How Great Thou Art Lyrics: Full Hymn, History & Chords

Ask any longtime churchgoer about their favorite hymn, and “How Great Thou Art” comes up with surprising frequency — even among people who couldn’t name the tune a month earlier. The reason is simple: few songs manage to hold both theological weight and emotional sweep in the same breath. This piece traces the hymn’s unlikely journey from a Swedish thunderstorm to worldwide worship staple, with the full lyrics, the translators, and the figures who turned a regional poem into a global phenomenon.

Original Author: Carl Boberg · English Translator: Stuart K. Hine (1949) · Billy Graham’s Favorite: How Great Thou Art · Tune Name: HOW GREAT THOU ART · Common Verses: 4

The table below consolidates the essential biographical and publication data verified against primary hymnological sources.

Who originally wrote How Great Thou Art?

Carl Boberg (1859–1940), a Swedish journalist, evangelist, and parliament member, wrote the original poem “O Store Gud” in 1885 at age 26. Boberg was walking home from church near Kronobäck when a sudden thunderstorm broke, followed by an equally dramatic clearing that left him awestruck by the power of nature and, he felt, the presence behind it (Wikipedia). He published the poem the following year under that title (PraiseGate).

Carl Boberg’s Swedish origins

Boberg’s background shaped the hymn’s raw, observational quality. He wrote over 60 poems and hymns during his lifetime, but none matched the reach of “O Store Gud” (The Simple Pastor). The opening stanza in Swedish reads: “O store Gud, när jag den verld beskådar Som du har skapat med ditt allmaktsord” — a direct echo of Psalm 8 that grounds the poem in biblical awe rather than theological abstraction (Wikipedia).

“It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. A thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon there was thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared. When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of ‘When eternity’s clock calls my saved soul to its Sabbath rest’. That evening, I wrote the song, ‘O Store Gud’.”

— Carl Boberg, author (West Nidaros)

Path to English translation

The poem traveled through multiple languages before reaching its familiar English form. The first English translation came from E. Gustav Johnson in 1925, using the more literal opening “O mighty God, when I behold the wonder of nature’s beauty” (Reawaken Hymns). Stuart K. Hine heard a Russian version of the hymn in 1931 while on mission in the Carpathian Mountains and began work on his own paraphrase (Wikipedia). Hine published the English version we know today in 1949, adding two verses of his own including the third verse on Christ’s return (TheScottSpot).

What is the story behind the hymn How Great Thou Art?

The hymn’s origin story reads almost like a plot from fiction. Boberg described watching a violent summer thunderstorm roll across the Swedish countryside, then being met by an equally striking calm — birds singing, church bells ringing in the distance, a vivid sunset. He sat down that evening and wrote the poem in a single burst (West Nidaros).

Inspiration from 1885 storm

Boberg’s own account, preserved by his great-nephew Bud Boberg, emphasizes the sensory experience: the warmth before the storm, the speed of the lightning, the silence afterward broken only by church bells playing a tune about eternity. That contrast — nature’s violence followed by spiritual stillness — became the emotional engine of the hymn (Wikipedia).

“My dad’s story of its origin was that it was a paraphrase of Psalm 8 and was used in the ‘underground church’ in Sweden in the late 1800s when the Baptists and Mission Friends were persecuted.”

— Bud Boberg, Carl Boberg’s great-nephew (Wikipedia)

Evolution across languages

The poem moved through German (1907), Russian (1922), and ultimately back to English through multiple hands before Hine’s definitive version emerged. Hine’s version is notable for repeating the refrain “How great thou art” four times — a deliberate musical choice that creates the hymn’s trademark build (Wikipedia). The melody uses a Swedish folk tune that Hine adapted rather than composed (PraiseGate).

Is How Great Thou Art a funeral hymn?

“How Great Thou Art” has become one of the most frequently requested hymns at funerals in English-speaking countries. The reasons are straightforward: its themes of nature, eternity, and divine glory provide a natural fit for end-of-life services where grief and hope coexist (The Simple Pastor).

Popularity at funerals

The hymn’s imagery — “when the rolls of thunder o’er me roll” and the final verse’s vision of Christ’s return — gives it a dual quality that funeral directors and families alike find resonant. In many hymn polls, it ranks just behind “Amazing Grace” in popularity, which itself is a perennial funeral favorite (The Simple Pastor).

Comparison to other hymns

Compared to “Amazing Grace,” which dominates most funeral playlist rankings, “How Great Thou Art” offers a more expansive emotional range. “Amazing Grace” focuses on personal redemption; “How Great Thou Art” widens the lens to creation itself, which many find consoling when confronting loss.

Do Catholics sing How Great Thou Art?

Yes — the hymn appears in Catholic hymnals worldwide. The official Catholic position treats it as part of the broader Christian hymn tradition rather than as a Protestant-specific song, and it’s sung in parishes across the United States, the United Kingdom, and parts of Europe (Wikipedia).

Catholic hymn adaptations

The Catholic version typically uses the standard Hine translation without doctrinal changes, reflecting the hymn’s adaptability across denominational lines. Some parishes use contemporary arrangements — Keith and Kristyn Getty have recorded the hymn with modern instrumentation while preserving the original lyrics (Wikipedia).

Usage in Catholic services

The hymn appears most often at Masses during Ordinary Time, at funerals, and occasionally at reconciliation services. Its four-verse standard form is the norm; the full nine verses from Boberg’s original rarely appear in Catholic settings (Hymnary.org).

What was Billy Graham’s favorite hymn?

Billy Graham repeatedly named “How Great Thou Art” as his favorite hymn throughout his ministry. George Beverly Shea, who sang at Graham’s crusades starting in the 1950s, popularized the English version so effectively that many Americans associate the hymn specifically with Graham’s events (Wikipedia).

Graham’s favorites list

Graham’s stated favorite status was consistent across decades. In interviews, he cited the hymn’s combination of simplicity and theological depth — qualities he believed made it accessible to new listeners while rewarding lifelong believers (The Simple Pastor). Shea introduced the hymn at the 1954 Billy Graham Crusade in New York, where it became an immediate crowd favorite.

Impact on popularity

The Graham association elevated “How Great Thou Art” from a respected hymn to a cultural touchstone. By the 1970s, it had been published in 167 hymnals — a figure tracked by Hymnary.org — making it one of the most widely printed hymns in any language (Hymnary.org). Contemporary worship leaders continue to program it precisely because audiences recognize it immediately.