Not to us be glory given
Not to us be glory given. Timothy Dudley-Smith* (1926-2024).
Written at Sevenoaks, Kent, in April 1970, this text was one of a batch of Psalm versions assigned to the author during the work towards Psalm Praise (1973). Each of the writing team was given a small quota of selected Psalms for paraphrasing in a contemporary style, and this represented Psalm 115, beginning Non nobis Domine*. It is built on a series of contrasts ‘Not…but…’, with the final four lines repeating the opening ones.
The second half of stanza 3, says the author, ‘proved the least tractable’; a later change from ‘men yet adore’ to ‘yet some adore’ was ratified in 1984. Following Psalm Praise it appeared in Grace Hymns...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Not to us be glory given."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 23 Jan. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/n/not-to-us-be-glory-given>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Not to us be glory given."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed January 23, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/n/not-to-us-be-glory-given.