Veilig in Jesus se Arms
Afrikaans gesang, after Fanny Crosby (1868) · Afrikaans
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“Veilig in Jesus se arms…”
Crosby's English text of 1868 is public domain, but the Afrikaans translation in the hymnals is a twentieth-century text still under copyright, and its wording varies between hymnal editions and congregations — so we do not print the Afrikaans words. Check your hymnal and print the title and hymn number; the English verses can be printed alongside if guests from overseas will sing.
The story of this hymn
Fanny Crosby, blind from infancy and the most prolific hymn writer of her age, composed 'Safe in the arms of Jesus' in 1868 in a matter of minutes, after William Doane played her a new melody and asked what it said. It became one of the most sung funeral hymns of its century — above all at the funerals of children — and 'Veilig in Jesus se arms' holds the same place among Afrikaans congregations.
Where it sits in the service
Sung after the tributes or at the committal, and often softly at the graveside; it is the hymn Afrikaans families reach for first at the funeral of a child. A soloist singing the opening verse before the congregation joins is a common and kind arrangement. Wording differs slightly between hymnals, so print the number from your congregation's book.
In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Hymn — Veilig in Jesus se Arms” with the leader or choir named beside it.
How it is actually sung
The Afrikaans “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”, gentle and quiet, and chosen most often for a child’s funeral or for someone who died after a long illness. It is not a hymn for a full congregation to lift — it belongs to a small service, and in a large church it can disappear entirely unless a soloist carries it. Take it slowly.
Printing the words
Confirm the gesang number with the church. For a small service the number alone is enough; the congregation will be holding hymnals.
This is practical guidance rather than legal advice. Reproduction rights vary by territory, by hymnal edition and by the licence your church holds — the church office is the right place to ask, and they answer this question often.
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