How Blest Are All the People

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How blest are all the people who fear and trust the LORD

Versifier: Calvin Seerveld (1981)
Tune: GENEVAN 128
Published in 1 hymnal

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative text cannot be shown for this hymn due to copyright.

Versifier: Calvin Seerveld

Calvin Seerveld (b. 1930) was professor of aesthetics at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto from 1972 until he retired in 1995. Educated at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan; the University of Michigan; and the Free University of Amsterdam (Ph.D.), he also studied at Basel University in Switzerland, the University of Rome, and the University of Heidelberg. Seerveld began his career by teaching at Bellhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi (1958-1959), and at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois (1959-1972). A fine Christian scholar, fluent in various biblical and modern languages, he is published widely in aesthetics, biblical studies, and philosophy. His books include Take Hold of God and Pull (1966), The Gr… Go to person page >

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First Line:	How blest are all the people who fear and trust the LORD
Title:	How Blest Are All the People
Versifier:	Calvin Seerveld (1981)
Meter:	13.13.13.13
Language:	English
Copyright:	© Calvin Seerveld

Psalm 128
(hymns)

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Notes

A declaration of the domestic blessedness of those who fear the LORD.

Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-3
st. 2 = vv. 4-6

A "Song of Ascents" (among the cluster 120-134) that the Israelites sang as they went up to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, Psalm 128 is a partner with 127 in extolling the LORD for the blessings of family life. The psalmist teaches that domestic blessings are especially reserved for those who fear the LORD. Their labors will prosper, and their wives will bear children, thus magnifying the daily banquet of joy around the family table (st. 1). A closing benediction pronounces blessing on those who fear the LORD and adds a blessing on all God's people (st. 2). Calvin Seerveld (PHH 22) versified this psalm for the Psalter Hymnal in 1981.

Liturgical Use:
Weddings; family life services; choral benediction. Seerveld suggests singing this psalm for baptism, especially if the grandparents of the infant are present: "One of the richest blessings for an Old Testament believer was to live long enough to see the grandchildren flowering in the faith of the fathers and mothers."

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

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Tune

GENEVAN 128

GENEVAN 128 was first published in the 1543 edition of the Genevan Psalter. Claude Goudimel (PHH 6) harmonized the tune in 1564; originally the melody was in the tenor. In the Dorian mode, this tune consists of four long lines in two pairs, consisting of slightly different rhythmic patterns. A strik…

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