Luther’s Hymn

Great God, what do I see and hear!

p. 50
Key A major
Singing key Eb major
Time 2/2
4 stanzas

Words

Great God, what do I see and hear!The end of things created!The Judge of man I see appear,On clouds of glory seated;The trumpet sounds; the graves restoreThe dead which they contain'd before:Prepare, my soul, to meet him.

The dead in Christ shall first arise,At the last trumpet's sounding,Caught up to meet him in the skies,With joy their Lord surroundingNo gloomy fears their souls dismayHis presence sheds eternal dayOn those prepared to meet him.

But sinners, fill'd with guilty fears,Behold his wrath prevailing,For they shall rise, and find their tearsAnd sighs are unavailing:The day of grace is past and gone;Trembling they stand before the throne,All unprepared to meet him.

Great God, what do I see and hear!The end of things created!The Judge of man I see appear,On clouds of glory seated:Beneath his cross I view the dayWhen heaven and earth shall pass awayAnd thus prepare to meet him.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: under the music (p. 50) only stanza 1, its first four lines in two text lines under the repeated first half (1st and 2nd time), the last three lines once. The whole text, four stanzas, is printed as verse on p. 51 under the heading "Judgment."; it is reproduced here from p. 51. Each stanza is sung through the whole tune, lines 1–2 and 3–4 on the two passes of the repeat.