O death, where is thy cruel sting

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O death, where is thy cruel sting

Author: Georg Weissel
Tune: ALLEIN GOTT IN DER HÖH
Published in 7 hymnals

Piano/Organ
	Five Pentecost Hymn Improvisations

Representative Text

1 O death, where is thy cruel sting?
O grave, where is thy power?
What harm to us can Satan bring?
Why need we fear or cower?
All thanks to God who won the fight
And saved us from our wretched plight
Thro' Jesus Christ, our Savior.

2 How mightily the serpent strove
When Christ with him contended!
Thro' craftiness awhile he throve,
But now his rule is ended.
For tho' he bruised the Savior's heel,
He yet no mortal thrust could deal;
His head is bruised and trodden.

3 He lives, who by the foe was slain
And held awhile in prison;
His members now shall freedom gain,
Since He, their Head, is risen.
If heed unto His Word they give,
Tho' they were dead, yet shall they live;
Nor death nor grave an hold them.

4 If daily we with Christ arise
Thro' faith and true repentance,
Then may we calmly close our eyes
And laugh to scorn death's sentence;
For death is shorn of all its pow'rs,
While peace and pardon now are ours,
Eternal life and glory.

5 Behold the spoils that we possess,
For which the Lord has striven:
Forgiveness, peace and righteousness,
Eternal life in heaven.
So here we now with joy abide
Till, in the body glorified,
We dwell with Him forever.

Source: American Lutheran Hymnal #448

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Author: Georg Weissel

Weissel, Georg, son of Johann Weissel, judge and afterwards burgomaster at Doranau, near Königsberg, was born at Domnau in 1590. He studied at the University of Königsberg, from 1608 to 1611, and thereafter, for short periods, at Wittenberg, Leipzig, Jena, Strassburg, Basel and Marburg In 1614 he was appointed rector of the school at Friedland near Domnau, but resigned this post after three years, and returned to Königsberg to resume his studies in theology. Finally, in 1623, he became pastor of the newly erected Altrossgart church at Königsberg, where he remained till his death, on August 1, 1635. Weissel was one of the most important of the earlier hymn-writers of Prussia. His hymns, about 20 in all, are good in style, moderate in le… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	O death, where is thy cruel sting
German Title:	O Tod, wo ist dein Stachel nun?
Author:	Georg Weissel
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Tune

ALLEIN GOTT IN DER HÖH

The tune name ALLEIN GOTT derives from the opening words of Decius's rhymed text in High German. The tune was first published in Schumann's Geistliche Lieder. Decius adapted the tune from a tenth-century Easter chant for the Gloria text, beginning at the part accompanying the words "et in terra pax.…

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