Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed is a hymn by Isaac Watts, published in 1707 under the title Godly Sorrow arising from the Sufferings of Christ. It asks, with amazement, why the sinless Son of God would die for sinners, and answers that it was amazing pity and grace unknown It ends with a gift of the whole self: Here, Lord, I give myself away, 'tis all that I can do. In 1885 Ralph Hudson added the famous refrain At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light. It is sung in Lent, on Good Friday and at communion.
Isaac Watts wrote hundreds of hymns, and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross is usually called his greatest. This one is its companion: shorter, more personal and almost entirely made of questions. Did my Saviour bleed? Was it for crimes that I had done? The singer stands at the foot of the cross and cannot get over what he sees. The hymn has a famous place in later history too. Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, said that she came to assurance of faith in 1850 while this hymn was being sung at a revival meeting in New York, at the words Here, Lord, I give myself away. Below are five of Watts's verses as printed in 1894, then 12 KJV passages that stand behind them, from Isaiah 53 to Paul's call to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.
Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed: the words
Verse 1
Alas! and did my Saviour bleed?
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
Verse 2
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Verse 3
Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man, the creature's sin.
Verse 4
Thus might I hide my blushing face,
While His dear cross appears;
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.
Verse 5
But drops of grief can ne'er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
'Tis all that I can do.
Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748), Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707), Book 2, under the title Godly Sorrow arising from the Sufferings of Christ. Text copied from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 Complete (New York and Chicago, 1894), hymn 79, checked against William B. Bradbury's Devotional Hymn and Tune Book (Philadelphia, 1864), hymn 514 (both Internet Archive scans). Watts wrote six verses; like both of those books, we leave out his third, which begins Thy body slain. Hymn 79 adds a chorus beginning Help me, dear Saviour, Thee to own; it is quoted in the notes below. Many modern hymnals change the fourth line to For sinners such as I. Usual tunes: Martyrdom (Hugh Wilson, about 1800) or Hudson (with the At the Cross refrain). Public domain.
Did my Sovereign die? For such a worm as I
1. Isaiah 53:4
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."
The hymn's opening questions come from the same astonishment as Isaiah 53. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Those who watched the Servant suffer thought He was being punished for His own sins. Only later did they realize the truth: He was carrying theirs. Watts's question, Was it for crimes that I had done he groaned upon the tree?, is the moment of that realization. The suffering was real, and the guilt was ours. See our page on Isaiah 53 for the whole chapter.
2. 1 Peter 2:24
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
Peter, who had run away on the night of Jesus' arrest, later wrote, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Watts uses the same old word for the cross, the tree. His own self means no substitute for the Substitute. Jesus did not send an angel or a lesser servant; He bore our sins Himself, in His own body. The purpose was not only forgiveness but a new life lived unto righteousness, which is where the hymn ends: Here, Lord, I give myself away.
3. Romans 5:8
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Watts calls it love beyond degree, love that cannot be measured. Paul measures it the only way it can be measured, by who it was for: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. People sometimes die for good friends. Christ died for those who were still His enemies. That is why the hymn's first word is Alas. The singer is not only grateful but ashamed to realize what his sin cost. Godly sorrow, the title Watts gave the hymn, is the grief of knowing we were loved like that. See our Bible verses about God's love.
4. Psalms 22:6
"But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people."
The line For such a worm as I offends many modern singers, and many hymnals change it to For sinners such as I. But the word comes from Scripture, and from a surprising place. In Psalm 22, the psalm Jesus quoted on the cross, the sufferer says, But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. On the cross Christ Himself was treated as a worm. Watts uses the word to describe our lowliness before God, but the psalm shows something deeper. Jesus took the place of a worm so that sinners could be lifted up as children of God.
Well might the sun in darkness hide: grief at the cross
5. Luke 23:44-45
"And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst."
The third verse, Well might the sun in darkness hide, and shut his glories in, recalls what happened at noon on Good Friday: And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. For three hours the light failed. Watts suggests that creation itself was ashamed to look upon what was being done to its Maker. Then the temple veil tore from top to bottom, opening the way into God's presence. The darkness of the cross brought the light of access to God.
6. Hebrews 1:2
"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;"
Watts's boldest line is When Christ, the mighty Maker, died for man, the creature's sin. The One on the cross was not only a good man but the Maker of the man who crucified Him. Hebrews says God Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. The hands that made the worlds were nailed to wood those hands had made. The Creator died for the creature's sin. No wonder the sun hid. Watts wanted singers to feel the shock of that reversal every time they sang it.
7. Zechariah 12:10
"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."
The fourth verse prays, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, and melt mine eyes to tears. Zechariah foresaw that kind of grief: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son. John quotes this prophecy at the cross (John 19:37). Notice that the grief is a gift, poured out by God as a spirit of grace and of supplications. Godly sorrow is not despair. It is the softening of a hard heart by the sight of the pierced Saviour, and it leads to repentance and new life (2 Corinthians 7:10).
8. Luke 23:48
"And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned."
And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. Smiting the breast was a sign of grief and repentance. The crowd that had come to watch an execution went home shaken. Watts's line Thus might I hide my blushing face while His dear cross appears belongs with them. The cross exposes us. We see what sin is when we see what it did to Jesus. But the same sight that makes us blush also shows us how far God's love will go, so the singer does not run from the cross but stays to give himself.
Here, Lord, I give myself away: the debt of love
9. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."
What moves a person to say Here, Lord, I give myself away? Paul answers: For the love of Christ constraineth us. Constrain means to hold in and press forward, like a river between banks. Paul goes on: he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. That is the logic of the last verse. If Christ died for me, my life is no longer my own. Watts does not say giving ourselves earns anything. He says it is the only fitting answer to love like this.
10. Romans 13:8
"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
But drops of grief can ne'er repay the debt of love I owe. Paul uses the same picture of a debt that can never be paid off: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Every other debt can be settled. The debt of love stays open for life, and it is the one debt Christians are glad to owe. Watts is clear that our tears cannot pay for sin; only Christ's blood could do that. What remains is the debt of love, paid day by day in gratitude to God and love for others.
11. Luke 23:42
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
Gospel Hymns printed this hymn with a chorus after each verse: Help me, dear Saviour, Thee to own, and ever faithful be; and when Thou sittest on Thy throne, O Lord, remember me. The last line is the prayer of the thief who died beside Jesus: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Jesus answered, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. The thief had nothing to give but a dying confession of faith, and it was enough. The chorus puts every singer beside him, asking to be remembered by the King on the cross.
12. Romans 12:1
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
The hymn's final line, Here, Lord, I give myself away, 'tis all that I can do, is Romans 12:1 set to music. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. By the mercies of God means because of all God has done in Christ. A living sacrifice is not killed on an altar; it keeps living, offered to God each day. Fanny Crosby said these words brought her to peace. They remain the simplest response anyone can make to the cross: I give myself. See our surrender verses.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, my Saviour and my Sovereign, You bled and died for me. It was for my sins that You groaned upon the tree, and I can only call it amazing pity and love beyond degree. Mighty Maker, You died for the creature's sin. Melt my heart in thankfulness and let me never look at Your cross with dry eyes or a cold heart. I cannot repay the debt of love I owe, so here, Lord, I give myself away. Remember me, and keep me faithful until I see You on Your throne. Amen.
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed?
Isaac Watts (1674-1748), the English pastor often called the father of English hymnody. He published it in Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1707) under the title Godly Sorrow arising from the Sufferings of Christ. Watts also wrote When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Joy to the World and O God, Our Help in Ages Past.
What is the difference between Alas and Did My Savior Bleed and At the Cross?
At the Cross is Watts's hymn with a refrain added by Ralph E. Hudson in 1885: At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day. Gospel Hymns (1894) prints both versions, the plain hymn as No. 79 and At the Cross as No. 305.
Why does the hymn say such a worm as I?
Watts was echoing Psalm 22:6, where the sufferer says I am a worm, and no man, and Job 25:6, which calls man a worm. The point is our smallness and sinfulness before a holy God, not that people have no worth. Many hymnals now print For sinners such as I instead.
What Bible verses is Alas and Did My Savior Bleed based on?
Mainly the crucifixion accounts, especially Luke 23:44-48 (the darkness and the crowd smiting their breasts), with Isaiah 53:4-5, Romans 5:8, Psalm 22:6, Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 12:1, the call to present ourselves to God, behind the last verse.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross · The Old Rugged Cross · Jesus Paid It All · Lent Hymns · The Seven Last Words of Jesus · Good Friday · The Cross · Repentance
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