Eliza Edmunds Hewitt (1851–1920) wrote the hymn “Go, Study the Bible,” at least by or before 1906, when it appeared in two hymnals accompanied with
a tune written by William James Kirkpatrick (1838-1921).[i] Eliza Hewitt was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1851, a daughter of Captain James S.
Hewitt and Zeruiah Edmunds. She died April 24, 1920, and is buried in the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Miss Hewitt was a profilic hymn writer, whose output numbers in the thousands. This hymn consists of four 4-line stanzas and a repeating chorus. It extols the Bible and encourages the study of it. The Bible is God’s word, a
light, a sword, a storehouse, daily bread, and the mariner’s chart. Study it
prayerfully, sincerely, with a trusting and searching heart.
1. Go, study the Bible; God’s Word is a light
That brightly will shine in your way;
’Twill warn you of dangers, ’twill lead you aright,
From time to eternity’s day.
2. Go, study the Bible; sweet moments employ
In hearing the voice of the Lord;
In sorrow, a comfort; in service, a joy;
In battle, a conquering sword.
3. Go, study the Bible; a storehouse complete,
A table our Father hath spread,
Where wisdom, and mercy and love ever meet;
There gather the soul’s daily bread.
4. Go, study the Bible; the mariner’s chart
Will guide him across the dark wave;
But precious, more precious this Book to the heart,
It tells us that Jesus will save.
Chorus:
Go, study the Bible! Go, read it with prayer;
And look for the treasures of love hidden there;
Search well thro’ its pages for Heaven’s bright ore,
As years hasten onward, we’ll prize it still more.
Picture from Showalter’s The Best Gospel Songs and Their Composers, 1904
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