Hymn
O Word of God Incarnate
O Word of God incarnate,
O Wisdom from on high,
O Truth unchanged, unchanging,
O Light of our dark sky;
We praise Thee for the radiance
That from the hallowed page,
A lantern to our footsteps
Shines on from age to age.
The Church from her dear Master
Received the gift divine,
And still that light she lifteth
O'er all the earth to shine.
It is the golden casket
Where gems of truth are stored;
It is the heav'n-drawn picture
Of Christ, the living Word.
It floateth like a banner
Before God's host unfurled;
It shineth like a beacon
Above the darkling world:
It is the chart and compass
That o'er life's surging sea,
'Mid mists, and rocks, and quicksands,
Still guides, O Christ, to Thee.
O make Thy church, dear Saviour,
A lamp of purest gold
To bear before the nations
Thy true light as of old:
O teach Thy wandering pilgrims
By this their path to trace,
Till, clouds and darkness ended,
They see Thee face to face.
Amen.
O Word of God Incarnate — Text from The Hymnal and Order of Service, 1926. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/o-word-of-god-incarnate
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Questions about this hymn
Who wrote O Word of God Incarnate?
The words of O Word of God Incarnate were written by William Walsham How; the version here was published in 1926. The library holds 5 more hymns by William Walsham How, including O Jesus, Thou Art Standing and We Give Thee But Thine Own.
Is O Word of God Incarnate public domain?
Yes. The words here are taken from The Hymnal and Order of Service, published in 1926. Works published before 1931 are out of copyright in the United States, so you can print, project, perform and record this hymn freely. How we source and check every hymn.
What is the metre of O Word of God Incarnate?
O Word of God Incarnate is in 7.6.7.6 D. Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, Light of the World, We Hail Thee, Sing to the Lord of Harvest and Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain.