Jesus Shall Reign Lyrics Isaac Watts, 1719
6 verses, sung to Duke Street (L.M.), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom spread from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Verse 2. From north to south the princes meet,
To pay their homage at his feet;
While western empires own their Lord,
And savage tribes attend his word.
Verse 3. To him shall endless prayer be made,
And endless praises crown his head;
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise,
With every morning sacrifice.
Verse 4. People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on his love with sweetest song,
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on his name.
Verse 5. Blessings abound where’er he reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blest.
Verse 6. Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud Amen!
Words copied from The Otterbein Hymnal (1892). They were published in 1719, 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 Jesus Shall Reign
Isaac Watts wrote this hymn as a paraphrase of Psalm 72. It first appeared in 1719 in his Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, in eight four-line stanzas under the heading "Christ's kingdom among the Gentiles." Watts read King Solomon in the psalm as a picture of Christ and put the name of Jesus into the text. Hymnals today usually print fewer than eight stanzas.
Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology credited the missionary movement of the 1800s for the hymn's popularity. Its picture of Christ reigning from sea to sea and over every nation made it a missions hymn. One early tune, TRURO, was printed as "Missionary Hymn" in a Dublin sheet around 1810.
The tune most Baptists know is DUKE STREET. Henry Boyd printed it without a name in Glasgow in 1793, in a book of psalm tunes. William Dixon later credited it to John Hatton in Euphonia, published about 1805. Very little is known about Hatton. He lived in the Warrington and St. Helens area, and the tune's name may come from a street there. The Hymnology Archive notes that DUKE STREET opens with the same four notes as TRURO. Hymnary.org lists DUKE STREET in C major.
Isaac Watts
1674-07-17 to 1748-11-25
Isaac Watts was born in Southampton, England, on July 17, 1674, the son of a schoolmaster. He became a Nonconformist minister in London and lived his last years at Stoke Newington. His Hymns and Spiritual Songs first appeared in 1707 with 210 hymns, and a larger second edition followed in 1709. The Psalms of David Imitated came out in 1719. Counts of his hymns vary. Hutchins says more than 800, and Julian lists 454 hymns and psalm versions still in common use. Watts died on November 25, 1748, and was buried at Bunhill Fields in London.
John Warrington Hatton
c. 1710 to 1793
John Warrington Hatton was born in Warrington, England, about 1710 and died in St. Helens, Lancashire, in 1793, according to Hymnary.org. Very little is known about him. He was likely Presbyterian and reportedly lived on Duke Street in St. Helens, which gave the tune DUKE STREET its name. Henry Boyd printed the tune without a name in Glasgow in 1793. William Dixon credited it to Hatton in Euphonia, published around 1805. The Hymnology Archive says the tune is the most common modern setting of Watts's "Jesus Shall Reign."
- Hymnology Archive: Jesus shall reign , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: DUKE STREET , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Jesus Shall Reign
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Psalm 72:5-8
- Psalm 72:17
- Romans 5:19
Jesus Shall Reign videos
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Jesus Shall Reign (Metropolitan Tabernacle) Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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Jesus Shall Reign - FPC Congregation waltzingmatsuda, Congregation
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Jesus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun (DUKE STREET) First-Plymouth Church Lincoln Nebraska (FirstPVideos), Choir
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Jesus Shall Reign Mass Choir Classic Hymns " Ancient of Days" Classic Hymns, Choir
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Jesus Shall Reign - piano instrumental hymn with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Downloads, printing and slides
Sheet music files
- Sheet music PDF 102 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 92 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 59 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 2 KB. Plays the four-part harmony in any MIDI player or notation app.
- MIDI, melody only MIDI 1 KB. The tune alone, for learning it.
Practice tracks for each voice part, as MIDI: Alto , Tenor , Bass .
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in C.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Jesus Shall Reign?
Isaac Watts wrote it as a paraphrase of Psalm 72. It was first published in 1719 in his Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament.
Why is Jesus Shall Reign a missions hymn?
It describes Christ ruling from sea to sea over every nation. Missionary work in the 1800s made it popular, and a Dublin sheet of about 1810 called the tune TRURO the Missionary Hymn.
Who composed the tune DUKE STREET?
John Hatton is credited with it. Henry Boyd printed it without a name in 1793, and William Dixon named Hatton in Euphonia about 1805.
Is Jesus Shall Reign in the public domain?
Yes. The words are public domain in the United States, first published in 1719. The tune DUKE STREET dates to 1793 and is public domain as well.
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