Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
72

Text: Joachim Neander (1650–1680);
translated by Catherine Winkworth (1829–1878)
Music: From Stralsund Gesangbuch, 1665;
arranged by William S. Bennett (1816–1875) and Otto Goldschmidt (1829–1907)

Tune name: LOBE DEN HERREN

“A magnificent hymn of praise to God, perhaps the finest production of its author, and of the first rank in its class.” These are the words of renowned hymn scholar John Julian about “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” (Dictionary of Hymnology [1892; reprint, New York: Dover Publications, 1957], 683).

The word praise begins each verse of the hymn. It occurs a total of six times; the word adore, twice. The hymn’s one purpose is to praise the Lord for his many blessings, too numerous and too great to name or describe adequately. Anyone familiar with the psalms will recognize that the spirit and imagery of the psalms permeate this hymn text. Rather than choosing just one psalm to paraphrase, Joachim Neander gathered many figures of speech and phrases that recall the attitude of the Psalmist and give the same reverent, joyful feeling as do the psalms of praise.

Each verse emphasizes a different aspect of the Father’s character and mercy. Verse one emphasizes that he is the “King of creation”; initially we must praise him for our surroundings and for our very being. In verse two, he is the watchful caretaker who strengthens and sustains his Saints. This verse draws upon Isaiah 40:31: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Verse three honors the Lord as protector and defender, with echoes of Psalm 23. Verse four is a final summons to praise. First the worshiper asks, “Let all that is in me adore him!” Then the invitation extends to all of Abraham’s seed to join with “all that hath breath” for one final note of united praise.

Neander’s original German text began with the words “Lobe den Herren” (“Praise the Lord”); hence the name of the hymn tune.