God, Be Merciful to Me

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God, be merciful to me, On Thy grace I rest my plea

Tune: REDHEAD NO. 76
Confession Songs
Published in 47 hymnals

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	God, Be Merciful to Me

Piano/Organ
	REFLECTIONS ON HOLY WEEK

Choral
	Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Representative Text

1. God, be merciful to me;
On thy grace I rest my plea;
Plenteous in compassion thou,
Blot out my transgressions now;
Wash me, make me pure within;
Cleanse, oh, cleanse me from my sin.

2. My transgressions I confess;
Grief and guilt my soul oppress;
I have sinned against thy grace
And provoked thee to thy face;
I confess thy judgment just;
Speechless, I thy mercy trust.

3. I am wretched, born in sin;
Thou desirest truth within;
Thou alone my Savior art;
Teach thy wisdom to my heart;
Make me pure, thy grace bestow,
Wash me whiter than the snow.

4. Broken, humbled to the dust,
By thy wrath and judgment just,
Let my contrite heart rejoice
And in gladness hear thy voice;
From my sins, O hide thy face;
Blot them out in boundless grace.

5. Gracious God, my heart renew,
Make my spirit right and true
Cast me not away from thee,
Let thy Spirit dwell in me;
Thy salvation’s joy impart;
Steadfast make my willing heart.

6. Sinners then shall learn from me
And return, O God, to thee;
Savior, all my guilt remove,
And my tongue shall sing thy love;
Touch my silent lips, O Lord,
And my mouth shall praise accord.

7. Not the formal sacrifice
Hath acceptance in thine eyes;
Broken hearts are in thy sight,
More than sacrificial rite;
Contrite spirit, pleading cries,
Thou, O God, will not despise.

8. Prosper Zion in thy grace
And her broken walls replace;
Then our righteous sacrifice
Shall delight thy holy eyes;
Free-will offerings, gladly made,
On thy altar shall be made.

Source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #83

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Related Texts

Kyrie

First Line:	God, be merciful to me, On Thy grace I rest my plea
Title:	God, Be Merciful to Me
Meter:	7.7.7.7.7.7
Language:	English
Refrain First Line:	Gracious God, my heart renew
Copyright:	Public Domain
Liturgical Use:	Confession Songs

Year A, Lent, Ash Wednesday
Psalm 51 (Metrical)
Year B, Lent, Ash Wednesday
Psalm 51 (Metrical)
Year C, Lent, First Sunday
Psalm 51 (Metrical)

English

10 shown out of 39

Hebrew

Hymns of Faith, with Music #d24

Spanish

Yiddish

Hymns of Faith, with Music #d24

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Scripture References:
st.1 = Ps. 51:1-3
st.2 = Ps. 51:4,8
st.3 = Ps. 51:10-12
st.4 = Ps. 51:13-14,17,19

Based on Psalm 51, the best-known of the penitential psalms, “God, Be Merciful” is a collation from the complete versification of the psalm in the 1912 Psalter. Making various alterations, especially in stanza 3, Bert Polman (PHH 37) prepared the collation to provide a shortened version of this well-known psalm and tune for the Psalter Hymnal. Other settings of Psalm 51 are at 51 and 167.

Liturgical Use:
Service of confession and forgiveness; a sung prayer for renewal (st. 3); offering of gifts (st. 4). See also PHH 51.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988

Notes

Scripture References:
st.1 = Ps. 51:1-3
st.2 = Ps. 51:4,8
st.3 = Ps. 51:10-12
st.4 = Ps. 51:13-14,17,19

Liturgical Use:
Service of confession and forgiveness; a sung prayer for renewal (st. 3); offering of gifts (st. 4). See also PHH 51.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988

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Tune

REDHEAD NO. 76

REDHEAD 76 is named for its composer, who published it as number 76 in his influential Church Hymn Tunes, Ancient and Modern (1853) as a setting for the hymn text "Rock of Ages." It has been associated with Psalm 51 since the 1912 Psalter, where the tune was named AJALON. The tune is also known as P…

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[God, be merciful to me] (Miner)

REFUGE (Holbrook)

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For Leaders

Bulletin Blurb
Worship Notes
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Confession is one of the most important practices of the Christian faith, and is emphasized in this hymn based off King David’s Psalm 51. In Psalm 51, David cries out to the Lord for mercy, begging for cleansing and renewal. We see the pleas of a fallen man, desperate to make things right with God. It does not hold back any sin, but confesses all. This hymn is powerful both in and out of scriptural context. It takes the confession of an ancient king, and applies it to all sinners in every age.

Text:

The text of this hymn was inspired by Psalm 51—David’s confession after Nathan the prophet visits him about his adultery with Bathsheba. It is considered one of the best-known penitential (or confessional) Psalms. The hymn covers the content of the Psalm through four separate stanzas. The first stanza covers Ps. 51:1-3, the second stanza covers Ps. 51:4, 8, the third stanza covers Ps. 51:10-12, and the fourth stanza covers Ps. 51:13-14, 17, 19. Although the hymn alters the biblical text to form rhyming lines, the depth of David’s sadness and regret in Psalm 51 remains.

Tune:

The tune most commonly used for this hymn is Richard Redhead’s READHEAD 76, which was written in 1853. Redhead had a career as an organist that lasted fifty-five years, from age 19 to 74. During that time he wrote dozens of tunes, including REDHEAD 76. This somber tune (commonly used with the hymn “Go to Dark Gethsemane”) is well suited for such a grief-riddled text. They have been paired in many hymnals.

When/Why/How:

This hymn would best be used in a service of confession and forgiveness. It can also be used as a song for renewal. The song is well suited to parts, with or without accompaniment.

Suggested music for this hymn:

For organ: “Reflections on Holy Week”
2. For handbells/handchimes: “Lenten Nocturne” contains an arrangement or REDHEAD 76 scored for handbells.
Luke Getz
Hymnary.org

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Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #255

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Psalms and Hymns to the Living God (2023), p.70

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God, Be Merciful to Me

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