Lord, Thy word, that sacred treasure

Representative Text

1 Lord, Thy Word, that sacred treasure,
Let me evermore retain;
Naught of earth can give the pleasure
That I from its wealth may gain.
Were Thy truth no more to guide us,
How our faith would go astray!
Lord, whatever may betide us,
Let this light illume our way.

2 Hallelujah, now and ever
Be Thy truth my stay, O Lord!
Grant in mercy that I never
Cease to love Thy precious Word.
By its teachings so appealing
May it keep me firm and true;
At Thy feet with Mary kneeling,
I would learn Thy will to do.

Source: American Lutheran Hymnal #28

Author: Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf

Zinzendorf, Count Nicolaus Ludwig, the founder of the religious community of Herrnhut and the apostle of the United Brethren, was born at Dresden May 26, 1700. It is not often that noble blood and worldly wealth are allied with true piety and missionary zeal. Such, however, was the case with Count Zinzendorf. In 1731 Zinzendorf resigned all public duties and devoted himself to missionary work. He traveled extensively on the Continent, in Great Britain, and in America, preaching "Christ, and him crucified," and organizing societies of Moravian brethren. John Wesley is said to have been under obligation to Zinzendorf for some ideas on singing, organization of classes, and Church government. Zinzendorf was the author of some two thousand hymn… Go to person page >

Translator: H. Brueckner

Born: March 11, 1866, Grundy County, Iowa (birth name: Herman Heinrich Moritz Brueckner). Died: January 25, 1942, Hebron, Nebraska (funeral held in Beatrice, Nebraska). Buried: St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery, Waverly, Iowa. After ordination in 1888, Brueckner pastored in Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. He later moved to Iowa City, Iowa, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Iowa State University in 1917. In 1926, he joined the faculty of Hebron College in Nebraska. In 1938, Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree on him. He retired as professor emeritus from Hebron College in 1941. Sources: Erickson, p. 254 Findagrave, accessed 14 Nov 2016 Hustad, p. 213 Stulken, p.… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Lord, Thy word, that sacred treasure
Original Language: German
Author: Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf (1725)
Translator: H. Brueckner (1925)
Language: English

Tune

O DU LIEBE MEINER LIEBE (Thommen)

Originally a folk song ("Sollen nun die grünen Jahre") dating from around 1700, O DU LIEBE MEINER LIEBE was used as a hymn tune in the Catholic hymnal Bambergisches Gesangbuch (1732). The tune name is the incipit of the text to which it was set in Johann Thommen's Erbaulicher Musicalischer Christen…

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 5 of 5)
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American Lutheran Hymnal #28

Songs of Praise #d188

Songs of Praise for Sunday Schools, Church Societies and the Home #d193

The Children's Hymnal #d173

The Pioneer Hymnal #d153

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