STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

High in the heav'ns, eternal God Psalm 36

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 36:5–9, 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. 36

METRE

Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 6 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 36:5–9 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 6 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

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 36:5–9, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

5Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds. 6Your righteousness is like the highest mountains; Your judgments are like the deepest sea. O LORD, You preserve man and beast. 7How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings! 8They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights. 9For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. PSALM 36:5–9 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 36

High in the heav'ns, eternal God, Thy goodness in full glory shines Thy truth shall break through every cloud That veils and darkens thy designs. STANZA I

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 36. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 36 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN High in the heav'ns, eternal God

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