There is a Green Hill Far Away
Today we explore a beautiful song about the day Jesus died, "There Is a Green Hill Far Away". Its author Cecil Frances Alexander also wrote another classic children’s hymn. Discover the Derry legend that may have inspired the opening lines, and walk through every verse with a full biblical analysis.
Welcome to Friday Classic Hymns. It's Good Friday, and we're going to look at another song of the cross. Over the years I've done some great ones - the Old Rugged Cross, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Beneath the Cross of Jesus, I Fain Would Take My Stand. Beautiful songs of the cross. Today I want to look at There is a Green Hill Far Away.
What do you know of this song? Is it familiar to you? Does it have a special place in your heart? Share your memories of this song in the comments below, and share your thoughts and reflections on the lyrics as well. I'd love to know what the song means to you as we work through it.
Subscribe to the channel if you haven't already, and share this video with someone who might enjoy it.
The Story Behind "There is a Green Hill Far Away"
Cecil Frances Alexander wrote this hymn. She was born in April 1818 in Dublin, and was known as Fanny to her family. Her father was Major John Humphries, a landowner, so they were quite well off. She began writing poetry in her childhood and, as she became an adult, became quite well known for her beautiful poetry and hymns. These began to be published in the 1840s in Church of Ireland hymnals.
By October 1850 she was married to an Anglican clergyman who would later become bishop and archbishop. Alexander did much good work - she was known to be a very charitable person. The money from her hymns went mostly towards relief for the poor, and she was known for travelling many miles to help people with food, clothes, and medical supplies. In fact, some of the money she received for her work went into building the Derry and Raphoe Diocesan Institution for the Deaf and Dumb.
She had a heart for those who needed help, and she truly had a heart for children. Most of her hymns were written in simple language and written for children to sing. Her three most famous hymns are this one, Once in Royal David's City, and All Things Bright and Beautiful - I've done a Friday Classic on that one, so go and have a look.
It was in 1848 that she wrote this song, and it was written specifically for a children's hymnal. It seems she wrote it to explain a line in the Apostles' Creed - the line that says Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. She wanted to take that and put it into understandable language for the children in her environment. The proceeds from that hymnal went towards the institution for the deaf.
There is a legend that she would walk past a green hill every day on her way home to Derry, and possibly, as she meditated on the crucifixion, she would look at that hill and think about the hill of Calvary.
The hymn really became popular in the 1860s when it was paired with a tune called Horsley, and people loved singing it. Her husband believed it was the best song she had ever written, and many people believe it to be the outstanding children's hymn of all time.
Alexander died in the 1890s. In 1913, a stained glass window was installed at St Columb's Cathedral in Derry in her honour, with three lights representing those three great hymns. I think I must do Once in Royal David's City at Christmas time - watch out for that one at Christmas 2026!
What a lovely song. I've started to enjoy learning it this week. Let me take you through the lyrics and see why what she wrote has been so popular over all these years.
What Do the Lyrics of "There is a Green Hill Far Away" Mean?
Verse 1
There is a green hill far away, without a city wall,
where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.
"Without" here means "outside" - some modern hymnals have changed it to read "outside a city wall." Some people have criticised this line, by the way, because the hill at Calvary was not green - it's a rather barren part of the world, so that's probably not the most accurate description of Calvary.
But there is real significance to the "outside the city wall" imagery. In Hebrews 13:12, we read about how Jesus suffered outside the gate, and how this fulfils the pattern of the Old Testament sacrifices, where the substitutionary sacrifices would be taken outside of the city. Jesus, as our substitutionary Lamb - the Lamb of God dying in our place - was crucified outside of the holy city, fulfilling the sacrificial requirements in the Law of Moses.
Where the dear Lord was crucified, who died to save us all.
This death of His, by crucifixion, was for our salvation. He died. We are saved.
Verse 2
We may not know, we cannot tell what pains He had to bear,
but we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there.
She's saying that the suffering He bore on the cross was greater than we'll ever know. We cannot speak to just how great that suffering and pain truly was. But we know that He did it for us. The Bible says He was pierced for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.
Notice how she writes "we believe" - it is those who believe that He is the sacrifice and the Saviour who receive what He offers. Faith is what gives access to these wonderful benefits. It's by grace - it's not by anything you do - but faith is what opens the door.
Verse 3
He died that we might be forgiven, He died to make us good.
His death effects forgiveness for those who believe in Him. Because His blood was shed, our sins can be forgiven. Our guilt is placed on Him and we are cleansed.
"He died to make us good" - this is something a lot of people forget. The death of Christ was not just for your forgiveness, it was to sanctify you as well. It was to make you into a holy person. The whole plan of redemption is not just to forgive you so you can keep on sinning. It's to forgive you so that you can be made new into a holy man or woman of God. He died to make you good. Are you living a good life by the power of the Spirit? Because your faith is in Christ.
That we might go at last to heaven, saved by His precious blood.
The ultimate goal of Jesus' death was to qualify us for heaven. We aren't qualified for heaven by ourselves, because no matter how good we've been, our sin still keeps us away from the presence of a holy God. But by placing our faith in Christ, we are made fit for heaven - our sins are washed away, and He imparts His Spirit so that we become holy and good people. We can then go to heaven because He saved us.
Christianity is sometimes criticised for being a "pie in the sky" thing. It's not just that we hope for heaven - there's more. We want to be good on earth and see the earth reformed by His grace. But ultimately, we do know that when we die, we will be in heaven with Him because we are redeemed by His blood.
And it is precious blood. I love that word - precious blood.
Verse 4
There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in.
None of us are good enough to pay our own price for sin. But Jesus was the perfect man - He never sinned - and so He could offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice to the holy God, and on His behalf we can now enter heaven.
There is no other way. Jesus' claims are exclusive. He only could unlock the gate of heaven and let us in. Only with your faith in Christ are you fitted for heaven.
Verse 5
Oh, dearly, dearly has He loved, and we must love Him too,
and trust in His redeeming blood, and try His works to do.
Oh, I love that phrase - dearly has He loved. It cost Him dearly, but it also speaks of His compassion for us. It's an affectionate phrase - He dearly loved when He did this.
We must love Him. Faith in Christ is not just believing that He is the Son of God - the demons believe that. Saving faith is believing that He is the Son of God and loving Him because of it. That is what saving faith is.
And trust in His redeeming blood, and try His works to do.
We trust that He redeems us by His blood, and then we still try to live the holy life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can.
Conclusion
What a beautiful hymn! What spoke to you as we went through those words? Was there a line that made this song come to life for you? Jesus died on that cross for you - to forgive you, to effect your salvation, and to make you into the person God created you to be. Sing this song with me and marvel at the death of Jesus on the cross, and what it accomplishes for you if you will believe.
Thank you for supporting my work. All your donations mean so much to me and my family. Our newborn twins don't know it yet, but you have blessed them by your support of my channel. Thank you for caring for us and supporting us via PayPal and Patreon. But please don't feel obligated to donate - this is free content, and I hope it blesses you and draws you nearer to our loving God who died on that hill far away.
References
Watson, J.R. "There Is a Green Hill Far Away." The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press / Hymns Ancient and Modern. https://hymnology.hymnsam.co.uk/t/there-is-a-green-hill-far-away
Julian, John. "There Is a Green Hill Far Away." Dictionary of Hymnology (1907). Via Hymnary.org. https://hymnary.org/text/there_is_a_green_hill_far_away
"There Is a Green Hill Far Away." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_is_a_green_hill_far_away
"Cecil Frances Alexander." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Frances_Alexander
Jarman, Mark. "Poets on Hymns: The Green Hill Far Away." Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Spring/Summer 2018. https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/poets-on-hymns-the-green-hill-far-away/
Black, Sandra. "There Is a Green Hill Far Away - A Hymn of Encouragement." Sandra's Ark (2021). https://www.sandrasark.com/2021/04/there-is-green-hill-far-away-easter.html
