O God, do not keep silent

Not for the first time in the Psalter, the silence of God prompts the cries of his people (cf 28). And not for the first or last time, the praises of Israel (Asaph again) confront us with a catalogue of names which, unlike others, have mostly lost their significance for later worshippers. To weave them all into English metre, as some have done, has generally ensured that this Psalm remains unsung; it certainly proved too much for five recent collections (1973–96), and even for Michael Perry—see notes to 75 and 82! In the American Psalter Hymnal (1987) Clarence Walhout has ‘From Moab’s tents to Tyre’s shore they plot conspiracy’, and prays positively ‘O LORD, raise up new conquerors like Jael and Gideon’. PHRW’s ‘Evangelical Psalter’ text has ‘As once the Canaanites of old/ joined to oppose thy will in wars,/ so unbelievers now make bold/ to fight against the Gospel cause’, while the Scottish Sing Psalms (2003) retains the names in full. Christopher Idle’s solution, when invited to submit a text for Praise! in 1997, is seen in stz 2. The roll-call of enemies encompasses every kind of variety; so it is always likely to be. The Christmas associations of ES IST EIN’ ROS’ [ENTSPRUNGEN] may seem to make it an unlikely accompaniment to such words. Alternatively, the tune may be seen as illustrating the surprising adaptability of some melodies (eg 84) to varied moods; most hymnals have examples. This traditional (15thc?) Rhineland carol is first found in print in Cologne, 1599. Michael Praetorius’ 1609 arrangement in Musae Sionae was slightly adapted in EH, which first set it to A great and mighty wonder. Its name is from the original German, rendered by G R Woodward The noble stem of Jesse in The Cowley Carol Book, 1902; more closely in The world’s fair Rose has blossomed (Elizabeth Poston, 1965). The rhythm of the Psalm’s opening line, retained from RSV, NIV etc, first suggested this tune to the author. The Church of Scotland has used it also for Hail to the Lord’s anointed.

b Bromley, Kent 1938. Eltham Coll, St Peter’s Coll Oxford (BA, English), Clifton Theol Coll Bristol; ordained in 1965 to a Barrow-in-Furness curacy. He spent 30 years in CofE parish ministry, some in rural Suffolk, mainly in inner London (Peckham, Poplar and Limehouse). Author of over 300 hymn texts, mainly Scripture based, collected in Light upon the River (1998) and Walking by the River (2008), Trees along the River (2018), and now appearing in some 300 books and other publications; see also the dedication of EP1 (p3) to his late wife Marjorie. He served on 5 editorial groups from Psalm Praise (1973) to Praise!; his writing includes ‘Grove’ booklets Hymns in Today’s Language (1982) and Real Hymns, Real Hymn Books (2000), and The Word we preach, the words we sing (Reform, 1998). He edited the quarterly News of Hymnody for 10 years, and briefly the Bulletin of the Hymn Society, on whose committee he served at various times between 1984 and 2006; and addressed British and American Hymn Socs. Until 1996 he often exchanged draft texts with Michael Perry (qv) for mutual criticism and encouragement. From 1995 he was engaged in educational work and writing from home in Peckham, SE London, until retirement in 2003; following his return to Bromley after a gap of 40 years, he has attended Holy Trinity Ch Bromley Common and Hayes Lane Baptist Ch. Owing much to the Proclamation Trust, he also belongs to the Anglican societies Crosslinks and Reform, together with CND and the Christian pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation. A former governor of 4 primary schools, he has also written songs for school assemblies set to familiar tunes, and (in 2004) Grandpa’s Amazing Poems and Awful Pictures. His bungalow is smoke-free, alcohol-free, car-free, gun-free and TV-free. Nos.13, 18, 21, 23A, 24B, 27B, 28, 31, 35, 36, 37, 48, 50, 68, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 85, 89, 92, 95, 102, 108, 109, 114, 118, 119A, 121A, 125, 128, 131, 145B, 157, 176, 177, 193*, 313*, 333, 339, 388, 392, 420, 428, 450, 451, 463, 478, 506, 514, 537, 548, 551, 572, 594, 597, 620, 621, 622, 636, 668, 669, 693, 747, 763, 819, 914, 917, 920, 945, 954, 956, 968, 976, 1003, 1012, 1084, 1098, 1138, 1151, 1158, 1159, 1178, 1179, 1181, 1201, 1203, 1204, 1205, 1209, 1210, 1211, 1212, 1221, 1227, 1236, 1237, 1244, 1247, 5017, 5018, 5019, 5020.