JESUS CHRIST >> KINGDOM & REIGN
SDAH 227
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
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For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: Jesus Shall Reign
Isaac Watts’ majestic paraphrase of Psalm 72 proclaims the universal reign of Christ. From shore to shore, every knee shall bow and every tongue praise His name. John Hatton’s tune DUKE STREET reinforces the strength and dignity of the message. Sing with assurance—Jesus shall reign forever and ever!
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
This majestic hymn is a paraphrase of the latter part of Psalm 72. It was written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748; see biographies) and appears in his Psalms of David, 1719, entitled: “Psalm 72: Part 2. Christ’s Kingdom among the Gentiles.” There are eight stanzas, those omitted bring 2,3, and 7. One minor change in the last line of the hymn is the word loud for Watts’s word long, where the author was giving full weight to the repetition of the word Amen in Psalm 72:19.
The tune was composed by John Hatton (c. 1710-1793) who, like Watts, was a dissenter from the Established Church. It was first set to Addison’s Psalm 19 (see SDAH 96). Note the almost complete ascending octave with which the melody begins. It is named DUKE STREET after the street in St. Helens, Lancashire, where Hattin lived. The same tune, in four-part harmony, is used for SDAH 82, “Before Jehovah’s Awful Throne.” The unison setting here is by Melvin West (1930- ; see biographies).
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Stanza:
1 – Psalm 72:8-19
Text
1
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
2
People and realms of ev’ry tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song,
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His name.
3
Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all who suffer want are blessed.
4
Let every creature rise and bring
Honors peculiar to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
Ps 72:8-19
Author
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Year Published
1719
Performance Suggestions
Unison
Copyright
Arrangement copyright 1984 by Melvin West
Hymn Tune
DUKE STREET
Metrical Number
L.M.
Composer
John Hatton (1710-1793)
Arranged
Melvin West, 1984 (1930-)
Year Composed
1738
Alternate Harmony
SDAH 82
