“Something for Thee” (also sometimes called “Something for Jesus”) is a hymn that you may have never heard of. Written by Sylvanus D. Phelps in 1862, its tune was composed by Robert Lowry, who wrote tunes to several renowned hymns.
The song’s four verses reflect on Jesus’s role in our justification, advocacy, sanctification, and glorification. While each verse covers its own broad topic, there remains an overall theme throughout the song—a desire to offer something up to the One who gave so much for us.
This hymn shows us how we can use something as small as a stanza to express an expansive subject. With the right combination of prose and brevity, the beauty of a poem can be retained and enhanced, despite—or perhaps because of—the extensive topics it covers.
The key is finding this balance. Sometimes, a song will be pretty simplistic (like“Jesus Loves Me”). Other times, the reader may find themselves delving deep into a foundational doctrine (like “Immortal, Invisible”). “Something for Thee” takes the approach of mentioning a subject and a few of its major points, leaving the rest up to the reader.
For example, in verse 1, the author mentions justification in only two lines: “Savior, Thy dying love/Thou gavest me.” But these lines are enough to prod a believer’s mind towards the thought of their own salvation. This will enable them to more emphatically agree and identify with this willingness to give their all for Jesus.
This plays out in each stanza of the hymn, which you can read below. Click here to listen to the tune on Hymnary.
Something for Thee
Verse 1:
Savior, Thy dying love
Thou gavest me,
Nor should I aught withhold,
Dear Lord, from Thee:
In love my soul would bow,
My heart fulfill its vow,
Some off’ring bring Thee now,
Something for Thee.
Verse 2:
At the blest mercy seat,
Pleading for me,
My feeble faith looks up,
Jesus, to Thee:
Help me the cross to bear,
Thy wondrous love declare,
Some song to raise, or pray’r,
Something for Thee.
Verse 3:
Give me a faithful heart,
Likeness to Thee,
That each departing day
Henceforth may see
Some work of love begun,
Some deed of kindness done,
Some wand’rer sought and won,
Something for Thee.
Verse 4:
All that I am and have,
Thy gifts so free,
In joy, in grief, thro’ life,
Dear Lord, for Thee!
And when Thy face I see,
My ransom’d soul shall be,
Thro’ all eternity,
Something for Thee.
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