Analysis of Psalm 47

Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)



Christ ascending and reigning.

O for a shout of sacred joy
To God the sovereign King!
Let every land their tongues employ,
And hymns of triumph sing.

Jesus our God ascends on high,
His heav'nly guards around
Attend him rising through the sky,
With trumpets' joyful sound.

While angels shout and praise their King,
Let mortals learn their strains;
Let all the earth his honors sing;
O'er all the earth he reigns.

Rehearse his praise with awe profound,
Let knowledge lead the song,
Nor mock him with a solemn sound
Upon a thoughtless tongue.

In Isr'el stood his ancient throne,
He loved that chosen race;
But now he calls the world his own,
And heathens taste his grace.

The British islands are the Lord's,
There Abraham's God is known;
While powers and princes, shields and swords,
Submit before his throne.


Scheme A BABA CDCD AEAE DXDX FGFG HFHF
Poetic Form
Metre 1010010 11011101 110101 110011101 011101 101010111 11101 01110101 110101 11010111 110111 11011101 1010111 01111101 110101 11110101 010101 0111101 111101 11110111 01111 01010101 11111 110010101 010111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 790
Words 142
Sentences 9
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 91
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 29, 2023

44 sec read
105

Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was an English Christian minister (Congregational), hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. He is recognized as the "Godfather of English Hymnody"; many of his hymns remain in use today and have been translated into numerous languages. more…

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