STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Let every tongue thy goodness speak &c. Third Part Mercy to sufferers; or, God hearing prayer

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 145:14, 17–21, 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. 4

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 7 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 145:14, 17–21 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

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

Let every tongue thy goodness speak

Let every tongue thy goodness speak,

Thou sovereign Lord of all;

Thy strengthening hands uphold the weak,

And raise the poor that fall.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 145:14, 17–21, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

14The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 17The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. 18The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. 19He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. 20The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. 21My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD; let every creature bless His holy name forever and ever. PSALM 145:14, 17–21 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 145

When sorrow bows the spirit down, Or virtue lies distrest Beneath some proud oppressor's frown, Thou giv'st the mourners rest. STANZA II

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

NO. 4 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Let every tongue thy goodness speak

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.