LSB #802 "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Psalm 104:1-5, 31-35; Daniel 7:13; 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16

Psalm 104:1-5:  "1 Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, you are very great!  You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent.  3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

"5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved."

Psalm 104:31-35:  "31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works, 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!  33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.  35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more!  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!"

Daniel 7:13:  "'I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.'"

1 Timothy 1:17:  "To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen."

1 Timothy 6:15-16:  "15 which he will display at the proper time - he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.  To him be honor and eternal dominion.  Amen."

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The text is public domain:

1 Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

2 Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

3 To all life Thou givest - to both great and small -

In all life Thou livest, the true Life of all;

We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree

And wither and perish - but naught changes Thee.

4 Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,

Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render: O help us to see

'Tis only the splendor of light that hides Thee.

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Part of 1 Timothy 1:17 appears nearly verbatim in the line "Immortal, invisible, God only wise," but this also seems to incorporate part of Romans 16:27:  "to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!  Amen."

The passage from 1 Timothy 6 appears in the line "In light inaccessible hid from our eyes" in the first verse and in the line "'Tis only the splendor of light that hides Thee" in the fourth; to a lesser degree, the image of God clothed in light from Psalm 104:1-2 is also included.

Daniel 7:13 is the source for the title "the Ancient of Days" in the first verse, and Psalm 104:31-35 appears in the line "Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise."

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This is a minor point, but "great and small" in the third verse is a merism.