
1 Behold the Lamb of God!
O thou for sinners slain,
let it not be in vain
that thou hast died:
thee for my Saviour let me take,
my only refuge let me make
thy piercèd side.
2 Behold the Lamb of God!
All hail, incarnate word,
thou everlasting Lord,
Saviour most blest!
Fill us with love that never faints,
grant us with all thy blessèd saints
eternal rest.
3 Behold the Lamb of God!
Worthy is he alone
to sit upon the throne
of God above;
one with the Ancient of all Days,
one with the Comforter in praise,
all Light and Love.
Source: CPWI Hymnal #150
First Line: | Behold the Lamb of God! O Thou for sinners slain |
Title: | Behold the Lamb of God |
Author: | Matthew Bridges (1848) |
Meter: | 6.6.6.4.8.8.4 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Behold the Lamb [of God.] M. Bridges. [Passiontide.] First published in his Hymns of the Heart, &c, 1848, in 7 stanzas of 7 lines, and entitled "Ecce Agnus Dei." It is found in many modern collections both in Great Britain and in America, but never in a full and correct form. Scarcely two texts can be found alike, whether they begin with the original first line, or as—" Behold the Lamb of God/' as in Hymns Ancient & Modern, Thring, and others….
A comparison of this text with that in any collection will show how far alterations may have been introduced. In addition to being altered, it is usually abbreviated as well. In some American collections, including Dr. Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, 1872, No. 500, a hymn is given as—"Archangels! fold your wings," and attributed to "Samuel Egerton Brydges, 1820, a," which is really a portion of this hymn rewritten, beginning with line 2 of stanza iii.
--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)