“Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted” is perhaps the best passion hymn you’ve (probably) never heard of. It is sadly absent from many modern hymnals and functionally absent from many contemporary congregations. One of the tests for whether a song is worthy of congregational singing is whether it rewards extended contemplation, i.e. is this a song whose meaning (like the Psalms) is only further deepened upon study? I believe that this hymn does reward such contemplation and hope to explain why in this brief study of its lyrics, poetics, and music:
| Lyrics | Scripture References |
| Stricken, smitten, and afflicted, See him dying on the tree! ‘Tis the Christ by man rejected; Yes, my soul, ’tis he, ’tis he. ‘Tis the long-expected Prophet, David’s Son, yet David’s Lord; By his Son God now has spoken: ‘Tis the true and faithful Word. Tell me, ye who hear him groaning, Was there ever grief like his? Friends through fear his cause disowning, Foes insulting his distress; Many hands were raised to wound him, None would interpose to save; But the deepest stroke that pierced him Was the stroke that Justice gave. Ye who think of sin but lightly Nor suppose the evil great Here may view its nature rightly, Here its guilt may estimate. Mark the Sacrifice appointed, See who bears the awful load; ‘Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God. Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost; Christ’s the Rock of our salvation, His the name of which we boast. Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt! None shall ever be confounded Who on him their hope have built. | Isa. 53:4 Gal. 3:13, Matt. 27:35, Mark 15:20 Isa. 53:3, Ps. 22:6 Deut. 18:18, Acts 3:22 Ps. 110:1, Matt. 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42 Heb. 1:1-2, John 14:20 John 1:1, Rev. 1:5, 3:14, 19:11-13 Ps. 22:1, Matt. 27:46 Isa. 53:3, 10 Matt. 26:47-50, John 18:15-18, Ps. 41:9 Matt. 27:29, 31, 44, Mark 15:31 Acts 4:24 Mark 15:31 Rom. 3:25-26, Isa. 53:5, 10. Rom. 6:1 Isa. 53:10 Heb. 5:5, John 1:29, John 1:1, Acts 4:26 Mark 13:26, 1:1 Isa. 28:16, 1 Cor. 3:11, Heb. 12:2 Ps. 18:1-2, 46:1 Ps. 18:46, 66:2, 6-7 1 Cor. 1:31, Gal. 6:14 John 1:29, 36 Isa. 53:10 Isa. 54:4-5, John 10:28-29 Isa. 28:16, 2 Pet. 2:6 |
Lyrics
This hymn is a masterpiece of Scriptural reflection written by Thomas Kelly in 1804. Much of the hymn is a reflection on the suffering servant song from Isaiah 53, though Kelly masterfully weaves in other biblical allusions and themes. In this hymn we address one another, calling one another to look upon the crucified Christ and reckon with the significance of His sacrificial death. The general outline of the hymn is as follows:
Verses 1-2: Christ’s suffering and death
Verses 3-4: Its significance for us
A more detailed outline shows the link between verses 1-3 and 2-4
Verse 1: Identity of the Stricken One
Verse 2: Suffering of the Christ
Verse 3: What we learn from His identity
Verse 4: What His suffering means for us
Verse 1 begins with a line taken directly from Isaiah 53:3 and continues with other references throughout. The focus of this verse is the identity of the one who is crucified – notice just how many titles Kelly uses: Christ, Prophet, David’s son, David’s Lord, Son of God, Word. Kelly picks back up on many of these titles in verse 3 and adds the titles: Sacrifice and Son of Man. These titles alone teach more Christology than found in many other songs.
Verse 2 leads us into a contemplation of the terrible suffering of Christ on the cross for sin. He is disowned and betrayed by His closest friends, mocked by His enemies, and the victim of “many hands,” a summary of peter’s statement in Acts 4:26-27,
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’ – for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel
But Kelly is not content to focus on the horizontal level – he pushes to the deeper significance of Christ’s suffering by reminding us that the deepest wound was that of bearing the just wrath of God against sin.
Verse 3 brings to bear the identity of this suffering Messiah on those who consider sin a light and trivial matter. By singing this verse, we remind one another that the standard for judging the seriousness of sin is not the effects we perceive, not our subjective sense of harm, nor our culture’s moral standards (or lack thereof), but the exalted identity of the one who died as a sacrifice to take away sin’s guilt – He is none other than “the Word, the Lord’s Anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.” How different is this verse from those popular teachers telling us that the cross is a revelation of our value! On the contrary, it is a revelation of the depth of our sin.
Drawing from Isaiah 28:16 (cf. Rom. 9:33, 1 Pet. 2:6), verse 4 then brings the death of Christ to bear on lost and helpless sinners. It is at the cross that we find our firm foundation and refuge, Christ is the rock of our salvation. Because of who Christ is as the Lamb slain to take away the guilt and stain of sin – those who hope in Him shall never be put to shame.
Poetics
Each verse of this hymn contains two sets of four lines with alternating lengths of either 8 or 7 syllables (8.7.8.7. D). Kelly composed the hymn in remarkably consistent trochaic meter (stressed-unstressed) which lends a punchiness to the lines in – because the first syllable of each line is stressed) contrast to the more bouncy feel of iambic meter. This is fitting given the subject matter of this hymn. Furthermore, the fact that the even numbered lines have only seven syllables it means that they also end with a stressed syllable and those words are emphasized. In verse 1, “tree…he…Lord…Word” are all emphasized both by the meter and (as we’ll see) by being held out for a full note as the end of the musical line.
The rhyme scheme is consistent throughout (except in lines 5 and 7 of verse 1): ABABCDCD. The consistency of the meter and rhyme scheme without sacrificing either content or clarity shows Kelly’s mastery over this genre. Furthermore, the same consistency makes this hymn especially memorable for congregations or individuals who wish to commit it to memory and so let the word of Christ dwell in them richly (Col. 3:16).
Music
The tune most commonly used for this hymn is O mein Jesu, Ich muss sterben (O my Jesus, I must die). Written in G minor, this tune carries the content of the lyrics remarkably well. The alternating sets of quarter notes and half notes, combined with the full note at the end of each musical line and the total absence of any note shorter than a quarter, gives the tune a stately and serious tone – almost that of a solemn procession – one remarkably fit for a passion hymn.
The tune is in a modified bar form with four musical lines AABA’. The first musical line is repeated and comprises the first four lines of each stanza. The third musical line (B) reaches up to the minor 6th (Eb) and then falls down to the major 2nd (A), which sets up for the final line (A’) to develop the original motif and end with three full measures repeating the end of A and ending on the tonic (G), the same note on which the melody of A and A’ begins. This modified bar form allows for both musical development, memorability, and singability. Because the melody goes no lower than an F# and no higher than an Eb it is well within the range of most congregants.
Conclusion
Thomas Kelly did the church a great service when he wrote, “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted” and it deserves to be placed on a list along with Bernard of Clairvaux’s “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” as among the best passion hymns of the church. The poetry and music come together to powerfully convey the truth of the lyrics and drive them into the hearts of the singing congregation. “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted” is a beautifully crafted hymn reflecting on the passion of Christ and will greatly serve any church that adds it to its repertoire.
Servant of the Sovereign 