“Breathe on Me, Breath of God”: Edwin Hatch’s quiet prayer to the Holy Spirit

Some hymns thunder. “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” whispers. Its four short verses are a simple prayer asking the Holy Spirit to fill the singer with new life, to purify the heart and to bring the soul into full surrender. Written in 1878 by Edwin Hatch, an English clergyman and scholar, it has been sung for nearly 150 years at Pentecost services, confirmations, ordinations and moments of personal renewal. Its quiet tone has made it one of the best-loved hymns about the Holy Spirit.

Edwin Hatch and a scholar's prayer

Edwin Hatch was born in 1835 in Derby, England. He became a respected scholar at Oxford, known for his studies of early church history. Despite his learning, the hymn he is remembered for is short and simple. Friends described Hatch as a man of quiet, deep faith. The hymn reflects that character, with plain language and a personal tone.

The opening verse sets the theme: “Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love what Thou dost love, and do what Thou wouldst do.”

Purity, will and Trentham

The image of God’s breath recalls Genesis 2, where God breathes life into Adam, and John 20:22, where the risen Jesus breathes on his disciples and says, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” The second verse asks for a pure heart and a will united with God’s. The third prays that the singer may be wholly God’s, until “this earthly part of me glows with Thy fire divine.”

The last verse looks beyond death: “So shall I never die, but live with Thee the perfect life of Thine eternity.” The hymn is usually sung to Trentham, composed by Robert Jackson in 1888. The gentle tune suits the prayerful words.

African churches and renewal

The hymn appears in Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian hymnals used in Ghana, Nigeria and elsewhere, and it is sung at confirmations and Pentecost. Many believers use the hymn as a personal prayer during times of spiritual dryness, asking for fresh life from God. Edwin Hatch died in 1889, only a decade after writing the hymn. The hymn is often sung softly, sometimes unaccompanied, allowing its words to be heard clearly.

Edwin Hatch wrote books that only scholars still read. The hymn he wrote in a few lines is sung by congregations who have never heard of the books.