How lovely on the mountains
How lovely on the mountains. Leonard E. Smith, Jr.* (1942- ).
The full first line is ‘How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him’. Based on Isaiah 52: 7-10, this worship song was written at Riverton, New Jersey in 1973. With its refrain (‘Our God reigns’) it was first sung in the New Covenant Community Church, where Smith was a worship leader. Copyrighted in 1974, three further stanzas were added in 1978.
The song became widely known through its use by evangelists. Its effect comes from the fourfold repetition of ‘Our God reigns’ in the refrain, with the accompanying notes rising to a fortissimo. It has since been published in a number of hymnals in the USA, and is popular in Ireland,...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "How lovely on the mountains."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 8 Dec. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/h/how-lovely-on-the-mountains>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "How lovely on the mountains."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed December 8, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/h/how-lovely-on-the-mountains.