Beulah Land
Encyclopedia
Beulah Land is a well-known gospel hymn written by Edgar Page Stites (1836–1921) in either 1875 or 1876. The hymn, Stites' most popular, is set to music written by John R. Sweney (1837–1899). The hymn concludes with the chorus:
The hymn derives from the King James Version of Isaiah 62:4; "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah and thy land Beulah; for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married."
The verse is in reference to the return of the Jews from their exile in Babylon in which the Jews shall no longer be called Forsaken, but Hephzibah (My Delight Is in Her), and Jerusalem shall no longer be called Desolate, but Beulah (Married). This implies that the Jews have turned back to the worship of God.
The idea the hymn presents that Heaven can be seen from Beulah land comes from John Bunyan
's Pilgrim's Progress
in which he states "Therefore it is, I say, that the Enchanted ground is placed so nigh to the land Beulah and so near the end of their race [i.e. Heaven]."
In 1869, Stites, along with other Methodist ministers and laymen, founded the “Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association” to run a Methodist camp meeting south of Ocean Grove, New Jersey. By 1875, the camp was quite active. Popular hymn writers of the day would visit each summer: Ira D. Sankey
, William H. Doane, William J. Kirkpatrick
, John R. Sweeney, Eliza E. Hewitt, Fanny Crosby
, and others.
One version of the origin of "Beulah Land" has it written for the Ocean Grove Camp in 1875. John R. Sweeney, composer of the music, was the camp song leader, which lends credibility to this version.
A differing version of the origin of the hymn was given some years later by Stites himself:
"It was in 1876 that I wrote ‘Beulah Land.’ I could write only two verses and the chorus, when I was overcome and fell on my face. That was one Sunday. On the following Sunday I wrote the third and fourth verses, and again I was so influenced by emotion that I could only pray and weep. The first time it was sung was at the regular Monday morning meeting of Methodists in Philadelphia. Bishop McCabe sang it to the assembled ministers. Since then it is known wherever religious people congregate. I have never received a cent for my songs. Perhaps that is why they have had such a wide popularity. I could not do work for the Master and receive pay for it."
recorded a song for the Library of Congress in 1963, which was entitled "Beulah Land."
Alternative Piano Artist Tori Amos
wrote a song also entitled "Beulah Land" which was a B-side on her 1998 album From the Choirgirl Hotel
.
In the final moments of the opera The Ballad of Baby Doe
, the title character (referring to her husband) sings "In the circle of his arms I am safe in Beulah Land."
The Tom Waits
song, "Take Care Of All My Children," includes the line "I'll be goin' up to Beulah Land."
The Vigilantes of Love
song "Earth Has No Sorrow" from the album Killing Floor, includes the line "I hear angels 'cross that river in Beulah land".
Modern author Krista McGruder, a native of the Ozarks, entitled her first collections of short stories "Beulah Land".
Mary Lee Settle
, National Book Award
winner for Blood Ties
, 1978, wrote a series of novels called the Beulah Land quintet, beginning with O Beulah Land in 1956.
Songwriter Drew Nelson
won international acclaim with the 2009 album "Dusty Road to Beulah Land", produced by Michael Crittenden of Mackinaw Harvest Music. The album has been described as "a love song to the state of Michigan." Local community radio station WYCE in Grand Rapids, Michigan awarded the album "Best Local Album" at the 2010 Jammie Awards.
- O Beulah land, sweet Beulah land!
- As on thy highest mount I stand,
- I look away across the sea
- Where mansions are prepared for me
- And view the shining glory shore
- My heaven, my home forever more.
The hymn derives from the King James Version of Isaiah 62:4; "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah and thy land Beulah; for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married."
The verse is in reference to the return of the Jews from their exile in Babylon in which the Jews shall no longer be called Forsaken, but Hephzibah (My Delight Is in Her), and Jerusalem shall no longer be called Desolate, but Beulah (Married). This implies that the Jews have turned back to the worship of God.
The idea the hymn presents that Heaven can be seen from Beulah land comes from John Bunyan
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Though he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on 29 August.-Life:In 1628,...
's Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress
The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan and published in February, 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been...
in which he states "Therefore it is, I say, that the Enchanted ground is placed so nigh to the land Beulah and so near the end of their race [i.e. Heaven]."
Background of hymn
Edgar Page Stites was born at Cape May, New Jersey, where his ancestors had settled after coming over on the Mayflower. Edgar was converted to Christ at the age of 19 during the great revival of Philadelphia, often called the Awakening of 1857 and 1858. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Methodist Church of Cape May and became a local “lay pastor.” As a home missionary, he also was involved in the starting of new churches in the South Jersey area.In 1869, Stites, along with other Methodist ministers and laymen, founded the “Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association” to run a Methodist camp meeting south of Ocean Grove, New Jersey. By 1875, the camp was quite active. Popular hymn writers of the day would visit each summer: Ira D. Sankey
Ira D. Sankey
Ira D. Sankey , known as The Sweet Singer of Methodism, was an American gospel singer and composer, associated with evangelist Dwight L...
, William H. Doane, William J. Kirkpatrick
William J. Kirkpatrick
William J. Kirkpatrick was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania to a schoolteacher and musician, Thomas Kirkpatrick. He was exposed to and given formal training in music at a very young age. In 1854, he moved to Philadelphia to study music and carpentry. It was here that he studied vocal music under...
, John R. Sweeney, Eliza E. Hewitt, Fanny Crosby
Fanny Crosby
Frances Jane Crosby , usually known as Fanny Crosby in the United States and by her married name, Frances van Alstyne, in the United Kingdom, was an American Methodist rescue mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. During her lifetime, she was well-known throughout the United States...
, and others.
One version of the origin of "Beulah Land" has it written for the Ocean Grove Camp in 1875. John R. Sweeney, composer of the music, was the camp song leader, which lends credibility to this version.
A differing version of the origin of the hymn was given some years later by Stites himself:
"It was in 1876 that I wrote ‘Beulah Land.’ I could write only two verses and the chorus, when I was overcome and fell on my face. That was one Sunday. On the following Sunday I wrote the third and fourth verses, and again I was so influenced by emotion that I could only pray and weep. The first time it was sung was at the regular Monday morning meeting of Methodists in Philadelphia. Bishop McCabe sang it to the assembled ministers. Since then it is known wherever religious people congregate. I have never received a cent for my songs. Perhaps that is why they have had such a wide popularity. I could not do work for the Master and receive pay for it."
Other references
Blues musician Mississippi John HurtMississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
recorded a song for the Library of Congress in 1963, which was entitled "Beulah Land."
Alternative Piano Artist Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
wrote a song also entitled "Beulah Land" which was a B-side on her 1998 album From the Choirgirl Hotel
From the Choirgirl Hotel
From the Choirgirl Hotel is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. A departure from her previous albums, it was more heavily produced and a very radio-friendly project featuring a full rock band sound . Upon its release in May 1998, the album debuted at US #5 and UK #6...
.
In the final moments of the opera The Ballad of Baby Doe
The Ballad of Baby Doe
The Ballad of Baby Doe is an opera by the American composer Douglas Moore that uses an English-language libretto by John Latouche. It is Moore's most famous opera and one of the few American operas to be in the standard repertory...
, the title character (referring to her husband) sings "In the circle of his arms I am safe in Beulah Land."
The Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
song, "Take Care Of All My Children," includes the line "I'll be goin' up to Beulah Land."
The Vigilantes of Love
Vigilantes of Love
Vigilantes of Love is a rock band fronted by Bill Mallonee with a large number of secondary players drawn from the musician pool in and around Athens, Georgia...
song "Earth Has No Sorrow" from the album Killing Floor, includes the line "I hear angels 'cross that river in Beulah land".
Modern author Krista McGruder, a native of the Ozarks, entitled her first collections of short stories "Beulah Land".
Mary Lee Settle
Mary Lee Settle
Mary Lee Settle was an American writer and winner of the National Book Award for her 1978 novel Blood Tie...
, National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
winner for Blood Ties
Blood Ties
-Film:* Blood Ties , a 1964 film directed by Mikhail Yershov and starring Vija Artmane and Evgeniy Matveyev* Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann, a 1994 documentary film-Television:...
, 1978, wrote a series of novels called the Beulah Land quintet, beginning with O Beulah Land in 1956.
Songwriter Drew Nelson
Drew Nelson
Drew Nelson LLB is a solicitor, former politician and Grand Secretary of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.In 1992 Nelson was selected by the South Down constituency of the Ulster Unionist Party to succeed Enoch Powell as parliamentary candidate. He lost to Eddie McGrady by 6000 votes. In 1989 he...
won international acclaim with the 2009 album "Dusty Road to Beulah Land", produced by Michael Crittenden of Mackinaw Harvest Music. The album has been described as "a love song to the state of Michigan." Local community radio station WYCE in Grand Rapids, Michigan awarded the album "Best Local Album" at the 2010 Jammie Awards.