There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood is a hymn by the English poet William Cowper, written around 1771 and published in Olney Hymns in 1779. Cowper took its picture from Zechariah 13:1: In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. The hymn says that the blood of Jesus, Immanuel, cleanses every sinner who comes to Him, just as it saved the dying thief on the cross, and that redeeming love will be the believer's theme until death and beyond.
William Cowper was one of the finest English poets of his century, and he suffered all his life from deep depression. In 1763 he broke down and tried to take his own life. In an asylum at St Albans he read Romans 3:25, about Christ set forth as a propitiation through faith in his blood, and found peace for the first time. Later he moved to the village of Olney, where his friend John Newton, the former slave trader who wrote Amazing Grace, was the curate. Together they wrote Olney Hymns. This hymn carries both men's story: sinners who knew they were vile and found a fountain that never runs dry. Below are the five verses most hymnals sing, as printed in 1894, then 12 KJV passages behind its pictures.
There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood: the words
Verse 1
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
Verse 2
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
Verse 3
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more.
Verse 4
E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
Verse 5
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave.
Words: William Cowper (1731-1800), written about 1771 and published in Olney Hymns (1779) under the title Praise for the Fountain Opened, Zechariah 13:1. Text copied from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 Complete (New York and Chicago, 1894), hymn 733 (Internet Archive scan), where the last two lines of verse 1 are repeated when sung. Checked against Bradbury's Devotional Hymn and Tune Book (1864; Internet Archive scan), which prints Cowper's original poem: there verse 2 reads And there have I, as vile as he, Washed all my sins away, and two more verses follow (see the FAQ). Public domain.
A fountain filled with blood: the cleansing Zechariah foresaw
1. Zechariah 13:1
"In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness."
Cowper gave the hymn its title from this verse: Praise for the Fountain Opened. Zechariah promised, In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. A fountain is not a basin that holds a little water and is soon used up. It springs and keeps flowing. That is God's picture of His cleansing. Zechariah's next chapters speak of the One whom they pierced (Zechariah 12:10). Christians have always read this fountain as the cleansing that flows from the cross of Christ, opened for all who will come.
2. John 19:34
"But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water."
Cowper's opening is bold: a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins. John records the moment it was opened: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John, who saw it, insists that his witness is true (John 19:35). Jesus had really died. His body was really pierced. The blood of Immanuel, God with us, was really shed. Cowper's lines may sound strange to modern ears, but they say something simple: our cleansing cost the life of the Son of God, poured out at a real place and a real time.
3. Isaiah 53:5
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
Seven centuries before the cross, Isaiah described a servant of the LORD who would suffer for others: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Cowper's fourth verse speaks of the stream that Thy flowing wounds supply. Every phrase in Isaiah's verse is a trade: His wounds for our transgressions, His bruises for our iniquities, His punishment for our peace. The fountain flows from wounds He received in our place. See our page on Isaiah 53.
4. Hebrews 9:12
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. The priests of Israel offered sacrifices again and again because none of them could finish the work. Christ entered once, with His own blood, and obtained eternal redemption. That is why Cowper can sing that the blood shall never lose its power. A cleansing that had to be repeated would one day run out. An eternal redemption cannot. The fountain is as full today as it was on the day it was opened.
The dying thief rejoiced to see: grace for the worst of sinners
5. Luke 23:42-43
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
The second verse turns to one of the men crucified beside Jesus. Mocking at first, he came to see who Jesus was and said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Jesus answered, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. The thief had no time to be baptized, join a church or make up for his life. He had only faith in a dying King. Cowper, who thought himself as vile as that thief, took courage from him. If grace could reach a criminal in his last hours, it could reach a broken poet too.
6. 1 Timothy 1:15
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Paul, who had persecuted the church, called himself the chief of sinners. Cowper wrote And there may I, though vile as he, and John Newton, his friend, called himself a wretch in Amazing Grace. None of them was being dramatic. Each had seen his own heart honestly. But each also believed this faithful saying: Christ came to save sinners, not to wait for them to become good. See our page on Amazing Grace.
7. Romans 5:20
"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:"
Paul writes, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Sin can pile up very high, but grace always rises higher. This is the hope of the dying thief and of every sinner who feels too far gone. Cowper believed it for others more easily than for himself; in his darkest years he feared he was the one person grace could not reach. Yet he wrote this hymn so that others would know the fountain has no limit. If your sins feel like they abound, this verse is for you. Where they have piled up, grace has piled up much more.
8. Psalms 51:2
"Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."
Plunged beneath that flood, sinners lose all their guilty stains. David prayed for that kind of washing after his sin with Bathsheba: Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Throughly is the old form of thoroughly. David did not ask for a light rinse. He wanted to be washed through and through. Cowper's picture of being plunged beneath a flood is the answer to that prayer. God does not leave a few stains behind. See our page on Psalm 51, David's great prayer of repentance.
Redeeming love has been my theme: a song that never ends
9. Psalms 89:1
"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations."
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. Cowper's fourth verse says that ever since he saw the stream, redeeming love has been his theme, and shall be till I die. The psalmist sets the same goal: to sing of God's mercies for ever and to tell the next generation. Cowper's own life was full of sorrow, yet his hymns have kept making God's faithfulness known for two hundred and fifty years. A single theme, sung faithfully, can outlast a whole lifetime of trouble.
10. Psalms 71:23
"My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed."
My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. The psalmist of Psalm 71 is old and has known many troubles, yet his lips will rejoice, and the reason is the last word: redeemed. Cowper's final verse looks forward to a nobler, sweeter song in heaven, when this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave. On earth our praise is weak and broken. But the redeemed soul will one day sing without any stammer at all. Until then, even our stammering praise pleases God.
11. Revelation 5:9
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;"
Here is the nobler, sweeter song. In heaven the elders sing a new song to the Lamb: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. The song in heaven is about the same fountain Cowper sang about on earth. Notice who sings it: people from every nation. The fountain was opened for the house of David first, and then for the whole world. Cowper's hymn has been translated into many languages, and its theme is the theme of heaven: the Lamb who was slain.
12. Philippians 1:6
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
Cowper's third verse says the precious blood shall never lose its power, Till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more. Paul gives the same confidence: he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Salvation is not something God starts and then leaves us to finish. The blood that cleansed us at the beginning keeps its power until the end, when the whole church is free from sin forever. For anyone who, like Cowper, fears that their faith is too weak to last, this promise rests the weight on God, not on us.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, filled from Your own wounds. Like the dying thief I come with nothing in my hands, and like him I ask You to remember me. Wash me throughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Where my sin has abounded, let Your grace much more abound. Make redeeming love my theme until I die, and finish the good work You have begun in me, until I sing Your power to save in a nobler, sweeter song. 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.
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood?
William Cowper (1731-1800), an English poet, wrote it around 1771 while living in Olney, Buckinghamshire. It was published in Olney Hymns (1779), the collection he made with John Newton. In America it is usually sung to a tune called Cleansing Fountain, an early American melody.
What Bible verse is There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood based on?
Cowper titled it Praise for the Fountain Opened and cited Zechariah 13:1, In that day there shall be a fountain opened ... for sin and for uncleanness. The second verse refers to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43), and the later verses echo Revelation 5:9 and the hope of heaven.
How many verses are in There Is a Fountain?
Cowper wrote seven. Most hymnals print the five above. His last two, printed in Bradbury's 1864 hymn book, are: Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, Unworthy though I be, For me a blood-bought free reward, A golden harp for me! and 'Tis strung and tuned for endless years, And formed by power divine, To sound in God the Father's ears No other name but Thine.
Was William Cowper depressed?
Yes. Cowper suffered severe depression and several breakdowns, and he sometimes despaired of his own salvation, even while his hymns comforted others. His story reminds readers that faith and dark seasons can exist together. If you are struggling, please talk with a pastor or counselor; in the US you can call or text 988 at any time.
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 · Amazing Grace · Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed · When I Survey the Wondrous Cross · Lent Hymns · Blood of Jesus · The Cross · Redemption
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