Scripture Verse

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 3:13

Introduction

Words: From the ap­pen­dix to the Ro­man Bre­vi­ary (Bo­lo­gna, It­aly, 1827) (As­pice, In­fa­mi De­us Ip­se Lig­no). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Will­iam J. Blew, The Church Hymn and Tune Book (Lon­don: Fran­cis & John Riv­ing­ton, 1852), Lent and Pas­sion-tide sec­tion, num­ber 23.

Music: St. Cross The Church Hymn and Tune Book, 1852 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Note: Some hym­nals omit the first stan­za, and/or sub­sti­tute shame­ful for fe­lon’s in the se­cond stan­za.

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Blew (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Lo—on th’inglorious tree
Our God, the God of Glo­ry, hangs;
All steeped in blood is He,
And pierced with pangs.

A fe­lon’s death He dies,
Uplift be­twixt that rob­ber-twain;
Sweet Lamb for sac­ri­fice,
By sin­ners slain.

Pale, pale grows that dear brow,
In death that droop­ing head de­clines;
His parched lip moves and now
His soul re­signs—

His pla­cid soul—oh! gaze
On that wan face, that crown of thorn;
Those eyes which death-films glaze,
There look and mourn.

Mourn, and, with tears of blood,
Weep till thine eyes in death grow dim,
For Him un­to the wood
Thou nail’st, yea Him—

To whom, the migh­ty God,
Washing in blood our sins away,
Our ev­er­last­ing laud
We meek­ly pay.