It was written by Edwin Hatch, a Church of England vicar and the Professor of Classics at the University of Trinity College in Canada.

[3][4] it was also described by the United Methodist Church as: "The simplicity of this profound hymn belies the education and knowledge of its author".

The most commonly used ones are John Chetham and S.S. Wesley's 1718 "Aylesbury", the Irish tune "St. Columba", and blind London organist Charles Lockhart's "Carlisle".

[5] Other tunes include "Veni Spiritus" by Sir John Stainer[6] and "Trentham" by Robert Jackson.

[5] The use of "Trentham" was criticised by hymnologist Donald Webster in 1980 who stated "One might conclude from [this tune] and the way it is sung that the breath of God was an anaesthetic, not a 'Giver of Life'.