Timothy Dwight

Timothy Dwight
www.hymntime.com/tch
Short Name: Timothy Dwight
Full Name: Dwight, Timothy, 1752-1817
Birth Year: 1752
Death Year: 1817

Timothy Dwight (b. Northampton, MA, 1752; d. Philadelphia, PA, 1817) was a grandson of Jonathan Edwards who became a Congregationalist pastor, a Revolutionary War army chaplain, a tutor and professor at Yale College, and president of Yale from 1795 to 1817. As president he continued to teach and serve as chaplain and was instrumental in improving both the academic and the spiritual life of the college.

Bert Polman
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Dwight, Timothy, D.D. This is the most important name in early American hymnology, as it is also one of the most illustrious in American literature and education. He was born at Northampton, Massachusetts, May 14, 1752, and graduated at Yale College, 1769; was a tutor there from 1771 to 1777. He then became for a short time a chaplain in the United States Army, but passed on in 1783 to Fairfield, Connecticut, where he held a pastorate, and taught in an Academy, till his appointment, in 1795, as President of Yale College. His works are well known, and need no enumeration. He died at New Haven, Jan. 11, 1817. In 1797 the General Association of Connecticut, being dissatisfied with Joel Barlow's 1785 revision of Watts, requested Dwight to do the work de novo. This he did liberally, furnishing in some instances several paraphrases of the same psalm, and adding a selection of hymns, mainly from Watts. The book appeared as—

"The Psalms of David, &c.... By I. Watts, D.D. A New Edition in which the Psalms omitted by Dr. Watts are versified, local passages are altered, and a number of Psalms are versified anew in proper metres. By Timothy Dwight, D.D., &c….To the Psalms is added a Selection of Hymns," 1800.

Dwight's lyrics are all professedly psalms, but they are by no means literal versions. His original compositions number 33. Of these many are still in common use, the most important being:—
1. Blest be the Lord, Who heard my prayer. Psalm xxviii. This is the second part of Psalm xxviii., in 5 stanzas of 4 lines. It is in the English New Congregational Hymn Book, 1859.
2. I Love Thy kingdom, Lord. Psalm cxxxvii. This is version three of Ps. 137, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, and is in extensive use at the present time throughout the States. It is also included in many English, Irish, and Scottish collections, sometimes in the original form, as in Alford's Year of Praise, 1867; again as, "I love Thy Church, 0 God," which opens with the second stanza, as in the Scottish Evangelical Union Hymnal, 1878, in 3 stanzas, and "We love Thy kingdom, Lord," in the Irish Church Hymnal, 1873. In Cleveland's Lyra Sacra Americana six stanzas only are given from the original.

Next to this in popularity are his 2nd and 3rd renderings of Psalm lxxxviii.:—
3. Shall man, 0 God of life and light. (3rd stanza)
4. While life prolongs its precious light. (2nd stanza) Both of which are in extensive use. From his 4th version of the same Psalm (88), the following hymns have been compiled, each opening with the stanza indicated:—
5. Just o'er the grave I hung. Stanza ii.
6. I saw beyond the tomb. Stanza iv.
7. Ye sinners, fear the Lord. Stanza xii. This last is found in Spurgeon's 0ur Own Hymnbook. The original version consists of 13 stanzas.
8. 0 Thou Whose sceptre earth and seas obey. Psalm lxxii. This is his second version of this Psalm, and was given in the Comprehensive Rippon, 1844.

The following, most of which are of a more jubilant character, are well known:—
9. How pleasing is Thy voice. Psalm lxv.
10. In Zion's sacred gates. Psalm cl.
11. Lord of all worlds, incline Thy gracious [bounteous] ear. Psalm llii.
12. Now to Thy sacred house. Psalm xliii., st. 3.
13. Sing to the Lord most high. Psalm c.
14. In barren wilds shall living waters spring. Psalm liii.
15. Lord, in these dark and dismal days. Psalm cxxxvii.

No. 9 is found in Lyra Sacra Americana, pp. 101-2, the seven stanzas of the original being abbreviated to five.
In addition to the Psalms, Dr. Dwight published three poems, "The Conquest of Canaan," 1785; "Greenfield Hill," 1794; "Triumph of Infidelity," 1788. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.]

- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)


Texts by Timothy Dwight (89)sort descendingAsAuthority LanguagesInstances
A word in season, spoke with powerDwight (Author)2
Again my tongue thy silence breakTimothy Dwight (Author)2
أحب بيعة يا ربنا العظيمTimothy Dwight (Author)Arabic1
Aloha au kou aupuniTimothy Dwight, 1750-1817 (Author)Hawaiian2
As down a lone valley with cedars overspreadTimothy Dwight, ca. 1789 (Author)English1
Behold, night's shadows fadeDwight (Author)1
Behold, the judge descends, his guards are nighTimothy Dwight (Author)English5
Bless, O thou western world, thy GodTimothy Dwight (Author)1
Blest be the Lord, who heard my prayerDwight (Author)12
By Babel's stream the captives satTimothy Dwight (Author)10
Cease, cease, ye vain, desponding fearsTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Columbia! Columbia! to glory ariseTimothy Dwight (Author)English4
Dit Rige elsker jegTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Ditt rike 'lskar jagTimothy Dwight (Author)Swedish2
Ditt rike 'r mig k'rtTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Down at the cross of Christ, my SaviorTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Eu amo com fervor a Igreja do meu DeusTimothy Dwight (Author)1
Faith sees the bright, eternal doorsTimothy Dwight (Author)2
For her my tears shall fallTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Friend after friend departsDwight (Author)English1
God bless our native land! Firm may she ever standT. S. Dwight (Author)English1
How bright thy glories beamTimothy Dwight (Author)2
How pleasing is thy voiceTimothy Dwight (Author)English53
I love Thy church, O GodTimothy Dwight (Author)English33
I love Thy kingdom, LordTimothy Dwight (Author)English1102
I love Thy people, LordDwight (Author)English2
I love Thy Zion, LordTimothy Dwight (Author)English52
I saw beyond the tombTimothy Dwight (Author)English42
Ich lieb' dein Zion, HerrTimothy Dwight (Author)German2
Ich liebe, Herr, dein ReichT. Dwight (Author)German8
In barren wilds shall living waters springTimothy Dwight (Author)1
In Zion's sacred gatesTimothy Dwight, D.D. (Author)English19
Itaŋcaŋ kiŋ waṡteTimothy Dwight (Author)Dakota1
Jesus, our Lord and King, To thee our praises riseT. Dwight (Author)1
Just o'er the grave I hungTimothy Dwight (Author)20
Let not despair nor fell revengeTimothy Dwight (Author)English1
Lord, in these dark and dismal daysTimothy Dwight (Author)English11
Lord of all worlds, incline thy bounteous earTimothy Dwight (Author)English24
Lord, to Thy sacred house, I come with willing feetTimothy Dwight (Author)English4
ما أحسن الجموع في موضع الصلاةTimothy Dwight (Author)Arabic1
Mens Livets Lys and straaler klartTimothy Dwight (Author)2
My God defend my causeTimothy Dwight (Author)4
My God, preserve my soulTimothy Dwight (Author)9
My God, while impious menTimothy Dwight (Author)9
No war nor battle's soundDwight (Author)English3
Now to Thy sacred house with joy I turn my feetRev. Timothy Dwight, 1752 -1817 (Author)English30
O Columbia, the gem of the oceanTimothy Dwight (Author)English1
O God attend, while hosts of foesTimothy Dwight (Author)English5
O God of grace, my cry attendTimothy Dwight (Author)3
O God of my salvation, hear, My nightly groans, my daily prayerTimothy Dwight (Author)English1
O how shall I repayTimothy Dwight (Author)3
O Lord of hosts, for Jesus' sakeTimothy Dwight (Author)2
O Lord, our Lord most highTimothy Dwight (Author)4
O Lord, the God of heaven and earthTimothy Dwight (Author)4
O save thy servants, LordTimothy Dwight (Author)5
O thou preserver of mankindTimothy Dwight (Author)4
O thou, the only good and greatTimothy Dwight (Author)2
O thou whose hand the kingdom swaysTimothy Dwight (Author)12
O thou whose sceptre earth and seas obeyTimothy Dwight (Author)3
O haste with every gift inspiredDwight (Author)2
Our rulers, Lord, with songs of praiseTimothy Dwight (Author)4
Pagariam, ayatecTimothy Dwight (Author)Tagalog2
Save me from evil menTimothy Dwight (Author)8
Save me from my foesTimothy Dwight (Author)7
Segne mein Vaterland, führ es an deiner HandTimothy Dwight (Author)German2
Serene, I laid me down, Beneath his guardian careDwight (Author)English13
Shall man, O God of life and lightTimothy Dwight (Author)English77
Sing to the Lord most highTimothy Dwight (Author)English55
Stretched on the bed of griefTimothy Dwight (Author)11
The giddy world, with flattering tongueTimothy Dwight (Author)10
Thou hearest, omniscient LordDwight (Author)2
Thy praise, O Lord, our thankful songs renewTimothy Dwight (Author)5
To bless the Lord let every landTimothy Dwight (Author)3
To bless the Lord our God in strains divineTimothy Dwight (Author)5
To heaven let all my sacredTimothy Dwight (Author)3
To heaven's high King my soulTimothy Dwight (Author)2
To thee, my King, my God of graceTimothy Dwight (Author)9
Tu reino amo, O DiosTimothy Dwight (1752-1817) (Author)Spanish13
When God in wrath shall riseTimothy Dwight (Author)8
When men of mischief riseTimothy Dwight (Author)4
While God invites, how blest the dayTimothy Dwight (Author)English8
While life prolongs its precious lightTimothy Dwight, D.D (Author)English244
While Lord! from thee our rulers take their pow'rTimothy Dwight (Author)English2
Why do the wicked boast of sinTimothy Dwight (Author)7
Ye chiefs and kings to GodTimothy Dwight (Author)3
Ye nations round the northern seaTimothy Dwight (Author)3
Ye sinners, fear the LordTimothy Dwight (Author)English33
Ye sons of men in God rejoiceTimothy Dwight (Author)English4
主,我愛你國度 (Zhǔ, wǒ ài nǐ guódù)Timothy Dwight (Author)Chinese2

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