Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

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."