STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Lord, thou hast seen my soul sincere Second Part. L. M Sincerity proved and rewarded

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 18:20–26, 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. 2

METRE

Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 6 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 18:20–26 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 6 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

Lord, thou hast seen my soul sincere

Lord, thou hast seen my soul sincere,

Hast made thy truth and love appear;

Before mine eyes I set thy laws,

And thou hast own'd my righteous cause.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 18:20–26, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

20The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. 21For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes. 23And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity. 24So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. 25To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless; 26to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd. PSALM 18:20–26 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 18

Since I have learnt thy holy ways, I've walk'd upright before thy face; Or if my feet did e'er depart, 'Twas never with a wicked heart. 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 2. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 2 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Lord, thou hast seen my soul sincere

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