:9-15

Revelation 5:8-13:  "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!'"

Revelation 7:9-15:  "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.

"15 'Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence."

+++

Only the second and third stanzas are public domain:

2 Worthy is Christ the Lamb who was slain,

Whose blood has set us free from ev'ry sin.

Power and riches,

And wisdom and strength

And honor and all blessing shall be His.

3 Sing with the people, the people of God,

And join creation in a joyful hymn.

Blessing and honor

And glory and might

To God and to the Lamb be without end.

+++

The first verse paraphrases Revelation 7:9-10; the second verse paraphrases Revelation 5:12-13, also incorporating "'by your blood you ransomed people for God...'" from Revelation 5:9; and the third paraphrases Revelation 7:12.

"Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus"

About a month ago, one of the hymns on Worship Anew was "Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus."  I noticed that the line "Full of faith and hope and love" in the first verse exhibits polysyndeton (the repeated "and") and that the repetition here provides a sense of this abundance (being "full").

I also found an uncited Biblical reference.  The lines "Though today we sow no laughter, / We shall reap celestial joy" in the second verse draw from Psalm 126:5:  "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!"

(Here's a link to my post on the other Biblical sources.)

LSB #798 "The God of Abraham Praise"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Exodus 3:6, 14; Psalm 142:5-6; Psalm 9:7-11; Revelation 4:8

Exodus 3:6:  "And he said, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'  And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God."

Exodus 3:14:  "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.'  And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."'"

Psalm 142:5-6:  "5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.'  6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low!  Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!"

Psalm 9:7-11:  "7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8 and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.

"9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

"11 Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!"

Revelation 4:8:  "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'"

+++

The text is public domain:

1 The God of Abr'ham praise,

Who reigns enthroned above;

Ancient of everlasting days

And God of love.

Jehovah, great I AM!

By earth and heav'n confessed;

I bow and bless the sacred name

Forever blest.

2 The God of Abr'ham praise,

At whose supreme command

From earth I rise and seek the joys

At His right hand.

I all on earth forsake,

Its wisdom, fame, and pow'r,

And Him my only portion make,

My shield and tow'r.

3 The God of Abr'ham praise,

Whose all-sufficient grace

Shall guide me all my pilgrim days

In all my ways.

He deigns to call me friend;

He calls Himself my God.

And He shall save me to the end

Through Jesus' blood.

4 He by Himself has sworn;

I on His oath depend.

I shall, on eagle wings upborne,

To heav'n ascend.

I shall behold His face;

I shall His pow'r adore

And sing the wonders of His grace

Forevermore.

5 Though nature's strength decay,

And earth and hell withstand,

To Canaan's bounds I urge my way

At His command.

The wat'ry deep I pass,

With Jesus in my view,

And through the howling wilderness

My way pursue.

6 The goodly land I see,

With peace and plenty blest:

A land of sacred liberty

And endless rest.

There milk and honey flow,

And oil and wine abound,

And trees of life forever grow

With mercy crowned.

7 There dwells the Lord our king,

The Lord our righteousness,

Triumphant o'er the world and sin,

The Prince of Peace.

On Zion's sacred height

His kingdom He maintains

And glorious with His saints in light

Forever reigns.

8 The God who reigns on high

The great archangels sing,

And "Holy, holy, holy!" cry,

"Almighty King!

Who was and is the same

And evermore shall be:

Jehovah, Father, great I AM!

We worship Thee!"

9 The whole triumphant host

Give thanks to God on high.

"Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!"

They ever cry.

Hail, Abr'ham's God and mine!

I join the heav'nly lays:

All might and majesty are Thine

And endless praise!

+++

Exodus 3:6 appears in the repeated line "The God of Abr'ham praise" in the first three verses (which also incorporates "Sing praises to the LORD" from Psalm 9:11) and in the line "Hail, Abr'ham's God and mine!" in the ninth, and Exodus 3:14 appears in the lines "Jehovah, great I AM!" in the first verse and "Jehovah, Father, great I AM!" in the eighth.

Psalm 142:5-6, specifically "You are... my portion in the land of the living," appears in the line "And Him my only portion make" in the second verse.

The passage from Psalm 9, particularly "the LORD sits enthroned forever," shows up most clearly in the seventh and eighth verses:  "His kingdom He maintains / And glorious with His saints in light / Forever reigns. // The God who reigns on high."

Revelation 4:8 is the basis for most of the eighth verse, although there's also a resemblance to the seraphim in Isaiah 6:3:  "And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!'"  

+++

The title "Ancient of everlasting days" in the first verse comes from Daniel 7:13:  "'I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.'"

The line "My shield and tow'r" at the end of the second verse could come from the "refuge" or "stronghold" in the Psalms cited above, but this specific imagery is also prevalent in other Psalms.  God as a shield appears in Psalm 3:3, 28:7, 33:20, 84:11, and God as a tower appears in Psalm 61:3 and Proverbs 18:10.

The line "Whose all-sufficient grace" in the third verse seems to be drawn from 2 Corinthians 12:9:  "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

The line "He deigns to call me friend" in the third verse may refer to John 15:14-16:  "14 'You are my friends if you do what I command you.  15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.  16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.'"

The lines "I shall, on eagle wings upborne, / To heavn' ascend. / I shall behold His face" in the fourth verse seem to combine parts of Isaiah 40:31 ("but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles") and 1 Corinthians 13:12 ("For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.").

The description "There milk and honey flow" in the sixth verse occurs a number of times in the Pentateuch, first in Exodus 3:8:  "and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites."

In the seventh verse, the title "The Lord our righteousness" appears a couple times in Jeremiah (23:6 and 33:16), and the title "The Prince of Peace" is taken from Isaiah 9:6.

Most of the ninth verse seems to be drawn from Revelation 7, particularly verses 9-10:  "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!'"

"My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less"

One of the hymns in a church service I attended last month was "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" (paired with the tune "Magdalen").  I noticed a small feature in the last line of the third verse:  "He then is all my hope and stay," sung to this musical phrase:

"All" is sung to a dotted quarter note.  This is the longest note in the phrase, and to some degree, this greater duration lends a sense of the entirety of that "all."

LSB #797 "Praise the Almighty"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 146

Psalm 146:  "1 Praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD, O my soul!  2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

"3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.  4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

"5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.

"The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.  The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.  9 The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.  10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.  Praise the LORD!"

+++

The text is public domain:

1 Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him!

Yes, I will laud Him until death;

With songs and anthems I come before Him

As long as He allows me breath.

From Him my life and all things came;

Bless, O my soul, His holy name.

Alleluia, alleluia!

2 Trust not in rulers; they are but mortal;

Earthborn they are and soon decay.

Vain are their counsels at life's last portal,

When the dark grave engulfs its prey.

Since mortals can no help afford,

Place all your trust in Christ, our Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia!

3 Blessed, oh, blessed are they forever

Whose help is from the Lord Most High,

Whom from salvation can nothing sever,

And who in hope to Christ draw night.

To all who trust in Him, our Lord

Will aid and counsel now afford.

Alleluia, alleluia!

4 Penitent sinners, for mercy crying,

Pardon and peace from Him obtain;

Ever the wants of the poor supplying,

Their faithful God He will remain.

He helps His children in distress,

The widows and the fatherless.

Alleluia, alleluia!

5 Praise, all you people, the name so holy

Of Him who does such wondrous things!

All that has being, to praise Him solely,

With happy heart its amen sings.

Children of God, with angel host

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Alleluia, alleluia!

+++

The hymn paraphrases Psalm 146.  The hymn's first verse comes from verses 1-2; the second verse from verses 3-4; the third verse from verse 5; the fourth verse from verses 7-9; and the fifth verse from verse 10.

"Spread the Reign of God the Lord"

Recently, I happened to see the title "Spread the Reign of God the Lord" and realized a way in which it connects to the melody to which it's sung, the first phrase of the tune "Gott sei Dank":

The phrase spans an octave, musically reflecting this idea of "spread[ing]."

LSB #796 "When in Our Music God Is Glorified"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Chronicles 16:4-36, 2 Chronicles 5:13-14, Colossians 3:16-17, Mark 14:26

1 Chronicles 16:4-36:  "4 Then he [David] appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.  5 Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.  7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers.

"8 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!  9 Sing to him; sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!  10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!  11 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!  12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgements he uttered, 13 O offspring of Israel his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!

"14 He is the LORD our God; his judgements are in all the earth.  15 Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 16 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 17 which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob, as an everlasting covenant to Israel, 18 saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan, as your portion for an inheritance.'

"19 When you were few in number, and of little account, and sojourners in it, 20 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 21 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 22 saying, 'Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!'

"23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth!  Tell of his salvation from day to day.  24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!  25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be held in awe above all gods.  26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.  27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.  28 Ascribe to the LORD, O clans of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!  29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him!  Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; 30 tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.  31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns!'  32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!  33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.  34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

"35 Say also:  'Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.  36 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!'  Then all the people said, 'Amen!' and praised the LORD."

2 Chronicles 5:13-14:  "13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD, 'For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,' the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God."

Colossians 3:16-17:  "16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Mark 14:26:  "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."

+++

The first three citations (1 Chronicles 16:4-36, 2 Chronicles 5:13-14, and Colossians 3:16-17) seem to be the basis for the fifth verse:  "Let ev'ry instrument be tuned for praise! / Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise! / And may God give us faith to sing always: / Alleluia!"

Mark 14:26 is referred to in the fourth verse:  "And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night / When utmost evil strove against the light?"

"Light of Light, O Sole-Begotten"

I was looking at "Light of Light, O Sole-Begotten" a couple months ago and found an-other small feature to note.  The second line of the second verse is "God created all we see," sung to this phrase from the tune "Westminster Abbey":

The phrase "all we see" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# E D), lending something of a sense of this breadth or entirety, although the span is only a major third.

LSB #795 "Voices Raised to You We Offer"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Colossians 3:16, Isaiah 12:2, 2 Corinthians 4:13, Psalm 147:1

Colossians 3:16:  "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Isaiah 12:2:  "'Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.'"

2 Corinthians 4:13:  "Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, 'I believed, and so I spoke,' we also believe, and so we also speak"

Psalm 147:1:  "Praise the LORD!  For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting."

+++

Most of the cited passages (Colossians 3:16, Isaiah 12:2, and Psalm 147:1) are combined in the first two lines ("Voiced raised to You we offer; / Tune them, God, for songs of praise") and in the line "Triune God, to You we sing!" at the end of the first and fifth verses.

2 Corinthians 4:13 seems to be the basis for the lines "Spirit, flaming through creation, / Kindle faith within each heart. / Lift our voices high in chorus" in the fourth verse.

"Praise the LORD!" in Psalm 147:1 also appears in the third verse:  "For Your living, suff'ring, dying, / For Your rising, hear our praise!"

+++

The line "All creation joins to praise You" at the beginning of the second verse seems to be drawn from Psalm 148, which lists many parts of creation and, like Psalm 147:1, exhorts them to "Praise the LORD!"  The following line, "Earth and sky Your works display," paraphrases Psalm 19:1:  "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

"Lord, This Day We've Come to Worship"

I was looking at "Lord, This Day We've Come to Worship" last month and found an-other instance where a phrase is sung to notes of all different pitches, resulting in something of a sense of breadth or entirety.  The last line of the hymn (aside from the refrain) is "Serve the Lord through all our days," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Glorious Name":

The phrase "all our days" is sung to the notes A G F.

LSB #794 "The Lord, My God, Be Praised"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Deuteronomy 32:3; Psalm 5:11-12; Romans 3:24-25a; 8:26-27

Deuteronomy 32:3:  "For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!"

Psalm 5:11-12:  "11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.  12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield."

Romans 3:24-25a: "24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."

Romans 8:26-27:  "26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

+++

The text is public domain:

1 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My light, my life from heaven;

My maker, who to me

Has soul and body given;

My Father, who will shield

And keep me day by day

And make each moment yield

New blessings on my way.

2 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My trust, my life from heaven,

The Father's own dear Son,

Whose life for me was given,

Who for my sin atoned

With His most precious blood

And gives to me by faith

The highest heav'nly good.

3 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My hope, my life from heaven,

The Spirit, whom the Son

In love to me has given.

His grace revives my heart

And gives my spirit pow'r,

Help, comfort, and support

In sorrow's gloomy hour.

4 The Lord, my God, be praised,

My God, the everliving,

To whom the heav'nly host

Their laud and praise are giving.

The Lord, my God, be praised,

In whose great name I boast,

God Father, God the Son,

And God the Holy Ghost.

+++

Deuteronomy 32:3 appears in the lines "The Lord, my God, be praised, / In whose great name I boast" in the last verse, although these lines may also draw from 1 Corinthians 1:31 (apparently referencing Jeremiah 9:23-24):  "so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

Psalm 5:11-12 appears in the first verse, specifically the lines "My Father, who will shield / And keep me day by day."  Romans 3:24-25a is the basis for the second verse, but the phrase "precious blood" seems to indicate 1 Peter 1:18-19 as a source, too:  "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."  Romans 8:26-27 is the basis for the third verse.

"Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation"

I wrote about some small features in "Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation" before, but when I was looking at the hymn again last month, I found an-other instance of a feature I've been noticing a lot lately.

The third verse begins with the lines "Grant, we pray, to all Your faithful / All the gifts they ask to gain."  The first of these lines is sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Westminster Abbey":

The phrase "all Your faithful" is sung to notes of all different pitches (spanning nearly an octave:  C A F# D), giving a sense of the entirety of "all."