Eternal Father, Strong to Save

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. (Psalm 107:29-30).

1. Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave.
Who bid’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

2. O Christ, whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at thy word,
Who walkedst on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.
 
3. Most Holy Spirit, who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

4. O Trinity of love and pow’r,
Our brethren shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them where-soe’er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

An Englishman named William Whiting wrote “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” in 1860. It is known to many as “The Navy Hymn.” In the first three stanzas, the hymn addresses a different person of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost – in reference to the sea. Then the last stanza mentions the “Trinity,” then prays for protection and extols eternal praise to the great Three-in-One. According to Fred Landon (Journal of Inland Seas, Volume XX, No. 1) Whiting “composed the hymn after passing through a violent storm in the Mediterranean in 1860. It was printed in the United States in 1870 and in 1879 a young officer, Charles J. Train, in charge of the midshipman’s choir, initiated the singing of the hymn in the chapel of the U.S. Naval Academy. It has become popularly known as ‘The Navy Hymn,’ and the first stanza is always sung at the close of each chapel service.”

Though it does not appear that Whiting specifically addressed his source of biblical inspiration, the words appear to be related to God’s protection in the dangers of the sea, as described in Psalm 107:23-32.

The hymn is included in the “For Those at Sea” section of Hymns Ancient and Modern, paired with the tune Melita by John B. Dykes. Dykes composed the tune for Whiting’s text and named it Melita (the island now known as Malta), where wrecked the ship that was carrying the apostle Paul to Rome. “And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land. And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita” (Acts 27:44-28:1).” The editors added above the hymn Psalm 107:24, “these [men] see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.”

Whiting was born in Kensington, November 1, 1825. It is currently uncertain who were his parents. He was educated at Clapham and Winchester Colleges. He was later master of Winchester College Choristers’ School for over 35 years. While there, he produced Rural Thoughts and Scenes: with Other Poems (London: Joseph Masters, 1851).

William Whiting died May 3, 1878. He and his wife, Fanny Lucas Whiting (whom he married in 1850), are buried in the West Hill Cemetery at Winchester, Hampshire, England.