A form of words though e'er so sound

"A form of words though e'er so sound" is an eighteenth-century hymn written by the prominent English Independent minister and poet Joseph Hart. The lyric serves as a direct, deeply earnest reflection on the spiritual necessity of personal regeneration, moving beyond mere intellectual assent to theological doctrine.

The hymn was first published in Hart's landmark volume, Hymns composed on Various Subjects, in 1759. Appearing as entry number 90, the hymn was originally structured in eight stanzas of four lines. It was explicitly based on First Corinthians 4:20: "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."

The distribution and format of the text altered over time as different editors adapted Hart's intense, subjective style for communal singing. In 1780, the hymn was introduced to the Lady Huntingdon Collection as hymn number 95. For this collection, the editors made slight textual alterations, completely omitted the sixth and seventh stanzas, and transposed the fourth and fifth stanzas to create a smoother thematic flow.

Following its inclusion in the Lady Huntingdon volume, the hymn found a permanent, though restricted, home in a limited number of strict or ultra-Calvinistic hymnals, where Hart's strong emphasis on sovereign grace and inward spiritual power remained highly cherished.