Home Worship Planning History of Hymns Why Have Some Thee and Thou Words in the Hymnal Been Changed to You and Your, While Others Have Not?

Why Have Some Thee and Thou Words in the Hymnal Been Changed to You and Your, While Others Have Not?

When the Enabling Petition approved by the 1984 General Conference established the Hymnal Revision Committee and the process that culminated in our present 1989 United Methodist Hymnal, the guidelines for revising the hymnal's language were short and nonspecific. Through its process, the committee came to agree upon a number of guidelines for various language issues, such as traditional and archaic language, inclusive language, metaphors for God, and pronouns for God and people.

In the case of anachronistic or old language in hymns, the committee took a flexible approach. In some cases, such as Albert F. Bayly's "Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service" (UMH 581), the hymn was completely rendered in contemporary English. The new version of this song changed "who didst on the cross" to "who upon the cross," and also changes "thine" and "thy" to "your." However, in some other hymns, such as "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" (UMH 400), the archaic language was preserved. In this example, the image and meaning of "Ebenezer" as a pile of rocks to mark the distance of a day's journey no longer has meaning to us today. Because the entire hymn could not be recast in contemporary language, the present version retains the old image as well as the "thou" and "mine" rather than "you" and "my."

It is this flexible approach to updating the language of older hymns that has resulted in some hymns being changed to contemporary language while others remain archaic. This is an issue that will be addressed by future General Conferences and hymnal committees. Some people have observed that there was a general trend in hymnal publishing from about the late 1960s through to the present that resulted in updating the language of some older hymns. This is consistent with language changes in our culture in general, which is also reflected in changes in the various style manuals used by publishers, government offices, business and industry, the arts, and certainly the church.

The best source for information about these issues is Carlton Young's Companion to The United Methodist Hymnal (Abingdon Press, 1993), available through Cokesbury stores or catalog (visit their website or call toll free 800-672-1789). Dr. Young was the editor of both the 1989 and 1966 hymnals.

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