JESUS CHRIST >> SUFFERINGS & DEATH
SDAH 161
Throned upon the awful tree,
Lamb of God, Your grief we see.
Darkness veils Your anguished face;
None its lines of woe can trace.
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: Throned Upon the Awful Tree
Written by John Ellerton in 1875, this hymn was designed for Good Friday services, reflecting deeply on Matthew 27:45–46 and the darkness that covered the earth as Christ hung on the cross. John Julian called it “the grandest of his original compositions.” Set to the folk-like tune AFRON, which may have originated in either Wales or France, the melody carries both simplicity and depth. Uniquely, it can be sung in either major or minor mode, creating different shades of emotional weight. This hymn invites us to linger at the cross—to behold the sacrifice made for our salvation and respond with awe, reverence, and surrender.
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Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
The death of Jesus is a substitutionary death for us who need to die because of sin. He lived a sinless life and died the death of a sinner so that his death can be a substitute for the death of his people – those who would acknowledge that he is their Savior and King. (Lesson 11, 2nd Quarter 2021 – Tuesday, The Substitution, 6/8/2021)
Written in 1875 by John Ellerton (1826-1893; see SDAH 56), this hymn was first used in that year’s edition of Hymn Ancient and Modern. John Julian says it is “the grandest of his original compositions.” He goes on to characterize John Ellertons’s hymns as having “words usually short and simple; thoughts clear and well stated; rhythm good and stately.” Meant to be sung in the Good Friday service, it is based on Matthew 27:45, 46.
The earliest appearance of AFRON (Heaven) is taken from a Welsh folk song, “Tros y Garreg” (Over the Stone) in Edward Jone’s Welsh Bards, 1794. However, it surface a little later in France: in G. Legeay’s 1875 Ancient Noels, and again in R. Guilmant’s Noels in 1885. In both of these it was the music of a Christmas carol. So it could have originated in either country. The tune is unusual in that it can be played and sung equally well in the major key of G. It was first used in the English Hymnal, 1906.
Hugh Davies was born September 1, 1844, in Garth, Denbighshire, and died October 12, 1907, in Swansea, Glamorganshire, on the coast of Wales. Nothing more is known of this musician.
Stanza:
1 – Matthew 27:45
2 – Matthew 27:46
Text
1
Throned upon the awful tree,
Lamb of God, Your grief we see.
Darkness veils Your anguished face;
None its lines of woe can trace.
None can tell what pangs unknown
Hold You silent and alone.
2
Silent through those three dread hours,
Wrestling with the evil powers,
Left alone with human sin,
Gloom around You and within,
Till th’appointed time is nigh,
Till the Lamb of God may die.
3
Hark, that cry that peals aloud
Upward through the whelming cloud!
You, the Father’s only Son,
You, His own anointed one,
You are asking- can it be?
“Why have You forsaken Me?”
4
Lord, should fear and anguish roll
Darkly o’er our sinful soul,
You, who once were thus bereft
That Your own might ne’er be left,
Teach us by that bitter cry
In the gloom to know You nigh.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Matt 27:45 (b) Matt 27:46
Author
John Ellerton (1826-1893) alt.
Year Published
1875
Performance Suggestions
This hymn may also be played and sung in G major
Hymn Tune
AFRON
Metrical Number
7.7.7.7.7.7.
Arranger
Adapt. by Hugh Davies, c. 1906 (1844-1907)
Tune Source
Traditional melody, France and Wales
