O Come O Come Emmanuel
B&s Lyrics
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O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels!
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created.
Refrain
See how the shepherds
Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze!
We, too, will thither
Bend our hearts' oblations.
Refrain
Lo, star-led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child
Bring our hearts' oblations
Refrain
Child, for us sinners,
Poor and in the manger,
Fain we embrace Thee with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee,
Loving us so dearly?
Refrain
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
"Glory to God,
In the highest!"
Refrain
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Refrain
The song O Come O Come Emmanuel is a beloved Christmas hymn that calls on all faithful and joyful people to travel to Bethlehem to witness and adore the newborn King of Angels, Christ the Lord. The first verse sets the tone for the entire song, with the refrain repeating the invitation to come and adore the new Messiah. The second stanza speaks of the divinity of Christ, stating that he is God of God, Light of Light, and was not created but instead begotten. The third verse speaks of the shepherds who were privileged to witness the birth of Christ, and how they left their flocks to go and see him. The fourth verse speaks of the Magi who followed the star to pay homage to the Christ child and bring him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In the fifth verse, the song calls on everyone to embrace Christ, for he was born for all sinners, and his love and awe deserve nothing but our love in return. Finally, in the sixth verse, the choirs of angels sing in exultation, proclaiming "Glory to God in the Highest" and we greet Jesus born on this happy morning, giving all glory to Him as the Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come, all of you who are loyal followers of Christ and bring joy and success. Journey to Bethlehem and witness the glory of the Lord.
Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels!
Come and witness the birth of the King of Angels.
O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
Let us kneel and praise Christ the Lord together.
God of God, Light of Light, Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb; Very God, Begotten, not created.
This child is God himself, born of the Virgin Mary and not created, but begotten.
See how the shepherds Summoned to His cradle, Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze! We, too, will thither Bend our hearts' oblations.
Even the shepherds, called to His side, leave their flocks to witness the birth of the Lord. Let us also bring our offerings from our hearts.
Lo, star-led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring, Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh; We to the Christ-child Bring our hearts' oblations
Even the wise men offer gifts and bow before the baby Jesus. We also bring our offerings from our hearts.
Child, for us sinners, Poor and in the manger, Fain we embrace Thee with love and awe; Who would not love Thee, Loving us so dearly?
Despite being a poor child born in a manger, we sinners still lovingly embrace and worship Him because of his love for us.
Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! 'Glory to God, In the highest!'
Angelic choirs and all those in heaven sing praises and give glory to God.
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning, Jesus, to Thee be all glory given; Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing!
We joyfully greet the birth of Jesus on this day and give all glory to Him, He who is the Word of the Father, appearing in the flesh.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DOUGLAS GAMLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind