All People That On Earth Do Dwell

“For it is good to sing praises to our God,” the Psalmist writes in Psalm 147:1. (ESV)

“All People That On Earth Do Dwell” is one of the oldest hymns still sung today. It dates back to the Scottish Psalter in 1561. When the settlers landed in Jamestown in 1607, they likely had a Psalter and would’ve possibly been singing this hymn in their worship services as they laid the foundations of our great nation. It was likely included in the first book ever published in the colonies, The Bay Psalm Book (1640).

The 1500s were an exciting time to be alive. Calvin and Luther were reforming the Protestant church, while Queen Mary simply settled all her church disputes with fire and blood. And you thought the past few years were bad!

According to the Hymnology Archive, the English borrowed the tune “Geneva 134” from the French Psalter, originally used for Psalm 134, and began to refer to it as “Psalm 100.” In 1696, the name “Old 100th” would catch on as composers continued to write new tunes for this hymn. “Old 100th” is often referred to as “The Doxology,” despite the tune itself having been written over 120 years earlier.

Since the King James version of the Bible hadn’t yet been published, the hymn’s author, William Kethe, would’ve gotten the English translation of the psalm from a translation of Luther’s version of Psalms. Now, let’s just consider that issue for a moment. Put yourself in Kethe’s shoes. God plants a desire in you to write a singable paraphrase of His Holy Word, but you do not have that in your language, much less in your hands. I certainly take for granted how accessible the Bible is to me.

As interesting as the history of old hymns can be, what warrants inclusion in our singing vocabulary is the truth contained within. Many hymns have been sung for centuries, such as this one. But few are the hymns that endure. Endurance, in the human sense, is a combination of physical and mental strength. For hymns, it’s a truthful foundation, biblical strength, and musical melody. Enduring hymns give us one element of church music that new songs cannot: a connection with the church of old and those who’ve gone before us.

This hymn sings the truth and connects us directly to the scripture. It is a call to worship in joy or in pain, as the Christian life experiences all.

Many translations of the Bible have summarized Psalm 100 as one for giving thankful praise.

Verse 1
All people that on earth do dwell
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice
Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell
Come  ye before Him and rejoice

Psalm 100:1-2 “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” The Hebrew word for noise is translated as voice or sound. But Biblical uses of the word define it as thunder, war cry, shouting, earthquake, etc. It is most often associated with the descriptive term loud.

I was asked once, “Why does church music need to be so loud?”. The answer is “because it’s biblical”! Now, in many Christian traditions, being loud is frowned upon. It’s seen as disruptive and distracting. But when directed towards the Almighty, the Bible instructs us to not only sing to Him but to sing LOUDLY to Him and to “shout for joy to God”! (Psalm 66:1)

Verse 2
Know that the Lord is God indeed
Without our aid He did us make
We are His flock he doth us feed
And  for His sheep He doth us take

Psalm 100:3 “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Jewish doctrine holds that Moses was the author of this Psalm. Moses is not only giving praise here; he is teaching. Do not mistake your origin. Do not misunderstand your value. Do not forget that you belong to God, and He will be your shepherd.

Verse 3
O enter then his gates with praise
Approach with Joy His courts unto
Praise, laud, and bless His name always
For it is seemly so to do

Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” For everything that God has done since creation itself, we give thanks. We are instructed here to come to Him with thankful hearts.

Verse 4
Because the Lord our God is good
His mercy is for ever sure
His truth at all times firmly stood
And shall from age to age endure

Psalm 100:5: “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Good, or well, kind, or fair. God is not just good, like “ok, but not great.” Or, just “fine.” But good as with love that endures forever and is faithful to all generations. God’s goodness is something our cultural use of the word good simply doesn’t fully communicate.

Many walk through the entrance of our churches with the pain of life in tow. Dane Ortland, in his book titled “In The Lord I Take Refuge,” writes regarding Psalm 100, “And even more deeply, the Bible gives us resources for wading through the pain of life with a joy and calm that transcends the darkness.” “Even in the pain of life, we lift our hearts and our voices to the Lord.”