My Favorite Poem

Meir Ben Isaac Nehora, a Jewish priest living in Worms, Germany penned Akdamut in 1096 AD . This is just one portion of the acrostic, which in its entirety contains more than 90 couplets (Silverman):

Were the sky of parchment made,

A quill each reed, each twig and blade,

Could we with ink the oceans fill,

Were every man a scribe of skill,

The marvelous story,

Of God’s great glory

Would still remain untold;

For He, most high

The earth and sky

Created alone of old

Many years later, an altered version of these words were found penciled on a wall in an insane asylum(“The Love of God”). It is assumed that the man in the cell inscribed the wall with these words during moments of sanity. This is his revised form: 

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Tho stretched from sky to sky.

Then in 1917, Fredrick M. Lehman, having heard of the history of this poem and having felt inspired during a period of strenuous physical labor, coined two other verses and a refrain to accompany the poem in a hymn titled “The Love of God” (Osbeck):

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure

The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,

When men, who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call,

God’s love so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—

The saints’ and angels’ song.


Refrain

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

What makes this poem special is how its timeless message of God’s love manifested itself to three unique individuals, and how these individuals used these words. In Akdamut, Meir used the words to exalt one of God’s miracles (which miracle he is specifically describing is unclear and under debate). The unknown asylum patient clung to the verse as a mantra of God’s love and as a source of comfort during his most difficult times. Lastly, Lehman used these words as the foundation for a hymn that has touched the lives of many throughout the years since its conception. Many times we find ourselves singing hymns or reciting verses without appreciating the history of the material. The true beauty of the art can only be fully understood by learning the story behind its creation, as is exampled by this poem’s journey.

Works Cited

Maynard, Brother. "Mightier than the Sword."

Subversive Influence. 14 Sept. 2005. Web. 31 Aug 2011. 

http://subversiveinfluence.com/2005/09/mightier-than-the-sword/

Osbeck, Kenneth. "The Love of God."

A Hymn and its History. Web. 31 Aug 2011. 

http://www.hymnalaccompanist.com/Story/The%20Love%20of%20God.html

Silverman, Morris. "Akdamut - Translated from the Aramaic and Source of the hymn: "O Love of God"." Light to Israel and All Peoples  Web. 31 Aug 2011. 

http://www.edhaor.org/Akdamut.html

"The Love of God." Cyber Hymnal. Web. 31 Aug 2011.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/loveofgo.htm

Here is a link to a recording of the hymn and the verses.