The text of stanzas 1 and 2 and the tune (Lehman) was composed by Frederick Martin Lehman, who was born on August 7, 1868, at Mecklenburg in Schwerin, Germany. Lehman emigrated to America with his family at age four, settling in Iowa, where he lived most of his childhood. Studying for the ministry at Northwestern College in Naperville, IL, he became a Nazarene minister and served churches in Audubon, IA, and New London, IN¹. Lehman wrote a pamphlet, in 1948, entitled History of the Song, The Love of God which tells about the origin of this beloved hymn “While at camp-meeting in a midwestern state, some fifty years ago in our early ministry, an evangelist climaxed his message by quoting the last stanza of this song, written nearly one thousand years ago by a Jewish songwriter.”. The profound depths of the line moved us to preserve the words for future generations. Not until we had come to California in 1917². The version I have included below includes only 2 of 3 stanzas, but still will have you singing joyfully.

The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
the saints’ and angels’ song.

When ancient time shall pass away,
and human thrones and kingdoms fall;
when those who here refuse to pray
on rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
all measureless and strong;
grace will resound the whole earth round—
the saints’ and angels’ song.

Refrain

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
and ev’ryone a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
though stretched from sky to sky.

Refrain

¹hymnstudiesblog.wordpress.com/2017/11/20/the-love-of-god-is-greater-far/
²barryshymns.blogspot.com/2011/01/love-of-god.html