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Man of Sorrows--What a Name
Hymn Information
- First Line
- Man of sorrows--what a name
- Author
- Philip P. Bliss (1875, alt.)
- Tune Name
- HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR
- Composer
- Philip P. Bliss (1875, alt.)
- Topic
- Church Year: Good Friday · Jesus Christ: Atonement · Jesus Christ: Lamb · Jesus Christ: Savior · Jesus Christ: Son of God · New Heaven and Earth
Copyright Information
- Text Copyright
- Public Domain
- Tune Copyright
- Public Domain
- Reprint/Projection Information
- Words and Music: The Words and Music are in the Public Domain; you do not need permission to project or reprint the Words and Music.
Full Text
Scripture References
Further Reflections on Scripture References
"Man of Sorrows" is a reference to the prophet Isaiah's depiction of the "suffering servant" (Isa. 52: 13-53: 12). The full text draws on that prophetic vision and on the gospel narratives of Christ's crucifixion and atoning death. While much of the text affirms objectively the redemptive work of Christ, stanza 2 makes a very personal confession (like 386): "in my place condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood." Stanzas 4 and 5 move from Christ's death to his exaltation at the right hand of God and to his return as "glorious King." Each stanza concludes with an "alleluia" to so great a Savior.
Psalter Hymnal Handbook
Confessions and Statements of Faith References
Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References
This song reflects the narrative of the suffering and death of Christ on Calvary, events whose significance and purpose is deepened by the confessions of the church. Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Days 15-16, Questions and Answers 37-44 explain the significance of each step of his suffering. Question and Answer 40 testifies that Christ had to suffer death “because God’s justice and truth require it; nothing else could pay for our sins except the death of the son of God.”
The Belgic Confession, Article 20 professes that “God made known his justice toward his Son…poured out his goodness and mercy on us…giving to us his Son to die, by a most perfect love, and raising him to life for our justification, in order that by him we might have immortality and eternal life.”
Consider also the testimony of Belgic Confession, Article 21: “He endured all this for the forgiveness of our sins.”
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170
Man of Sorrows--What a Name
Call to Worship
Loving God,
we know that you seek the lost and wandering sheep.
May our worship today be a means through which many come to know you
and to trust in Jesus as their Savior. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
—
Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Confession
Lamb of God, we are burdened:
We do not love you as we should.
We forget our dependence on you and do not honor you.
Instead of glorifying you, we try to bring ourselves glory.
Lamb of God, we are burdened:
We do not love others as we should.
We hurry through our days and miss opportunities to be your hands and feet.
We judge quickly and respond thoughtlessly.
Lamb of God, we are burdened:
We do not love ourselves as we should.
We disparage our appearances, criticize our best efforts, and misuse our bodies.
Lamb of God, we are burdened:
We are weighed down by the bad things that are done to us.
We hold grudges, harbor bad feelings, and believe lies told about us.
Lamb of God, we are burdened:
We are overwhelmed by sin.
Man of sorrows, you know our pain and suffering.
By your wounds we are healed.
Take our burdens, we pray, and free us from sin. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
—
Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Assurance
When you were dead in trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
God made you alive together with him,
when he forgave us all our trespasses,
erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands.
He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities
and made a public example of them,
triumphing over them in it.
Brothers and sisters: through the cross of Christ
we are forgiven, and the power of evil is broken. Praise be to God!
—based on Colossians 2:13-15, NRSV
—
Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Additional Prayers
The following is a script for a dramatic reading of a portion of the passion narrative. Ideally
Good Friday worship can include the entire passion narrative from John 18-19, which can
easily be used as a dramatic reading, following this model. The reading itself may be simple
and stark.
Narrator: They took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out
to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called
Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one
on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription
written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the
King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because
the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was
written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of
the Jews said to Pilate,
Chief Priests: Do not write, “The King of the Jews,” but, “This man said, I am King
of the Jews.”
Narrator: Pilate answered,
Pilate: What I have written I have written.
Narrator: When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and
divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his
tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.
So they said to one another,
Soldiers: Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.
Narrator: This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes
among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” And that is
what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus
were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother,
Jesus: Woman, here is your son.
Narrator: Then he said to the disciple,
Jesus: Here is your mother.
Narrator: And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After
this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to
fulfill the scripture),
Jesus: I am thirsty.
Narrator: A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full
of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When
Jesus had received the wine, he said,
Jesus: It is finished.
Narrator: Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
—from John 19:16-30, NRSV
—
Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
170
Man of Sorrows--What a Name
Tune Information
- Name
- HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR
- Key
- B♭ Major
- Meter
- 7.7.7.8
Recordings
170
Man of Sorrows--What a Name
Hymn Story/Background
Philip P. Bliss wrote both text and tune of this hymn that was published in The International Lessons Monthly of 1875 with the title “Redemption.” “Man of Sorrows” is a reference to the prophet Isaiah's depiction of the "suffering servant" (Isa. 52: 13-53: 12). The full text draws on that prophetic vision and on the gospel narratives of Christ's crucifixion and atoning death. While much of the text affirms objectively the redemptive work of Christ, stanza 2 makes a very personal confession: "in my place condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood." Stanzas 4 and 5 move from Christ's death to his exaltation at the right hand of God and to his return as "glorious King." Each stanza concludes with an "alleluia" to so great a Savior.
HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR, composed by Bliss, is sometimes called GETHSEMANE. This strong tune is characterized by repeated tones and by rhythmic interest in the final phrase. Sing stanzas 1-4 in harmony in fairly strict rhythm. Sing stanza 5 in unison with some rhythmic freedom on the final phrase.
—
Bert Polman
Author and Composer Information
Philip P. Bliss (b. Clearfield County, PA, 1838; d. Ashtabula, OH, 1876) left home as a young boy to make a living by working on farms and in lumber camps, all while trying to continue his schooling. He was converted at a revival meeting at age twelve. Bliss became an itinerant music teacher, making house calls on horseback during the winter, and during the summer attending the Normal Academy of Music in Genesco, New York. His first song was published in 1864, and in 1868 Dwight L. Moody advised him to become a singing evangelist. For the last two years of his life Bliss traveled with Major D. W. Whittle and led the music at revival meetings in the Midwest and Southern United States. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey published a popular series of hymn collections entitled Gospel Hymns. The first book of the series, Gospel Songs, was published in 1874. Bliss's tragic death at the age of thirty-eight happened near the end of 1876. Philip P. Bliss and his wife were traveling to Chicago to sing for the evangelistic services led by Daniel W. Whittle at Dwight L. Moody's Tabernacle. But a train wreck and fire en route claimed their lives.
—
Bert Polman
Song Notes
Ira Sankey, a good friend of Philip Bliss, the author of this hymn, wrote this about Bliss’ text: “It is said that the word ‘Hallelujah’ is the same in all languages. It seems as though God had prepared it for the great jubilee of heaven, when all his children shall have been gathered home to sing ‘Hallelujah to the Lamb!’” Laura de Jong reflects on this general idea with her own experience at Taizé, an ecumenical community in France:
“During one evening prayer service, we had turned around to face the center for the Gospel reading, after which we sang the Taizé song, “Christus Resurexit.” Right in front of me was a young woman with Down Syndrome. She hadn’t turned around, and so we were facing each other as we sang. She couldn’t figure out the unfamiliar Latin words, so simply hummed until we reached the final word of each repeated verse: “Alleluia!” at which point she sang loud and clear. At the beginning of that service, we had been given small candles, and at this point in the service, children were passing the light of Christ from the center Christ Candle throughout the church to the thousands of people gathered from around the world. Watching this woman, so often shunned by our competitive, “perfect” society, pass the light of Christ while singing “Alleluia” was a powerful reminder that we serve a God who came to stand in the place of all of us, for we are all beautiful, but marred, children of God. It is for this that we praise the Lamb of God, our Savior.”
—
Bert Polman
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