Hymn
When God of old came down from heaven
When God, of old, came down from heaven,
In power and wrath he came;
Before his feet the clouds were riven,
Half darkness and half flame.
But when he came the second time,
He came in power and love;
Softer than gales at morning prime,
Hovered his holy Dove.
The fires that rushed on Sinai down
In sudden torrents dread,
Now gently light a glorious crown
On every sainted head.
Like arrows went those lightnings forth,
Winged with the sinner's doom;
But these, like tongues, o'er all the earth
Proclaiming life to come.
When God of old came down from heaven — Text from Laudes Domini, 1888. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/when-god-of-old-came-down-from-heaven
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Questions about this hymn
Who wrote When God of old came down from heaven?
The words of When God of old came down from heaven were written by John Keble; the version here was published in 1888. The library holds 5 more hymns by John Keble, including Sun of my soul, Thou Savior Dear and There Is a Book That All May Read.
Is When God of old came down from heaven public domain?
Yes. The words here are taken from Laudes Domini, published in 1888. 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 When God of old came down from heaven?
When God of old came down from heaven is in Common Metre (8.6.8.6). Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, The Death and Burial of a Saint, An Evening Hymn and Jesus, United by Thy Grace.