We Plough the Fields and Scatter
Encyclopedia
We Plough the Fields and Scatter is an English hymn commonly associated with harvest festival
. The hymn was originally German, by poet Matthias Claudius
, 'Wir pflügen und wir streuen' published in 1782, and set to music in 1800, and attributed to Johann A. P. Schulz. It was translated into English by Jane Montgomery Campbell in 1861. It appears in a shortened form in the musical "Godspell," as the song, "All Good Gifts."
It is among the most performed of hymns in the UK.
We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land;
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
Chorus
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.
He only is the maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.
Chorus
We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
Chorus
Verse 3 was revised to make it better suited to the harvest in Hymns Ancient and Modern
, 1868 Appendix:
We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
Accept the gifts we offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But what Thou most desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
The hymn references Acts 14:17 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2014:17&version=KJV (verse 1), James 1:17 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:17&version=KJV (chorus), Psalm 65:7 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2065:7&version=KJV Matthew 6:26 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%206:26&version=KJV (verse 2, line 3), and the Lord's Prayer
(verse 2, line 4).
Harvest festival
A Harvest Festival is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world...
. The hymn was originally German, by poet Matthias Claudius
Matthias Claudius
Matthias Claudius was a German poet, otherwise known by the penname of “Asmus”.-Life:Claudius was born at Reinfeld, near Lübeck, and studied at Jena...
, 'Wir pflügen und wir streuen' published in 1782, and set to music in 1800, and attributed to Johann A. P. Schulz. It was translated into English by Jane Montgomery Campbell in 1861. It appears in a shortened form in the musical "Godspell," as the song, "All Good Gifts."
It is among the most performed of hymns in the UK.
Lyrics
as published 1861 in A Garland of Songs.We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land;
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.
Chorus
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.
He only is the maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.
Chorus
We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
Chorus
Verse 3 was revised to make it better suited to the harvest in Hymns Ancient and Modern
Hymns Ancient and Modern
Hymns Ancient and Modern was a hymnal in common use within the Church of England. Over the years it has grown into a large family of hymnals....
, 1868 Appendix:
We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
Accept the gifts we offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But what Thou most desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
The hymn references Acts 14:17 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2014:17&version=KJV (verse 1), James 1:17 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%201:17&version=KJV (chorus), Psalm 65:7 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2065:7&version=KJV Matthew 6:26 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%206:26&version=KJV (verse 2, line 3), and the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
(verse 2, line 4).