Afferte Domino

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Give to the Lord ye Potentates

Author: Thomas Sternhold
Published in 2 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Give to the Lord, ye potentates,
give ye with one accord
All praise and honour, might and strength,
Unto the living Lord:

2 Give glory to his holy Name,
And honour him alone;
Give worship to his Majesty,
within his holy throne.

3 His voice doth rule the waters all,
as he himself doth please;
He doth prepare the thunder-claps,
and governs all the seas.

4 The voice of God is of great force,
and wond'rous excellent;
It is most mighty in effect,
and most magnificent.

5 The voice of God doth rend and break
the cedar-trees so long,
The cedar-trees of Lebannon,
which are both high and strong;

6 And makes them leap like as a calf,
or as the unicorn;
Not only trees but mountains great,
wheron the trees are born.

7 His voice divides the flames of fire,
and shakes the wilderness:
It makes the desart quake for fear,
that Cades called is;

8 It makes the hinds for fear to calve,
and coverts plain appear;
And in his temple every man
speaks of his glory there.

9 The lord doth sit upon the floods,
their fury to restrain:
And he likewise as Lord and King
for evermore shall reign.

10 The Lord will give his people strength,
whereby they shall increase,
And he will bless his chosen flock
with everlasting peace.

Source: The Whole Book of Psalms #XXIX

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Author: Thomas Sternhold

Thomas Sternhold was Groom of the Robes to Henry VIII and Edward VI. With Hopkins, he produced the first English version of the Psalms before alluded to. He completed fifty-one; Hopkins and others composed the remainder. He died in 1549. Thirty-seven of his psalms were edited and published after his death, by his friend Hopkins. The work is entitled "All such Psalms of David as Thomas Sternhold, late Groome of the King's Majestye's Robes, did in his Lyfetime drawe into Englyshe Metre." Of the version annexed to the Prayer Book, Montgomery says: "The merit of faithful adherence to the original has been claimed for this version, and need not to be denied, but it is the resemblance which the dead bear to the living." Wood, in his "Athe… Go to person page >

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