Voices only: ‘How Great Thou Art’ — in English and Portuguese

Welcome to Voices only, where we search the internet to bring you great a cappella music.

Here’s the famous hymn “How Great Thou Art,” derived from a Swedish hymn “O Store Gud” by Carl Boberg, a Swedish poet and preacher. The hymn was translated to English by Stuart K. Hine. (Read more about the story behind this hymn.)

First up, here’s an incredible rendition of the song by Briarcrest OneVoice:

I grew up listening to and singing this hymn, which made me feel every single time in awe of the Creator. It is so amazing how nature — skies, waters, thunder — gets us closer to the one who created all things just with his powerful words.

We sing “how great you are” not only because of the great wonders of his hands, but also because of all that he did for us to rescue us from the slavery of sin. It’s a scenario that goes beyond our understanding. His only son, perfect and holy, died on that cross so we could be redeemed. He bled and died to take away our sins.

And to add more power, wonder and majesty, our Savior rose from the dead, giving us hope of a new life with the one who defeated death and the enemy. When we encounter his presence we fully and deeply feel his love, grace and mercy for us. With a shout of joy and a hopeful heart we wait for Jesus to come and take us home to be with the Father forever and ever!

Nevertheless, while on earth, we will bow in humble and undivided devotion and adoration to him and proclaim his goodness.

Here’s a video from the Kennedy Heights Church of Christ in Cincinnati. Seated in the front row and assisting with leading the song is The Christian Chronicle’s own John Edmerson, a contributor and former member of our Editorial Council.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgI5Js22atQ&t=20s

And here’s a solo cover of the song by Michael Elridge:

Here’s a great clip of the song from Travis Clark:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GXMugmEondo

Instead of complaining to God about the size of the mountain, we should tell the mountain about the size of our God.

“Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, how great Thou art.”

I want to sing forever about how great my God is, even in the midst of troubles and hardships. When we face trials and mountains, we tend to be afraid of them, mostly because of their size (maybe problems with finances, housing, marriage, raising kids, ministry). Instead of complaining to God about the size of the mountain, we should tell the mountain about the size of our God. Every single day things that happen that reflect how amazing God is — getting home safe from work, waking up in the morning, walking, receiving a hug from someone, food, a roof, air conditioning, clothes. Let’s sing to the Lord! Let’s praise him!

“I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever” (Psalm 89:1-2).

Finally, here’s a Portuguese-language version of the hymn (“Quão Grande és Tu”) from my home congregation, the Igreja de Cristo Lisboa (Church of Christ in Lisbon). My mother, Diana Neves, and I sing along with two church members from Brazil, Marcelo Morais and Fábio Casmore.

DANIELA NEVES is a student at Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City. She is a student worker for The Christian Chronicle and a translator for Luso-Africa Mission Partners (LAMP) International. She is from Lisbon, Portugal, and grew up in the Igreja de Cristo Lisboa (Lisbon Church of Christ)

Filed under: a cappella a cappella hymn a cappella Portuguese Christian hymns Church of Christ How Great Thou Art Igreja de Cristo Lisbon Portuguese Portuguese hymn Voices Only