Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord

Representative Text

1 Let the earth now praise the Lord,
Who has truly kept His word
And at last to us did send
Christ, the sinner's help and friend.

2 What the fathers most desired,
What the prophets' heart inspired,
What they longed for many a year,
Stands fulfilled in glory here.

3 Abram's promised great reward,
Zion's helper, Jacob's Lord--
Him of twofold race behold--
Truly came, as long foretold.

4 As Your coming was in peace,
Quiet, full of gentleness,
Let the same mind dwell in me
Which is Yours eternally.

5 Bruise for me the serpent's head
That, set free from doubt and dread,
I may cling to You in faith,
Safely kept through life and death.

6 Then when You will come again
As the glorious king to reign,
I with joy will see Your face,
Freely ransomed by Your grace.

Source: Lutheran Service Book #352

Translator: Catherine Winkworth

Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used i… Go to person page >

Author: Heinrich Held

Held, Heinrich, was son of Valentin Held of Guhrau, Silesia. He studied at the Universities of Königsberg (c. 1637-40), Frankfurt a. Oder (1643), and Leyden. He was also in residence at Rostock in 1647. He became a licentiate of law, and settled as a lawyer in his native place, where he died about 1659, or at least before Michaelmas, 1661 (Koch, iii. 55-56; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie., xi. 680; Bode, p. 87, &c). One of the best Silesian hymnwriters, he was taught in the school of affliction, having many trials to suffer in those times of war. His only extant poetical work is his Deutscher Gedichte Vortrab, Frankfurt a. Oder, 1643. Only one hymn from that volume came into German use. Much more important are his other hymns, which are k… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Let the earth now praise the Lord
Title: Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord
German Title: Gott sei Dank durch alle Welt
Author: Heinrich Held (1643)
Translator: Catherine Winkworth
Meter: 7.7.7.7
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

NUN KOMM, DER HEIDEN HEILAND

NUN KOMM DER HEIDEN HEILAND is a chorale derived from a chant. Among the simplest of the Lutheran repertoire, it is framed by identical lines–l and 4. Sing the entire hymn with antiphonal groups (the practice its original Latin author, Ambrose, strongly promoted). Sing some stanzas in unison and o…

Go to tune page >


GOTT SEI DANK


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #3650
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 7 of 7)
TextPage Scan

Christian Worship (1993) #28

Page Scan

Christian Worship #315

TextPage Scan

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #165

TextPage Scan

Lutheran Service Book #352

Text

Lutheran Worship #33

TextPage Scan

Moravian Book of Worship #261

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #3650

Include 31 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us