How Great Thou Art
Swedish praise hymn in Stuart Hine's English: God's greatness in creation, the cross, and Christ's return.
The words of this hymn are under copyright, so we describe it here and don’t print them. You’ll find them in Evangelical Lutheran Worship at number 856, and listed at Hymnary.
“How Great Thou Art” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
"How Great Thou Art" (first line "O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder") praises God for the created world, then turns to God giving his Son to die for sinners, and ends with Christ's return.
It draws on Psalm 8 and Psalm 121, and on 1 Thessalonians 4 for the last stanza. Through Jesus, the Creator is known as the one who saves. It is sung in the season after Pentecost and often at funerals.
Carl Boberg, a Swedish writer, wrote the original poem in 1885. Stuart K. Hine made the English version, published in 1949.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Carl Boberg, 1886 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | Stuart K. Hine, 1949 | In copyright |
| Tune | O STORE GUD (HOW GREAT THOU ART) · Swedish folk melody, adapted by Stuart K. Hine, 1949 | In copyright |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages, and the copyright line printed in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (attribution and rights only).
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.