STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Great Shepherd of thine Israel The church's prayer under affliction; or, The vineyard of God wasted

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 80, 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. 80

METRE

Long Metre 8.8.8.8 · 12 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 80 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 12 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

Great Shepherd of thine Israel

Great Shepherd of thine Israel,

Who didst between the cherubs dwell,

And led the tribes, thy chosen sheep,

Safe thro' the desert and the deep.

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 80, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth 2before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Rally Your mighty power and come to save us. 3Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved. 4O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people? … 15 more verses PSALM 80 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 80

Great Shepherd of thine Israel, Who didst between the cherubs dwell, And led the tribes, thy chosen sheep, Safe thro' the desert and the deep. 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 80. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 80 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN Great Shepherd of thine Israel

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.