STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

My God, permit my tongue Seeking God

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 63, 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. 4

METRE

Short Metre 6.6.8.6 · 8 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 63 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 8 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 63, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water. 2So I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory. 3Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You. 4So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift my hands. … 7 more verses PSALM 63 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 63

My thirsty fainting soul Thy mercy doth implore; Not travellers in desert lands Can pant for water more. 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 4. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 4 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN My God, permit my tongue

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