# Christmas carols and the verses behind them

Most Christmas carols are built from Luke 2 and Matthew 2, with lines from Isaiah, John, and the Psalms. Most also add a little: a silent night, a cold winter, three kings, a baby who never cries. Each carol below sets every line beside the verse it comes from, and says plainly where it goes past the text.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols. All carol texts are in the public domain. Scripture quotations are from the Lumin Translation. The Christmas story in order: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas

## The carols

- [Silent Night](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/silent-night) (1818): A village carol from Austria, first sung with a guitar on Christmas Eve 1818. 12 of 13 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/silent-night.md
- [O Come, All Ye Faithful](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-come-all-ye-faithful) (1740s): A Latin hymn from the 1700s that calls everyone to Bethlehem. 13 of 14 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-come-all-ye-faithful.md
- [Hark! The Herald Angels Sing](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/hark-the-herald-angels-sing) (1739): Charles Wesley’s carol, packed with lines from the prophets and Paul. 24 of 24 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/hark-the-herald-angels-sing.md
- [Joy to the World](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/joy-to-the-world) (1719): Isaac Watts’s Psalm 98, which became a Christmas carol by accident. 16 of 17 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/joy-to-the-world.md
- [O Little Town of Bethlehem](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-little-town-of-bethlehem) (1868): A Philadelphia pastor’s memory of seeing Bethlehem at night. 19 of 32 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-little-town-of-bethlehem.md
- [Away in a Manger](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/away-in-a-manger) (1885): A children’s carol from America, long and wrongly credited to Martin Luther. 8 of 12 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/away-in-a-manger.md
- [We Three Kings](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/we-three-kings) (1857): Three visitors, three gifts, and three voices, from an 1857 Christmas pageant. 19 of 24 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/we-three-kings.md
- [O Come, O Come, Emmanuel](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-come-o-come-emmanuel) (1851): A prayer of waiting, built on ancient titles for the promised king. 18 of 22 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-come-o-come-emmanuel.md
- [The First Noel](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/the-first-noel) (1823): An old English carol that puts the shepherds and the star in one night. 13 of 22 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/the-first-noel.md
- [It Came Upon the Midnight Clear](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/it-came-upon-the-midnight-clear) (1849): A carol about the angels’ song of peace, written in a year of war. 15 of 32 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/it-came-upon-the-midnight-clear.md
- [Angels We Have Heard on High](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/angels-we-have-heard-on-high) (1862): A French carol with the longest “Gloria” anyone sings all year. 11 of 17 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/angels-we-have-heard-on-high.md
- [What Child Is This?](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/what-child-is-this) (1865): A question asked at the manger, sung to the old English tune Greensleeves. 18 of 22 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/what-child-is-this.md
- [O Holy Night](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-holy-night) (1847): A French poem set by an opera composer, and in English an anti-slavery hymn. 22 of 25 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/o-holy-night.md
- [While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/while-shepherds-watched-their-flocks) (1700): Luke 2:8-14 in rhyme, line by line, from 1700. 20 of 24 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/while-shepherds-watched-their-flocks.md
- [God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen](https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/god-rest-ye-merry-gentlemen) (1700s): An old English carol of “comfort and joy” that Dickens put in A Christmas Carol. 18 of 26 lines draw on a verse. Markdown: https://www.lumin.faith/christmas/carols/god-rest-ye-merry-gentlemen.md

## Questions

### Which Christmas carols come from the Bible?

None is a Bible text word for word, but some stay very close. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks is Luke 2:8-14 in rhyme. Joy to the World is Psalm 98. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel are full of lines from the prophets. Away in a Manger and The First Noel add the most.

### What do Christmas carols add that the Bible does not say?

The most common additions are a silent, calm night; snow or a cold winter; animals at the manger; three kings; a star over the shepherds; a baby who does not cry; and December 25. Luke says the angels were “saying” their praise, so even the singing angels go a little past the text.

### Are these carol words in the public domain?

Yes. Every carol here was written or translated into English before 1900. Where hymnals word a line differently, this page uses the common 1800s form. Modern arrangements and some newer verses are not included.

### Which Bible translation are the verses from?

The Lumin Translation, a modern English translation. A few carols echo the older King James wording, like “good will to men” and “glad tidings of great joy.” Tap a reference to read the verse in its chapter.