DOCTRINES >> ETERNAL LIFE
SDAH 422
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord,
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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: Marching to Zion
Isaac Watts first penned these words in 1707 as a meditation on the joy of heaven, but in 1867 Robert Lowry reshaped them—adding a lively refrain and 6/8 rhythm—to create the beloved gospel song we know today. With its joyful call to “march to Zion,” the hymn reminds believers that the Christian journey is a pilgrimage toward the eternal city of God, traveled together with glad hearts and steadfast faith.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
This selection is part conventional hymn, part gospel song. The stanzas, without the repetition of the last halves, were written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748; see Biographies), and appear in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707, under the title “Heavenly Joy on Earth.” The original had 10 stanzas.
The original short meter of four lines was converted to a six-line stanza of 6.6.8.8.6.6. syllables. This, together with the 6/8 time and an added refrain of words and music, transformed the hymn into a gospel song. This was the work of Robert Lowry (1826-1899; see Biographies), who named the tune MARCHING TO ZION, after the opening words of the refrain.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.
Refrain
We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.
2
Let those refuse to sing
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heav’nly King,
But children of the heav’nly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad.
3
The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Before we reach the heav’nly fields
Or walk the golden streets,
Or walk the golden streets.
4
Then let our songs abound
And ev’ry tear be dry;
We’re marching thru Immanuel’s ground,
We’re marching thru Immanuel’s ground
To fairer worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(r) Isa 51:11
Author
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Year Published
1707
Metrical Number
S.M.Ref.
Composer
Robert Lowry (1826-1899)
Year Composed
1867
Theme
ETERNAL LIFE
