Hymn Highlight: Holy Holy Holy
“Holy, Holy, Holy” was written in by Reginald Heber (1783-1826). Heber was an Anglican pastor and hymn writer, and this is his most popular work. Heber served overseas as the Bishop of Calcutta and died young at the age of 42 after a difficult ministry in Calcutta.
Heber penned the lyrics for “Holy, Holy, Holy” for Trinity Sunday, the traditional week in the liturgical calendar in which the church celebrates the Holy Trinity. The music for this poem was composed by one John Bacchus Dykes in 1861. The tune setting for the song is labeled as “NICAEA” as a reference to the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), in which church leaders began to specify and define the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. The Council of Nicaea opposed Arius and his Arian heresy, which denied the Trinity.
This beautiful, classic hymn features simple lyrics that people of all ages can memorize and reflect on for a lifetime. The common repeated phrase “Holy, Holy, Holy” is taken most prominently from Isaiah 6, in which Isaiah encounters the Lord on his throne. The trihagion (“Holy, holy, holy”) is used both in Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8. The common ancient construction of using three words repetitively conveys a meaning of intensity or supremacy. In other words, by declaring God’s holiness in three repetitive phrases, the author is showing that God is absolutely and supremely holy and no one compares to his holiness. The trihagion can also be a reference to the Triune God, that all three persons of the Trinity are equally holy.
Aside from the technical and theological weight of the simple words within the hymn, we should pay attention to the glorious picture painted for us. In verse one, we rise to sing praise to the Trinity early in the morning. In verse two, we are transported to the heavenly scene where the saints are casting their golden crowns at the feet of the Holy One, with cherubim and seraphim praising the Eternal God. Verse three features the transcendent unknowability of God. Because he is so holy, he is in some ways hidden from us because of our sin. There is none like him, perfect in power, love, and purity. The song ends with a glorious reminder: All the heavens and earth are declaring the praise of the Holy, Triune God.
May we praise our Triune God forever and ever!