rg first published "O Store Gud" in the Mnsters Tidningen (Mnsters News) on 13 March 1 !

"#1$% &he poe' beca'e 'atched to an old Swedish fol( tune and sung in public for the first (nown occasion in a church in the Swedish pro)ince of *+r'land in 1 "#11% ,ight )erses appeared #1.% with the 'usic in the 1 -$ Sions Harpan" /n 1 -$ 0oberg beca'e the editor of Sanningsvittnet (&he 1itness for the &ruth)" &he words and 'usic were published for the first ti'e in the 1! 2pril 1 -1 edition of Sanningsvittnet" /nstru'entation for both piano and guitar was pro)ided b3 2dolph ,dgren (born 1 4 5 died 1-.1 in 1ashington 6"7")8 a 'usic teacher and organist8 who later 'igrated to the 9nited States"#13% 0oberg later sold the rights to the S)ens(a Missionsfrbundet (Mission 7o)enant 7hurch of Sweden)" /n 1 -1 all nine )erses were published in the 1 -1 7o)enant songboo(8 Sanningsvittnet"#1$% &hese )ersions were all in 3:; ti'e" /n 1 -; the Svenska Missionsfrbundet sngbok#1;% published "O Store Gud" in ;:; ti'e as it has been sung e)er since)"#13% Horst Wessel Lied &he tune is si'ilar to the tune of the <orst=1essel=>ied though neither copied the other" 0oth copied traditional Northern ,uropean fol( 'usic" Nu'erous 'usicologists #14% ha)e pointed out that the 'etrical pattern and chord progressions of "O Store Gud" are si'ilar to those of the "<orst 1essel >ied" (first line "6ie ?ahne hoch")8 which the Na@is custo'aril3 appended to "6eutschland Aber 2lles" (the Ger'an national anthe')" /nfor'ed opinion o)erwhel'ingl3 denies that <orst 1essel co'posed that tune8 the )iew which 6r Boseph Goebbels8 the Na@i propagandist8 'ade legall3 eCclusi)e in Na@i Ger'an3" 2 li(el3 eCplanation is that 1essel heard the tune fro' 1orld 1ar / )eterans of the Ger'an /'perial Na)38 where nu'erous such 'elodies had circulated in the fleet" /n 'etrical pattern and chord progressions "O Store Gud" is si'ilar to scores of tunes pre)alent in the fol( traditions of Scandina)ia and the 0altic region during the decades preceding 1orld 1ar /" 2lthough "O Store Gud" and "<orst 1essel >ied" both ha)e an 11"1$"11"1$ 'etrical pattern in the )erses8 "O Store Gud" switches to 1$" "1$" in the refrain8 but "<orst 1essel >ied" either repeats the 11"1$ of the last two lines of the )erse as the refrain or (optionall3) ends without refrain" SubDect to specific ca)eats respecting scholarship and artistr38 "<orst 1essel >ied" has been censored in Ger'an3 since the end of 1orld 1ar //8 but "<ow Great &hou 2rt" ("1ie groE bist 6u") is sung there freel3" See also the section "Songs with the sa'e or si'ilar 'elodies to the <1> 'elod3" in George 0oderic(8 "&he <orst=1essel=>iedF 2 Geappraisal8" International Folklore Review 10 (1--4)8 1$$=1.H8 a)ailable online here #;%5 0oderic(Is scholarl3 anal3sis declines to list O S&OG, G96 a'ong the (indred tunes of "<orst 1essel >ied""#1!%

Translation and migration of the song

German translation (1907)
&he song was first translated fro' Swedish to Ger'an b3 a wealth3 0altic Ger'an 0aptist noble'an8 Manfred )on Glehn (born 1 !H in Belgi'aggi8 ,stonia5 died 1-.; in 0ra@il)8#1H%#1 %

who had heard the h3'n in ,stonia8 where there was a Swedish spea(ing 'inorit3" /t was first published in Blankenburger ieder"#13% &he song beca'e popular in Ger'an38 where "1ie groE bist 6u" is the co''on title (the first line is "6u groEer Gott")"#1-%

Russian translation (1912)

,)entuall38 the Ger'an )ersion tra)eled to Gussia where a Gussian )ersion entitled "*eli(i3 0og" (JKLMNMO PQR = Great God)#.$% was produced in 1-1. b3 /)an S" Sro(hano) (1 !-T 1-34)8#.1% the "Martin >uther of Gussia"8#13% and "the 'ost prolific Srotestant h3'n writer and translator in all of Gussia" at that ti'e"#..% in a Gussian=language Srotestant h3'nboo( published in St" Setersburg (later >eningrad)8 !"#vali (73'bals)"#13% 2n enlarged edition of this h3'nboo( entitled "Songs of a 7hristian"8 including "*eli(i3 0og" was released in 1-.H"
#13%

English translations
E. Gusta !ohnson (192") &he first literal ,nglish translation of $ store %ud was b3 ," Gusta) Bohnson (1 -3T1-H;)8#.3% then a professor of North Sar( 7ollege8 /llinois" <is translation of )erses 18 .8 and H=- was published in the 9nited States in the &ovenant H"#nal as "O Might3 God" in 1-.4"#13%#.;% &he first three 7o)enant h3'nals in ,nglish used BohnsonIs translation8 with T'e &ovenant H"#nal (1-H3) including all nine )erses of 0obergUs original poe'" &here was a desire to replace BohnsonIs )ersion with the 'ore popular )ersion of 0ritish 'issionar3 Stuart V" <ineIs W<ow Great &hou 2rtX" 1iberg eCplainsF Gi)en the popularit3 of Stuart <ineUs translation of <ow Great &hou 2rt in the late !$s and earl3 H$s8 the <3'nal 7o''ission struggled with whether to go with the 'ore popular )ersion or retain ," GustUs translation" <owe)er8 econo'ics settled the issue inas'uch as we were unable to pa3 the eCorbitant price reYuested b3 the publishing house that owned the cop3right despite the fact that the original belonged to the 7o)enant"#.4% &he )ersion that appeared in the 1-H3 edition of T'e &ovenant H"#nbook wasF O 'ight3 God8 when / behold the wonder Of natureUs beaut38 wrought b3 words of thine8 2nd how thou leadest all fro' real's up 3onder8 Sustaining earthl3 life with lo)e benign8 GefrainF 1ith rapture filled8 '3 soul th3 na'e would laud8 O 'ight3 GodZ O 'ight3 GodZ (repeat) 1hen / behold the hea)ens in their )astness8 1here golden ships in a@ure issue forth8 1here sun and 'oon (eep watch upon the fastness Of changing seasons and of ti'e on earth" 1hen crushed b3 guilt of sin before thee (neeling8

/ plead for 'erc3 and for grace and peace8 / feel th3 bal' and8 all '3 bruises healing8 M3 soul is filled8 '3 heart is set at ease" 2nd when at last the 'ists of ti'e ha)e )anished 2nd / in truth '3 faith confir'ed shall see8 9pon the shores where earthl3 ills are banished /Ull enter >ord8 to dwell in peace with thee"
#.!%

/n 1--! BohnsonIs translation was replaced in T'e &ovenant H"#nal() *ors'ipbook because ", Gusta) BohnsonUs )ersion which8 while closer to the original8 uses a 'ore archaic language""#.4% <owe)er8 according to Glen *" 1ibergF 1hile there was s3'path3 on the co''ission for retaining this older )ersion8 a co'pro'ise led to preser)ing it in printed for' on the opposite page of <ow Great &hou 2rt8 h3'n " &he new )ersion with a fresher language and so'e stri(ing 'etaphors see's une)en and inco'plete"#.4% #tuart $. Hine (19%9 ersion)