The Story Behind "How Great Thou Art": From a Swedish Poem to a Worldwide Hymn
October 26, 2026
"How Great Thou Art" is sung at Sunday services, weddings, and funerals around the world. Its journey to get there is one of the great stories in church music.
Who wrote "How Great Thou Art"?
The hymn began as a Swedish poem, "O Store Gud" ("O Great God"), written by Carl Boberg in 1885. Boberg was a Swedish pastor and writer. His poem was set to a Swedish folk melody and sung in churches in Sweden.
How it reached English
The song was translated into German and Russian over the following decades. English missionary Stuart K. Hine heard the Russian version while serving in Ukraine. He wrote his own English words, adding new verses of his own, and published his version in 1949. That is the version most churches sing today.
How it became famous
The hymn reached a huge audience through Billy Graham's evangelistic crusades in the 1950s, where it was sung often by George Beverly Shea and the crusade choir. Many artists recorded it after that, and Elvis Presley won a Grammy for his 1967 gospel album named after the song.
What the hymn is about
The hymn moves from awe at God's creation, to wonder at the cross, to the hope of Christ's return. It shows that worship begins with looking at who God is — a theme close to our own album title, Look Up.
Leading it today
Many modern churches pair the hymn with a fuller band arrangement, but it works just as well with a single piano or acoustic guitar. Give the chorus space to build, and let the congregation carry the final chorus on their own.
If you love songs that lift your eyes to the greatness of God, listen to the new CROSS & CROWN worship album, Look Up, on our music page.