A popular hymn today, "How Great Thou Art" tops the charts reported by CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International) as the 22nd ranked song in February 2023. Flanked by other modern titles such as, "God So Loved (Live at the Wheelhouse)" and "Raise a Hallelujah", copyrights 2020 and 2019 respectively, "How Great Thou Art" has stood the test of time and has remained a favorite in the United States for decades.
In this "Intentional Worship" series, we're taking a closer look at popular hymns and songs to consider the origin and meaning of the lyrics. The hope is that, from this series, we will be more intentional with our worship while singing these songs. Perhaps instead of going on autopilot with the familiar melody and lyrics, we will sing with intentionality and a clearer understanding of the implications of the words that we sing.
The story behind the origin of "How Great Thou Art" and its subsequent translation into the English version we know and love today is fairly lengthy and complicated. If you are interested in learning more about the story behind the song, feel free to check out the websites listed below. (I am not affiliated with them and simply referred to them while doing research for this post.)
Carl Boberg is credited with penning the original Swedish lyrics of this hymn, titled "O Store Gud" (O Great God), which was put to the tune of an old Swedish Folk Melody. Originally containing nine verses, the Swedish song crossed multiple borders and was translated into different languages.
In the early 1930's, British Missionary Stuart Hine heard a Russian version of the song sung in German, and he and his wife adopted it as part of their missionary work. He eventually translated it to English, taking some liberties from the original version.
Suitability for Corporate Worship
Biblical Support of Lyrics
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. - Colossians 1:16
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. - Hebrews 11:3
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. - Psalm 19:1
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. -Psalm 29:2-4
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. -Psalm 89:1
Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. - 2 Samuel 7:22
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. - Psalm 104:24
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. -Psalm 95:4-5
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. - Psalm 96:11-12
And when I think that God His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16
And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” - Mark 15:37-39
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8
This is how God's love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. - 1 John 4:9
When Christ shall come with shout of acclimation
And take me home- what joy shall fill my heart
They were looking intently up into the sky as he [Jesus] was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” - Acts 1:10-11
Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. - John 14:1-3
Then shall I bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art
For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” - Romans 14:11
Therefore God has highly exalted him [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:9-11