STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Blest is the man whose bowels move Charity to the poor; or, Pity to the afflicted

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 41:1–3, 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. 41

METRE

Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 4 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 41:1–3 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

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

Blest is the man whose bowels move

Blest is the man whose bowels move,

And melt with pity to the poor,

Whose soul, by sympathising love,

Feels what his fellow-saints endure.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 41:1–3, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble. 2The LORD will protect and preserve him; He will bless him in the land and refuse to surrender him to the will of his foes. 3The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness and restore him from his bed of sickness. PSALM 41:1–3 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 41

Blest is the man whose bowels move, And melt with pity to the poor, Whose soul, by sympathising love, Feels what his fellow-saints endure. 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 41. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 41 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Blest is the man whose bowels move

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.