The Cyber Hymnal ‎#4735

4735. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

1. O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

2. O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go. [Refrain]

3. O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave. [Refrain]

4. O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight. [Refrain]

5. O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery. [Refrain]

6. O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe. [Refrain]

7. O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call. [Refrain]

8. O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace. [Refrain]

Text Information

• First Line: O come, O come, Emmanuel
• Title: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
• Latin Title: Veni, veni Emanuel
• Author: Anonymous
• Translator (from Latin): John M. Neale
• Refrain First Line: Rejoice! Rejoice!
• Language: English
• Source: Combined from various antiphons by an unknown author, possibly in the 12th Century; translation in Mediaeval Hymns, 1851
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: The lyrics echo several prophetic themes. The title comes from the well known Isaiah 7:14: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel is Hebrew for God with us. The Rod of Jesse refers to Isaiah 11:1: There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse; Jesse was the father of David, second king of Israel. Day-Spring comes from Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, in Luke 1:78: The dayspring from on high has visited us. Thou Key of David is in Isaiah 22:22: The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder, which in turn refers to Isaiah 9:6: The government shall be upon His shoulder. Neale's original translation began, "Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel."

Tune Information

• Name: VENI EMMANUEL
• Composer: Anonymous (15th Century)
• Arranger: Thom­as Hel­more
• Incipit: 13555 46543 45313
• Key: e minor
• Copyright: Public Domain