A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther · 1529 · tune EIN FESTE BURG
Key of C · public domain
Words
A bulwark never failing
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe
His craft and power are great
And armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal
Our striving would be losing
Were not the right Man on our side
The Man of God's own choosing
Dost ask who that may be
Christ Jesus, it is He
Lord Sabaoth His name
From age to age the same
And He must win the battle
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us
The prince of darkness grim
We tremble not for him
His rage we can endure
For lo, his doom is sure
One little word shall fell him
The story
Luther wrote both words and tune around 1529, a paraphrase of Psalm 46. It is not a gentle hymn and was not meant to be. Heine called it the Marseillaise of the Reformation, and it was sung by people who were losing property and occasionally their lives over the argument it makes. The line that matters is one little word shall fell him. Luther is not saying the devil is weak; the whole first half of the hymn insists the opposite, that on earth is not his equal. The claim is narrower and stranger than that. Against something no human strength can touch, one word is sufficient, and the word is not ours.
Chords in C
In the app you can move this to any key and it works out the capo for you.
Common questions
Who wrote A Mighty Fortress Is Our God? Martin Luther wrote the words in 1529.
What tune is it sung to? EIN FESTE BURG, set here in the key of C.
What scripture is it built on? Psalm 46:1.
Is A Mighty Fortress Is Our God free to use in church? Yes. The words are public domain, which means any church may sing them, print them in a bulletin, put them on a screen or record them, without asking permission and without paying anyone.
The psalm it came from
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God is Psalm 46 set to a tune. The psalm itself is here in full — King James, Berean Standard and Reina-Valera side by side, with a note on what it is doing and where it sits in the book.
Themes
Trust · Warfare · Reformation