Thanks for being a Hymnary.org user. You are one of more than 10 million people from 200-plus countries around the world who have benefitted from the Hymnary website in 2024! If you feel moved to support our work today with a gift of any amount and a word of encouragement, we would be grateful.

You can donate online at our secure giving site.

Or, if you'd like to make a gift by check, please make it out to CCEL and mail it to:
Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 3201 Burton Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
And may the promise of Advent be yours this day and always.

We Give Thee But Thine Own

Representative Text

1 We give thee but thine own,
whate'er the gift may be;
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O Lord, from thee.

2 May we thy bounties thus
as stewards true receive
and gladly, as thou blessest us,
to thee our first fruits give.

Source: Christian Worship: Hymnal #750

Author: William Walsham How

William W. How (b. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, 1823; d. Leenane, County Mayo, Ireland, 1897) studied at Wadham College, Oxford, and Durham University and was ordained in the Church of England in 1847. He served various congregations and became Suffragan Bishop in east London in 1879 and Bishop of Wakefield in 1888. Called both the "poor man's bishop" and "the children's bishop," How was known for his work among the destitute in the London slums and among the factory workers in west Yorkshire. He wrote a number of theological works about controversies surrounding the Oxford Movement and attempted to reconcile biblical creation with the theory of evolution. He was joint editor of Psalms and Hymns (1854) and Church Hymns (1871). While rec… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: We give Thee but Thine own
Title: We Give Thee But Thine Own
Author: William Walsham How (1858)
Meter: 6.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Scripture References:
st. 1 = 1 Chron, 29:14, 1 Peter 4:10
st. 2 = Deut. 26:1-5
st. 3-4 = Matt. 25:35-40

When he wrote this hymn, Bishop William W. How (PHH 279) appended a reference to Proverbs 19:17: "Whoever has pity on the poor lends to the Lord"–a Scripture that characterizes not only this hymn text but also much of How's ministry to the poor in the east side of London, England.

“We Give You But Your Own” is a hymn about stewardship, about bringing our gifts to be used for the church's ministry of word and deed to needy people–in other Words, our ministry for Christ. Like Psalm 50 and Isaiah 1, this text declares that everything in creation already belongs to God and that what we give and what we keep are all to be used gratefully in God's service (st. 5). See also 294.

How wrote the text in six stanzas in 1858; it was first published in Psalms and Hymns (2nd ed., 1864), edited by How and Thomas B. Morrell. The Psalter Hymnal omits How's original stanza 3 and includes many alterations to the text.

Liturgical Use:
As an offertory hymn (st. 1 and 2 also make a fine choral response at the offertory, but do not overuse); as a post-sermon hymn in conjunction with stewardship themes.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook
===================
We give thee but Thine own. Bishop W. W. How. [Offertory.] Written about 1858, and first published in the enlarged edition of Morrell & How’s Psalms & Hymns, 1864, No. 197, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines. From thence it has passed into numerous collections, and now ranks in popularity with some of the best of modern hymns. Of the author's compositions in extensiveness of use it is exceeded only by his "For all Thy Saints who from their labours rest." Original text, Church Hymns 1871. The doxology in Hymns Ancient & Modern and others is an addition.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

SCHUMANN (51567)

SCHUMANN is one of many hymn tunes arranged by Lowell Mason (PHH 96). He first published the arrangement in Cantica Laudis (1850), a collection he edited with George J. Webb (PHH 559). First called WHITE, the tune was marked "Arr. from Schumann" and was thus ascribed to the German composer Robert A.…

Go to tune page >


ST. ANDREW (Barnby)


Timeline

Media

You have access to this FlexScore.
Download:
Are parts of this score outside of your desired range? Try transposing this FlexScore.
General Settings
Stanza Selection
Voice Selection
Text size:
Music size:
Transpose (Half Steps):
Capo:
Contacting server...
Contacting server...
Questions? Check out the FAQ

A separate copy of this score must be purchased for each choir member. If this score will be projected or included in a bulletin, usage must be reported to a licensing agent (e.g. CCLI, OneLicense, etc).

This is a preview of your FlexScore.
Baptist Hymnal 1991 #609
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
The Cyber Hymnal #7192
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #296
  • Full Score (PDF, XML)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
Worship and Rejoice #688
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)

Instances

Instances (1 - 51 of 51)
TextPage Scan

African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #645

TextPage Scan

African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #646

Ambassador Hymnal #391

TextFlexScoreAudio

Baptist Hymnal 1991 #609

TextPage Scan

Baptist Hymnal 2008 #671

TextPage Scan

Chalice Hymnal #382

TextPage Scan

Christian Worship (1993) #485

Text

Christian Worship #750

Church Hymnal, Mennonite #518

TextPage Scan

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #445

TextAudioPage Scan

Evangelical Lutheran Worship #686

Text InfoTextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Glory to God #708

Great Songs of the Church (Revised) #610

Hymnal #384

TextPage Scan

Hymns for a Pilgrim People #438

TextPage Scan

Hymns of Faith #370

TextPage Scan

Hymns of Faith #551

Hymns of the Christian Life #223

Hymns of the Saints #401

TextFlexScoreAudio

Lift Up Your Hearts #877

Text

Lutheran Service Book #781

Text

Lutheran Worship #405

Text

Moravian Book of Worship #657

Page Scan

Praise for the Lord (Expanded Edition) #724

Praise! Our Songs and Hymns #435

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #609

Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreAudioPage Scan

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #296

TextPage Scan

Rejoice in the Lord #427

Sacred Songs of the Church #91

Santo, Santo, Santo #643

Text

Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #670

TextPage Scan

Sing Joyfully #622

Songs of Faith and Praise #663

TextPage Scan

The A.M.E. Zion Hymnal #707

The Baptist Hymnal #451

TextPage Scan

The Book of Praise #661

TextPage Scan

The Celebration Hymnal #816

Page Scan

The Covenant Hymnal #639

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #7192

Text

The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration #620

TextPage Scan

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #279

Text

The New Century Hymnal #785

TextPage Scan

The New National Baptist Hymnal (21st Century Edition) #352

TextPage Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #428

Text

The Worshiping Church #649

TextPage Scan

Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #432

Text

Trinity Psalter Hymnal #185

TextPage Scan

Voices United #542

TextPage Scan

Voices United #543

TextAudio

Worship and Rejoice #688

Worship His Majesty #588

Include 438 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us
It looks like you are using an ad-blocker. Ad revenue helps keep us running. Please consider white-listing Hymnary.org or getting Hymnary Pro to eliminate ads entirely and help support Hymnary.org.