JESUS CHRIST >> GLORY & PRAISE
SDAH 241
Jesus, the very thought of thee
with sweetness fills the breast;
but sweeter far thy face to see,
and in thy presence rest.
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee
Bernard of Clairvaux’s poem, translated by Edward Caswall, captures the sweetness and peace that comes from thinking of Jesus. Set to ST. AGNES by J. B. Dykes, it flows gently, like a whispered prayer. Let this hymn guide your thoughts toward the Savior.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
A name is usually associated with a prominent feature or characteristic. What comes as the most prominent in your mind when you think of the name Jesus? (Lesson 4, 2nd Quarter 2021 – Sunday, Yahweh and the Abrahamic Covenant, 4/18/2021)
Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153; see SDAH 156) wrote a long poem of about 48 stanzas entitled “Jesu, dulcis memoria” (“Jesus, Sweet Memory), probably after the disastrous Second Crusade, which he fostered, and during his retirement in about 1150. It is now known as the “Joyful, or Jubilee, Rhythm of St. Bernard on the Name of Jesus.” There have been many translations of this hymn (for example, SDAH 242), this one by Edward Caswall (1814-1878; see SDAH 43.) Bernard also wrote hymns SDAH 156, “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” and 242, “Jesus Thou Joy of loving Hearts.” Caswall also translated hymn SDAH 43,” When Morning Gilds the Skies.”
Caswall’s translation is entitled “St. Bernards’ Hymn; or, The Loving Soul’s Jubilation.” The original hymn has five parts, and each part ranges from 9 to 11 four-line stanzas. The SDAH hymn consist of the first four stanzas of Part I plus the last or tenth stanza of Part IV except that the very last line originally was “My Hope, my victory.”
ST. AGNES, also used for SDAH 269, “Come, Holy Spirit,” and SDAH 655, “Happy the Home,” was composed in 1866 by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876; see Biographies), especially for these words. The name commemorates a young Roman girl, Agnes, who was martyred for her faith at the tender age of 13 in A.D. 304 under the persecution of Diocletian. She had refused to be married to a Roman nobleman because she had given her heart to the Lord Jesus; her dying words could well have been the sentiment of this hymn.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Stanza:
2 – Mark 1:21
Text
1
Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.
2
No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than Jesus’ name,
The Savior of mankind.
3
O hope of every contrite heart!
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
4
But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
5
Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
and through eternity.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(b) Mark 1:21
Author
Attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)
Translator
Edward Caswall, 1849 (1814-1878)
Hymn Tune
ST. AGNES
Metrical Number
C.M.
Composer
John B. Dykes (1823-1876)
Year Composed
1866
