Sunday, November 6, 2022

"Wir danken dir, Herr, insgemein" (#61)

German text in the Gesangbuch:
Wir danken dir, Herr, insgemein
für deines lieben Wortes Schein,
damit du uns hast angeblickt
und unser matthes Herz erquickt.

Wir saßen in des Todes Thal
sehr tief gefangen allzumal.
Hab Dank, du liebstes Jesulein,
daß wir durch dich erlöset sein.

Hilf, daß dein Licht uns leuchten mag
bis an den lieben jüngsten Tag,
und wir auch wandeln jederzeit
den rechten Weg zur Seligkeit.

Du wahrer Mensch und Gottes Sohn,
du König aller Ehren schon,
niemand von uns verdienet hat
solch eine Lieb und große Gnad.

Dein guter Geist uns immer führ,
daß wir von Herzen dienen dir.
Du weißt, o großer Menschenfreund,
wie wir so unvermögend seind.

Nimm an zum Opfer deiner Ehr
die Herzensseufzer, lieber Herr,
damit wir armen Heiden dich
mit Andacht rühmen stetiglich.

Petrus Hagius, +1620.
My prose translation:
We thank You Lord, on the whole
For the appearance of Your dear Word
With it You have lookt at us
And revived our dull hearts.

We sat in the valley of death
Altogether imprisoned very deeply.
[We] have gratitude, You dearest Jesus
That we are released by You.

Help that Your light may enlighten us
Until the dear Judgement Day
And also [that] we walk always
The right way to salvation.

You true man and Son of God,
You King of all honor already,
No one of us has deserved
Such love and great mercy.

Your good Spirit ever leads us
That we serve You from the heart.
You know, O great Friend of man
How we are so incapable.

Accept as an offering to Your honor
The sighs of the heart, dear Lord,
With which we poor Gentiles
Constantly praise You with devotion.

Petrus Hagius, +1620.
"In des Todes Thal" ("in the valley of death") in the second verse may be a reference to Psalm 23:4 ("Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil..."), but when I lookt in my German Psalter, I discovered that the phrase is a bit different there:  "Und ob ich schon wanderte im finstern Tal, fürchte ich kein Unglück...."

"Hab Dank" in the second verse seems to be a second person singular imperative, but this doesn't seem to make much sense in the context.  In my translation, I rendered it as a first person plural indicative.

As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book.  According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Vom Himmel hoch da k."  Here's the arrangement from TLH: