HYMNS, WHAT ARE THEY?

Of all the definitions I came across in my study of the subject matter this is the one I find most apt;
Hymns are "...a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived, which is designed to be sung and which expresses the worshipper's attitude toward God or God's purposes in human life. It should be simple and metrical in form, genuinely emotional, poetic and literary in style, spiritual in quality, and in its ideas so direct and so immediately apparent as to unify a congregation while singing it."

In ancient Greek culture, hymns were songs sung to the heroes of their time. The word Hymn is from the Greet word Hymnos which means “a song of praise”. Christian Hymns are thus, poems written and directed to God in praise or adoration of His name and person. These are spiritual that are conceived from heaven to be used in congregational and individual worship. Some directly speak to Christ while others speak indirectly to Him. Hymn writers are known as Hymnodist while the singing of Hymn is called Hymnody

Hymns are metrical which means they are not just poems read out but have musical tune /beat attached to them so each hymn has its own musical tune called meter. The meters indicate the number of syllabus of each line of the stanza of the Hymn. These meters are indicated beside the name of the tunes. This is a message to the reader of the number of lines in each verse and the number of syllabus in the line. The meters can also be indicated with initials such as L.M (Long Meter), S.M (Short Meter) and C.M (Common Meter). Some other meters are D.L.M and D.C.M (Double Long Meter and Double Common Meter respectively). Hymns in English have a traditional meter 8.6.8.6 called common meter and they correspond with each stanza. These features are what distinguish Hymns from other contemporary songs in worship.

The origin of Hymns in scriptures can be traced way back in the Old Testament in Exodus 15:1 where Moses led the people of God in singing. This is believed to be a Hymn of worship and adoration to God for his might and power. David was also another person who sang Hymns (constantly) to God. In Psalm 40:3 he speaks about singing Hymns of praise to our God. The angels also sing Hymns in heaven Isa 6:3 and Rev.4:8 where the angels and the living creatures were said to be singing songs structured like Hymns thus, I infer that when we get to heaven, Hymns shall play a major part in our fellowship with God. Some other Hymn writers in the Bible are Asaph and His sons. Some other Hymn writers on modern times include: Martin Luther, Isaac watts, Fanny Crosby

Hymns are very valuable in our worship as they draw our attention to God. So when next you have the opportunity to sing a hymn (Hymnody), sing it with all your heart mind and soul.

Holydynamite