Shall We Gather at the River: Robert Lowry's Hymn of Heaven, Its Lyrics and the KJV Verses on the River of Life

July 1864 was a hot, hard summer in Brooklyn. The Civil War dragged on, and an epidemic was sweeping the city. Robert Lowry later said that many of his church members had died, and people kept asking him whether they would meet their loved ones again. One afternoon, worn out, he lay down and began to think about the river in Revelation. He wondered why so many hymns sang about the river of death and so few about the river of life that flows from God's throne. The words and tune came together that day. The hymn has been sung at funerals, baptisms and revival meetings ever since. Below are the five verses and refrain as printed in 1894, followed by 12 KJV passages on the river and the reunion it promises.

Shall We Gather at the River: the words

Verse 1
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel-feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?

Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river;
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Verse 2
On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and worship ever,
All the happy, golden day.

Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river;
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Verse 3
Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown.

Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river;
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Verse 4
At the smiling of the river,
Mirror of the Saviour's face,
Saints, whom death will never sever,
Lift their songs of saving grace.

Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river;
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Verse 5
Soon we'll reach the silver river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease;
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.

Refrain:
Yes, we'll gather at the river;
The beautiful, the beautiful river,
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.

Words and music: Robert Lowry (1826-1899), written in Brooklyn in July 1864 and first published in Happy Voices (1865). Text copied from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 Complete (New York and Chicago, 1894), hymn 669, checked against Hymns of Consolation (Internet Archive scans). The refrain is sung after every verse. Public domain.

Flowing by the throne of God: the river of life

1. Revelation 22:1

This is Lowry's river. In the last chapter of the Bible, John is shown the new Jerusalem: And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The hymn's crystal tide comes straight from this verse. The river does not flow from a mountain spring but from the throne itself. Life in heaven is not something God's people bring with them. It pours out from God and from the Lamb, without end. Lowry wanted grieving people to think less about the river of death and more about this river of life.

2. Revelation 22:2

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The tree of life was last seen in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve were sent out of Eden. Here it is again, on both banks of the river. What was lost at the beginning is given back at the end. Lowry's second verse imagines walking on the margin of the river all the happy, golden day. That is Eden restored, with nothing left to fear.

3. Psalms 46:4

There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. Psalm 46 begins with the earth shaking and the seas roaring, and then, in the middle of the turmoil, there is a river. Jerusalem had no great river, so the psalmist is pointing to something deeper: God's own presence, quietly gladdening His people while the world is in uproar. Lowry wrote in a summer of war and sickness. His hymn points the same way, to the river that makes the city of God glad. See our page on Psalm 46.

4. Ezekiel 47:9

The prophet Ezekiel saw a river flowing out from the temple, growing deeper as it went, until it reached the Dead Sea and made its waters fresh. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live. Wherever the river goes, life follows. John's vision in Revelation picks up Ezekiel's picture. The water that flows from God's presence heals what is dead. That is good news for a funeral hymn: the river Lowry sings about does not end life. It gives life where there was none.

Lay we every burden down: a robe and a crown

5. Hebrews 12:1

The third verse says, Ere we reach the shining river, lay we every burden down. Hebrews urges us to lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. A runner does not carry a heavy bag. The great cloud of witnesses, the believers who finished the race before us, are watching. Lowry reminds us that we do not need to carry our burdens all the way to the river. We can lay them down now, at the feet of the One who invites us to come.

6. Revelation 7:16-17

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ... For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Here the Lamb Himself is the shepherd, leading His people to living water. Hunger, thirst, scorching heat and tears are all gone. Lowry's hymn is full of joy, but it was written for people who were weeping. This verse is the promise behind his gladness. The Lamb leads His people to the river, and God wipes away every tear.

7. 2 Timothy 4:8

Lowry says grace will provide a robe and crown. Paul, near the end of his life, wrote: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Paul did not think of the crown as a reward for great apostles only. It is for all who love Christ's appearing. Notice also that grace provides it. Lowry's line is careful: Grace our spirits will deliver. No one reaches the river on his own merits.

8. Matthew 11:28

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The burdens Lowry tells us to lay down are not only laid down in heaven. Jesus invites the weary to bring them to Him today. Many people sing Shall We Gather at the River at a graveside, carrying the heaviest burden of their lives. The hymn looks forward to the day when every burden is gone. This verse says we do not have to wait to begin. Jesus gives rest now to those who come to Him. See our page on Matthew 11:28-30.

Saints whom death will never sever: the great reunion

9. Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Lowry's fourth verse speaks of saints whom death will never sever. On earth, every gathering of a family eventually ends in a parting. In the new creation that will never happen again. No more death means no more goodbyes. This is why the hymn is sung at so many funerals. It does not ignore grief, but it sets grief beside a promise. See our Bible verses about heaven.

10. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

The question people kept asking Lowry, Will we meet again? was the same question the believers in Thessalonica asked Paul. He answered: I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Christians do grieve, but not without hope. The reunion rests on the resurrection of Jesus. Because He rose, those who sleep in Him will rise too, and we shall gather.

11. Revelation 22:3-4

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face. Lowry calls the river the mirror of the Saviour's face. The greatest joy of heaven is not the river, the tree or even the reunion with loved ones, as precious as those are. It is seeing the face of God. His servants shall serve Him there; heaven is not idle. But above all they shall see Him. Every other gladness at the river flows from this one: being with Him forever.

12. 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. Lowry's last verse says our happy hearts will quiver with the melody of peace. David says that in God's presence there is fulness of joy, not a little, and pleasures for evermore, not for a while. Peter quoted this psalm on the day of Pentecost to show that Christ would rise (Acts 2:25-28). The path of life leads through the empty tomb to the throne, and that is where the river flows.

A short prayer

Lord God, thank You for the river of life that flows from Your throne and from the Lamb. When I grieve for those who have gone before me, help me not to sorrow as those who have no hope. Help me to lay every burden down at Your feet today and to run with patience the race You have set before me. By Your grace, bring me at last to the river, with all Your saints, where there is no more death, no more tears and no more parting, and where I shall see Your face. Amen.

Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt

Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.

New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.

Print the free funeral program template · Print the free large-print Psalms, volume 2 · Memorize Revelation 21:4 with Scripture memory cards

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote Shall We Gather at the River?

Robert Lowry (1826-1899), pastor of Hanson Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn, wrote both words and music in July 1864. It was first published in Happy Voices (1865). Lowry also wrote Nothing but the Blood and Christ Arose.

What river is Shall We Gather at the River about?

The river of the water of life in Revelation 22:1-2, which flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the new Jerusalem. Lowry said he wrote the hymn because many songs spoke of the river of death, and he wanted one about the river of life that God's people will gather beside.

Is Shall We Gather at the River a funeral hymn?

It is often sung at funerals and memorial services because it looks forward to meeting loved ones in heaven. It is also sung at baptisms by a river and in ordinary worship. If you are planning a service, our free funeral program template has a sample order of service with a place for the hymns.

Is Shall We Gather at the River in the public domain?

Yes. Robert Lowry's words and tune date from 1864-1865 and are in the public domain in the United States. The hymn has been used in films and arranged by many composers; those arrangements may be copyrighted, but the original may be printed and sung freely.

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.

Related: Nothing but the Blood · He Leadeth Me · It Is Well with My Soul · Abide with Me · Bible Verses for a Funeral · Heaven · Grief · Lost Loved Ones

Explore more: All Bible verses by topic · KJV Bible verses · Verse of the day · Prayers · Bible study · Bible reading plans