Who is the ‘they” we sing of in the hymn “Hail Gladdening Light”?

In “Hail, Gladdening Light,” the final line reads, “therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.” It sounds like it might be the wrong way around—and who exactly is the “they”?

That line does feel a little inside-out! It’s probably a reflection of use of an older, more poetic form of English. In contemporary phrasing, I think it would sound more like: “Therefore, throughout the world, they acknowledge your glory, Lord.” So the word order isn’t wrong—it’s just shaped by the rhythm and style of the hymn.

As for the “they”, it’s not referring to other members of the Trinity. The hymn has already named Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the previous line. Here, the focus shifts outward. “They” is best understood as all people, or even all creation—the whole world responding in praise- which would fit the flow of the hymn. We begin with Christ as the “gladdening Light,” move into evening praise of the Trinity, and then widen the lens: because Christ is the giver of life, it is fitting that all the world is awake to that glory.

In everyday language, glory can sound like praise, fame, or applause. But in in the Old Testament, the word often carries a sense of weight—something solid, real, impossible to ignore. So when we sing, “thy glories, Lord, they own,” we’re not just talking about people saying nice things about God. We’re saying something more like the world recognising—however dimly or fully—the reality, beauty, and presence of God.