Jesus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun

Author – Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
Composer – John Hatton (c. 1710–1793)
Tune Name – “Duke Street”
Meter – Long Meter (LM, 88.88)
Scripture Reference – Psalm 72
“The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.” – Psalm 50:1 (KJV)

Among the earliest hymns with a clear missionary vision, Isaac Watts’s “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun” remains one of the most powerful and enduring declarations of Christ’s global lordship. Written in 1719, this hymn came well before the organized evangelical missionary movements of the late 18th century. At the time, most of the Christian world had not yet grasped the full weight of the Great Commission. It would be decades later, in 1792, that William Carey—often called the "father of modern missions"—would issue his famous call to action. Yet Watts, already known for his groundbreaking hymn paraphrases of the Psalms, infused Psalm 72 with such profound prophetic and missionary zeal that the hymn became a rallying cry for generations of believers. His rendering of the psalm anticipates the universal reign of Christ, portraying a world transformed under the justice and mercy of the Messiah.

Isaac Watts, often referred to as the father of English hymnody, produced over 600 hymns throughout his life. His contributions revolutionized congregational singing, shifting it from exclusive use of metrical psalms to rich theological hymns of personal faith and doctrinal depth. This particular hymn is based on Psalm 72, a royal psalm of Solomon, reimagined by Watts to speak of the messianic kingdom of Christ. Its verses reflect a time when the gospel would reach every nation, and “people and realms of every tongue” would proclaim the Savior’s name. Such a vision inspired countless missionaries who would later carry these words into the most remote corners of the earth. In one striking example from 1862, some 5,000 believers in the South Sea Islands sang this hymn together in celebration as their king formally replaced a pagan constitution with a Christian one—an extraordinary testimony to the hymn’s power to unify and inspire across cultures.

The musical setting most commonly associated with “Jesus Shall Reign” is the majestic and stately tune “Duke Street,” composed by John Hatton. Very little is known about Hatton beyond his residence on Duke Street in the town of St. Helens, England, from which the tune presumably gets its name. He is believed to have died tragically in a stagecoach accident shortly after composing the tune. “Duke Street” first appeared in Henry Boyd’s A Select Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes in 1793, initially intended for a metrical setting of Psalm 19 by Joseph Addison. However, the tune's dignified and uplifting character proved a perfect match for Watts’s triumphant missionary hymn, and the pairing has remained standard ever since. The four-square meter and confident melody make it easily singable, reinforcing the text’s global proclamation of Christ’s reign.

Alongside this hymn, Isaac Watts’s other well-loved works include “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” and “Joy to the World!”—many of which are still sung in worship today. These hymns exhibit Watts’s extraordinary ability to marry Scripture with poetic expression in a form that was accessible to congregations yet deeply theological. His paraphrases of the Psalms, in particular, brought new life to public worship and paved the way for the rich tradition of English-language hymnody that followed. “Jesus Shall Reign,” though written over 300 years ago, continues to capture the hearts of Christians worldwide with its vision of Christ’s eternal and universal kingship—a vision that still fuels missionary passion and worship across the globe.