Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

Representative Text

1 Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God.
He whose Word cannot be broken
formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

2 See, the streams of living waters,
springing from eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint while such a river
ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord, the Giver,
never fails from age to age.

3 'Round each habitation hov'ring,
see the cloud and fire appear
for a glory and a cov'ring,
showing that the Lord is near.
Thus deriving from their banner
light by night and shade by day,
safe they feed upon the manna
which He gives them on their way.

4 Savior, since of Zion's city
I through grace a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy name.
Fading is the worldling's pleasures,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasures
none but Zion's children know.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #416

Author: John Newton

John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumul­tuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Glorious things of thee are spoken
Title: Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Author: John Newton (1779)
Meter: 8.7.8.7 D
Language: English
Notes: Spanish translation: See "Glorias mil de ti se cuentan" by Juan de los Santos
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Glorious things of Thee are spoken. J. Newton. [Church of Christ.] First published in the Olney Hymns, 1779, Bk. i., No. 60, in 5 stanzas of 8 lines, and entitled, "Zion, or the City of God," Is. xxxiii. 20, 21. It has attained to great popularity in all English-speaking countries, and ranks with the first hymns in the language. It is used, however, in various forms as follows:—
1. Original text in Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory People's Hymnal.
2. A cento composed of stanzas i., ii. and v. This appeared in Cotterill's Selection, 1819, from whence it has passed into a great number of collections. It is by far the most popular arrangement of the hymn in use, and may be found in fifty or more hymnals, as in Hymnal Companion, No. 234, and sometimes with Cotterill’s slight alterations, as in the Rev. F. Pott's Hymns, &c, 1861-67.
3. A cento composed of stanzas i., iii. and v., given in Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Hymns, 1852, but not popular.
4. A cento, stanzas i., ii. and doxology in four lines, not by Newton, in the Cooke and Denton Hymnal, 1853.
5. A cento, in 4 stanzas of 4 lines, beginning, "Glorious things of old were spoken," is given in Isaac G. Smith's Hymn Book, 1855-57. It is thus composed: stanza i., Newton altered; ii., I. G. Smith; iii., Newton; iv., dox. from Cooke & Denton. This is the least successful of any arrangement.
6. The whole hymn revised by J. Keble for the Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, and included therein, as No. 130, with the four-line doxology from Denton. This, with slight returns to the original in two places (stanzas i., v.), and the omission of the doxology, was repeated in the Sarum Hymnal (broken into two parts, pt. ii. beginning "Blessed city, holy nation), 1868; and a cento therefrom again altered, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines in T. Darling's Hymns, &c, edition 1887. Another cento, also with alterations, is given in the Hymnary, from which it passed into the New Mitre Hymnal, 1875.
7. Cento of stanzas i., ii., iv., v., unaltered as in the Book of Praise Hymnal, Thring's Collection, and others.
8. In the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns, stanzas i.-iv. with slight alterations in stanzas i., ii., and iii.
In the American collections the same diversity of use prevails as in Great Britain. Sometimes the hymn is broken into two parts, with pt. ii. beginning, "Blest inhabitants of Zion." In addition other arrangements of minor importance are given in collections of less importance; but in most cases the original text is maintained. Stanzas i., ii., v., have been rendered into Latin by the Rev. R. Bingham, and included in his Hymnologia Christiana Latina, 1871, "Dicta do te sunt miranda."

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Media

You have access to this FlexScore.
Download:
Are parts of this score outside of your desired range? Try transposing this FlexScore.
General Settings
Stanza Selection
Voice Selection
Text size:
Music size:
Transpose (Half Steps):
Capo:
Contacting server...
Contacting server...
Questions? Check out the FAQ

A separate copy of this score must be purchased for each choir member. If this score will be projected or included in a bulletin, usage must be reported to a licensing agent (e.g. CCLI, OneLicense, etc).

This is a preview of your FlexScore.
Baptist Hymnal 1991 #398
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
The Cyber Hymnal #1845
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #506
  • Full Score (PDF, XML)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
The United Methodist Hymnal #731
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
Worship and Rejoice #598

Instances

Instances (601 - 700 of 1291)
Page Scan

Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs #1151

Psalms and Hymns for Public worship, Containing All the Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts ... #d220

Psalms and Hymns for the Worship of God #d221

TextPage Scan

Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #416

Page Scan

Psalms and Hymns, Adapted to Public Worship #396

Page Scan

Psalms and Hymns, for Christian Use and Worship #H433

Page Scan

Psalms and Hymns #P87c

TextPage Scan

Psalms for All Seasons #87D

Text

Psalms for All Seasons #87E

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d74

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 4th ed. #d58

Page Scan

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected. (14th stereotype ed.) #S53

Page Scan

Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected. (7th ed.) #S86

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #125

Page Scan

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #S53

Psalter Hymnal (Blue) #402

Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreAudioPage Scan

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #506

Psalterlust fuer die Christliche Jugend #d72

Psalterlust fuer die Christliche Jugend. Rev. #ad72

Page Scan

Redeemer's Praise #140

Page Scan

Redemption Songs #491

Rejoice Hymns #4

TextPage Scan

Rejoice in the Lord #393

Religious Education Music Manual #d43

Resurrected Songs prepared for the Church #d55

Text

Revival Hymns and Choruses #263

Revival Melodies #d8

TextPage Scan

Revival Praises #179

Page Scan

Rodeheaver Collection for Male Voices #53

Page Scan

Rose of Sharon Hymns #673

Page Scan

Sabbath Carols #105

Sabbath Carols #d27

Page Scan

Sabbath-School Hymn-Book #52

Page Scan

Sacred Hymns and Spiritual Songs #3

Page Scan

Sacred Hymns and Tunes #308

Sacred Lyrics #d32

Page Scan

Sacred lyrics, or Select hymns #236

Sacred Melodies (Revised) #d72

Sacred Songs and Solos #675

Sacred Songs for Church and Home #d132

Page Scan

Sacred Songs for Family and Social Worship #246

Page Scan

Sacred Songs for Family and Social Worship #279

Page Scan

Sacred Songs For Public Worship #139

Page Scan

Sacred Songs For Public Worship #139

Page Scan

Sacred Songs for Social Worship #103

Sacred Songs of the Church #275

School and College Hymnal #d37

Page Scan

School and College Hymnal #163

Page Scan

School and Parish Hymnal #177

School Carols #d74

Page Scan

Selah #196b

Select Hymns #d57

Page Scan

Select Hymns, The Third Part of Christian Psalmody. 3rd ed. #aa177

Page Scan

Select Hymns #177

Select Melodies, comprising the Best of Those Hymns and Spiritual Songs in Common Use #d72

Select Songs for School and Home #d35

Page Scan

Select Songs for the Singing Service #42

Page Scan

Select Songs for the Sunday School #42

Page Scan

Select Songs No. 2 #322

Selected Hymns #d12

Selections from the Book of Worship with Tunes #d25

Page Scan

Selections from the Psalms of David in Metre #H215

Service and Hymns for Sunday Schools #d37

TextPage Scan

Service Book and Hymnal of the Lutheran Church in America #152a

TextPage Scan

Service Book and Hymnal of the Lutheran Church in America #152b

Page Scan

Service Hymnal #509

Page Scan

Services for Congregational Worship. The New Hymn and Tune Book #454

Page Scan

Seth Parker's Hymnal #131

Seth Parker's Hymnal. 5th ed. #d37

TextPage Scan

Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #423

Sing Glory #35

TextPage Scan

Sing Joyfully #116

Sing Praise to God #8

Sing to the Lord #205

Singing the Faith #748

Social Hymn and Tune Book #d113

Page Scan

Social Hymn Book #372

Soendagsskol-Bok, innehallande, Liturgi, Laesordning, och Sanger #d64

Song Treasury #d46

Song-Flowers #d29

Page Scan

Song-Hymnal of Praise and Joy #75

Page Scan

Song-Land Messenger Complete #25

Page Scan

Songs for Men #74

Songs for Men #74

Page Scan

Songs for Social and Public Worship #892

Songs for Social and Public Worship. Rev. ed. #d109

Page Scan

Songs for the Lord's House #466

Songs for the New Life #d169

Page Scan

Songs for the Sanctuary, or Hymns and Tunes for Christian Worship #1160

Page Scan

Songs for the Sanctuary; or Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (Baptist Ed.) #1160

Page Scan

Songs for the Sanctuary; or, Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (Words only) #1160

Page Scan

Songs for the Sanctuary #1160

Pages

Exclude 1194 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us