Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand

Ten thousand times ten thousand, In sparkling raiment bright

Author: Henry Alford (1867)
Tune: ALFORD (Dykes)
Published in 427 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Ten thousand times ten thousand
In sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints
Throng up the steeps of light:
'Tis finished, all is finished,
Their fight with death and sin;
Fling open wide the golden gates,
And let the victors in.

2 What rush of alleluias
Fills all the earth and sky!
What ringing of a thousand harps
Bespeaks the triumph nigh!
O day, for which creation
And all its tribes were made;
O joy, for all its former woes
A thousandfold repaid!

3 O then what raptured greetings
On Canaan's happy shore!
What knitting severed friendships up,
Where partings are no more!
Then eyes with joy shall sparkle
That brimmed with tears of late,
Orphans no longer fatherless,
Nor widows desolate.

4 Bring near Thy great salvation,
Thou Lamb for sinners slain;
Fill up the roll of Thine elect,
Then take Thy power and reign;
Appear, Desire of nations,
Thine exiles long for home;
Show in the heavens Thy promised sign;
Thou Prince and Savior, come.

Amen.

Source: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #499

Author: Henry Alford

Alford, Henry, D.D., son of  the Rev. Henry Alford, Rector of Aston Sandford, b. at 25 Alfred Place, Bedford Row, London, Oct. 7, 1810, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in honours, in 1832. In 1833 he was ordained to the Curacy of Ampton. Subsequently he held the Vicarage of Wymeswold, 1835-1853,--the Incumbency of Quebec Chapel, London, 1853-1857; and the Deanery of Canterbury, 1857 to his death, which took. place  at  Canterbury, Jan. 12, 1871.  In addition he held several important appointments, including that of a Fellow of Trinity, and the Hulsean Lectureship, 1841-2. His literary labours extended to every department of literature, but his noblest undertaking was his edition of the Greek Testament, the result… Go to person page >

Notes

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Rev. 5:6-14, Dan. 7:9-10

Henry Alford (PHH 527) was Dean of Canterbury Cathedral when he wrote this text. Designating it for the twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, he published the three-stanza text in the magazine Good Words in March 1867 and later that same year in his Year of Praise. A fourth stanza was added when the hymn was reprinted in The Lord's Prayer Illustrated, prepared by Pickersgill and Alford in 1870. The Psalter Hymnal includes the revised, three-stanza version found in Hymns for Today’s Church (1982).

A noted New Testament scholar, Alford drew his imagery for this text about the church triumphant from John's Revelation. Stanza 1 portrays the "ten thousand times ten thousand" angels who praise the victorious Lamb upon the throne and who are then joined by the "countless voices" of all creatures praising God (see Rev. 5:11-13). The second stanza is an exclamation of joy and comforting anticipation of the final victory of God's saints. Stanza 3 is a "Maranatha" prayer, which urges Christ to come quickly and usher in the consummation of his glorious kingdom ("Desire of Nations" is an Old Testament name for the Messiah; see Hag. 2:7).

Liturgical Use:
Advent; with eschatological preaching; other occasions of worship when a "Maranatha" hymn is appropriate.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook
=========================

Ten thousand times ten thousand. H. Alford. [Processional for Saints' Days."] Appeared first in his Year of Praise, 1867, No. 229, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines. In 1870 it formed part of the poetical setting of F. R. Pickersgill's illustration of the Lord's Prayer, which was published as The Lord's Prayer Illustrated by F. B. Pickersgill, B.A., and Henry Alford, D.D., p. 16. On Jan. 17, 1871, it was sung at the author's funeral, with the additional stanza, "Bring near Thy great Salvation." In this full form it was printed in the author's Life, &c, 1872, p. 483; in Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1875, and again in other collections.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 427)
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A Handy Book of Old and Familiar Hymns #197

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A Missionary Hymn Book #213a

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A Missionary Hymn Book #213b

A School Service Book #d157

A Selection of Hymns #d64

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A Selection of Spiritual Songs #1006

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A Selection of Spiritual Songs #211

A Treasury of Hymns, the Best-Loved Hymns, Carols ... #d231

A. M. E. C. Hymnal #437

A.M.E. Hymnal #d358

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African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #499

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Alleluia #94

Ambassador Hymnal #162

American Church and Church School Hymnal #d286

American Church and Church School Hymnal #d285

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American Lutheran Hymnal #318

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An Evening Service Book #91

Angelic Songs #d190

Armed Forces Service Book for Public and Private Use. 2nd rev. ed. #d83

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Augsburg Songs for Sunday Schools and other services #120

Augsburg Songs, Nos. l and 2 Combined #d295

Baptist Hymnal #476

Biglow & Main's May Annual for 1877 #d3

Book of Common Praise #d535

Book of Hymns for the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Wisconsin and Other States #d237

Book of Hymns for the joint Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and other states #d237

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Book of Worship with Hymns and Tunes #351

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Book of Worship #135

Brightest and Best #d141

Calvary Selection of Spiritual Songs with Music for the Church and the Choir #d829

Carmina for Social Worship #d232

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Carmina for the Sunday School and Social Worship #239

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Carmina Sanctorum, a selection of hymns and songs of praise with tunes #706

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Carmina Sanctorum #706

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Chautauqua Hymnal and Liturgy #73

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Children's Hymns with Tunes #158

Choice Light and Life Songs #135

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Christ in Song #917

Christian Praise #d327

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Christian Praise #620

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Christian Song #180

Christian Worship and Praise #d402

Christian Worship #568

Christian Youth Hymnal #310

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #678

Church Hymnal, Fourth Edition #391

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Church Hymnal, Mennonite #142

Church Hymnal, Mennonite #142

Church Hymnal, Mennonite #d503

Church Hymnal, Third Edition #402

Church Hymns and Services, Published under License of the Church Pension Fund #d229

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Church Hymns and Tunes #525

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Church Hymns #552

Clayton's Collection of Choir Melodies No. 2 #53

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Columbia University Hymnal #120

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Common Praise #549

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Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church #519

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Concordia #177

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CPWI Hymnal #696

Devotional Hymns #d233

Devotional Hymns #d237

Devotional Hymns #ad237

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Devotional hymns #S215

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Elmhurst Hymnal #319

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Evangelical Hymnal #623

Evangelical Lutheran Hymn Book with Tunes #d415

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Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-book #288

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Evangelical Lutheran hymnal #513

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal. 9th ed. #d38

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Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #557

Everybody's Hymn Book for Church and Home #d289

Favorite Hymns #d124

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Fellowship Hymns #300

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For God and Country #31

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Free Methodist Hymnal #646

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Gathered Jewels No. 2 #15

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Gloria Deo #573

Gloria in Excelsis #d643

Gloria in Excelsis #d397

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Gloria in Excelsis #160

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Gloria #227

Glorious Gospel Hymns #46

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Gospel Carols #232

Gospel Hour Song Book #d118

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Gospel Hymns No. 3 #54

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Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 #155

Great Hymns of the Church, Selected from the Methodist Hymnal #d125

Harmony in Praise #d204

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Hymn Book of the United Evangelical Church #623

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Hymn Service for the Sunday School #84

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Hymn-Book of the Evangelical Association #866

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Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #567

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Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #756

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Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #952

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Hymnal Companion to the Prayer Book with Accompanying Tunes (Second Edition) #182

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Hymnal Companion to the Prayer Book #119a

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Hymnal Companion to the Prayer Book #119b

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Hymnal Companion to the Prayer Book #182

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Hymnal for American Youth #300

Pages

Exclude 406 pre-1979 instances
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