Lyrics
Ten thousand times ten thousand,
In sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints
Throng up the steeps of light;
'Tis finished, all is finished,
Their fight with death and sin;
Fling open wide the golden gates,
And let the victors in.
What rush of alleluias
Fills all the earth and sky!
What ringing of a thousand harps
Bespeaks the triumph nigh!
O day, for which creation
And all its tribes were made;
O joy, for all its former woes
A thousandfold repaid!
O then what raptured greetings
On Canaan's happy shore;
What knitting severed friendships up,
Where partings are no more!
Then eyes with joy shall sparkle,
That brimmed with tears of late;
Orphans no longer fatherless,
Nor widows desolate.
Bring near Thy great salvation,
Thou Lamb for sinners slain;
Fill up the roll of Thine elect,
Then take Thy power, and reign;
Appear, Desire of nations,
Thine exiles long for home;
Show in the heav'n Thy promised sign;
Thou Prince and Savior, come.
Public domain hymn text (1867). Words by Henry Alford.
The Story Behind the Hymn
Henry Alford, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, wrote 'Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand' in 1867, drawing its title phrase directly from Revelation 5:11, which describes 'ten thousand times ten thousand' angels surrounding God's throne.
The hymn pictures the final resurrection as a massive military procession, 'the armies of the ransomed saints,' emphasizing the scale and collective triumph of the event rather than describing individual souls arriving separately.
Its third verse turns to reunion specifically, picturing 'severed friendships' knit back together and orphans and widows finally comforted, giving the hymn's cosmic scale a deeply personal, human center as well.
The hymn's closing verse shifts from description to direct petition, asking Christ to 'bring near Thy great salvation' and 'come,' turning the vision of final triumph into an active prayer for its arrival.
It is most commonly sung to ALFORD, a tune composed in 1875 by John Bacchus Dykes specifically for this text, one of many hymn tunes Dykes wrote during his prolific career.
The hymn's vast scale and vivid imagery made it a favorite for funerals and services emphasizing the final resurrection, offering worshippers a genuinely massive, collective picture of ultimate hope.
