Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit
"Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit" (German: [vɛːɐ̯ ˈɡɔt nɪçt ˈmɪt ʊns ˈdiːzə ˈtsaɪt], Were God not with us at this time) is a Lutheran hymn, with words written by Martin Luther based on the Psalm 124. The hymn in three stanzas of seven lines each was first published in 1524. It was translated to English and has appeared in 20 hymnals. The hymn formed the base of several compositions, including chorale cantatas by Buxtehude and Bach.
"Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit" | |
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Hymn by Martin Luther | |
English | Were God not with us at this time |
Text | by Martin Luther |
Language | German |
Based on | Psalm 124 |
Published | 1524 |
History
Luther wrote "Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit" as a paraphrase of Psalm 124 in three stanzas of seven lines each.[1][2] It was first printed in 1524 in Johann Walter's Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn. It was translated to English and has appeared in 20 hymnals.[3]
Lyrics
German | English |
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Melodies and settings
When the hymn was first published in 1524 in the Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn, it was associated with a tune in Doric mode, which was also used for "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält", a paraphrase of the same psalm by Justus Jonas in eight stanzas.[6][7] Luther had a tendency to retain traditional texts and melodies.[8] In 1537, the hymn was printed again with a different tune by Walter. The second melody has been regarded as an improvement and became the standard in further publications.[5]
Dieterich Buxtehude set the hymn as a chorale cantata, BuxWV 102, for choir, two violins and continuo.[9] Johann Sebastian Bach composed a chorale cantata, Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BWV 14, in 1725 for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany.[10]
In the current Protestant hymnal Evangelisches Gesangbuch, EG 297 combines under the title "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" stanzas from both paraphrases of Psalm 124, taking stanzas 1, 2, 5 and 6 from Jonas (5 from 6, 6 from 8 in the original hymn), and Luther's second and third stanza as stanzas 3 and 4."[6][11]
See also
References
Bibliography
- Braatz, Thomas; Oron, Aryeh (2009). "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 17 January 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Browne, Francis (2006). "Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 23 January 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Browne, Francis (2007). "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 3 February 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Bräuer, Siegfried (2003). Hahn, Gerhard; Henkys, Jürgen (eds.). 297 Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält. Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch (in German). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 80–83. ISBN 9783525503300.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Dreisbach, Günther (2017). "Lieder Martin Luthers" (in German). Günther Dreisbach. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Werthemann, Helene (2009). "Bachkantaten in der Predigerkirche". bachkantaten.ch. Retrieved 3 February 2012.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "Dieterich Buxtehude / Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit". Carus-Verlag. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- "Martin Luther / Wär Gott nicht mit uns / Der 124. Psalm: "Nisi quia Dominus"25. Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- "W'r' Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit". hymnary.org. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- "25. Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit" (PDF). Luther-Gesellschaft. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- Neuendorf, Christopher J. (2014). "Were God Not with Us at This Time". The Free Lutheran Chorale-Book. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
External links
- If God had not been on our side hymntime.com
- Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de
- BWV 14.5 bach-chorales.com
- If God Had Not Been on Our Side (mp3 with organ only)