The Composition
Horatio Gates Spafford wrote the text of 'It Is Well with My Soul' in late November or early December 1873, while crossing the Atlantic Ocean aboard a ship near the spot where his four daughters had drowned just days earlier. Philip Paul Bliss composed the tune, which he named 'Ville du Havre' after the ship that had sunk, in 1876. The hymn was first published in Gospel Hymns No. 2 (1876), compiled by Ira D. Sankey and Bliss. The tune is in C major (sometimes sung in B-flat or D-flat), in 4/4 time, and a performance of all four stanzas with the refrain takes approximately four minutes. The hymn follows an ABAB verse structure with a refrain ('It is well, it is well with my soul'), and the vocal range spans just over an octave, making it singable by most congregations.
Biblical Text
The hymn draws from multiple scriptural sources. The title phrase echoes 2 Kings 4:26, where the Shunammite woman, asked about her son (who has died), responds 'It is well' - a declaration of faith in the face of loss. The theology of the opening stanza ('When peace, like a river, attendeth my way') alludes to Isaiah 66:12 ('I will extend peace to her like a river') and Philippians 4:7 ('the peace of God, which passeth all understanding'). The phrase 'when sorrows like sea billows roll' evokes Psalm 42:7 ('all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me'). The second stanza ('My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious thought - my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross') references Colossians 2:14 ('Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us... nailing it to his cross'). The eschatological final stanza ('And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight') draws on 1 Corinthians 13:12 ('now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face') and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ('the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout').
The Creator
Horatio Gates Spafford (1828-1888) was a successful Chicago lawyer and Presbyterian elder, a friend of the evangelist Dwight L. Moody. In 1871, Spafford suffered severe financial losses in the Great Chicago Fire. In November 1873, he sent his wife Anna and their four daughters - Annie (11), Margaret Lee (9), Elizabeth (5), and Tanetta (2) - ahead on the steamship Ville du Havre bound for France, planning to follow after concluding business. On 22 November 1873, the ship collided with the Scottish iron clipper Loch Earn in the mid-Atlantic and sank within twelve minutes. All four daughters perished; Anna survived and cabled her husband from Cardiff, Wales, with the message 'Saved alone. What shall I do?' Spafford sailed immediately to meet her. According to family tradition, the captain of his ship notified him when they passed near the site of the sinking, and Spafford wrote the hymn either at that moment or shortly after arriving in Europe. Philip Bliss (1838-1876), who set the text to music, was himself killed in a train derailment at Ashtabula, Ohio, on 29 December 1876, less than a year after composing the tune.
Musical Analysis
Bliss's tune 'Ville du Havre' is in 4/4 time and C major, with a vocal range from C4 to C5. The verse melody is characterized by steady, measured phrases that convey a sense of determined calm. The refrain is the musical and emotional center: the words 'It is well' are set to a descending figure that suggests resolution and surrender, while the repetition of 'with my soul' rises to affirm the statement. The most striking musical moment occurs at the refrain's conclusion, where 'it is well, it is well with my soul' is harmonized with a progression that moves from the subdominant through the dominant to a resolving tonic, creating a sense of hard-won peace. The hymn's harmonic language is straightforward (I-IV-V-I) but effective, and the melody's simplicity belies its emotional depth. The tune sits comfortably in the middle of the vocal range, allowing congregations to sing with full voice on the climactic 'It is well.'
Theological Content
The hymn is a sustained meditation on the Christian doctrine of peace through suffering. It belongs to the tradition of 'faith amid affliction' that runs through Job, the Psalms, and Paul's epistles. Its theological structure moves from present trial (stanza 1) through the atonement (stanza 2: sin nailed to the cross) and the present assurance of salvation (stanza 3) to eschatological hope (stanza 4: the Second Coming). The hymn's theology is broadly evangelical Protestant, affirming substitutionary atonement, the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, and the bodily return of Christ. Its emotional power derives from the tension between the extremity of Spafford's suffering and the absoluteness of his affirmation: the hymn does not deny pain but transcends it through faith. The refrain's repetition of 'it is well' functions as both confession and self-persuasion - the believer reminding himself of what faith declares to be true.
Performance History
The hymn was first performed in Moody and Sankey's evangelistic campaigns in the 1870s and quickly became one of the most popular gospel hymns in the English-speaking world. It has been a standard in Protestant hymnals since the late nineteenth century. Notable performances include its singing at the memorial services following the September 11, 2001 attacks and at funerals and memorial services worldwide. The hymn is frequently chosen for funeral services because of its direct confrontation with grief and its affirmation of hope. It was reportedly sung by passengers on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 before it crashed in 1996.
Cultural Impact
'It Is Well with My Soul' is among the most beloved hymns in evangelical Christianity and is regularly ranked in the top ten hymns of all time in surveys. Its backstory of composition amid catastrophic personal loss has become one of the most frequently told narratives in Christian devotional culture. The hymn has been recorded by artists ranging from George Beverly Shea to Casting Crowns to Audrey Assad. It is a staple of memorial services, hospital chaplaincy, and grief counseling in Christian contexts. The phrase 'it is well with my soul' has entered common English as an expression of faith-based acceptance.
Controversies
Later in life, Spafford and his wife became involved in an unorthodox religious community. They moved to Jerusalem in 1881, founding the American Colony, a communal group that was controversial among mainstream Presbyterians. Some members of the American Colony held millenarian views and practiced communal property. This later chapter of Spafford's life is rarely mentioned in connection with the hymn, and some scholars have noted the tension between the hymn's orthodox theology and Spafford's later heterodox affiliations. The American Colony, however, became known for its charitable work and eventually evolved into the famous American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem.
Legacy
The hymn has been translated into numerous languages and appears in hymnals across Protestant denominations worldwide. It has been arranged for solo voice, choir, orchestra, and contemporary worship band. The tune 'Ville du Havre' is so closely associated with the text that it is rarely used with other words. The hymn's enduring popularity rests on the extraordinary circumstances of its composition, which lend its theological affirmations a weight and credibility that purely didactic hymns often lack. The site of the Ville du Havre sinking in the Atlantic Ocean is unmarked, but the hymn itself is athe most enduring memorial.
Recommended Recordings
1. George Beverly Shea - studio recordings from the Billy Graham crusades (RCA Victor/Word) - Shea's deep baritone and lifelong association with evangelical worship make his version a classic. 2. The Gaither Vocal Band - various live recordings (Gaither Music) - a Southern gospel treatment that emphasizes the hymn's congregational character. 3. Audrey Assad - It Is Well with My Soul (Fortunate Fall Records, 2017) - a contemporary contemplative arrangement that strips the hymn to piano and voice, highlighting the intimacy of its message.