break into song; sing praise.
Sing praise to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
shout with joy to the King, the Lord.
- Psalm 98:4-6
The popular Christmas song, "Joy to the World," was not initially composed as a Christmas carol.
The hymn (based on Psalm 98) was written in 1719 by Isaac Watts, the pastor of an independent Church. As a lyricist who would write more than 750 hymns, Watts wanted to translate the Psalms into the everyday language of his congregation. He wrote "Joy to the World" to proclaim the good news of the eventual second coming of CHrist, in a way that showed the same passion for the Lord that King David displayed when he wrote the psalms.
In 1839, the American composer Lowell Mason adapted and arranged "Joy to the World" as it is heard today. He was born on this day in 1792.
- Little Blue Book, Diocese of Saginaw