All People That on Earth Do Dwell Lyrics William Kethe, 1561
4 verses, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
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.
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.
Verse 3. Oh, 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.
Verse 4. For why? 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.
Words copied from Sacred Songs and Solos: Twelve Hundred Hymns (1921). They were published in 1561, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind All People That on Earth Do Dwell
William Kethe wrote this version of Psalm 100 for the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of 1561, and it also appeared in Daye's Psalter of 1560 to 1561. Kethe was probably Scottish. He fled to the continent during Queen Mary's persecution, lived in Geneva, and is thought to have helped translate the Geneva Bible. He wrote 25 psalm versifications, and this one is the only one still in common use. The hymn follows the psalm stanza by stanza. The tune OLD HUNDREDTH first appeared in the French Genevan Psalter of 1551, set to Psalm 134. Louis Bourgeois, the music director at St. Pierre in Geneva, is usually credited with it, and scholars debate how much of it he wrote. The Handbook to the Baptist Hymnal suggests the first half may draw on plainsong and folk song. Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology suggests Kethe wrote his text for this tune. The tune took its name from Psalm 100 through Kethe's words. Hymnary.org gives 1564 and 1565 for the hymn's entry in the Scottish Psalter. Hymnals print it in G, and the tune appears in 2,404 hymnals.
William Kethe
unknown to c. 1594
William Kethe's birth date and place are unknown, and scholars think he was Scottish. He fled to the continent as a Protestant during Queen Mary's persecution in the late 1550s, lived in Geneva for a time, and is thought to have helped translate the Geneva Bible of 1560. He may have been rector of Childe Okeford, near Blandford, Dorset, from 1561, though the records are uncertain. He wrote 25 psalm versifications for the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of 1561, later adopted into the Scottish Psalter. His version of Psalm 100 is the only one still in common use. He died around 1594.
Louis Bourgeois
c. 1510 to 1561
Louis Bourgeois was born in Paris around 1510. He wrote French songs before turning to church music, and he moved to Geneva around 1541, the year John Calvin returned there. As cantor and choirmaster at St. Pierre and St. Gervais he trained choristers to teach new psalm tunes to the congregation. He supplied most of the melodies for the 1551 French psalter. He was jailed for a night over some of his musical arrangements and freed after Calvin intervened. He left Geneva in 1552 and spent his last years in Lyons and Paris. Scholars debate how much of the tune OLD HUNDREDTH is his own work.
- Hymnary.org, All People That on Earth Do Dwell , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, OLD HUNDREDTH , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, William Kethe , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Louis Bourgeois , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Presbyterian Hymnbook 1958, 4 , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in All People That on Earth Do Dwell
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Psalm 100
- Psalm 2:11
- Psalm 118:19
- Psalm 95:1-7
All People That on Earth Do Dwell videos
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All People That on Earth Do Dwell (Grace Community Church) Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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All People That on the Earth Do Dwell | The Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Choir
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Hymn: All People That On Earth do dwell (Old 100th) Music at St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, Choir
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All People that on Earth Do Dwell Pleasant Hill Church of Christ, A cappella
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All People That On Earth Do Dwell (tune: Old Hundredth) Organ Instrumental, Introduction and Lyrics The Hymn Channel, Instrumental
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All People That On Earth Do Dwell - Live from Sing! 2022 KeithandKristyn Getty, Modern arrangement
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Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in G.
Questions people ask
Who wrote All People That on Earth Do Dwell?
William Kethe wrote the words, a metrical version of Psalm 100 published in 1561 in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter. Louis Bourgeois is usually credited with the tune OLD HUNDREDTH.
What other names does the tune OLD HUNDREDTH have?
Hymnary.org also lists SAVOY and GENEVAN 134. The tune is in long meter, 8.8.8.8.
Which Bible passage is it based on?
It paraphrases Psalm 100 stanza by stanza. Hymnary.org also lists Psalm 2:11 and Psalm 118:19 as direct allusions.
When was OLD HUNDREDTH written?
It first appeared in 1551 in the French Genevan Psalter as the tune for Psalm 134. It took its present name from its use with Psalm 100.
Is All People That on Earth Do Dwell in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. They were first published in 1561, and the tune dates from 1551.
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