STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

God of my childhood and my youth Third Part The aged Christian's prayer and song; or, Old age, death, and the resurrection

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 71:17–21, 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. 3

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 8 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 71:17–21 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

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

God of my childhood and my youth

God of my childhood and my youth,

The guide of all my days,

I have declar'd thy heavenly truth,

And told thy wondrous ways.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 71:17–21, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

17O God, You have taught me from my youth, and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds. 18Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come. 19Your righteousness reaches to the heavens, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You? 20Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes, You will revive me once again. Even from the depths of the earth You will bring me back up. 21You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. PSALM 71:17–21 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 71

God of my childhood and my youth, The guide of all my days, I have declar'd thy heavenly truth, And told thy wondrous ways. 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 3. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 3 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN God of my childhood and my youth

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