STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Judges, who rule the world by laws Warning to magistrates

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 58, 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. 58

METRE

8.8.8.8.8.8 6 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 58 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

Judges, who rule the world by laws

Judges, who rule the world by laws,

Will ye despise the righteous cause,

When th' injur'd poor before you stands?

Dare ye condemn the righteous poor,

And let rich sinners 'scape secure,

While gold and greatness bribe your hands?

No line of this stanza quotes a verse closely; it is the hymn's own confession.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 58, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? 2No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth. 3The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth. 4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears, … 7 more verses PSALM 58 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 58

A poison'd arrow is your tongue, The arrow sharp, the poison strong, And death attends where'er it wounds: You hear no counsels, cries or tears; So the deaf adder stops her ears Against the power of charming sounds. STANZA III

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 58. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 58 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Judges, who rule the world by laws

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.