Analysis of Psalm 7

Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)



God's care of his people.

My trust is in my heav'nly Friend,
My hope in thee, my God;
Rise, and my helpless life defend
From those that seek my blood.

With insolence and fury they
My soul in pieces tear,
As hungry lions rend the prey,
When no deliverer's near.

If I had e'er provoked them first,
Or once abused my foe,
Then let him tread my life to dust,
And lay mine honor low.

If there be malice found in me,
I know thy piercing eyes;
I should not dare appeal to thee,
Nor ask my God to rise.

Arise, my God, lift up thy hand,
Their pride and power control;
Awake to judgment, and command
Deliverance for my soul.

[Let sinners, and their wicked rage,
Be humbled to the dust;
Shall not the God of truth engage
To vindicate the just?

He knows the heart, he tries the reins,
He will defend th' upright
His sharpest arrows he ordains
Against the sons of spite.

For me their malice digged a pit,
But there themselves are cast;
My God makes all their mischief light
On their own heads at last.]

That cruel, persecuting race
Must feel his dreadful sword:
Awake, my soul, and praise the grace
And justice of the Lord.


Scheme X AXAX BXBX XCDC EFEF GHGH IDID XJFJ XKJK LMLM
Poetic Form
Metre 111110 1110111 110111 10110101 111111 11000101 110101 11010101 1111 111100111 110111 11111111 011101 11110101 111101 11110111 111111 01111111 1101001 01110001 0100111 11001101 110101 11011101 110001 11011101 11011101 1101011 010111 11110101 110111 11111101 111111 1101001 111101 01110101 010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,088
Words 216
Sentences 12
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 37
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 86
Words per stanza (avg) 21
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:06 min read
82

Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was an English Christian minister (Congregational), hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. He is recognized as the "Godfather of English Hymnody"; many of his hymns remain in use today and have been translated into numerous languages. more…

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