Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee is a hymn by the American pastor and writer Henry van Dyke, written in 1907 to fit the Ode to Joy melody from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. It calls the whole creation, flowers, stars, mountains and seas, to praise God, and asks Him to melt the clouds of sin and sadness. It became widely known again through the 1993 film Sister Act 2. Its spirit is Psalm 16:11: "in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Henry van Dyke (1852-1933) was a Presbyterian minister, a professor of English literature at Princeton, a popular author (his story The Other Wise Man is still read at Christmas) and later the U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands. In 1907 he was invited to preach at Williams College in Massachusetts and stayed with the college president, Harry Garfield, son of the late President James Garfield. One morning at breakfast he handed his host a poem, saying the Berkshire mountains outside the window had inspired it, and asked that it be sung to the great melody from the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Van Dyke said he meant it as a hymn of trust and joy and hope, for people who are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion. The hymn's picture of creation praising God is drawn straight from the Psalms. Below are van Dyke's four stanzas as he published them in 1911, and the 12 KJV passages behind them.
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (Hymn of Joy): the words
Verse 1
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,
Praising Thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
Verse 2
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Centre of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Blooming meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in Thee.
Verse 3
Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the Joy Divine.
Verse 4
Mortals join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o'er us,
Brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life.
Words: Henry van Dyke, Hymn of Joy, To the Music of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, written in 1907 while he was guest preacher at Williams College. All 4 stanzas are copied from The Poems of Henry van Dyke (New York: Scribner, 1911), pages 332-333 (Internet Archive scan), where the poem is dated 1908. Many hymnals print line 4 as Opening to the sun above. Tune: Hymn to Joy, adapted from the last movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (1824). Public domain in the US (published 1911).
God of glory, Lord of love: fill us with the light of day
1. Psalms 16:11
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee. The hymn begins with joy because joy is what God's presence brings. David wrote: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Christian joy is not the same as a cheerful temperament or a good day. It is the gladness of being near God, and it can exist alongside sorrow. Van Dyke's hymn invites the singer into that presence. Adoration and joy belong together. The more clearly we see God, the more joyful worship becomes.
2. Psalms 84:11
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, praising Thee their sun above. Van Dyke's image is of flowers opening their petals to the morning sun. The psalmist uses the same picture for God: For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Just as a flower cannot open in the dark, a closed heart opens when it turns toward God's light and warmth. Many hymnals change the line to Opening to the sun above, but van Dyke's own words are Praising Thee.
3. 1 John 1:5
"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
Drive the dark of doubt away; fill us with the light of day. John sums up the message he heard from Jesus in a single sentence: God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Light in the Bible stands for truth, purity and life. Van Dyke names three kinds of darkness: sin, sadness and doubt. All three are real, and none of them can survive in God's light. The prayer of the first stanza is that God would do in our hearts what the sunrise does to a valley: melt the clouds and flood it with day.
4. Isaiah 61:3
"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Giver of immortal gladness. Isaiah describes the work of the coming Messiah: to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Jesus read from this chapter in the synagogue at Nazareth and said it was fulfilled in Him (Luke 4:21). Immortal gladness is joy that cannot die, because it comes from the One who has conquered death. Van Dyke calls God its Giver. Joy is not something we manufacture; it is a gift we receive.
All Thy works with joy surround Thee: field and forest, vale and mountain
5. Psalms 19:1
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."
All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays. David looked up at the night sky and wrote: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Creation preaches without words. Every sunrise and every star is a reflection of the glory of the One who made it. Van Dyke, inspired by the mountains of western Massachusetts, saw the whole world as a choir surrounding its Creator with praise. Next time you see a beautiful landscape, let it do what it was made to do: point you to God.
6. Psalms 148:3
"Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light."
Stars and angels sing around Thee, centre of unbroken praise. Psalm 148 is a great roll call of creation, summoning everything to praise God: angels, sun and moon, stars, sea creatures, mountains, trees, animals, kings and children. Verse 3 says: Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Van Dyke's second stanza is almost a paraphrase of this psalm. God is the centre of unbroken praise. Somewhere in His creation, praise is always rising to Him. When we worship, we are joining something that never stops.
7. Isaiah 55:12
"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Field and forest, vale and mountain, blooming meadow, flashing sea. Isaiah pictures creation celebrating God's salvation: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. This is poetry, but it is not just poetry. Romans 8 says creation itself waits to be set free from decay. Van Dyke's lines echo Isaiah's joy. Call us to rejoice in Thee: the natural world is not only to be admired. It calls us to worship the One who made it and who will one day make it new.
8. Psalms 96:11
"Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof."
Chanting bird and flowing fountain. Psalm 96 calls the whole world to sing a new song to the LORD: Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. The roaring sea, van Dyke's flashing sea, becomes a voice of praise. The psalm goes on to say the trees will sing for joy because the LORD is coming to judge the earth with righteousness. Creation rejoices because God will set things right. Our joy in worship looks forward to that same day.
Mortals join the mighty chorus which the morning stars began
9. Job 38:7
"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
Mortals join the mighty chorus, which the morning stars began. When God answered Job out of the whirlwind, He described the creation of the world, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Before there were any people, creation was already ringing with praise. Van Dyke's last stanza invites mortals, ordinary human beings, to join a song that began at the dawn of time. Every time a congregation sings, it adds its voice to the oldest choir in the universe.
10. Hebrews 2:11
"For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,"
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother. It may sound surprising to call Jesus our Brother, but Hebrews does: both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. By becoming human, the Son of God made Himself one of the family. Those who trust Him become children of God (John 1:12), and He is the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). Van Dyke's line holds a great truth: through Christ, God is our Father and Jesus is not ashamed of us.
11. 1 John 4:7
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
Teach us how to love each other; Brother-love binds man to man. John writes: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Van Dyke saw worship and love of neighbor as one thing. A joy in God that does not overflow into love for people is not the real thing. All who live in love are Thine, the hymn says. That line should be read in light of John's teaching that love comes from God and is shown supremely in Christ, who gave Himself for us (1 John 4:9-10).
12. 1 Corinthians 15:57
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Victors in the midst of strife; joyful music lifts us sunward in the triumph song of life. Paul ends his great chapter on the resurrection with a shout: But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Van Dyke does not pretend there is no strife; the victory comes in the midst of it. Christians sing because the decisive battle against sin and death has already been won by Jesus. The triumph song of life is the song of resurrection, and it lifts us sunward, toward God.
A short prayer
God of glory, Lord of love, I adore You with joy. Open my heart like a flower to Your light. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness and drive the dark of doubt away; fill me with the light of day. Thank You that all Your works surround You with praise, and let me join the mighty chorus the morning stars began. You are giving and forgiving, ever blessing; teach me to love others as You have loved me. Thank You for the victory You give through Jesus Christ, my Brother and my Lord. Amen.
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee?
Henry van Dyke (1852-1933), an American Presbyterian minister, Princeton professor and author of The Other Wise Man, wrote the words in 1907 while preaching at Williams College in Massachusetts. They were first published in 1911. The tune is adapted from the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (1824), the melody known as Ode to Joy, arranged as the hymn tune Hymn to Joy.
Is Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee the same tune as Ode to Joy?
Yes. Van Dyke wrote the words specifically to fit the Ode to Joy theme from the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which in the symphony is sung to a German poem by Friedrich Schiller. Van Dyke's words are not a translation of Schiller; they are a new Christian hymn. The hymn tune is usually called Hymn to Joy, adapted by Edward Hodges in 1864.
Is Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee from Sister Act 2?
The hymn was written in 1907, but many people know it from the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, where Lauryn Hill and a high school choir perform a gospel arrangement that begins with the traditional words before turning into a new up-tempo version. That arrangement is copyrighted. The original words on this page are in the public domain.
Is Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee in the public domain?
Yes, in the United States. Van Dyke's words were published in 1911, and works published in the US before 1929 are in the public domain. Beethoven's melody (1824) is also in the public domain. Modern arrangements, such as the Sister Act 2 version, are protected by copyright.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
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