Eternal Submission: "Before thy throne, O God"

The ultimate gesture of respect and reverence is kneeling, and all Believers kneel at the throne of God. This is the message that the hymn "Before thy throne, O God" tries to convey in its words and its music.

The hymn is teamwork between William Boyd Carpenter (1841-1918) and Dimitri S. Bortniansky (1751-1825). Carpenter's words and Bortniansky's tune made this hymn the perfect way to praise God in all His Glory.

The hymn has no identified written date, but it was published in 1985. It has four stanzas and with five lines. Overall, it has twenty lines of praise to the Almighty. The meter was 88. 88. 88. It has very little presence, appearing in 13 hymnals. The hymn has three associated tunes. The most popular is Bortniansky's "St. Petersburg." This tune is also called the "Russian Hymn" and was published in J. H. Tscherlitzky's Choralbuch (1825). "St. Petersburg" is in B♭ Major.

Another tune is "Vater Unser" by an unknown composer. This tune was published in 135 hymnals and was popularized by Martin Luther when he used it for his own work. Since it was unnamed with no composer at that time, Luther's first two words in his work were used as the title. The tune is in c minor.

The third tune associated with the hymn is "Strasburg," which only appears in four hymnals. The tune is in A♭ Major. "Strasburg" came from Strasburg Psalter (1525).

William Boyd Carpenter (1841-1918) is not a prolific hymn maker. He only created three other hymns – "Now another stage of travel," "O God, the strength of those who war "and" We read in God's word of heaven." He is an Anglican cleric, with the powerful connection among family and royals. His work consists of his eight religious publications and his cleric work.

Dimitri S. Bortniansky (1751-1825) is a Russian musician and produced only six tunes to his credit. His known tunes are "St. Petersburg" and the"Vesper Hymn."