Scripture Verse

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows. Isaiah 53:3

Introduction

illustration
Man of Sorrows
Albrecht Dürer
1471–1528

Words & Mu­sic: Phi­lip P. Bliss, in the In­ter­na­tion­al Les­sons Month­ly, 1875 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Philip P. Bliss
1838–1876

Anecdote

Written…short­ly be­fore his death, this was the last hymn I heard Mr. Bliss sing. It was at a meet­ing in Far­well Hall in Chi­ca­go [Il­li­nois], con­duct­ed by Hen­ry Moore­house.

A few weeks be­fore his death Mr. Bliss vis­it­ed the State pri­son at Jack­son, Mi­chi­gan, where, af­ter a ve­ry touch­ing ad­dress on The Man of Sor­rows, he sang this hymn with great ef­fect. Ma­ny of the pris­on­ers dat­ed their con­ver­sion from that day.

When Mr. Moo­dy and I were in Pa­ris, hold­ing meet­ings in the old church which Na­po­le­on had grant­ed to the Ev­an­ge­li­cals, I fre­quent­ly sang this hymn as a so­lo, ask­ing the con­gre­ga­tion to join in the sing­le phrase, Hal­le­lu­jah, what a Sav­iour, which they did with splen­did ef­fect.

It is said that the word Hal­le­lu­jah is the same in all lan­guag­es. It seems as though God had pre­pared it for the great ju­bi­lee of heav­en, when all his child­ren shall have been ga­thered home to sing Hal­le­lu­jah to the Lamb!

Sankey, pp. 164–65

Lyrics

Man of Sor­rows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sin­ners to re­claim.
Hallelujah! What a Sav­ior!

Bearing shame and scof­fing rude,
In my place con­demned He stood;
Sealed my par­don with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Sav­ior!

Guilty, vile, and help­less we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atone­ment! can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Sav­ior!

Lifted up was He to die;
It is fin­ished! was His cry;
Now in Heav’n ex­alt­ed high.
Hallelujah! What a Sav­ior!

When He comes, our glo­ri­ous king,
All His ran­somed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Sav­ior!