Oh, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
This hymn exemplifies Methodist emphasis on personal conversion experience and the assurance of salvation through Christ's redemptive work, themes well-received in Lutheran tradition. Its focus on Christ's power to transform and redeem aligns with Lutheran soteriology and the Gospel's transformative power.
History & Background
Written by Charles Wesley in 1739, originally titled 'For the Anniversary Day of One's Conversion' and containing 18 stanzas, this hymn became Wesley's personal testimony of his own conversion experience. It has been adapted for congregational use, typically appearing in hymnals with 3-5 selected stanzas, and remains one of the most beloved Methodist and evangelical hymns.
In 1739, for the first anniversary of his conversion, Charles Scripture References Wesley wrote an eighteen-stanza text beginning st. 1-2 = Ps. 145:10-12 “Glory to God, and praise and love.” It was published in Hymns st. 2 = Luke 4:18-19 and Sacred Poems (1740), a hymnal compiled by Wesley and his Isa. 61:1-2 brother John. The familiar hymn “Oh, for a Thousand st. 3 = Acts 3:16 Tongues” comes from stanzas 1 and 7-12 of this longer text Rom. 5:1 (this pattern already occurs in Richard Conyers’s Collection of st. 4 = Col. 2:14 Psalms and Hymns, 1772). Stanza 7 is the doxology stanza that st. 5 = Heb. 2:4 began the original hymn. Wesley acquired the title phrase of st. 6 = Matt. 11:5 this text from Peter Bohler, a Moravian, who said to Wesley, “If Isa. 35:6 I had a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ with them all” Acts 3:8 (Bohler was actually quoting from Johann Mentzner’s German st. 7 = Rev. 5:13 hymn “O dass ich tausend Zungen hatte”). Through this jubilant, partly autobiographical text Wesley exalts his Redeemer and Lord. With its many biblical allusions it has become a great favorite of many Christians.
Hymnal Appearances
- Baptist Hymnal — 58
- Chalice Hymnal — 5
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 886
- Glory to God — 610
- The Hymnal 1982 — 493
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 559
- Lutheran Service Book — 528
- Lift Up Your Hearts — 168
- Lutheran Worship — 276
- New Century Hymnal — 42
- Psalter Hymnal — 501
- Trinity Hymnal — 164
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 360
- United Methodist Hymnal — 57
- Voices Together — 879
- With One Voice — 651
Liturgical Use
Many types of services; profession of faith; baptism; other times of renewal; Pentecost.
Bulletin Note
Charles Wesley's 1739 hymn celebrates the Methodist conviction that Christ's name transforms the human heart. Sung by Lutherans and countless traditions, it remains a testament to the Gospel's power to unite all believers in praise.
Preaching Connection
This hymn embodies the Law-Gospel movement perfectly: our human longing and limitation give way to the boundless sufficiency of Christ's redemptive name, inviting congregations to rest in grace rather than strive in their own strength.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- The Second Article (Concerning Redemption) Small Catechism — The Apostles' Creed
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law to Gospel: human inability to praise adequately (stanzas 1-2) → Christ's redemptive power transforming sinners (stanzas 3-5) → Trinitarian doxology (stanza 6)
Themes
Praise and adoration Redemption through Christ Proclamation of Gospel Conversion and testimony