Christmas carol · 1851
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The words, with the Bible verse behind each line
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is a chain of names from the Old Testament: Emmanuel from Isaiah 7:14, the Rod of Jesse from Isaiah 11:1, the Key of David from Isaiah 22:22, and the Dayspring from Luke 1:78. It is an Advent song, a prayer of waiting, more than a Christmas carol.
- 18 of 22 lines draw on a verse
- 16 passages
- 1 line goes beyond the Bible
The wordsBeyond the BibleIts story
The words, line by line
Luke 2:14 the verse a line draws on. Tap it to read the verse.Beyond where the line goes past the Bible.
Verse 1
- O come, O come, EmmanuelIsaiah 7:14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Look, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel.
- And ransom captive IsraelLuke 1:68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited his people and brought about their redemption.
- That mourns in lonely exile herePsalm 137:1By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.
- Until the Son of God appearLuke 1:35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. That is why the holy child to be born will be called Son of God.
Refrain
- Rejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelZechariah 9:9Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Cry out for joy, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and has been given victory; he is humble, and he rides on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a female donkey.Beyond The carol’s own refrain. Zechariah calls Zion to rejoice because her king is coming.
- Shall come to thee, O Israel
Verse 2
- O come, thou Rod of Jesse, freeIsaiah 11:1A shoot will spring up from Jesse’s stump, and a branch out of his roots will yield fruit.
- Thine own from Satan’s tyrannyHebrews 2:14Since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
- From depths of hell thy people save
- And give them victory o’er the grave1 Corinthians 15:55“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
Verse 3
- O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheerLuke 1:78because of the heartfelt mercy of our God, by which the rising light from on high will visit us
- Our spirits by thine advent here
- Disperse the gloomy clouds of nightLuke 1:79to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death’s shadow, and to direct our feet onto the road of peace.”
- And death’s dark shadows put to flightLuke 1:79
Verse 4
- O come, thou Key of David, comeIsaiah 22:22I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder. What he opens, no one will shut; what he shuts, no one will open.
- And open wide our heavenly homeRevelation 3:7To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens:
- Make safe the way that leads on highJohn 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- And close the path to misery
Verse 5
- O come, O come, thou Lord of mightExodus 19:16On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a very loud blast of a ram’s horn, and all the people in the camp trembled.
- Who to thy tribes, on Sinai’s heightExodus 19:20Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
- In ancient times didst give the lawExodus 20:1Then God spoke all these words:
- In cloud and majesty and aweExodus 19:16
Words: Latin, from the “O Antiphons,” 700s or earlier. English by John Mason Neale, 1851, revised 1861. Music: “Veni Emmanuel,” from a French manuscript of the 1400s, published by Thomas Helmore, 1856. In the public domain. 5 of the 7 verses. Hymnals print different sets. Verses are from the Lumin Translation.
Where it goes beyond the Bible
- The carol reads Old Testament titles as names for Jesus. Christians read them that way, following the Gospels. Jewish readers read these passages differently.
- “Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel” is the carol’s refrain, not a quotation.
The story of the carol
Churches in the West have long sung seven short prayers, the “O Antiphons,” at evening prayer from December 17 to 23. Each calls Christ by an Old Testament title: Wisdom, Lord, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King of the nations, Emmanuel. They go back at least to the 700s.
A Latin hymn made from them was printed in Germany in 1710. John Mason Neale, an English priest, translated it in 1851, and his version was reworked for “Hymns Ancient and Modern” in 1861.
Thomas Helmore published the tune in 1856. In 1966 it was traced to a French manuscript from the 1400s, where it was set to other words.
- Words
- Latin, from the “O Antiphons,” 700s or earlier. English by John Mason Neale, 1851, revised 1861
- Music
- “Veni Emmanuel,” from a French manuscript of the 1400s, published by Thomas Helmore, 1856
Questions
Is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel in the Bible?
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is a chain of names from the Old Testament: Emmanuel from Isaiah 7:14, the Rod of Jesse from Isaiah 11:1, the Key of David from Isaiah 22:22, and the Dayspring from Luke 1:78. It is an Advent song, a prayer of waiting, more than a Christmas carol.
Who wrote O Come, O Come, Emmanuel?
Words: Latin, from the “O Antiphons,” 700s or earlier. English by John Mason Neale, 1851, revised 1861. Music: “Veni Emmanuel,” from a French manuscript of the 1400s, published by Thomas Helmore, 1856.
What does O Come, O Come, Emmanuel add to the Bible?
The carol reads Old Testament titles as names for Jesus. Christians read them that way, following the Gospels. Jewish readers read these passages differently. “Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel” is the carol’s refrain, not a quotation.