STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

What a stiff rebellious house Second Part. Israel's rebellion and punishment; or, The sins and chastisements of God's people

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 78, 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. 2

METRE

Not recorded 8 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 78 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

What a stiff rebellious house

Was Jacob's ancient race!

False to their own most solemn vows,

And to their Maker's grace.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 78, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Give ear, O my people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth. 2I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning, 3that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us. 4We will not hide them from their children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed. … 68 more verses PSALM 78 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 78

What a stiff rebellious house Was Jacob's ancient race! False to their own most solemn vows, And to their Maker's grace. 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 2. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 2 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN What a stiff rebellious house

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