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lutheranhymns) wrote2020-05-28 11:16 pm
lutheranhymns) wrote2020-05-28 11:16 pm
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#806: O God, My Faithful God
The music composer does have an awesome name: Ahasuerus Fritsch. (Transliterated as Ahasverus on Wikipedia, I guess it's one of those where Latin isn't sure whether to call something a U or V.) The biblical Ahaseuerus was Esther's husband, I don't think he was ever a popular namesake but it's a great narrative.
Verse three is interesting, asking God for help not to speak too much/rashly, but to speak when we have to, but still be temperate in what we say, "lest I offend the weak." That sort of thing occasionally comes up in Paul's letters, like, "my faith is so strong I can even eat food sacrificed to pagan idols and not worry about it, but I choose not to, because it might concern people with weaker faith."
Weird enjambment (meter breaks not lining up well with grammatical breaks) in verse 2; "and bless whatever I have wrought" is its own idea, but "and bless" comes awkwardly at the end of one musical phrase (to rhyme with "success"), so they need a big dash before it to set off that clause.
Verse three is interesting, asking God for help not to speak too much/rashly, but to speak when we have to, but still be temperate in what we say, "lest I offend the weak." That sort of thing occasionally comes up in Paul's letters, like, "my faith is so strong I can even eat food sacrificed to pagan idols and not worry about it, but I choose not to, because it might concern people with weaker faith."
Weird enjambment (meter breaks not lining up well with grammatical breaks) in verse 2; "and bless whatever I have wrought" is its own idea, but "and bless" comes awkwardly at the end of one musical phrase (to rhyme with "success"), so they need a big dash before it to set off that clause.