Scripture Verse

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. Isaiah 6:3

Introduction

Words: Reg­in­ald He­ber, 1826. He­ber wrote this hymn for Tri­ni­ty Sun­day while vi­car of Hod­net, Shrop­shire, Eng­land.

Music: Ni­ca­ea John B. Dykes, in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, 1861 (🔊 pdf nwc). Ni­ca­ea was the place in Asia Mi­nor where the first Ecu­me­ni­cal Coun­cil was held in the year 325, and it was there that the doc­trine of the Ho­ly Tri­ni­ty was pro­mul­gat­ed.

Alternate Tune:

portrait
Reginald Heber (1783–1826)

Lyrics

illustration
The Holy Trinity
El Greco (1541–1614)

Holy, ho­ly, ho­ly! Lord God Al­migh­ty!
Early in the morn­ing
Our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, mer­ci­ful and migh­ty!
God in three Per­sons, bless­èd Tri­ni­ty!

Holy, ho­ly, ho­ly! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their gold­en crowns
Around the glas­sy sea;
Cherubim and se­ra­phim fall­ing down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and ev­er­more shall be.

Holy, ho­ly, ho­ly! though the dark­ness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sin­ful man
Thy glo­ry may not see;
Only Thou art ho­ly; there is none be­side Thee,
Perfect in pow­er, in love, and pu­ri­ty.

Holy, ho­ly, ho­ly! Lord God Al­migh­ty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name,
In earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, ho­ly, ho­ly; mer­ci­ful and migh­ty!
God in three Per­sons, bless­èd Tri­ni­ty!