STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS
Shall the vile race of flesh and blood God far above creatures; or, Man vain and mortal, Job 4. 77-21
Isaac Watts printed it in 1707 in Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book I, no. 82, under Job 4:17–21.
WRITTEN BY
Isaac Watts 1674–1748
PRINTED
1707 Hymns and Spiritual Songs · no. 82
METRE
Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 5 stanzas
WRITTEN ON
Job 4:17–21 the verse printed above it
The hymn, and the Scripture in it
All 5 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
Where Watts found it
Watts printed the hymn under Job 4:17–21. The line that comes closest to it is marked.
17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God, or a man more pure than his Maker? 18If God puts no trust in His servants, and He charges His angels with error, 19how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed like a moth! 20They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever. 21Are not their tent cords pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’ JOB 4:17–21 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ JOB 4
Shall the vile race of flesh and blood Contend with their creator, God? Shall mortal worms presume to be More holy, wise, or just than he? STANZA I
Its place in the book
Book I of the hymn book, “Collected from the Holy Scriptures”, holds these hymns in this order: 179 hymns. This is number 82. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.
NO. 82 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Shall the vile race of flesh and blood
Rooted in Scripture. Open for discovery.
A place to read slowly, ask deeply, and follow the connections. Scripture, study and the voices of Christian history, brought together for a lifetime of learning.
SPEND TIME IN THE WORD
- Open the reader
- Books & reading progress
- Compare Scripture editions
- Find a passage
FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS
- Study collections
- People & places
- Faith & apologetics
- Stories of faith
A library with a paper trail.
Meet the authors. Explore the collection. Trace each work to its source.
Download the code.
Open source on GitHub.