Break Thou the Bread of Life

Hymn lyrics and .mp3 Download

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1. Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me, as thou didst break the loaves beside the sea; beyond the sacred page I seek thee, Lord; my spirit pants for thee, O Living Word!

2. Bless thou the truth, dear Lord, to me, to me, as thou didst bless the bread by Galilee; then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall; and I shall find my peace, my all in all.

Words by: Mary A. Lathbury
Music by: William F. Sherwin
Video so you can sing along to Break Thou the Bread of Life

"Break Thou the Bread of Life" — Background and Origin

"Break Thou the Bread of Life" is a Christian hymn written by Mary Artemisia Lathbury (1841–1913), an American poet, educator, and hymn writer. The text emerged from a specific spiritual setting and reflects late-19th-century emphases on Scripture, discipleship, and personal transformation.

Context of Composition (1877)

Lathbury wrote the hymn in 1877 for a summer Bible study program at Chautauqua Institution in New York, a center for adult education and religious formation. She was asked to provide a hymn for a class studying the Gospel of Mark, and she deliberately rooted the imagery in Mark 6:30–44, the feeding of the five thousand. The opening line—“Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me”—draws directly from Jesus breaking bread before distributing it to the crowd. Lathbury used this act as a metaphor for how Christ "breaks open" the Word of God so it can nourish believers spiritually.

Themes and Theology

Although the language of bread and wine might suggest a communion hymn, Lathbury’s primary intent was biblical illumination rather than sacramental theology.
Key themes include:

• Scripture as spiritual nourishment ("the bread of life")
• Christ as teacher and revealer of truth
• Personal encounter with the Word, not mere intellectual study
• Transformation through obedience, culminating in service and love

Later stanzas shift from bread to wine, symbolizing the fullness of Christ’s self-giving, but always in the context of Christ making divine truth accessible to the believer.