1 My God, to Thee I now commend
My soul, for Thou, O Lord,
Dost live and love me without end,
And wilt perform Thy Word.
2 To whom else should I make my plea,
That heavenly life be mine?
All souls, my God, belong to Thee,
My soul is also Thine.
3 Thou gav'st my spirit at my birth,
Take back what Thou hast given;
And with the Lord I served on earth,
Grant me to live in heaven.
4 Faith spreads her wings, she sees revealed
The shining wall above;
My spirit knows that it is sealed,
Redeemed from death by love.
5 Thou my Redeemer wast of yore,
From sin Thou mad'st me free;
Now, faithful God, dost Thou once more
In death deliver me.
6 Thou liv'st and lovest without end,
And dost perform Thy Word;
My passing soul I now commend
To Thee, my God and Lord!
Source: Evangelical Lutheran hymnal: with music #438a
Hiller, Philipp Friedrich, son of Johann Jakob Hiller, pastor at Mühlhausen on the the Enz, Württemberg, was born at Mühlhausen, Jan. 6, 1699. He was educated at the clergy training schools at Denkendorf (under J. A. Bengel) and Maulbronn, and the University of Tübingen (M.A. 1720). His first clerical appointment was as assistant at Brettach, near Neckarsulm, 1724-27. He afterwards held similar posts at Hessigheim and elsewhere, and was also, from 1729-31, a private tutor at Nürnberg. He was then, on St. Bartholomew's Day, 1732, instituted as pastor of Neckargröningen, on the Neckar, near Marbach. In 1736 he became pastor of his native place, and in 1748 pastor at Steinheim, near Heidenheim. In his third year of residence at Steinheim… Go to person page >
Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used i… Go to person page >| First Line: | My God, to Thee I now commend |
| German Title: | Mein Gott in deine Hände |
| Author: | Philip Frederick Hiller (1765) |
| Translator: | Catherine Winkworth (1855) |
| Meter: | 8.6.8.6 |
| Language: | English |
| Copyright: | Public Domain |
My Starred Hymns