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The Lord, how wondrous are his ways! Psalm 103 Part 2

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 103:8–18, printed in 1719 in The Psalms of David Imitated, where he set the psalms "in the language of the New Testament".

WRITTEN BY

Isaac Watts 1674–1748

PRINTED

1719 The Psalms of David Imitated · no. 2

METRE

Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 9 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 103:8–18 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 9 stanzas as Watts 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

The Lord, how wondrous are his ways

The Lord, how wondrous are his ways!

How firm his truth! how large his grace!

He takes his mercy for his throne,

And thence he makes his glories known.

No line of this stanza quotes a verse closely; it is the hymn's own confession.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 103:8–18, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. 9He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. 10He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities. 11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. 12As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 14For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust. 15As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower of the field; 16when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more. 17But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children— 18to those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts. PSALM 103:8–18 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 103

The mighty God, the wise and just, Knows that our frame is feeble dust; And will no heavy loads impose Beyond the strength that he bestows. STANZA VII

Its place in the book

Watts's psalms run from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, several settings to many psalms: 367 hymns. This is number 2. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 2 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN The Lord, how wondrous are his ways!

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