The Woman at the Well

I like hymns that tell stories from the Bible. Even though, in churches that follow the liturgical year, like most I've ever attended, they're only sung on the Sundays when that particular scripture passage is read (so sometimes, only once every three years).

The story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well is told in John 4:4-42. There are some contemporary hymns that draw from this story, such as Edith Sinclair Downing's When, like the woman at the well (1992) which appears in some newer hymnals. The broader theme of living water is used even more widely in other hymns, even without the accompanying story.

So a few months ago, in a nineteenth-century hymnal, I happened on a hymn which told this story that I had not seen before. The language was quite dated and negative in places, and I knew it would not likely be sung anywhere in its original form. The text doesn't appear in any of the usual online hymn sites, either. So why not make some changes and adapt it for contemporary use? I haven't done this kind of adaptation in quite a while (any changes made so far on my blog hymns were either very minor or were done several years ago with input from others) so I was a little rusty, but I think it's now ready for public display.

O Jesus, once along the road,
At Jacob's lonely well,
An outcast woman heard thee there
Thy great salvation tell.

Samaria's unnamed daughter found
Those streams unknown before,
The water-brooks of life that make
The weary thirst no more.

Today, to us, assembled here,
Thy gracious words have told
That mystery of love, revealed
Beside that well of old.

She told the tale to all she knew,
As we declare it now --
Our deep, divine, unfailing spring
Of grace and glory thou.

In spirit, Christ, we've sat with thee
Around the springing well
Of joy and life, and heard thee there
Its healing virtues tell.

That living water may we drink,
From fear and strife set free,
And like that faithful woman, seek
And find our peace in thee.

Edward Denny, c. 1848; adapt. C.W.S.
Tune: ST. BOTOLPH (C.M.)
Gordon Slater, c. 1930

So what was changed? Two of the original verses are gone (six is probably enough) and one is moved. Several lines are completely new (one replaced was "And Lord, to us, as vile as she"). I wanted to acknowledge that the names of many women in the Bible, unlike those of most men, are not recorded (verse 2). You may still find some of the language outdated, though I don't have a problem with "thee" and "thou" -- the poetic language of hymns is a great part of their history and their appeal.

Going back to read the original passage, I also found an aspect of the story that the original hymnwriter did not include. This woman did not just listen to Jesus talk about salvation -- she went home and told others what she had heard. Nowadays, we (well, many of us) don't even think twice about women preaching. We'll never know, but was that why Edward Denny left out that part of the story? I wanted to get that in, and also that we here today should also go out and tell the story ourselves (verse 4).

Well, the best lines are still Denny's, which is why I wanted to polish up this hymn and maybe bring it back for a few people who wouldn't have seen it otherwise. I think the many, many hymn singers that have gone before us would still recognize this text and I hope that Edward Denny would agree.

P.S. - the drawing above is by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, (roughly) a contemporary of Sir Edward Denny