Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old

Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old is a hymn text by Edward Hayes Plumptre (1864) in C.M. meter. Found in CW21 769, CW93 520, elw 731, h82 549.

The hymn connects Christ's earthly healing ministry to His ongoing redemptive work, emphasizing that salvation addresses the totality of human brokenness—physical, spiritual, and emotional. It reflects Lutheran emphasis on Christ as both physician and Savior, whose atoning work restores wholeness to fallen creation.

History & Background

Edward Hayes Plumptre wrote this hymn in 1864 for the Church of England. It was first published in Plumptre's Hymns in 1865 and has become a standard healing hymn in Lutheran and other Protestant hymnals.

Edward H. Plumptre (b. Bloomsbury, London, England, 1821; Scripture References d. Wells, Somersetshire, England, 1891) wrote this text in 1864 st. 1 = Matt. 14:35-36 during his tenure as chaplain at King’s College, London. st. 2 = Mark 6:55-56 Considered to be one of the finest on the theme of health and healing, the text was first printed as the leaflet A Hymn Used in the Chapel ofKings College Hospital. Published the following year in the second edition of Plumptre’s Lazarus and Other Poems, ‘Your Hands, O Lord” also appeared in the 1868 Appendix to Hymns 519 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS Ancient and Modern. Originally the text’s first line read, “Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old.” Stanzas 1 and 2a recount the healing miracles of Christ. Stanzas 2b and 3 are a prayer for that same healing power of Christ to be present today. Plumptre was an eminent classical and biblical scholar who gained prominence in both church and university. Educated at King’s College, London, and University College, Oxford, he was ordained in the Church of England in 1846. Plumptre served as a preacher at Oxford and a professor of pastoral theology at King’s College, and held a number of other prestigious positions. His writings include A Life ofBishop Ken (1888), translations from Greek and Latin classics, and poetry and hymns. Plumptre was also a member of the committee that produced the Revised Version of the Bible.

Hymnal Appearances

• Christian Worship: Hymnal — 769
• Christian Worship — 520
• Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 731
• The Hymnal 1982 — 549
• Lutheran Book of Worship — 431
• Lutheran Service Book — 846
• Lutheran Worship — 399
• Psalter Hymnal — 363

Liturgical Use

Latter part of the Epiphany season; Lent; worship services that focus on Christ’s miracles of healing; at healing services or prayer services for the sick.

Bulletin Note

Written by Edward Hayes Plumptre in 1864, this hymn bridges Christ's earthly healing ministry with His ongoing redemptive work, reflecting the Lutheran conviction that salvation restores the totality of our broken humanity.

Preaching Connection

This hymn embodies the Law-Gospel movement: it names our brokenness and suffering honestly, then proclaims Christ's hand extended in healing grace—a redemptive work that addresses the whole person, body and spirit alike.

Background Research

LSB 846 (Hymn of the Day). Edward H. Plumptre (1821–1891), Anglican priest and scholar: King's College London and University College Oxford, ordained by 25, preacher at Oxford and St Paul's, professor of New Testament exegesis and of pastoral theology, translator of Aeschylus and Sophocles. Written in June 1867 for the chapel of King's College Hospital, London (originally 'Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old'); first on a fly-sheet, then in the 1868 Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern. Some sources place it in his Lazarus and other poems of 1865, but the Canterbury Dictionary says it is not in that edition. The original had a penultimate stanza now omitted. Christ's healings (John 5, 9; Acts 3) and a prayer that he work again through 'hands that work and eyes that see', i.e. physicians. Often sung to ST MATTHEW (Croft).

Sources: Canterbury Dictionary, 'Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old' (preview); LCMS Worship, The Word in Song: Hymn of the Day Studies (Robert A. Sorensen).

In the Church Year

Hymn of the Day (Lutheran Service Book) for: Proper 23

Suggested in the one-year series

• Trinity 14 (2×)
• Trinity 11 (1×)
• Trinity 12 (1×)
• Trinity 21 (1×)
• Trinity 24 (1×)

Suggested in the three-year series

• Proper 23 (3×)
• Proper 19 (3×)
• Proper 8 (3×)
• Epiphany 5 (2×)
• Proper 7 (2×)
• Proper 4 (1×)
• Proper 6 (1×)

From LCMS Worship's published hymn suggestions, 2014–2026. The count is how many of those yearly lists suggested this hymn for that day.

Overview

A hymn of Christ the Healer, written for a London hospital chapel. Its first half recalls the Gospel healings: the blind, the mute, the lame, the lepers and the fevered came to Jesus and found life. Its second half prays that the same Lord would act now, 'in crowded street, by beds of pain', through the 'hands that work and eyes that see' of physicians and nurses. It holds together two things Lutherans confess: that Christ alone is Lord of life and death, and that he ordinarily works through means, here the vocation of medicine.

Central theme: The Christ who healed in Galilee is still Lord of life and death and heals through the vocations of those who care for the sick

Structure

Three stanzas of Common Metre Double. St. 1 catalogues the sick who came to Jesus; st. 2 moves from his healings then to a prayer for his presence now; st. 3 asks him to be deliverer still and to bless medical skill, ending in praise. The original had a further stanza now omitted (Canterbury).

Law & Gospel Shape

The hymn does not dwell on sin, but the list of sicknesses is a list of the curse's effects (death, darkness, the grave). The Gospel is Christ's triumph 'over ills and death' and his presence to bless. The prayer is that his healing may lead all to praise, so even bodily healing serves the Gospel's end.

Confessional Connections

Christ's healings are signs that he is the promised Messiah and foretastes of the resurrection (Matt 11:5; Rev 21:4). The prayer for 'hands that work and eyes that see' reflects the Lutheran doctrine of vocation: God serves the neighbour through ordinary callings, as Luther's Large Catechism says of all God's gifts through means (LC I 26). Nothing in the hymn promises healing on demand; it asks the 'Lord of life and death' to act according to his will.

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Proper 23, Year C (the ten lepers, Hymn of the Day); healing services; services for medical professionals; St. Luke the Physician (18 October); visitation of the sick.

Historical Notes

Plumptre, Anglican priest and professor of New Testament exegesis and of pastoral theology at King's College London, wrote it in June 1867 for the chapel of King's College Hospital, London; it appeared on a fly-sheet and then in the 1868 Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern. The original opened 'Thine arm, O Lord'. The LCMS study (Robert A. Sorensen) introduces Plumptre's scholarship and pastoral heart.

About the Tune

LSB sets it to KINGSFOLD, an English folk melody; it is also often sung to ST MATTHEW (Croft).

Scripture References

Matt 9:35 Matt 11:5 Mark 7:32-37 Mark 1:40-42 Mark 1:30-31 Luke 4:40 Mark 6:53-56 John 10:10 Ps 103:3 Jas 5:14-15 Sir 38:1-4

Stanza by Stanza

Themes

Christ's healing and redemption Divine compassion Christ as Savior Transformation through grace

Look Further

• Search Hymnary.org for "Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old" ↗