An adaptation of Psalm 98 by the prolific English hymnist Isaac Watts (1674-1748) who in his youth wrote a hymn each week for 222 consecutive weeks. In his life he produced fifty-volumes of published works including Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707, and the 1719 Psalms of David in the Language of the New Testament, from which “Joy to the World” is taken.
The hymn has been extremely popular over the centuries though various denominations have seen fit to alter some lyrics to suit their theological preoccupations. Some Unitarians, for example, took umbrage at the notion of Original Sin contained in the fourth line of the third verse and Adventists, looking to an imminent return of Christ, felt more comfortable singing “Joy to the world! the Lord will come.” There is even a nineteenth-century version adapted to let atheists sing with a clear conscience.
Musicologists still debate the origins of the tune and some assert a similarity to a portion of Handel’s Messiah. The American composer Lowell Mason (1792-1872) combined Watt’s poetry with the mystery music in 1836.
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
while fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessing flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love.