The Lord will come and not be slow
The Lord will come and not be slow. John Milton* (1608-1674).
In Milton’s second collection of poems, Poems, &c. upon Several Occasions (1673), are found his paraphrases of Psalms 80-88, prefaced with the words ‘April, 1648. J.M. Nine of the Psalms done into Metre, wherein all but what is in a different Character, are the very words of the Text, translated from the Original.’ By ‘different Character’ was meant italics, which scrupulously mark Milton’s deviation from the Hebrew.
Verse 1 in modern books is altered from Milton’s Psalm 85 verse 13:
Before him Righteousness shall go His Royal Harbinger, Then will he come, and not be slow His footsteps cannot err.
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "The Lord will come and not be slow."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 18 Feb. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/the-lord-will-come-and-not-be-slow>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "The Lord will come and not be slow."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed February 18, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/the-lord-will-come-and-not-be-slow.