Timothy Dwight

Timothy Dwight
www.hymntime.com/tch
Short Name: Timothy Dwight
Full Name: Dwight, Timothy, 1752-1817
Birth Year: 1752
Death Year: 1817

Timothy Dwight (b. Northampton, MA, 1752; d. Philadelphia, PA, 1817) was a grandson of Jonathan Edwards who became a Congregationalist pastor, a Revolutionary War army chaplain, a tutor and professor at Yale College, and president of Yale from 1795 to 1817. As president he continued to teach and serve as chaplain and was instrumental in improving both the academic and the spiritual life of the college.

Bert Polman
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Dwight, Timothy, D.D. This is the most important name in early American hymnology, as it is also one of the most illustrious in American literature and education. He was born at Northampton, Massachusetts, May 14, 1752, and graduated at Yale College, 1769; was a tutor there from 1771 to 1777. He then became for a short time a chaplain in the United States Army, but passed on in 1783 to Fairfield, Connecticut, where he held a pastorate, and taught in an Academy, till his appointment, in 1795, as President of Yale College. His works are well known, and need no enumeration. He died at New Haven, Jan. 11, 1817. In 1797 the General Association of Connecticut, being dissatisfied with Joel Barlow's 1785 revision of Watts, requested Dwight to do the work de novo. This he did liberally, furnishing in some instances several paraphrases of the same psalm, and adding a selection of hymns, mainly from Watts. The book appeared as—

"The Psalms of David, &c.... By I. Watts, D.D. A New Edition in which the Psalms omitted by Dr. Watts are versified, local passages are altered, and a number of Psalms are versified anew in proper metres. By Timothy Dwight, D.D., &c….To the Psalms is added a Selection of Hymns," 1800.

Dwight's lyrics are all professedly psalms, but they are by no means literal versions. His original compositions number 33. Of these many are still in common use, the most important being:—
1. Blest be the Lord, Who heard my prayer. Psalm xxviii. This is the second part of Psalm xxviii., in 5 stanzas of 4 lines. It is in the English New Congregational Hymn Book, 1859.
2. I Love Thy kingdom, Lord. Psalm cxxxvii. This is version three of Ps. 137, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, and is in extensive use at the present time throughout the States. It is also included in many English, Irish, and Scottish collections, sometimes in the original form, as in Alford's Year of Praise, 1867; again as, "I love Thy Church, 0 God," which opens with the second stanza, as in the Scottish Evangelical Union Hymnal, 1878, in 3 stanzas, and "We love Thy kingdom, Lord," in the Irish Church Hymnal, 1873. In Cleveland's Lyra Sacra Americana six stanzas only are given from the original.

Next to this in popularity are his 2nd and 3rd renderings of Psalm lxxxviii.:—
3. Shall man, 0 God of life and light. (3rd stanza)
4. While life prolongs its precious light. (2nd stanza) Both of which are in extensive use. From his 4th version of the same Psalm (88), the following hymns have been compiled, each opening with the stanza indicated:—
5. Just o'er the grave I hung. Stanza ii.
6. I saw beyond the tomb. Stanza iv.
7. Ye sinners, fear the Lord. Stanza xii. This last is found in Spurgeon's 0ur Own Hymnbook. The original version consists of 13 stanzas.
8. 0 Thou Whose sceptre earth and seas obey. Psalm lxxii. This is his second version of this Psalm, and was given in the Comprehensive Rippon, 1844.

The following, most of which are of a more jubilant character, are well known:—
9. How pleasing is Thy voice. Psalm lxv.
10. In Zion's sacred gates. Psalm cl.
11. Lord of all worlds, incline Thy gracious [bounteous] ear. Psalm llii.
12. Now to Thy sacred house. Psalm xliii., st. 3.
13. Sing to the Lord most high. Psalm c.
14. In barren wilds shall living waters spring. Psalm liii.
15. Lord, in these dark and dismal days. Psalm cxxxvii.

No. 9 is found in Lyra Sacra Americana, pp. 101-2, the seven stanzas of the original being abbreviated to five.
In addition to the Psalms, Dr. Dwight published three poems, "The Conquest of Canaan," 1785; "Greenfield Hill," 1794; "Triumph of Infidelity," 1788. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.]

- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)


Texts by Timothy Dwight (89)sort ascendingAsAuthority LanguagesInstances
主,我愛你國度 (Zhǔ, wǒ ài nǐ guódù)Timothy Dwight (Author)Chinese2
Ye sons of men in God rejoiceTimothy Dwight (Author)English4
Ye sinners, fear the LordTimothy Dwight (Author)English33
Ye nations round the northern seaTimothy Dwight (Author)3
Ye chiefs and kings to GodTimothy Dwight (Author)3
Why do the wicked boast of sinTimothy Dwight (Author)7
While Lord! from thee our rulers take their pow'rTimothy Dwight (Author)English2
While life prolongs its precious lightDwight (Author)English242
While God invites, how blest the dayTimothy Dwight (Author)English8
When men of mischief riseTimothy Dwight (Author)4
When God in wrath shall riseTimothy Dwight (Author)8
Tu reino amo, O DiosTimothy Dwight, 1752-1817 (Author)Spanish13
To thee, my King, my God of graceTimothy Dwight (Author)9
To heaven's high King my soulTimothy Dwight (Author)2
To heaven let all my sacredTimothy Dwight (Author)3
To bless the Lord our God in strains divineTimothy Dwight (Author)5
To bless the Lord let every landTimothy Dwight (Author)3
Thy praise, O Lord, our thankful songs renewTimothy Dwight (Author)5
Thou hearest, omniscient LordTimothy Dwight (Author)2
The giddy world, with flattering tongueTimothy Dwight (Author)10
Stretched on the bed of griefTimothy Dwight (Author)11
Sing to the Lord most highTimothy Dwight (Author)English55
Shall man, O God of life and lightTimothy Dwight (Author)English77
Serene, I laid me down, Beneath his guardian careDwight (Author)English13
Segne mein Vaterland, führ es an deiner HandTimothy Dwight (Author)German2
Save me from my foesTimothy Dwight (Author)7
Save me from evil menTimothy Dwight (Author)8
Pagariam, ayatecTimothy Dwight (Author)Tagalog2
Our rulers, Lord, with songs of praiseTimothy Dwight (Author)4
O haste with every gift inspiredDwight (Author)2
O thou whose sceptre earth and seas obeyTimothy Dwight (Author)3
O thou whose hand the kingdom swaysTimothy Dwight (Author)12
O thou, the only good and greatTimothy Dwight (Author)2
O thou preserver of mankindTimothy Dwight (Author)4
O save thy servants, LordTimothy Dwight (Author)5
O Lord, the God of heaven and earthTimothy Dwight (Author)4
O Lord, our Lord most highTimothy Dwight (Author)4
O Lord of hosts, for Jesus' sakeTimothy Dwight (Author)2
O how shall I repayDwigth (Author)3
O God of my salvation, hear, My nightly groans, my daily prayerTimothy Dwight (Author)English1
O God of grace, my cry attendTimothy Dwight (Author)3
O God attend, while hosts of foesTimothy Dwight (Author)English5
O Columbia, the gem of the oceanTimothy Dwight (Author)English1
Now to Thy sacred house with joy I turn my feetTimothy Dwight (Author)English30
No war nor battle's soundDwight (Author)English3
My God, while impious menTimothy Dwight (Author)9
My God, preserve my soulTimothy Dwight (Author)9
My God defend my causeTimothy Dwight (Author)4
Mens Livets Lys and straaler klartTimothy Dwight (Author)2
ما أحسن الجموع في موضع الصلاةTimothy Dwight (Author)Arabic1
Lord, to Thy sacred house, I come with willing feetTimothy Dwight (Author)English4
Lord of all worlds, incline thy bounteous earTimothy Dwight (Author)English24
Lord, in these dark and dismal daysDwight (Author)English11
Let not despair nor fell revengeTimothy Dwight (Author)English1
Just o'er the grave I hungTimothy Dwight (Author)20
Jesus, our Lord and King, To thee our praises riseT. Dwight (Author)1
Itaŋcaŋ kiŋ waṡteTimothy Dwight (Author)Dakota1
In Zion's sacred gatesTimothy Dwight (Author)English19
In barren wilds shall living waters springTimothy Dwight (Author)1
Ich liebe, Herr, dein ReichTimothy Dwight (Author)German8
Ich lieb' dein Zion, HerrTimothy Dwight (Author)German2
I saw beyond the tombTimothy Dwight (Author)English42
I love Thy Zion, LordTimothy Dwight (Author)English52
I love Thy people, LordTimothy Dwight (Author)English2
I love Thy kingdom, LordRev. Timothy Dwight (Author)English1088
I love Thy church, O GodTimothy Dwight (Author)English33
How pleasing is thy voiceTimothy Dwight (Author)English53
How bright thy glories beamTimothy Dwight (Author)2
God bless our native land! Firm may she ever standT. S. Dwight (Author)English1
Friend after friend departsDwight (Author)English1
For her my tears shall fallTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Faith sees the bright, eternal doorsTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Eu amo com fervor a Igreja do meu DeusTimothy Dwight (Author)1
Down at the cross of Christ, my SaviorTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Ditt rike 'r mig k'rtTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Ditt rike 'lskar jagTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Dit Rige elsker jegTimothy Dwight (Author)2
Columbia! Columbia! to glory ariseTimothy Dwight (Author)English4
Cease, cease, ye vain, desponding fearsTimothy Dwight (Author)2
By Babel's stream the captives satTimothy Dwight (Author)10
Blest be the Lord, who heard my prayerTimothy Dwight (Author)12
Bless, O thou western world, thy GodTimothy Dwight (Author)1
Behold, the judge descends, his guards are nighTimothy Dwight (Author)English5
Behold, night's shadows fadeDwight (Author)1
As down a lone valley with cedars overspreadTimothy Dwight, ca. 1789 (Author)English1
Aloha au kou aupuniTimothy Dwight, 1750-1817 (Author)Hawaiian2
أحب بيعة يا ربنا العظيمTimothy Dwight (Author)Arabic1
Again my tongue thy silence breakTimothy Dwight (Author)2
A word in season, spoke with powerDwight (Author)2

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