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Behold the sure foundation-stone Third Part Christ the foundation of his church

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 118:22–23, 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. 3

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 4 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 118:22–23 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 4 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

Behold the sure foundation-stone

Which God in Zion lays

To build our heavenly hopes upon,

And his eternal praise.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 118:22–23, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

22The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes. PSALM 118:22–23 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 118

The foolish builders, scribe and priest, Reject it with disdain; Yet on this rock the church shall rest, And envy rage in vain. STANZA III

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

NO. 3 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Behold the sure foundation-stone

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