Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Choir of Westminster Cathedral Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconcile.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim,
'Christ is born in Bethlehem'
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail, the incarnate deity,
Pleased as Man with to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of peace!
Hail the Sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,

Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the suns of earth,
Born to give them second birth.




Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Overall Meaning

The song "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a classic Christmas carol that tells the story of the birth of Jesus, the "newborn King." The lyrics beautifully describe the joy and wonder of the announcement of the birth of Christ by the angels to the shepherds. The first stanza of the song invites us to listen to the angels singing out, "Glory to the newborn King" while also proclaiming "peace on earth" and "God and sinners reconcile." This line speaks to the idea that with the birth of Jesus comes a time of peace and forgiveness between God and humanity.


The second stanza of the song continues to describe the divinity of Christ and his significance as the savior of the world. It speaks to his miraculous birth through a virgin mother and how he, as the "incarnate deity," is both fully God and fully man. The lyrics also describe how Christ is the great "Prince of peace" and the "Sun of righteousness" who brings salvation and healing to all. The final stanza of the song speaks to the eternal nature of Christ's birth and how it signifies a new era for humanity, one where death and sin no longer have power. It is a powerful and uplifting carol that has been sung for centuries to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the hope and joy that he brings.


Line by Line Meaning

Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! The angels who announce great news are singing


Glory to the newborn King,
Praise to the newly born King


peace on earth, and mercy mild,
May there be peace on earth with gentle mercy


God and sinners reconcile.
God is reconciling with sinners


Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
All nations should rise up and be joyful


Join the triumph of the skies;
Join in the celebration that is happening in the skies


with the angelic host proclaim,
Declare along with the host of angels


'Christ is born in Bethlehem'
'Christ has been born in Bethlehem'


Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, who is honored by the highest heaven


Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Christ, the Lord who exists for eternity


Late in time behold him come,
At the appointed time, he came


Offspring of a virgin's womb.
He was born from a virgin woman


Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
The Godhead is hidden in flesh, but can still be seen


Hail, the incarnate deity,
Hail to the deity that is now embodied in human form


Pleased as Man with to dwell,
He is happy to live as a human being


Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Jesus is our Emmanuel


Hail, the heaven-born Prince of peace!
Hail to the Prince of Peace who was born in heaven


Hail the Sun of righteousness!
Hail to the Sun of righteousness


Light and life to all he brings,
He brings light and life to everyone


Risen with healing in his wings.
He has risen and has the power to heal


Mild he lays his glory by,
He humbly sets aside his glory


Born that man no more may die,
He was born so that man need not die anymore


Born to raise the suns of earth,
He was born to raise the people of the earth


Born to give them second birth.
He was born to give them a new birth


Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! The angels who announce great news are singing


Glory to the newborn King.
Praise to the newly born King




Lyrics Β© Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Bartholdy Felix Mendelssohn, Daniel Martin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

PhΖ°α»›c VΕ©

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"



All comments from YouTube:

josparkes1

My word, how long did that take to perfect, it was supremely wonderful and beautifully performed, simply wonderful !

3719 Harshit Vaid

Life was good when u commented this (10yrsago)

lineyrocks

This is so beautiful! Love this descant too.

Nelson Estuardo Itzep

Esta cancion nunca Sera lo mismo despues de ver el conjuro 2

Bruno Rosa

Nunca 😒

s1conrad

Beautiful and stirring! Mr. Mendelsohn would be proud

clairedelune06

yes it is!

ceekryt

Beautiful! Well done.

mkli874

Beutiful singing! I am with the Reading Minster Choir and i am learning the descant.

jonathan bance

reminds me when i was a child choirister best carol for christmas well done lads with descant superb

More Comments

More Versions