Character guide

Jesus Christ

major

Also known as Christ, Jesus, Lord Jesus, Saviour, Emmanuel, Mighty Jesus, Jesu

In these hymns Jesus is the constant companion of the believer's pilgrimage — guide, guard, and friend who speaks cordially when the spirit faints. Yet he is also the Emmanuel whose healing touch is sought with trembling, mixed faith, and unspoken misgivings. His dual role as intimate walker and sovereign Lord shapes the collection's central tension: how frail sinners dare approach so great a Saviour.

God

major

Also known as Jehovah, the Lord, the Almighty, the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ

God appears throughout as the Almighty whose presence makes every place holy ground and whose promise steadies the fearful wanderer. He is both the Judge before whom Aaron stands with atoning blood and the tender Father who prepares food in the wilderness. The hymns wrestle with how a great God can be approached with such intimate freedom — 'Great as he is, I dare be free.'

Satan

supporting

Also known as VI Satan

Satan operates as the unseen opposition in these hymns — the force behind the snares, dangers, and blind straying that surround the pilgrim's desert road. He is never named with familiarity but felt as the constant pressure against which divine protection is measured. His presence gives urgency to the hymns' confidence: without such an enemy, the triumph of faith would have nothing to overcome.

The Holy Spirit

supporting

Also known as the Spirit, the Holy Ghost

The Spirit works quietly throughout these hymns as the inward power that sustains faith, supplies comfort, and turns complaint into song. When the believer's spirit faints and words fail, the Spirit brings some cordial from the word — a healing remedy applied to the soul. This ministry of comfort is essential to the collection's pastoral aim: keeping weary pilgrims walking when their own strength is gone.

Moses

supporting

Moses stands behind these hymns as the great type of Christ — the leader whose rod and staff comfort the pilgrim and whose wilderness experience mirrors the believer's own. His law and his journeys supply the imagery through which Newton and Cowper read their own spiritual travels. He matters as the Old Testament shadow whose every detail the hymns reinterpret as pointing forward to gospel grace.

David

supporting

Also known as young David

David appears as the psalmist whose experience of being guarded by an almighty hand while snares throng the path becomes the template for every believer's walk. His kingship and his suffering together model the strange mixture of vulnerability and triumph that defines the hymns' spiritual vision. He matters because his voice — crying, trusting, and singing — is the voice these hymns teach their readers to adopt.

Peter

supporting

Peter stands among the foremost apostles, a man whose courage and failure are woven together so tightly that neither can be told without the other. He leaps before he looks, confesses Christ boldly, then crumbles under a servant girl's question, and it is precisely this whiplash between devotion and weakness that makes him a mirror for every believer who has ever loved and faltered at once. In the hymns' world of wandering faith and healing touch, Peter's story matters because it shows that a shattered confidence can be restored and made useful.

Paul

supporting

Paul moves through the early church as both its most feared enemy and its most relentless builder, a man whose past violence against believers haunts every congregation he later plants. His letters wrestle openly with the tension between the law he once defended and the grace that overturned him, and he never quite stops describing himself as the chief of sinners. For readers of these hymns, Paul matters because his voice supplies the theological spine — faith, justification, and the freedom of the gospel — on which Newton and Cowper hang their verses.

Adam

supporting

Also known as Adam By Newton

Adam stands at the head of the human story, the one whose choice in Eden makes every subsequent hymn of mercy and healing necessary. His tragedy is not villainy but a fatal reaching — a desire for what was forbidden that costs him paradise and companionship with God. In the Olney Hymns he functions as the dark backdrop against which Christ's obedience shines, the first Adam whose failure the second Adam comes to undo.

Cain

minor

The first murderer, who killed his brother Abel out of jealousy, a warning against ungodly anger.

Abel

minor

Also known as Abel By Newton Genesis

The righteous shepherd, whose acceptable sacrifice and faith are commended in scripture.

Lot

minor

Abraham's nephew, who chose to dwell in Sodom and was rescued from its destruction.

Esau

minor

Also known as Poor Esau, Esau Jacob

Jacob's elder brother, who sold his birthright for a meal, symbolizing profane disregard for spiritual things.

Jacob

supporting

Also known as Esau Jacob

Jacob enters the story as a deceiver running from the consequences of his own cunning, sleeping rough with nothing but a rock beneath him. Yet in that vulnerable hour he dreams of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and God claims him not for his merit but for his promise — a tension between scheming and grace that runs through his whole life. Newton seizes on this scene because it proves that even a wanderer with a guilty conscience can find every spot holy ground.

Joseph

supporting

Also known as Joseph the Egyptians

Joseph begins as a favored son whose dreams and bright coat earn him a pit, slavery, and a prison cell in a foreign land. What distinguishes him is not his suffering but his refusal to let it curdle into bitterness — he interprets dreams, administers plenty and famine, and when his brothers finally stand before him, he weeps rather than punishes. His arc matters because it dramatizes the hymn-writer's conviction that God's providence works through betrayal and exile to preserve a family and a promise.

Balaam

minor

The prophet who was hired to curse Israel but could only bless them, a warning against covetousness.

Gideon

minor

The timid judge whom God used to deliver Israel from Midian with a small army.

Hannah

minor

The barren woman who prayed for a son and dedicated Samuel to the Lord.

Saul

minor

The first king of Israel, whose disobedience led to his rejection by God.

Solomon

minor

The wise king of Israel, who built the temple but whose heart was led astray.

Elijah

supporting

Also known as Eli, great Elijah

Elijah storms through the narrative as the great confrontational prophet, fearless before kings and priests, yet the same man collapses into despair under a broom tree and hides in a cave fearing for his life. Ravens feed him, fire answers his prayer, and still he learns that God is not only in the earthquake and flame but in the whisper that follows. His presence in these hymns anchors the theme of divine provision for the exhausted servant who has done everything right and still wants to die.

Elisha

minor

Elijah's successor, who performed many miracles and helped the needy.

The Shunammite

minor

Also known as the weeping Shunammite

A wealthy woman who showed hospitality to Elisha and was rewarded with a son.

Hezekiah

minor

The righteous king of Judah who trusted God and was granted extended life.

Jericho

minor

The city whose walls fell down by faith, a symbol of God's power.

Belshazzar

minor

The Babylonian king who saw the handwriting on the wall and was slain that night.

Daniel

minor

Also known as Newton Daniel

The faithful prophet in Babylon, known for his integrity and visions.

Jonah

minor

Also known as Newton Jonah

The reluctant prophet who was swallowed by a great fish and preached to Nineveh.

Zaccheus

minor

Also known as 107 Zaccheus By Newton Luke

The tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus and received salvation.

Mary

minor

Also known as Mary By Newton Luke

The mother of Jesus, who treasured these things in her heart.

Lazarus

minor

Also known as Lazarus By Newton Luke

The brother of Mary and Martha, whom Jesus raised from the dead.

The Rich Man

minor

Also known as Man

The wealthy man in the parable who ignored Lazarus and suffered in torment.

Thomas

minor

The disciple who doubted Jesus' resurrection until he saw the wounds.

Simon

minor

A common name for several figures, including Simon Peter and Simon the Cyrene.

Abraham

supporting

Also known as Abra'm, Abram

The father of faith whose trust in God became righteousness itself, invoked by Newton as the model for every believer's journey through the wilderness.

Ephraim

minor

The tribe of Joseph, often used as a symbol of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Manasseh

minor

The wicked king of Judah who repented and was forgiven.

Jehu

minor

The king of Israel who destroyed the house of Ahab and the worship of Baal.

Goliath

minor

The Philistine giant slain by David, symbolizing the defeat of God's enemies.

The Leper

minor

Also known as The Leper By Newton Matthew

The man with leprosy who came to Jesus saying, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'

The Waiting Soul

minor

Also known as Soul, The Waiting Soul By Cowper

A personified representation of the believer longing for God's presence.

The Child of Grace

minor

A symbolic figure representing the believer as a child of God's grace.

The Bridegroom

minor

Also known as The Bridegroom of my soul I seek

A title for Christ, the heavenly bridegroom of the church.

The Good Shepherd

minor

Also known as Shepherd

A title for Jesus, who lays down his life for the sheep.

The Redeemer

supporting

Also known as Newton, the Redeemer By Newton

Christ as the one who buys back the lost, the ladder between earth and heaven, and the healer whose touch makes wounded souls whole.

The Judge

minor

God as the righteous judge of all the earth.

Death

minor

Personified as an enemy that is conquered by Christ's resurrection.

Sin

minor

Personified as a master that enslaves, from which Christ sets free.

Grace

minor

Also known as Cowper, Cowper I Grace

Personified as the unmerited favor of God that saves and sustains.

Mercy

minor

Also known as Cowper, Mercy By Cowper

Personified as the compassionate kindness of God toward sinners.

Wisdom

minor

Personified as a divine attribute, often identified with Christ.

Faith

minor

Personified as the trust in God that pleases him and overcomes the world.

Pray'r

minor

Also known as Pray'r

Personified as the means of communion with God and the channel of his blessings.

The Lord

supporting

Also known as Lord, Gracious Lord, dear Lord

The guide, guard, and friend who leads the pilgrim through the desert, speaks in promises, and refuses to let any seeking soul go home unhealed.

The Narrator

supporting

Also known as Unknown, I, me, my

The confessing voice of the hymns, walking by faith through a wide desert while telling God every grief and fainting spirit.

The Saints

minor

Also known as saints

The collective body of believers, often addressed or described in the hymns.

Angels

minor

Heavenly beings who worship God and minister to believers.

The Jews

minor

Also known as Jews, the Jews survey'd

The people of Israel, often referenced in the context of the Old Testament and the Gospels.

The Samaritans

minor

Also known as Samaritans

The people of Samaria, often mentioned in contrast to the Jews.

Pharaoh

minor

The king of Egypt who opposed Moses and hardened his heart against God.

The Harlot

minor

Also known as Harlot

A woman of ill repute, often used as an example of forgiven sin.

The Thief

minor

The criminal crucified beside Jesus who asked to be remembered in his kingdom.

The Ten Virgins

minor

The bridesmaids in Jesus' parable about being ready for the bridegroom's coming.

Samson

minor

The Nazarite judge of superhuman strength, whose downfall came through Delilah.

Naaman

minor

The Syrian commander who was healed of leprosy by dipping in the Jordan.

Job

minor

The patient sufferer who endured great loss and remained faithful to God.

The Queen of Sheba

minor

The queen who traveled to test Solomon's wisdom and praised his God.

Gibeon

minor

The city whose inhabitants deceived Israel into a treaty.

Bartimeus

minor

The blind beggar who cried out to Jesus for mercy and received his sight.

Martha

minor

Also known as Martha vex'd

The sister of Mary and Lazarus, who was busy serving but needed to choose the better part.

Stephen

minor

The first Christian martyr, who saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Isaac

minor

The promised son of Abraham and Sarah, a type of Christ in his willing submission.

The Philistines

minor

The recurring enemies of Israel, often representing the world and the flesh.

Dagon

minor

The Philistine fish-god who fell before the ark of the Lord.

Baal

minor

The Canaanite deity whose prophets were defeated by Elijah on Mount Carmel.

The Dry Bones

minor

Also known as The Dry Bones By Newton Ezekiel

The valley of dry bones in Ezekiel's vision, symbolizing Israel's restoration.

The Almighty

minor

Also known as Providence By Cowper I Almighty King

A title for God, emphasizing his sovereign power over all things.

The Egyptians

minor

Also known as Joseph the Egyptians

The people of Egypt, often referenced in the Exodus narrative.

The Assyrian

minor

The empire that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, often a symbol of pride.

The Babylonian

minor

The empire that conquered Judah and took the people into exile.

The Roman

minor

The empire that ruled during Jesus' time, often mentioned in the Gospels.

The Publican

minor

A tax collector, often used as an example of repentance and humility.

The Centurion

minor

The Roman officer who declared, 'Truly this was the Son of God.'

The Sower

minor

The farmer in Jesus' parable who sowed seed on different types of ground.

The Prodigal Son

minor

The wayward son in Jesus' parable who squandered his inheritance and was welcomed home.

The Elder Brother

minor

The self-righteous brother in the parable of the prodigal son.

The Good Samaritan

minor

The compassionate traveler in Jesus' parable who helped a wounded stranger.

The Talents

minor

The servants in Jesus' parable who were entrusted with different amounts of money.

The Sheep and Goats

minor

The nations in Jesus' parable of the final judgment, separated as sheep from goats.