STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Arise, my gracious God &c. S. M Portion of saints and sinners; or, Hope and despair in death

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 17, 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

Short Metre 6.6.8.6 · 5 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 17 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

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

Arise, my gracious God

Arise, my gracious God,

And make the wicked flee;

They are but thy chastising rod

To drive thy saints to thee.

The psalm it sets

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

1Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer— it comes from lips free of deceit. 2May my vindication come from Your presence; may Your eyes see what is right. 3You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I have resolved not to sin with my mouth. 4As for the deeds of men— by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. … 11 more verses PSALM 17 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 17

Arise, my gracious God, And make the wicked flee; They are but thy chastising rod To drive thy saints to thee. 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 Arise, my gracious God

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