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The Lord, the Judge, before his throne First Part. C. M The last judgment; or, The saints rewarded
Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 50:1–6, 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
Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 6 stanzas
WRITTEN ON
Psalm 50:1–6 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
The Lord, the Judge, before his throne
The Lord, the Judge, before his throne,
Bids the whole earth draw nigh,
The nations near the rising sun,
And near the western sky.
The psalm it sets
Watts made this hymn from Psalm 50:1–6, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.
1The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from where the sun rises to where it sets. 2From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. 3Our God approaches and will not be silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around Him. 4He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that He may judge His people: 5“Gather to Me My saints, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” 6And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah PSALM 50:1–6 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 50
The Lord, the Judge, before his throne, Bids the whole earth draw nigh, The nations near the rising sun, And near the western sky. 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 The Lord, the Judge, before his throne
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