STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

"Yet (saith the Lord) if David's race &c. Fifth Part The covenant of grace unchangeable; or, Afflictions without rejection

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 89:30–52, 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. 6

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 6 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 89:30–52 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

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 89:30–52, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

30If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, 31if they violate My statutes and fail to keep My commandments, 32I will attend to their transgression with the rod, and to their iniquity with stripes. 33But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him, nor ever betray My faithfulness. 34I will not violate My covenant or alter the utterance of My lips. 35Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness— I will not lie to David— 36his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun, 37like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah 38Now, however, You have spurned and rejected him; You are enraged by Your anointed one. 39You have renounced the covenant with Your servant and sullied his crown in the dust. 40You have broken down all his walls; You have reduced his strongholds to rubble. 41All who pass by plunder him; he has become a reproach to his neighbors. 42You have exalted the right hand of his foes; You have made all his enemies rejoice. 43You have bent the edge of his sword and have not sustained him in battle. 44You have ended his splendor and cast his throne to the ground. 45You have cut short the days of his youth; You have covered him with shame. Selah 46How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire? 47Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men! 48What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah 49Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old, which You faithfully swore to David? 50Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants, which I bear in my heart from so many people— 51how Your enemies have taunted, O LORD, and have mocked every step of Your anointed one! 52Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and amen. PSALM 89:30–52 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 89

"Their sins I'll visit with the rod, "And make their folly smart; "But I'll not cease to be their God, "Nor from my truth depart. 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 6. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 6 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN "Yet (saith the Lord) if David's race

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.