The Unity of the Brotherhood

“The Unity of the Brotherhood,” based on Psalm 133, appears in The Psalter: With Responsive Readings (Pittsburgh, PA: The United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1912, No. 371, p. 316). It is paired with the tune Jubilee by Arthur S. Sullivan (composed for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign, in 1887). The tune is possibly more commonly called Bishopgarth. 

Arthur Seymour Sullivan was born in London, England, May 13, 1842, the son of an army bandmaster and a professor of music. Sullivan studied music at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. Sullivan composed several hymn tunes, which were published in The Hymnary (1872) and Church Hymns (1874). He edited both these compilations. He died in London November 22, 1900, and is buried at Saint Paul’s Cathedral there. 

1. Behold, how pleasant and how good
That we, one Lord confessing,
Together dwell in brotherhood,
Our unity expressing;
’Tis like the oil on Aaron’s head,
The seal of ordination,
That o’er his robes the sweetness shed
Of perfect consecration.
 
2. Behold, how pleasant and how good
That we, one Lord confessing,
Together dwell in brotherhood,
Our unity expressing;
’Tis like the dew from Hermon fair
On Zion’s hill descending;
The Lord commands His blessing there
In life that is unending.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.