The Cyber Hymnal ‎#2220

2220. How Dear to Me, O Lord of Hosts

1. How dear to me, O Lord of Hosts,
The place where Thou dost dwell;
The tabernacles of Thy grace
In pleasantness excel.

2. My spirit longs, yea, even faints,
Thy sacred courts to see;
My thirsting heart and flesh cry out,
O living God, for Thee.

3. Beneath Thy care the sparrow finds
A place of peaceful rest;
Where she may safely lay her young
The swallow finds a nest.

4. Then, Lord of Hosts, my king, my God,
Thy love will shelter me;
Beneath Thy altar’s peaceful shade
My dwelling place shall be.

5. Blest they who dwell within Thy house,
Their perfect strength Thou art;
Their joyful praise shall never cease,
Thy ways are in their heart.

6. Their tears of grief, like early rain,
Sweet springs of joy shall fill;
With strength renewed they journey safe
To Zion’s holy hill.

Text Information

• First Line: How dear to me, O Lord of Hosts
• Title: How Dear to Me, O Lord of Hosts
• Author: Anonymous (1912)
• Meter: CM
• Language: English
• Source: The Psalter (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1912), number 225
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: IRISH
• Composer: Anonymous (1749)
• Meter: CM
• Incipit: 11512 34323 53451
• Key: E Major
• Source: A Collection of Hymns and Sacred Poems, by S. Powell (Dublin, Ireland: 1749)
• Copyright: Public Domain