Piano Demo
0:00
Hymnal Number
210Resource Type:
Keys included:
D
About this Hymn
Frederick Lehman wrote this beautiful hymn after hearing an evangelist read the words of the last verse during a camp meeting. Those words, adapted from lyrics by English poet Christopher Smart, echo the sentiments of an old Aramaic poem by Rabbi Meir ben Yitzchak and, in a way, John 21:25: "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."
Lyrics
Verse 1
The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave his Son to win. His erring child he reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.
Chorus
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure, the saints' and angels' song!
Verse 2
When years of time shall pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, when men who here refuse to pray, on rocks and hills and mountains call; God's love, so sure, shall still endure, all measureless and strong. Redeeming grace to Adam's race— the saints' and angels' song.
Verse 3
Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill, and ev'ry man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.
The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell. The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave his Son to win. His erring child he reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.
Chorus
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure, the saints' and angels' song!
Verse 2
When years of time shall pass away, and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, when men who here refuse to pray, on rocks and hills and mountains call; God's love, so sure, shall still endure, all measureless and strong. Redeeming grace to Adam's race— the saints' and angels' song.
Verse 3
Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; were ev'ry stalk on earth a quill, and ev'ry man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.
Copyrighted lyrics may be used in corporate worship in accordance with a valid CCLI license. Lyrics should be displayed unaltered and include author and copyright information. All other uses require permission from the copyright holder.
Attribution & Copyright
Words: Sts. 1–2, Frederick M. Lehman, 1917; st. 3, Christopher Smart, 1740, after John Lydgate; adapt. anon., 1789
Music: Frederick M. Lehman, 1917; harm. Claudia L. Mays, 1917
Music: Frederick M. Lehman, 1917; harm. Claudia L. Mays, 1917