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Ye sons of earth prepare the plow The sower

William Cowper printed it in 1779 in Olney Hymns, Book I, no. 85, under Matthew 13:3.

WRITTEN BY

William Cowper 1731–1800

PRINTED

1779 Olney Hymns · no. 85

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 6 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Matthew 13:3 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 6 stanzas as Cowper printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

AMONG THE SCRIPTURES

The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.

a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here

STANZA I

Ye sons of earth prepare the plow

Ye sons of earth prepare the plow,

Break up your fallow ground!

The Sower is gone forth to sow,

And scatter blessings round.

Where Cowper found it

Cowper printed the hymn under Matthew 13:3. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. MATTHEW 13:3 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ MATTHEW 13

Ye sons of earth prepare the plow, Break up your fallow ground! The Sower is gone forth to sow, And scatter blessings round. STANZA I

Its place in the book

Book I of Olney Hymns walks through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, one hymn per passage: 141 hymns. This is number 85. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 85 · WILLIAM COWPER · THIS HYMN Ye sons of earth prepare the plow

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