GENEVAN 124 (also known as OLD 124TH) was first published in the 1551 edition of the Genevan Psalter. Dale Grotenhuis (PHH 4) harmonized the tune in 1985. One of the best known from the Genevan Psalter, the tune is published in most North American hymnals. By 1564 it was adopted in English and Scottish psalters and became known either as OLD 124TH or as the abridged TOULON, which omits the third line (see 521). Originally, the rhythm of the second line was the same as the fifth, and the third line contained a spritely syncopation: H QQ H H QH H QH. The rhythm in the Psalter Hymnal follows that of most recent North American hymnals.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook