STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Not to ourselves, who are but dust First Metre. The true God our refuge; or, Idolatry reproved

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 115, 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 · 8 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 115 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 8 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

Not to ourselves, who are but dust

Not to ourselves, who are but dust,

Not to ourselves is glory due,

Eternal God, thou only just,

Thou only gracious, wise, and true.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 115, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness. 2Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases. 4Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. … 14 more verses PSALM 115 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 115

Not to ourselves, who are but dust, Not to ourselves is glory due, Eternal God, thou only just, Thou only gracious, wise, and true. 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 Not to ourselves, who are but dust

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