The Half Has Never Yet Been Told

“The Half Has Never Yet Been Told” is one of Frances Ridley Havergal’s most radiant hymns, written in 1876. Inspired by the words of the Queen of Sheba upon seeing the glory of Solomon’s kingdom, Havergal beautifully applies this imagery to the believer’s experience of Christ’s love and grace. The Queen’s astonishment before Solomon’s majesty becomes, in the Christian’s heart, a reflection of the soul’s amazement when it beholds the fullness of Christ’s salvation and blessing.

Frances R. Havergal (1836–1879) was known for her devotional poetry and hymns that drew believers closer to a life of consecration and trust in the Savior. In “The Half Has Never Yet Been Told,” she invites the singer into a posture of wonder and worship, confessing that the richness of Christ’s mercy and love far surpasses human comprehension. Every stanza overflows with gratitude, joy, and awe, reminding the believer that earthly experience can only glimpse the vastness of divine goodness.

The hymn celebrates both the present and future realities of salvation. In this life, the Christian experiences the joy of forgiveness and the peace of walking with Jesus. Yet Havergal reminds us that even these blessings are only a foretaste of what awaits in eternity. The “half” that has been told through Scripture and personal experience will be completed when the redeemed stand before their Savior in heaven, where every hidden mystery of love and glory will be fully revealed.

Havergal’s writing reflects her own deep spiritual life, rooted in Scripture and characterized by a childlike faith in God’s promises. The hymn echoes passages such as Ephesians 3:18–19, where Paul prays that believers might “comprehend what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” In this same spirit, she acknowledges that the wonder of salvation can never be fully expressed or understood on this side of heaven.

Musically, the hymn is often paired with joyful and triumphant melodies that capture its tone of holy delight. Congregations sing it not only as an expression of gratitude for what God has already done but also as an anticipation of what He has yet to reveal. The song becomes both testimony and prophecy: a declaration that no words can truly measure the greatness of divine grace.

Frances Havergal’s “The Half Has Never Yet Been Told” continues to resonate because it speaks to every believer’s longing to know Christ more deeply. It humbles the heart and lifts it heavenward, where the fullness of God’s love will one day be experienced without veil or limitation. The hymn reminds us that the Christian journey is a path of ever-increasing discovery: the more we see of Jesus, the more we realize how much remains unseen. Indeed, the half has never yet been told, for His goodness and glory are infinite, and His love beyond all telling.