Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan (Updated)

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Holy His will abideth;
I will be still whate'er He doth,
And follow where He guideth.
He is my God,
Though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall,
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
He never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path,
I know He will not leave me,
And take content
What He hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait His day.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
His loving thought attends me;
No poison'd draught the cup can be
That my Physician sends me,
But medicine due
For God is true,
And on that changeless truth I build,
And all my heart with hope is fill'd.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Though now this cup in drinking
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it all unshrinking;
Tears pass away
With dawn of day,
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate'er my God ordains is right;
My life, my light, abiding,
He cannot will me aught but good,
I yield unto His guiding;
For well I know,
In joy or woe,
We soon shall see in sunlight clear
How faithful was our Guardian here.

Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet am I not forsaken,
My Father's care
Is around me there,
He holds me that I shall not fall,
And so to Him I leave it all.

—Samuel Rodigast on Deut 32:4, trans. Catherine Winkworth (fifth verse alt.)


Tune: Was Gott thut, attr. Severus Gastorius (har. Johann Sebastian Bach)

About the Author

Samuel Rodigast (1649–1708) was born in Jena, but spent most of his life in Berlin at the Greyfriars Gymnasium. He wrote two hymns; this one alone has passed into English.

Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878) was the most prolific translator of German hymns into English that ever lived. Dr. Julian credits her with reviving the German hymn in English-speaking circles. As a novice translator myself, I greatly admire the delicate line she walked between literal translation and beautiful English hymn-writing.

Thoughts

This hymn was first introduced to me by a dear family I knew. It is my "sorrow hymn"; whenever some great tragedy has affected my life, either it or Jesus lebt, mit ihm auch ich will find its way to a piece of scratch paper near me. I also love the original first line, which is literally translated "What God does, that is well-done."

Update: I have added the fifth verse after finding that Winkworth omitted it in this translation. She had previously translated it in a different meter; I merely adapted it to fit this meter. This verse also has the best last lines of the whole hymn. Dr. Julian (Dictionary of Hymnology) also notes that the hymn is based on Deut 32:4, and that this was the favorite hymn of Friedrich Wilhelm III of Germany, who even had it played at his funeral. This seems fitting.