All People That on Earth Do Dwell

All People That on Earth Do Dwell is a hymn text by William Kethe (1561). Found in CW21 601, CW93 233, ELH 51, elw 883.

Psalm 100 — the 'Jubilate' — is the psalm of universal praise, calling 'all people' (not just Israel, not just Christians) to acknowledge the Lord's sovereign goodness. Kethe's versification preserves this universal scope in its opening line, making the hymn theologically broader than most confessional texts. In Lutheran use it functions as a gathering hymn that places the Sunday assembly within the cosmic context of all creation's praise. The second stanza's 'without our aid he did us make' is a succinct statement of creatio ex nihilo, grounding all worship in the prior act of God. The fourth stanza's affirmation that divine mercy and truth endure 'from age to age' gives the hymn an eschatological dimension that makes it appropriate across the full liturgical year.

History & Background

William Kethe (died c.1594) was a Scottish Protestant who fled to Geneva during the Marian persecution in England and became part of the circle that produced the Anglo-Genevan Psalter. His versification of Psalm 100 was published in the Geneva Psalter of 1561 and became the standard English text set to Louis Bourgeois's OLD HUNDREDTH tune. When the Scottish Psalter of 1564 was published, this text was included, and it spread throughout English-speaking Protestantism as the defining congregational setting of Psalm 100. The pairing of Kethe's text with Bourgeois's tune is one of the most durable partnerships in Western hymnody — nearly 500 years of continuous congregational use. It appears in virtually every English-language hymnal across all traditions, and Thomas Ken's Doxology ('Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow') set to the same tune became a standard metrical doxology that often replaces or supplements Kethe's text. 'All People That on Earth Do Dwell' represents the Genevan Reformation's core conviction that the whole congregation should sing the whole psalter.

Psalm 100 brings to a close a collection of psalms that celebrate the Scripture References LORD’s righteous rule over all creation (93,95-99). Like the others, st. 1 = w. 1-2 it was composed to be sung by the Levites at a high religious festival st. 2 = v. 3 that annually celebrated the LORD’s kingship over the entire world st. 3 = v. 4 (perhaps the Feast of Tabernacles). Psalm 100 is the Hebrew st. 4 = v. 5 equivalent of a cheerleader’s shout—a strong call to worship the LORD with joyful song (st. 1,3): the LORD is the one true God who made us to be “the sheep of his pasture” (st. 2), and God’s love and faithfulness never fail (st. 4). The Psalter Hymnal includes both an English and a French versification. The English text by William Kethe (b. Scotland [?], date unknown; d. Dorset, England, c. 1594) is the oldest metrical psalm text in the Psalter Hymnal. It first appeared in the AngloGenevan Psalter of 1561 and in John Day’s Psalmes ofDavid in English Metre , also of 1561. Since then it has been published in virtually all English-language psalters and hymnals. The French text (opposite 101 in the Psalter Hymnal) is taken from the French hymnal Psaumes et Cantiques (1891); it is included as a tribute to the original language of the Calvinist Psalter. 233 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS Both the time and place of Kethe’s birth and death are unknown, although scholars think he was a Scotsman. A Protestant, he fled to the continent during Queen Mary’s persecution in the late 1550s. He lived in Geneva for some time but traveled to Basel and Strasbourg to maintain contact with other English refugees. Ke the is thought to be one of the scholars who translated and published the English-language Geneva Bible (1560), a version favored over the King James Bible by the Pilgrim fathers. The twentyfive psalm versifications Kethe prepared for the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of 1561 were also adopted into the Scottish Psalter of 1565. His versification of Psalm 100 is the only one that found its way into modern psalmody.

Hymnal Appearances

• Christian Worship: Hymnal — 601
• Christian Worship — 233
• Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary — 51
• Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 883
• Gather 4th Edition — 912
• Glory to God — 385
• The Hymnal 1982 — 377
• Lutheran Book of Worship — 245
• Lutheran Service Book — 791
• Lift Up Your Hearts — 543
• Psalter Hymnal — 100
• The Lutheran Hymnal — 14
• United Methodist Hymnal — 75

Liturgical Use

Many uses beyond its traditional role at the beginning of worship.

Bulletin Note

Text by William Kethe, from the Anglo-Genevan Psalter (1561). Tune: OLD HUNDREDTH by Louis Bourgeois (Genevan Psalter, 1551).

Preaching Connection

The opening line's 'all people' is a theological statement before it is a musical one — the invitation to worship encompasses all humanity, which is either an embarrassing overreach or the most exciting claim in the room.

In the Church Year

Suggested in the one-year series

• Trinity 16 (1×)
• Trinity 22 (1×)
• Trinity 25 (1×)

Suggested in the three-year series

• Proper 19 (2×)
• Proper 16 (1×)

From LCMS Worship's published hymn suggestions, 2014–2026. The count is how many of those yearly lists suggested this hymn for that day.

Overview

The oldest English hymn in common use, a metrical paraphrase of Psalm 100 from the Anglo-Genevan Psalter. It calls all nations to joyful worship (st. 1), confesses God as Creator and Shepherd (st. 2), invites to his courts (st. 3), grounds praise in his goodness and faithfulness (st. 4), and ends with a Trinitarian doxology (st. 5, added later). Its strength is its plainness: it is the Psalm, sung.

Central theme: Universal joyful worship of the Lord who made us and keeps covenant forever

Structure

Follows Ps 100 verse by verse: call (v. 1-2), knowledge (v. 3), entry (v. 4), reason (v. 5); doxology added.

Law & Gospel Shape

Gospel and praise; no Law.

Confessional Connections

First Article: God made me and all creatures; he is our shepherd who provides. Use of the Psalter in worship.

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Opening hymn; Thanksgiving; missions; any festive occasion.

Historical Notes

Kethe, a Scottish exile in Geneva during Mary I's reign, contributed it to the 1561 Psalter. 'Him serve with fear' is Kethe's original (later changed to 'mirth' in some books).

About the Tune

OLD HUNDREDTH (Louis Bourgeois, 1551) — the most famous psalm tune, named for this very psalm.

Scripture References

Ps 100 Ps 95:6-7 John 10:11-14 Ps 136:1

Stanza by Stanza

Themes

praise creation universal worship gathering God's goodness mercy Psalm 100

Look Further

• Search Hymnary.org for "All People That on Earth Do Dwell" ↗