STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

O God of mercy! hear my call Second Part. C. M Repentance and faith in the blood of Christ

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 51:14–17, 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. 5

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 4 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 51:14–17 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

O God of mercy! hear my call

O God of mercy! hear my call,

My loads of guilt remove;

Break down this separating wall

That bars me from thy love.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 51:14–17, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

14Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. 15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. 16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. PSALM 51:14–17 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 51

Give me the presence of thy grace, Then my rejoicing tongue Shall speak aloud thy righteousness, And make thy praise my song. 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 5. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 5 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN O God of mercy! hear my call

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