50 Names

by John Miner

Background

The expanded title of this song could be: “50 Names, Titles and Appellations of Jesus”, found in Scripture.

Years ago, while listening to a sermon on the many names given to Jesus, I was taken by the thought, “I wonder if I could write a song with lyrics consisting only of the names of Jesus to help us recall and consider many of the attributes and roles of the Son of God and Man?”. Soon this idea became an obsession and I spent many hours scouring the Bible, concordances, and other reference books trying to collect as many of the names of Jesus into a list, as I could find. There are an incredible number and it was hard to decide which ones to leave out. (I have since managed to lose that master list, but as I recall the number was well over 100 names.) Soon I began to craft a melody that would accommodate both 3 and 4 syllable names and placed particular names together (that seemed to me to be connected somehow) to create rhythmic and rhyming patterns. In the intervening years, the song has been modified and shaped into its current form. It turns out the names, titles and characteristics of Jesus do tell us much about Him, His work on earth, His sacrificial death and resurrection life, and His desired relationship with us. I believe this song can be used to meditate on and to contemplate the many facets of, and complex nature of Jesus Christ, Lamb of God.

Some may recognize the short section of melody that I borrowed for the introduction and ending, which comes from “There’s Just Something About That Name” by Bill and Gloria Gaither.

This is the first of my recordings that has prominently featured “strings” courtesy of Keith, my multi-talented producer. Great job, Keith.

Guitars – John Miner and Keith Kopatz
Piano - Rick Drake
String Arrangement – Keith Kopatz
Bass – Keith Kopatz
Vocals - John Miner

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Lead Sheet (Coming Soon)
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3:19

50 Names

John Miner