Scripture Verse

He thunders with a mighty voice. Job 37:4

Introduction

Words: Is­aac Watts, Ho­ræ Ly­ri­cæ, Book 1, 1706, pag­es 73–74, alt.

Music: Old 100th at­trib­ut­ed to Lou­is Bour­geois, in Four Score and Se­ven Psalms of Da­vid (Ge­ne­va, Swit­zer­land: 1551) (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Lyrics

O the immense, th’amazing height,
The boundless grandeur of our God,
Who treads the worlds beneath His feet,
And sways the nations with His nod!

He speaks, and lo! all nature shakes,
Heav’n’s ev­er­last­ing pillars bow;
He rends the clouds with hideous cracks,
And shoots His fiery arrows through.

Well, let the nations start and fly
From lightning’s blazing, horrid glare;
Atheists and emperors shrink and die
When flame and noise torment the air.

Let noise and flame confound the skies,
And drown the spacious realms below,
Yet will we sing the Thunderer’s praise,
And send our loud hosannas through.

Celestial King, Thy blazing power
Kindles our hearts to flaming joys;
We shout to hear Thy thunders roar,
And echo to our Fa­ther’s voice.

Thus shall the God our Sav­ior come,
And lightnings round His chariot play;
Ye lightnings, fly to make Him room,
Ye glo­ri­ous storms, prepare His way.