STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

O blessed souls are they Forgiveness of sins upon confession

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 32, 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 · 4 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 32 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

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 32, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. 4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah … 7 more verses PSALM 32 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 32

O blessed souls are they Whose sins are cover'd o'er! Divinely blest, to whom the Lord imputes their guilt no more. 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 O blessed souls are they

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