Psalm 51

God, be merciful to me 

with
REDHEAD 76
TOPLADY
GETHSEMANE
REFUGE
GOD, BE MERCIFUL

I. Origins

The United Presbyterian Church of North America had a longstanding practice of publishing psalm paraphrases, including The Psalter (1872) edited by R.B. Roberston and John Gailey, and several editions of Bible Songs. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, the UPCNA joined with a group of other denominations to devise a new psalter. These included the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Synod), the Reformed Presbyterian Church (General Synod), the Reformed Church in America (Dutch), the Christian Reformed Church in North America, the Associate Presbyterian Church, and the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (South). The stated aims of this committee were as follows:

(1) A faithful rendering into English verse of the exact thought of each psalm, and of each part of each psalm. The text of the Revised Version has been followed, but the Hebrew text has been held in view, and it is believed that the renderings here presented are critically correct. (2) The adoption for each psalm of the meter best adapted to the sentiment therein expressed. Consequently, there will be found in this psalter twenty-three meters. This has the further advantage of making accessible for psalm-singing the rich treasury of the Church’s best music, little of which is at present extensively used in connection with the psalter. (3) A careful division of each psalm into stanzas corresponding with the strophes of the original, and consequently a reproduction, in their proper place, of the refrains that give form to some of the psalms, e.g., Pss. 67, 80, 99, 107. This, it is trusted, will be found helpful in efforts to grasp the thought and purpose of the inspired writers. (4) A careful presentation of the parallelisms abounding in the psalms, and of the poetic figures and metaphors used. Where a Hebrew simile literally translated into English would fail to convey to modern western minds the original meaning, pains were taken adequately to express the meaning intended. (5) The use of English that is idiomatic and biblical, and at the same time current in the best poetical literature; also of verse that is rhythmical in form, poetic in spirit, and easily sung.[1]

After a draft was assembled by the joint committee in 1905, the matter of polishing the paraphrases fell largely to the UPCNA, with the help of Rev. E.A. Collier of the Reformed Church in America, and Rev. Charles E. Craven of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, “both of whom had already shown exceptional poetic gifts as members of the Joint Committee.”[2] Collier published his own partial psalter, Lyrics from the Psalter, in 1907. The final draft was approved by the joint committee on 23 September 1909 and published as The New Metrical Version of the Psalms. From this, one of the most popular paraphrases has been “God be merciful to me,” a paraphrase of Psalm 51, written in eight stanzas of six trochaic lines.

Fig. 1. The New Metrical Version of the Psalms (Pittsburgh, PA: United Presbyterian Board, 1909)

II. Text: Analysis

In keeping with the stated goal of approximating the Revised Standard Version (1901), which was new at the time, the paraphrased version generally follows the Hebrew structure line-for-line, observing the original couplets and parallelisms. Notable exceptions include 5:8, which is here expanded into four lines at 4.1–4, and similarly 51:17 into 7.3–6. The RSV used the traditional divine pronouns (Thee, Thy, Thou, etc.), and this paraphrase follows suit. Some of the rhymes are dependent on the pronouns (Thou / now in stanza 1), meaning some simple substitutions cannot be performed without changing the rhyme.

The psalm, associated with David’s lament over his adultery, is in the form of a prayer of confession, including a request for forgiveness and renewal.

III. Tunes

1–4. The Psalter 1912

When the United Presbyterians published a musical edition, The Psalter with Responsive Readings (Pittsburgh: United Presbyterian Board, 1912), popularly known as The Psalter 1912, they offered this text with four tune options: (1) AJALON by Richard Redhead (1820–1901), better known as REDHEAD 76 or PETRA, from Church Hymn Tunes Ancient and Modern (London: J. Masters, 1853); (2) TOPLADY by Thomas Hastings (1784–1872), probably from Spiritual Songs No. 2 (1831); (3) GETHSEMANE by J.B. Dykes (1823–1876), from the Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, Enlarged Ed. (1862); and (4) REFUGE by Joseph P. Holbrook (1822–1888), from Songs of the Church (1862).

Ps51 Ps1912
psalterwithrespo0000unse_orig_0124a.jpg
psalterwithrespo0000unse_orig_0125a.jpg
psalterwithrespo0000unse_orig_0126a.jpg

Fig. 2. The Psalter with Responsive Readings (Pittsburgh: United Presbyterian Board, 1912)

5. GOD, BE MERCIFUL

The modern tune found in many newer hymnals and recordings is by Christopher Miner, who started writing new hymn tunes during his involvement with Reformed University Fellowship, through which he met fellow hymn lover Kevin Twit. This tune was written in 1997, around the time Miner was completing his Master of Fine Arts degree at Yale. It had its recorded premiere on the second Indelible Grace album, Pilgrim Days (2001), sung by Laura Wall and accompanied by Twit on guitars, using the first six stanzas. The lead sheet score was included in the first RUF Hymnbook (2002) and has been made available freely on the Indelible Grace website.

 

Fig. 3. Indelible Grace Hymnbook, lead sheet, excerpt.

 

Miner recorded the song on his own album, The Calm of Paradise (2002). His version is slower and more somber, featuring only his voice and a single guitar. For this recording, Miner included the first three stanzas.

His tune was picked up by Jars of Clay as the opening track for their album Redemption Songs (2005), which further cemented its connection to this text in the realm of modern psalmody. This recording is slightly faster than the IG recording but features the same Americana vibe. The arrangement is distinctive in the way the band set apart the fifth stanza as a bridge with a different melody, structured 1–3, 5, 4.

Miner’s tune has been adopted into printed collections such as Contemporary Songs for Worship (FaithAlive, 2008) and Psalms for All Seasons (FaithAlive, 2012).

by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
5 March 2025

Footnotes:

  1. The New Metrical Version of the Psalms (Pittsburgh, PA: United Presbyterian Board, 1909), pp. 3–4.

  2. The New Metrical Version of the Psalms (Pittsburgh, PA: United Presbyterian Board, 1909), p. 5.

Related Resources:

Indelible Grace Hymnbook:
http://hymnbook.igracemusic.com/

Christopher Miner, The Calm of Paradise, Bandcamp:
https://christopherminer901.bandcamp.com/album/the-calm-of-paradise

“God, be merciful to me,” Hymnary.org:
https://hymnary.org/text/god_be_merciful_to_me_on_thy_grace