“Who Knows When Death May Overtake Me” is a hymn on dying a Christian death written by Emilie Juliane of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1637-1706). The eleven stanzas tell of the peace found in Christ despite the daily possibility of dying, each ending with the refrain, “My God, for Jesus’ sake I pray, Thy peace may bless my dying day.” The author herself was not unfamiliar with the pain of death—she was born in 1637 as her parents were fleeing persecution during The Thirty Years’ War, lost both of her parents by the age of five, and knew through the upheaval and loss of her childhood that consolation is only found in Christ in His Word and Sacraments. This setting of the hymn was inspired by elements of Johann Walter’s (1496-1570) compositions, especially the placement of the melody in the tenor voice.
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