Carl Gustav Boberg (1859–1940), a Swedish poet and statesman, left a legacy with the poem “O Store Gud” (O Great God), which became the great hymn “How Great Thou Art.”
This year marks the 75th anniversary of his death.
The son of a carpenter, Boberg was born Aug. 16, 1859, in Monsteras, Sweden. At age 19 he became a Christian.
Important positions
Boberg held important positions in both church and government. He served as a lay minister in the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden and edited a weekly Christian newspaper, Witness of the Truth, for 26 years (1890–1916). He served in the Swedish Parliament for 20 years (1912–1931).
He wrote more than 60 poems and songs. His most famous were “Jesus, Jesus, Name Most Precious,” “My Soul Now Magnifies the Lord” and “O Store Gud.”
He died Jan. 7, 1940, in Kalmar, Sweden, and is buried in Monsteras.
He wrote the lyrics of “O Store Gud” in 1885 when he was just 26 years old. An experience he had while returning home from church one evening inspired the song.
“It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest coloring,” he recalled. “The birds were singing … everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon (there was) thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared. When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of ‘When eternity’s clock calling my saved soul to its Sabbath rest.’”
The poem was published the following year in the Monsteras News, but it took a long and circuitous route to become today’s popular hymn. It was set to a Swedish folk tune, and words and music were published in Witness of the Truth in 1891. The song was later translated into German. In 1927 it was published in a Russian version of the German text.
Stuart K. Hine, British missionary to Ukraine, then found the Russian version and translated it into English.
He wrote additional verses that became part of today’s familiar hymn. This expanded version was published in a missionary magazine, Grace and Peace, several years after Boberg died.
During a 1957 Billy Graham crusade, George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows popularized the song, singing it more than 100 times because of audience requests.
Elvis Presley recorded two Grammy-winning versions of “How Great Thou Art” in 1967 and in 1974. Thanks to him, “O Store Gud” experienced a revival and became popular in Boberg’s native Sweden.
Ranked second
“How Great Thou Art” is a favorite in many countries. In America it is often ranked second after “Amazing Grace.” In 2014 a nationwide poll in Great Britain named it the most popular hymn.
Seventy-five years after his death, Boberg’s poem — a tribute to the majesty of God — lives on. There are 1,700 documented recordings of the song. It continues to reach new generations. Carrie Underwood’s recent version has sold more than 599,000 digital copies.
Share with others: