2008-10-19

Svithing the difference between direct and indirect objects

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Here's something.

I don't know about you, but I associate Hymn #19, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," with the prophet. What with it having become traditional to "spontaneously" stand and sing it when one walks in the room. We stand and sing "We thank thee, O God, for a prophet / To guide us in these latter days."

But since I associate singing this song at prophets, lines like this confuse me:
    We thank thee for every blessing
    Bestowed by thy bounteous hand.

    We’ll sing of his goodness and mercy.
    We’ll praise him by day and by night,
    Rejoice in his glorious gospel,
    And bask in its life-giving light.
These aren't the sort of things one sings to a human being.

The fact is, the vast majority of this song is only barely connected to prophets. It's a song of praise to God. Thanks, God, for that prophet and all the other cool stuff you give us. That sort of thing. It's not a song to the prophet or praising the prophet. It's thanks for the prophet.

And all the other cool stuff we've been given.

Like the gospel.

And it's life-giving light.

We thank thee, o God, for a prophet.


last week's svithe

4 comments:

  1. That's always tickled me a bit too. Then again, mayhap the prophets wouldn't want us lavishing praise on them anyway. They probably like it that we see them and start singing praises to the Lord.

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  2. .

    I agree, but if no one knows that's what we're doing?

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  3. Then we are in the same situation as the Nephites when they prayed to Jesus (instead of the Father) because He was with them - and this in spite of the fact that "they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire" (3 Nephi 19:24).

    We could be in worse places, if you see what I mean.

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  4. .

    That is a very nice way to look at it.

    ReplyDelete