Classic Christian Hymns · Public-domain text

As Pants the Hart

Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady

Nahum Tate (1652–1715) was an Irish-born poet, playwright, and Poet Laureate of England. Known for his collaborative spirit, Tate partnered with Nicholas Brady in 1696 to publish the New Version of the Psalms of David. He sought to make the raw emotion of the Psalms singable for everyday congregations. Their translation of Psalm 42, 'As Pants the Hart', became a classic expression of a soul's deep thirst for God in times of trouble.

Source: New Version of the Psalms of David

As pants the hart for cooling streams
When heated in the chase
So longs my soul, O God, for thee
And thy refreshing grace
For thee, my God, the living God
My thirsty soul doth pine
O when shall I behold thy face
Thou Majesty divine
Why restless, why cast down, my soul
Hope still; and thou shalt sing
The praise of him who is thy God
Thy health's eternal spring
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
The God whom we adore
Be glory, as it was, is now
And shall be evermore
As birds their infant brood protectAs once for Jonah, so the LordAs parched in the barren sandsAs some tall rock amidst the wavesAs the serpent raised by MosesAs with Gladness Men of Old