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The heavens declare thy glory, Lord The books of nature and of scripture compared; or, The glory and success of the gospel

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 19, 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

Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 6 stanzas

IN HYMNALS

617 listed at Hymnary.org

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

The heavens declare thy glory, Lord

The heavens declare thy glory, Lord,

In every star thy wisdom shines;

But when our eyes behold thy word

We read thy name in fairer lines.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 19, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. 2Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard, 4their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun. … 10 more verses PSALM 19 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 19

The heavens declare thy glory, Lord, In every star thy wisdom shines; But when our eyes behold thy word We read thy name in fairer lines. 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 3. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 3 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN The heavens declare thy glory, Lord

Where hymnals place it

Printed hymnals list, for each hymn, the Bible passages it goes with, so a church can choose a hymn for the day's reading. Gathered from the hymnals Hymnary.org catalogues, editors have tied this hymn to 2 passages in 1 book. One square is one passage; a ringed square is one the hymn's own lines echo. Point at a square to read it; click to open it beside the page.

Psalms 2

PSALM 19:7–14ECHOED IN STANZA V

7The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous. 10They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. … 4 more verses

a passage hymnals tie it to one its lines echo (1)

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