I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

View this hymn using FlexPresent: Hymnary.org's free tool provides this hymn's music notationand lyrics synchronized with its audio

I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Come unto Me and rest"

Author: Horatius Bonar (1846)
Published in 1217 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Playable presentation: Lyrics only, lyrics + music
Audio files: MIDI, Recording

Song available on My.Hymnary

Representative Text

1 I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto Me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one, lay down
thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in Him a resting place,
and He has made me glad.

2 I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in Him.

3 I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s Light;
look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,
and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in Him my Star, my Sun;
and in that Light of life I’ll walk,
till trav'ling days are done.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #327

Author: Horatius Bonar

Horatius Bonar was born at Edinburgh, in 1808. His education was obtained at the High School, and the University of his native city. He was ordained to the ministry, in 1837, and since then has been pastor at Kelso. In 1843, he joined the Free Church of Scotland. His reputation as a religious writer was first gained on the publication of the "Kelso Tracts," of which he was the author. He has also written many other prose works, some of which have had a very large circulation. Nor is he less favorably known as a religious poet and hymn-writer. The three series of "Hymns of Faith and Hope," have passed through several editions. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Come unto Me and rest"
Title: I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
Author: Horatius Bonar (1846)
Meter: 8.6.8.6 D
Place of Origin: Scotland
Language: English
Notes: Spanish translation: See "Oí la voz del Salvador" by Anonymous
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Despite his intimidating name and physical appearance, Horatius Bonar (1808-89) was a great lover of children and was concerned about how little the children understood of the metrical Psalms that were sung in the Scottish church of his day. "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say" was one of the over 600 hymns he wrote to address the needs of the churches he served. Interestingly, John B. Dykes (composer of "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee") uses the somber key of G minor to present Jesus' invitation to our weary, thirsty and dark souls in the first half of each verse; in the second half of each verse when the invitation has been accepted and the soul satisfied, Dykes uses the happier key of G major. Take some time to read Jesus' invitations to you as recorded in the Gospels and reflect on your response to Him: Matthew 11:28; John 4:10, 13-14; John 8:12. --Greg Scheer, 1996
========================

I heard the voice of Jesus say. H. Bonar. [Christ's Invitation.] Written at Kelso, and published in his Hymns Original and Selected, 1846, and in the 1st series of his Hymns of Faith & Hope, 1857, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines, and headed, “The Voice from Galilee." It has come into extensive use, and is one of the most popular of the author's hymns. It is often used in Home Mission Services, and is suited thereto. It has been rendered into Latin by Dr. Macgill in his Songs of the Christian Creed and Life, 1876, as “Loquentem exaudivi."

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Media

You have access to this FlexScore.
Download:
Are parts of this score outside of your desired range? Try transposing this FlexScore.
General Settings
Stanza Selection
Voice Selection
Text size:
Music size:
Transpose (Half Steps):
Capo:
Contacting server...
Contacting server...
Questions? Check out the FAQ

A separate copy of this score must be purchased for each choir member. If this score will be projected or included in a bulletin, usage must be reported to a licensing agent (e.g. CCLI, OneLicense, etc).

This is a preview of your FlexScore.
Baptist Hymnal 1991 #551
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
The Cyber Hymnal #2816
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #488
  • Full Score (PDF, XML)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)

Instances

Instances (1001 - 1100 of 1217)
Page Scan

The Methodist Hymnal #304b

The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal #d191

The Mission Hymnal #d49

The Mission Hymnal #d50

Page Scan

The Mission Hymnal #127

Page Scan

The Mission Hymnal. (Enlarged Edition) #127

Page Scan

The Modern Hymnal #122

Page Scan

The Mother's Hymn Book. (Third stereotyped ed. Rev. and enl.) #169

The National Baptist Hymn Book #d240

The National Baptist Hymn Book #ad240

Page Scan

The National Baptist Hymnal #472

Page Scan

The National Hymn Book of the American Churches #159

Page Scan

The New Alleluia #173

The New Alphabetical Hymnal #d147

Page Scan

The New Baptist Praise Book #105

Page Scan

The New Baptist Praise Book #105

Page Scan

The New Canadian Hymnal #258a

Page Scan

The New Canadian Hymnal #258b

Page Scan

The New Canadian Hymnal #258a

Page Scan

The New Canadian Hymnal #258b

Page Scan

The New Century Hymnal #131

TextFlexScoreAudio

The New Century Hymnal #489

The New Christian Harp. 10th ed. #d102

TextPage Scan

The New Christian Hymnal #203

TextPage Scan

The New Christian Hymnal #431

The New Church Hymnal #d172

Page Scan

The New Church Hymnal #154

Text

The New Church Hymnal #428

Page Scan

The New Cokesbury Hymnal #240

Page Scan

The New Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, for Public, Social and Private Worship #346

Text

The New English Hymnal #376

The New Era of Song #d55

The New Hymnal for American Youth #147

The New Hymnal for American Youth #147

The New Hymnal of Praise #d144

The New Hymnal of Praise #d145

Page Scan

The New Hymnary #153

Page Scan

The New Jubilee Harp #633

Page Scan

The New Jubilee Harp #633

Page Scan

The New Laudes Domini #368

Page Scan

The New Living Hymns (Living Hymns No. 2) #213

Page Scan

The New Living Hymns (Living Hymns No. 2) #283

Page Scan

The New Living Hymns (Living Hymns No. 2) #429

Page Scan

The New National Baptist Hymnal #310

TextPage Scan

The New National Baptist Hymnal (21st Century Edition) #407

The Northfield Hymnal #4 #d111

The Northfield Hymnal #4 #d112

The Oxford American Hymnal for Schools and Colleges #d131

The Oxford American Hymnal for Schools and Colleges #d132

Page Scan

The Packer Hymnal #117

Page Scan

The Parish School Hymnal #206

Page Scan

The Peacemaker #100

Page Scan

The People's Hymn Book #153

Page Scan

The People's Hymn Book #68

Page Scan

The People's Hymnal #334

The People's Praise Book or Carmina Sanctorum #d262

Page Scan

The Pilgrim Hymnal #154

Page Scan

The Pilgrim Hymnal #179

The Pilot #d74

The Plymouth Hymnal #d200

The Plymouth Hymnal #d201

Page Scan

The Plymouth Sabbath School Collection of Hymns and Tunes #23

Page Scan

The Popular Hymnal #54

Page Scan

The Portfolio of Sunday School Songs #56

Page Scan

The Praise Book #112

The Praise Hymnal #226

The Praise Hymnal #180

Page Scan

The Praise Hymnary #169

Page Scan

The Praise Offering #57b

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Book of Praise #138a

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Book of Praise #138b

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Book of Praise #138a

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Book of Praise #138b

The Presbyterian Hymnal #183

The Presbyterian Hymnal #184

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #255

Page Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #255

Page Scan

The Primitive Methodist Church Hymnal #297

The Prize #d55

Page Scan

The Psalter Hymnal #385

The Public School Hymnal, for the Use of High Schools and Seminaries. New and enl. ed. #d105

Page Scan

The Public School Hymnal #190

Page Scan

The Reformed Church Hymnal #370

Page Scan

The Revival Wave #162

Page Scan

The Riverdale Hymn Book #226

The Sabbath Chimes #d116

The Sabbath Hour #d39

The Sabbath Hour #d40

Page Scan

The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #170b

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d429

The Sabbath School Hymn Book #d117

The Sabbath School Queen #d32

Page Scan

The Sacred Trio #49

Page Scan

The Sacred Trio #491

The Saint John's Church Sunday School Hymn Book #d43

The Saints' Hymnal #d147

The Saints' Hymnal #d148

Page Scan

The Salvation Army Music #24a

Page Scan

The Salvation Army Songs and Music #150

Pages

Exclude 1118 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us