“Jesus Shall Reign”: Isaac Watts’ missionary hymn built on Psalm 72

The psalm was about a king of Israel. Isaac Watts read it as a prophecy about Christ. In 1719, the English hymn writer published “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun”, a paraphrase of Psalm 72 that pictured the gospel spreading to every nation. It became one of the anthems of the missionary movement that carried Christianity to Africa and the Pacific.

Watts and the Psalms

Watts, born in Southampton in 1674, is often called the father of English hymnody. At a time when many English churches sang only metrical psalms, he wrote hymns in his own words, including “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Joy to the World”. “Jesus Shall Reign” appeared in Watts’ 1719 collection The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. In it, he rewrote psalms to speak openly of Jesus.

Psalm 72

Psalm 72 is a prayer for the king: “May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Watts saw in it a picture of Christ’s worldwide kingdom.

The opening verse sets the scene: “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run; his kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.” Later verses describe people of every language praising him.

A missionary hymn

One verse echoes the psalm’s concern for justice: “Blessings abound where’er he reigns; the prisoner leaps to lose his chains; the weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blessed.” In the nineteenth century, as missionary societies sent workers to Africa, Asia and the Pacific, the hymn became a favourite at farewell services and mission meetings.

A famous story tells of King George Tupou I of Tonga giving his people a new constitution in 1862. Thousands of Tongans, many recently converted, gathered and sang “Jesus Shall Reign” in their language.

The tune

The hymn is usually sung to Duke Street, a tune attributed to John Hatton and first published in the late eighteenth century. Its steady, marching rhythm suits the words. Ghanaian and Nigerian churches founded by missionaries sing the hymn in English and local languages, especially at mission Sundays and church anniversaries. The hymn’s vision of every nation worshipping now describes the African churches themselves.

Watts wrote of a kingdom stretching from shore to shore at a time when English Christianity barely reached beyond Europe. Three centuries later, the loudest choirs singing his hymn are often African.