“The Word of God” by Edwin Hodder.
Edwin Hodder was born December 13, 1837, at Staines, Middlesex, England, a son of Henry and Jane Elizabeth Hodder.
Edwin’s occupation was civil servant. In 1856 he went to New Zealand. After returning to England, he joined the Civil Service, working from 1861-1897. Hodder was author of children’s hymns and a number of books – including a biography of George Fife Angas (George Fife Angas: Father and Founder of South Australia, 1891); Life in London; Or, the Pitfalls of a Great City (1890); and The Life of Samuel Morley (1887). His first book was Memories of New Zealand Life (1862) and his last was The Life of a Century (1900). His hymns were published in 1863 in his New Sunday School Hymn Book (London: Jackson, Walford, & Hodder). Hodder was the editor of this hymn book and the author about 20 hymns (6, 7, 24, 30, 33, 37, 41, 46, 56, 60, 69, 70, 73, 76, 88, 95, 96, 125, 128).
Edwin Hodder married Edith Seymour Bankart in 1869. She died in 1871 and was buried in the Kensel Green Cemetery. In 1876 he married Elizabeth Jones. Elizabeth outlived Edwin by 20 years. He died March 1, 1904. She died in 1934. They both are buried at St. Mary’s Churchyard at Willesden, London, England.
The hymn (No. 33) is first hymn under the heading “The Word of God.” It is written in Common Meter and credited to “E. Hodder.” The original hymn has seven stanzas of four lines. However, when combined with music the hymn is usually “doubled” into 3 stanzas of 8 lines. Since seven is an odd number, a stanza gets left out. For some reason they chose to abandon stanza 4. (I like it.)
And every one who seeks may pluck
A lovely nosegay there [now changed to, a lovely cluster there].
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths,
For ev’ry searcher there.
A thousand rays of light
Are seen, to guide the traveller
And make his pathway bright.
And loud its anthems ring;
Though many tongues and parts unite,
It is one song they sing.
Where soldiers may repair’
And find, for life’s long battle-day,
All needful weapons there.
May I explore the mine;
May I its fragrant flowers glean,
May light upon me shine!
Thy word my trusty sword,
I’ll learn to fight with every foe
The battle of the Lord!
Of Fink, Hymnary.org says:
“Rv Gottfried Wilhelm Fink PhD Germany 1783-1846. Born at Sulza, Thuringa, Germany, he was a German composer, music theorist, poet, and a Protestant clergyman. From 1804-1808 he studied at the University of Leipzig, where he joined the Corps Lusatia, where he made his first attempts at composition and poetry. In 1811 he was appointed Vicar in Leipzig for some years, where he also founded an educational institution, leading it until 1829. Around 1800 he worked for the ‘Allgemeine musikalische Zeitschrift’ (General musical magazine). In 1827 he became the magazine's editor-in-chief for 15 years. From 1838 he was a lecturer at the University of Leipzig. In 1841 he became a Privatdozent of musicology at the university. That year he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin, and a year later was appointed university Music Director. He was highly esteemed throughout his life as a music theorist and composer, receiving numerous honors and awards, both at home and abroad. The Faculty of Philosophy at Leipzig University awarded him an honorary doctorate. He wrote mostly songs and ballads, and collected songs as well. He authored important works on music theory and history, but was best known as editor of the ‘Musikalischer Hausschatz der Germans’, a collection of about 1000 songs and chants, as well as the ‘Deutsche Liedertafel’ (German song board), a collection of polyphonic songs sung by men. He died at Leipzig, Saxony.”
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