Closing Chorus Part 1
O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß
Chorus
•Chorus, Ripieno
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No. 31part_35O man, bewail thy grievous sin,
For which Christ left his Father's bosom,
And came upon earth;
Of a virgin pure and tender
He was born here for us,
He would become the Intercessor.
To the dead he gave life
And laid aside all sickness,
Until the time pressed,
That he should be sacrificed for us,
Bearing the heavy burden of our sins
Long upon the cross.
German
English
O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß,
Darum Christus seins Vaters Schoß
Äußert und kam auf Erden;
Von einer Jungfrau rein und zart
Für uns er hier geboren ward,
Er wollt der Mittler werden.
Den Toten er das Leben gab
Und legt dabei all Krankheit ab,
Bis sich die Zeit herdränge,
Dass er für uns geopfert würd,
Trüg unsrer Sünden schwere Bürd
Wohl an dem Kreuze lange.
O man, bewail thy grievous sin,
For which Christ left his Father's bosom,
And came upon earth;
Of a virgin pure and tender
He was born here for us,
He would become the Intercessor.
To the dead he gave life
And laid aside all sickness,
Until the time pressed,
That he should be sacrificed for us,
Bearing the heavy burden of our sins
Long upon the cross.
Modern adaptation
O man, weep for your sins. To take away those sins, Christ left heaven to become human and sacrifice himself on the cross.
Did you know?
Bach originally wrote this piece as the opening chorus for his St John Passion (1724). He later moved it to the end of Part 1 of the St Matthew, where it serves as a grand moment of reflection.
Did you know?
Bach schreef dit koor in precies 123 maten. Dat is 41 × 3. Bach 'signeerde' zijn werken soms met getallen: JSBACH = 41 (optelling van letters). De × 3 staat voor de Triniteit.
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