"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!'"

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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!

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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!'"  

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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!"

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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!

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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."

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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."

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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!"

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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."

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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.

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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."

LSB #793 "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 103

Psalm 103:  "1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

"6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.  8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.  10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.  14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.  15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.  17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.  19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

"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!"

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The text is public domain:

1 Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

To His feet your tribute bring;

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Evermore His praises sing:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise the everlasting King.

2 Praise Him for His grace and favor

To His people in distress;

Praise Him still the same as ever,

Slow to chide and swift to bless:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Glorious in His faithfulness.

3 Father-like He tends and spares us;

Well our feeble frame He knows;

In His hand He gently bears us,

Rescues us from all our foes.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Widely yet His mercy flows.

4 Angels, help us to adore Him;

You behold Him face to face;

Sun and moon, bow down before Him,

All who dwell in time and space.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise with us the God of grace.

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Psalm 103:1-5 is the basis for the hymn's first verse; verses 8-9 for the second verse; verses 11-14 for the third verse (albeit in opposite order:  the lines "Father-like He tends and spares us; / Well our feeble frame He knows" are drawn from verses 13-14, and "widely yet His mercy flows" seems to refer to the height and breadth mentioned in verses 11-12); and verses 20-22 for the fourth verse.

The line "Praise Him still the same as ever" in the second verse may refer to Hebrews 13:8:  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Perhaps just coincidentally, the line "Sun and moon, bow down before Him" in the fourth verse uses the same imagery as Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9:  "Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, 'Behold, I have dreamed another dream.  Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.'"

"Come, Thou Almighty King"

I've written about small features in "Come, Thou Almighty King" twice before, but I found an-other one a couple months ago.  Near the end of the third verse, there are the lines "Thou, who almighty art, / Now rule in ev'ry heart," sung to these musical phrases from the tune "Italian Hymn":

The phrase "ev'ry heart" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A G F), giving a sense of number.

LSB #792 "New Songs of Celebration Render"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 98

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."

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The hymn is basically just a paraphrase of Psalm 98.  The first verse comes from verses 1-3; the second verse from verses 4-7; and the third verse from verses 8-9.

"O Christ, Our True and Only Light"

"O Christ, Our True and Only Light" was one of the hymns on Worship Anew a couple months ago (4 May, The Third Sunday of Easter), and I noticed a small feature in it.  The last two lines of the hymn are "And endless praise to You be giv'n / By all Your Church in earth and heav'n."  The second of these lines is sung to this musical phrase from the tune "O Jesu Christe, wahres Licht":

The phrase "all Your Church" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A B C), giving a slight sense of this entirety.

LSB #791 "All People That on Earth Do Dwell"

Biblical citation in the hymnal:  Psalm 100

Psalm 100:  "1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  2 Serve the LORD with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing!

"3 Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

"5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

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The text is public domain:

1 All people that on earth do dwell,

Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.

Him serve with mirth, His praise forthtell;

Come ye before Him and rejoice.

2 Know that the Lord is God indeed;

Without our aid He did us make.

We are His folk, He doth us feed,

And for His sheep He doth us take.

3 O enter then His gates with praise;

Approach with joy His courts unto.

Praise, laud, and bless His name always,

For it is seemly so to do.

4 For why? The Lord our God is good:

His mercy is forever sure.

His truth at all times firmly stood

And shall from age to age endure.

5 To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

The God whom heav'n and earth adore,

From us and from the angel host

Be praise and glory evermore.

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The hymn text basically just paraphrases Psalm 100.  The hymn's first verse comes from verses 1-2; the second verse from verse 3; the third verse from verse 4; and the fourth verse from verse 5.

"If God Himself Be for Me"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 2 May, in which the hymn was "If God Himself Be for Me."  I noticed some phrases in the hymn text that seem to be borrowed from Biblical passages but which I didn't include in my post on the Biblical sources for the hymn.  Even if I recognized them at the time, I may have thought that the contexts in which they appear are too different to constitute them as actual sources, but I felt now that I should note them anyway.

Here's the sixth verse:

Who clings with resolution

To Him whom Satan hates

Must look for persecution;

For him the burden waits

Of mock'ry, shame, and losses

Heaped on his blameless head;

A thousand plagues and crosses

Will be his daily bread.

An expression similar to "heaped on his blameless head" occurs in Proverbs 25:21-22:  "21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, 22 for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you."  This is also quoted in Romans 12:20.

The phrase "daily bread" appears in Matthew 6:11 ("'Give us this day our daily bread'") and Luke 11:3 ("'Give us each day our daily bread'").

LSB #790 "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 Chronicles 16:23-26; Psalm 103:1-11; 106:48

1 Chronicles 16:23-26:  "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."

Psalm 103:1-11:  "1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!  2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

"6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.  7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.  8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.  10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him"

Psalm 106:48:  "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!  And let all the people say, 'Amen!'  Praise the LORD!"

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The text is public domain:

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise Him, for He is your health and salvation!

Let all who hear

Now to His temple draw near,

Joining in glad adoration!

2 Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things is wondrously reigning

And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining.

Have you not seen

All that is needful has been

Sent by His gracious ordaining?

3 Praise to the Lord, who has fearfully, wondrously, made you,

Health has bestowed and, when heedlessly falling, has stayed you.

What need or grief

Ever has failed of relief?

Wings of His mercy did shade you.

4 Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;

Surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.

Ponder anew

What the Almighty can do

As with His love He befriends you.

5 Praise to the Lord!  O let all that is in me adore Him!

All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him!

Let the Amen

Sound from His people again;

Gladly forever adore Him!

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All of the cited passages appear in the repeated "Praise to the Lord."  Parts of Psalm 103 also appear elsewhere:  "all that is within me, bless his holy name" in verse 1 is the basis for "O let all that is in me adore Him!" in the hymn's fifth verse, and verse 5 is referred to in the line "And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining" in the hymn's second verse.

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The line "Praise to the Lord, who has fearfully, wondrously, made you" at the beginning of the third verse comes from Psalm 139:14:  "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

The line "Wings of His mercy did shade you" at the end of the third verse could refer to a number of verses in the Psalms, but it bears the most resemblance to Psalm 63:7:  "for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy."

The line "Surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend you" in the fourth verse is drawn from Psalm 23:6:  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

The line "All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him!" in the fifth verse paraphrases Psalm 150:6:  "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!  Praise the LORD!"

"For the Fruits of His Creation"

I was looking at "For the Fruits of His Creation" last month and noticed a small feature.  The third and fourth lines of the first verse are "For His gifts to ev'ry nation, / Thanks be to God," sung to these musical phrases from the tune "Ar hyd y nos":

The phrase "ev'ry nation" is sung to notes of all different pitches (A G F# D), giving a sense of number.

LSB #789 "Praise and Thanksgiving"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Ephesians 5:19-20; Psalm 105:1-2; 107:31-38

Ephesians 5:19-20:  "19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

Psalm 105:1-2:  "1 Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!  2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!"

Psalm 107:31-38:  "31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

"33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.  35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.  36 And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; 37 they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.  38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish."

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All of the cited passages are combined in the first two lines:  "Praise and thanksgiving, / Father, we offer."  The passage from Psalm 107 is the main source for the hymn, though; verse 37 seems to be the basis for the second half of the first verse:  "Harvest of sown fields, / Fruits of the orchard, / Hay from the mown fields, / Blossom and wood."

"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"

I've written about small features in "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" twice before, but I found an-other one when I was looking at the hymn a couple months ago.  The third verse begins with the lines "For the Lord, our God, shall come / And shall take His harvest home, / From His field shall in that day / All offenses purge away."  The third and fourth lines are sung to these musical phrases from the tune "St. George's, Windsor":

The phrase "all offenses" is sung to notes of all different pitches (spanning a fifth:  A B C F), providing a sense of this entirety.  Since one of these notes is an accidental (a B natural in F major), there's an even greater sense of totality or, alternatively, a sense of the meaning of "offenses."

LSB #788 "Forgive Us, Lord, for Shallow Thankfulness"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Philippians 1:9-11, Ephesians 4:32-5:2, Romans 2:4, Galatians 6:9-10

Philippians 1:9-11:  "9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Ephesians 4:32-5:2:  "32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.   2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Romans 2:4:  "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"

Galatians 6:9-10:  "9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

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Philippians 1:9-11, specifically the "knowledge and all discernment," seems to appear in the lines "Open our eyes to see Your love's intent, / To know with minds and hearts its depth and height" in the sixth verse.  These lines also draw from Ephesians 3:17-19:  "17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Being "imitators of God" from Ephesians 5:1 may appear in the lines "Teach us, O Lord, true thankfulness divine, / That gives as Christ gave, never counting cost" in the fourth verse.

Romans 2:4 informs the hymn generally and appears throughout in the various instances of "Forgive us, Lord, for...."

"Do[ing] good" in the passage from Galatians 6 seems to appear in the line "May thankfulness be days in service spent" in the sixth verse.

"Awake, My Heart, with Gladness"

A couple years ago, I wrote a post about some small features in "Awake, My Heart, with Gladness," but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service last month (on 1 May), I found a couple more.

The hymn is sung to the tune "Auf, auf, mein Herz."  Here's the fourth musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is "The joy within my heart" (continuing the sense from the previous line:  "Now nothing ever saddens").  "Joy" is sung with a melisma (B C#), lending a sense of this ebullience.

In the sixth verse, the text is "Whate'er He passes through" (again continuing the sense from the previous line:  "My Lord will leave me never").  "Whate'er" is sung with a melisma, and each note is a different pitch (A B C#).  Both aspects of this articulation provide a sense of breadth.

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I wrote about the Biblical sources for the hymn text before, but I also noticed that the line "He who is strong to save" in the second verse bears some resemblance to part of Psalm 31:2:  "Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!"

LSB #787 "The Temple Rang with Golden Coins"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Mark 12:41-44, Hebrews 10:4-12

Mark 12:41-44:  "41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box.  Many rich people put in large sums.  42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'"

Hebrews 10:4-12:  "4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

"5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.  7 Then I said, "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book."'  8 When he said above, 'You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings' (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, 'Behold, I have come to do your will.'  He does away with the first in order to establish the second.  10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

"11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God"

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The text from Mark is paraphrased in the first three verses of the hymn (roughly, the hymn's first verse corresponds to verse 41; the second to verse 42; and the third to verses 43-44).  The text from Hebrews, especially verse 10, is the basis for the hymn's fourth verse.

"With High Delight Let Us Unite"

A few weeks ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 30 April, which was a lessons and carols sort of service with an Easter theme.  One of the hymns was "With High Delight Let Us Unite."  I wrote about some features in this hymn before, but I found a new one.

The first verse ends with the lines "Forever, He / Is ris'n and sends / To all earth's ends / Good news to save ev'ry nation."  The phrase "all earth's ends" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# G A), giving a sense of this breadth.  Here's the musical phrase to which that line is sung, from the tune "Mit Freuden zart":

LSB #786 "Lord of All Good"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 12:1, 1 Peter 4:10-11

Romans 12:1:  "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

1 Peter 4:10-11:  "10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:   11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen."

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1 Peter 4:10-11 appears in the first two verses of the hymn, most clearly in the first line of the first verse ("Lord of all good, our gifts we bring You now") and the last line of the second ("Thus for Your glory all our pow'rs combine"), and Romans 12:1 is paraphrased in the last line of the third verse ("To You [the Trinity] with grateful hearts ourselves we give").  The image of the body as a "living sacrifice" from Romans 12:1 and the various gifts and service from 1 Peter 4:10-11 are also combined in the second verse:  "We give our minds to understand Your ways; / Hands, eyes, and voice to serve Your great design; / Hearts with the flame of Your own love ablaze."

"O Sons and Daughters of the King"

A few weeks ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 29 April.  The hymn was "O Sons and Daughters of the King" (LSB #471, paired with the tune "O filii et filiae"), and I noticed a couple small features to note.

Here's the first musical phrase:

In the ninth verse, the text here is "On this most holy day of days."  "Holy" is sung with a melisma (D C Bb), giving a sense of the modifying "most" (more notes for the superlative degree).

The third musical phrase:

In the third verse, the text here is what the angel says to the women at the tomb:  "Your Lord will go to Galilee."  "Go" is sung with a melisma (G F), giving a slight sense of this movement.

LSB #785 "We Praise You, O God"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 107:31-32; Psalm 44:1-8; 95:1-7

Psalm 107:31-32:  "31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders."

Psalm 44:1-8:  "1 O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:  2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; 3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.

"4 You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!  5 Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.  6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.  7 But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.  8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever."

Psalm 95:1-7:  "1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!  3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.  5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

"6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our maker!  7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.  Today, if you hear his voice,"

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The text is public domain:

1 We praise You, O God, our Redeemer, Creator;

In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.

We lay it before You, we kneel and adore You;

We bless Your holy name, glad praises we sing.

2 We worship You, God of our fathers, we bless You;

Through trial and tempest our guide You have been.

When perils o'ertake us, You will not forsake us,

And with Your help, O Lord, our struggles we win.

3 With voices united our praises we offer

And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise.

With You, Lord, beside us, Your strong arm will guide us.

To You, our great Redeemer, forever be praise!

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The passages from the Psalms have similar themes (thanksgiving and praise), but there are some elements in the hymn that can be traced to a specific passage.

The title "Creator" in the first verse alludes to Psalm 95:5 ("The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land."), and the kneeling ("we kneel and adore You") comes from Psalm 95:6 ("let us kneel before the LORD, our maker!").  The title "God of our fathers" in the second verse seems to allude to Psalm 44:1 ("O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old."), and the "trial and tempest" and "perils" in the second verse and God's "strong arm" in the third also come from the passage from Psalm 44, especially verses 2-3.  The "voices united" in "songs of thanksgiving" at the beginning of the third verse come from Psalm 95:1-2 ("let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise... with thanksgiving").

The passage from Psalm 107 seems to appear only generally.

"Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds"

A couple weeks ago, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from 28 April, in which the hymn was "Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds."  I noticed a small feature in the line "All the glory, never ending!" near the end of the fourth verse, sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Lasst uns erfreuen":

The phrase "All the glory" is sung to notes of all different pitches (Ab G F Eb), providing a sense of this entirety.

LSB #783, 784 "Take My Life and Let It Be"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Romans 12:1-2, Romans 6:13, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:15

Romans 12:1-2:  "1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 6:13:  "Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness."

1 Corinthians 6:20:  "for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body."

2 Corinthians 5:15:  "and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

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The text is public domain:

1 Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

2 Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3 Take my voice and let me sing

Always, only for my King;

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

4 Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect and use

Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose.

5 Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

6 Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store;

Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.

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All of the cited passages have a similar theme, which is summarized in the first two lines of the hymn:  "Take my life and let it be / Consecrated, Lord to Thee."  Romans 6:13 is a bit more prominent than the other texts; the hymn expands on "present... your members to God as instruments for righteousness" and provides specific examples:  "Take my hands... Take my feet..." and so on.

The lines "Take my feet and let them be / Swift and beautiful for Thee" refer to Isaiah 52:7:  "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"

"God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It"

A number of years ago, I wrote a post about some small features in "God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It," but when it was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service recently (on 16 April), I found more to add.  The third line of the fourth verse is "When I die, I leave all sadness," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Bachofen":

"All" is sung with a melisma (G F), and the phrase "All sadness" is sung to notes of all different pitches (G F E C).  Both of these articulations provide a sense of breadth or entirety.

LSB #782 "Gracious God, You Send Great Blessings"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 John 3:16-18, Matthew 5:16

Lamentations 3:22-23:  "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."

1 Peter 4:10-11:  "10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:  11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen."

1 John 3:16-18:  "16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Matthew 5:16:  "'In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.'"

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The passage from Lamentations 3 appears in the first verse:  "Gracious God, You send great blessings / New each morning all our days. / For Your mercies never-ending, / For Your love we offer praise."

1 Peter 4:10 appears in the lines "As we tend that endless treasure / May our care encircle all" in the second verse and in the line "Who Your gifts unnumbered claim" in the refrain.  1 Peter 4:11 is combined with Matthew 5:16 in the rest of the refrain:  "Lord, we pray that we... Through the sharing of Your blessings / May bring glory to Your name."

The text from 1 John 3 is the basis for the third verse, especially the second half:  "May our deeds of dedication / Offer love that never ends."

"O Lord, We Praise Thee"

"O Lord, We Praise Thee" was one of the hymns in a church service I attended a couple weeks ago, and I noticed a small feature in it.  Near the end of the second verse, there's the line "All our debt Thou hast paid," sung to this musical phrase from the tune "Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet":

The phrase "All our debt" is sung to notes of all different pitches (E F G), giving something of a sense of this entirety.

LSB #781 "We Give Thee But Thine Own"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 John 3:16-18, Matthew 25:40, Exodus 23:19a, James 1:27

1 John 3:16-18:  "16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Matthew 25:40:  "'And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."'"

Exodus 23:19a:  "'The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God.'"

James 1:27:  "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

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The text is public domain:

1 We give Thee but Thine own,

Whate'er the gift may be;

All that we have is Thine alone,

A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

2 May we Thy bounties thus

As stewards true receive

And gladly, as Thou blessest us,

To Thee our firstfruits give!

3 Oh, hearts are bruised and dead,

And homes are bare and cold,

And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled

Are straying from the fold.

4 To comfort and to bless,

To find a balm for woe,

To tend the lone and fatherless

Is angels' work below.

5 The captive to release,

To God the lost to bring,

To teach the way of life and peace,

It is a Christ-like thing.

6 And we believe Thy Word,

Though dim our faith may be:

Whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord,

We do it unto Thee.

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1 John 3:16-18 and Matthew 25:40 are the basis for the lines "Whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord, / We do it unto Thee" at the end of the sixth verse, although Matthew 25:40 is more prominent.

Exodus 23:19a is referred to in the lines "And gladly, as Thou blessest us, / To Thee our firstfruits give!" at the end of the second verse, and James 1:27 appears in the lines "To tend the lone and fatherless / Is angels' work below" at the end of the fourth verse.

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The first verse may come in part from 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."

The lines "And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled / Are straying from the fold" at the end of the third verse use the same imagery as Isaiah 53:6 and Psalm 119:176.

The fifth verse is drawn from Isaiah 61:1-2 ("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; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and that day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn"), which is also cited in Luke 4:18-19.

"All Christians Who Have Been Baptized"

Many years ago, I wrote a post pointing out a couple instances in "All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" where "forever" is sung with a melisma, providing a sense of this duration.  Earlier this month, "All Christians Who Have Been Baptized" was the hymn in a Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service (on the 3rd), and I found one I'd missed (probably because it's divided by a line break in the notation).  Here's the second phrase from the hymn's tune, "Nun freut euch":

In the third verse, the text here is "Immersed and drowned forever," with "forever" sung to the notes G D E F.

(More recently, I also wrote about some other features in the hymn.)

LSB #780 "O Lord, Hear My Prayer"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 31:12; 102:1-2

Psalm 31:12:  "I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel."

Psalm 31:2 seems more likely:  "Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily!  Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!"

Psalm 102:1-2:  "1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!  2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress!  Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!"

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The first part of Psalm 102:1 is simply inverted in the recurring line "O Lord, hear my prayer," and the second half of Psalm 102:2 is paraphrased in the lines "When I call answer me" and (with part of Psalm 31:2) "Come and listen to me."

"From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee"

Previously, I wrote about some small features in "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee," but when I watched the Worship Anew program for Ash Wednesday a couple weeks ago (about a month late), I found a couple more, both in the line "If Thou rememb'rest ev'ry sin" in the first verse, sung to this melody (from the tune "Aus tiefer Not"):

(The sense is completed in the following lines:  "Who then could heaven ever win / Or stand before Thy presence?")

"Ev'ry" is sung with a melisma (D C B), and the phrase "ev'ry sin" is sung to notes of all different pitches (D C B A), and both of these articulations provide a sense of number.

LSB #779 "Come, My Soul, with Every Care"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Matthew 6:5-13; 7:7-11; Luke 11:5-13; Hebrews 4:16

Matthew 6:5-13:  "5 'And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"7 'And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  9 Pray then like this:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'"

Matthew 7:7-11:  "7 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?  10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!'"

Luke 11:5-13:  "5 And he said to them, 'Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him"; 7 and he will answer from within, "Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed.  I cannot get up and give you anything"?  8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he need.  9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'"

Hebrews 4:16:  "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 text is public domain:

1 Come, my soul, with ev'ry care,

Jesus loves to answer prayer;

He Himself has bid thee pray,

Therefore will not turn away.

2 Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For His grace and pow'r are such

None can ever ask too much.

3 With my burden I begin:

Lord, remove this load of sin;

Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt,

Set my conscience free from guilt.

4 Lord, Thy rest to me impart,

Take possession of my heart;

There Thy blood-bought right maintain

And without a rival reign.

5 While I am a pilgrim here,

Let Thy love my spirit cheer;

As my guide, my guard, my friend,

Lead me to my journey's end.

6 Show me what is mine to do;

Ev'ry hour my strength renew.

Let me live a life of faith;

Let me die Thy people's death.

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The passage from Matthew 6 is alluded to in the line "He Himself has bid thee pray" in the first verse.

The passages from Matthew 7 and Luke 11 (specifically the parts about asking) may also be included in "He Himself has bid thee pray," but they also seem to be referred to at the end of the second verse:  "His grace and pow'r are such / None can ever ask too much."

"The throne of grace" from Hebrews 4:16 seems to be the basis for the line "Thou art coming to a King" in the second verse.  The confidence and grace in the passage also appear more generally in the first three verses.

The line "Lord, Thy rest to me impart" at the beginning of the fourth verse may refer to Matthew 11:28:  "'Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'"

"Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me"

Last month, I watched the Concordia University Wisconsin chapel service from the 21st.  The hymn was "Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me," and I noticed a few small features.  It's sung to the tune "Ryburn."  Here's the fifth musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "All coldness from my heart remove."  "All coldness" is sung to notes of all different pitches (F# A B), giving a sense of entirety.

In the third verse, the text is "And day and night, be all my care."  Here, "all" is sung with a melisma (D C#), providing a sense of entirety.

The sixth musical phrase:

In the second verse, the text here is "My ev'ry act, word, thought be love."  Similar to the above, the phrase "ev'ry act" is sung to notes of all different pitches (G F# E), but here, this articulation gives more of a sense of number.

LSB #777, 778 "Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  2 Thessalonians 3:16; Psalm 62:2, 6; Isaiah 31:5

2 Thessalonians 3:16:  "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.  The Lord be with you all."

Psalm 62:2:  "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken."

Psalm 62:6:  "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken."

Isaiah 31:5:  "'Like birds hovering, so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem; he will protect and deliver it; he will spare and rescue it.'"

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2 Thessalonians 3:16 appears in the first two lines:  "Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord; / Peace in our time, O send us!"  The other cited passages are combined in the lines "For there is none on earth but You, / None other to defend us. / You only, Lord, can fight for us," although the two instances of "He only" from Psalm 62 are more prominent than the verse from Isaiah.