Holy, Holy, Holy

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts :the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah 6:3. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8.

Heber's hymn is based on the above Scriptures. Heber was a vicar in Western England where he attended with his family from 1807 - 1823. He sought to improve the hymn singing in this church. In 1823 he accepted the post of Bishop of Calcutta, as he was very much interested in foreign missions. For three years he served as a bishop in a large area which included most of the South Pacific. On April 3rd, 1826, after having preached on the evils of the caste system, he drowned in the swimming pool at his residence. He suffered from a stroke while cooling off in the pool.