STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Mercy and judgment are my song The Magistrate's psalm

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 101, 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. 1

METRE

Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 7 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 101 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 7 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 101, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1I will sing of Your loving devotion and justice; to You, O LORD, I will sing praises. 2I will ponder the way that is blameless— when will You come to me? I will walk in my house with integrity of heart. 3I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. 4A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know nothing of evil. … 4 more verses PSALM 101 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 101

Mercy and judgment are my song; And since they both to thee belong, My gracious God, my righteous King, To thee my songs and vows I bring. 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 1. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 1 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Mercy and judgment are my song

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.