DOCTRINES >> SABBATH
SDAH 395
As birds unto the genial homeland fly,
The winter’s cold and low’ring skies to flee,
So seeks my soul Thy gracious presence here
And finds, O God, its rest and peace in Thee.
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: As Birds Unto the Genial Homeland
Originally from a Jewish hymnal, this tender Sabbath hymn reflects the shared longing for peace, healing, and spiritual refuge. Written by David Levy and set to music by Max Grauman, it expresses a deep reverence for the Sabbath as a time of rest and divine closeness. With gentle imagery and compassionate prayer, it reminds us that the Sabbath is a sanctuary for the weary and the grieving alike.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
This is one of two Sabbath hymns SDAH has taken from the Union Hymnal, published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, New York, in 1932 and revised in 1948. (The other hymn is SDAH 387, “Come, O Sabbath Day.”) When preparing this Jewish hymnal, one of the main purposes kept in view was to make it, according to the preface, as “Jewish as possible, and thus meet one of the needs of our modern synagogal life, namely the adaptation of Jewish traditional music to the usage and taste of our own days.” Jewish composers were called upon to submit original hymn tunes that would preserve the style of synagogal melody.
David Levy, born in 1854, wrote the texts for three hymns found in Union Hymnal. The Acknowledgments section refers to “the late David Levy, whose poems are a memorial to his service on the Committee on Revision.” So he must have been a valued member, and one could assume that he died a short time before 1948. Efforts to find out more about him have failed. Especially touching in this text is the third stanza, which asks God’s blessing on all who are in pain, or distressed, and those who mourn the loss of a loved one.
The unnamed tune is by Max Grauman, who for a time was a cantor of the West End Synagogue, New York. He composed a Friday evening service, “Song of Prayer,” in the style of Sulzer, with a few genuine Jewish cantor solos with organ accompaniment. His popularity was a result of the charm of his melodies and the effectiveness of the parts he wrote for the cantor. He also composed “Musical Service for New Year and Day of Atonement.” A letter from Rabbi Elliot L. Stevens of the Central Conference of American Rabbis states, “He did some work for Rabbi James Heller, back in the 1930s, at the Isaac M. Wise Temple, Cincinnati, Ohio.” It seems entirely appropriate that we borrow these hymns from this Reformed branch of the Jewish religion, who share with Seventh-day Adventists a special feeling of love and reverence for the holy hours of the Sabbath.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
As birds unto the genial homeland fly,
The winter’s cold and low’ring skies to flee,
So seeks my soul Thy gracious presence here
And finds, O God, its rest and peace in Thee.
2
Here at Thy shrine we leave all vexing care,
For get the disappointment, grief and tear,
And on the wings of hopeful song and prayer
We rise, and rising feel Thy Spirit here.
3
Bless all who spend this night in pain and woe,
The burdened heart, the fainting, and distressed,
Thy comfort send to darkened homes bereaved,
Thy saving help to those by want oppressed.
4
Come, Sabbath joy, each trusting heart now fill,
And blissful peace within our homes abide,
May thankful praise each grateful heart now thrill,
And to God’s loving care their lives confide.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Ps 27:4 (b) 2 Cor 1:3, 4
Author
David Levy (1854-?)
Copyright
from Union Hymnal 1932, Central Conference of American Rabbis
Metrical Number
Irregular
Composer
Max Grauman
