We oft bemoan the simplistic language of some of the contemporary Christian music genre (in addition to repetition and dearth/death of sound doctrine) but WHEN we use older hymns, we need to be certain to help educate and explain words, phrases, figures of speech, biblical references to people/places, contractions, as well as English idioms not found in everyday modern speech.
Thought this would be a FUN TOPIC to have other members like me that still honor and sing the great English hymns to contribute some examples of "challenging" vocabulary. If you want, reference the hymn, too. I will begin with some I recall have to "explain" in the 5+ decades of pastoral ministry.
"Here I raise my Ebenezer" (your WHAT?)
"Murmur or repine" (my lazy-boy chair repines)
"Guileless"
"Macedonian call"
"Alpha and Omega" (not omicron)
"Vouchsafe"
"Divers temptations" (mermaids?)
Thought this would be a FUN TOPIC to have other members like me that still honor and sing the great English hymns to contribute some examples of "challenging" vocabulary. If you want, reference the hymn, too. I will begin with some I recall have to "explain" in the 5+ decades of pastoral ministry.
"Here I raise my Ebenezer" (your WHAT?)
"Murmur or repine" (my lazy-boy chair repines)
"Guileless"
"Macedonian call"
"Alpha and Omega" (not omicron)
"Vouchsafe"
"Divers temptations" (mermaids?)
. I can't think of any others right off, but I'm sure there's more.