O Come O Come Emmanuel
Christmas Songs Lyrics
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And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
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.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home
The song "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is a hymn written for Advent, a Christian season of preparation leading up to Christmas. The hymn is primarily based on the O Antiphons, which are a series of seven chants that date back to the early church. Each of the seven verses of the song is inspired by one of these chants, and each one addresses a different aspect of the coming of Christ. The song begins by calling upon Emmanuel to come and ransom captive Israel, who are mourning in lonely exile until the Son of God appears. The term Emmanuel means "God with us," and the song is essentially a prayer for God to be present with his people, to free them from sin and heal their brokenness.
The second verse of the hymn invokes the "Rod of Jesse," a symbolic reference to Jesus' lineage as the descendant of King David. It asks for Christ to free his people from Satan's tyranny and to give them victory over death. In this verse, the hymn portrays Christ as a warrior who defeats the forces of evil and frees his people from bondage.
The third verse asks for Christ to come as the "Day-Spring," a metaphorical reference to the dawn of a new day. This verse speaks to the darkness and despair of the world, and asks for Christ to bring hope and light to dispel the gloomy clouds of the night. Finally, the last verse calls upon Christ to come as the "Key of David" and to "open wide our heavenly home." This verse speaks to the ultimate goal of the Christian faith, which is to be reunited with God in eternity.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, O come, Emmanuel
Oh please come, Emmanuel, please come and save us.
And ransom captive Israel
And free your people, Israel, who have been taken captive.
That mourns in lonely exile here
Who are sad and alone while in exile here.
Until the Son of God appear
Until the Son of God appears to save them.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Be happy! Be happy! Emmanuel,
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Is going to come to you, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Please come, Jesus, who is descended from Jesse, and free us.
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
Free your own people from Satan's control.
From depths of Hell Thy people save
Save your people even if they are in the depths of Hell.
And give them victory o'er the grave
And give them victory over the grave.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Please come, Jesus, who is the dawn of a new day, and make us happy.
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Lift up our spirits by coming to us here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
Make the dark clouds of night disappear.
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
And chase away the dark shadows of death.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Be happy! Be happy! Emmanuel,
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Is going to come to you, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
Please come, Jesus, who holds the key to David's kingdom.
And open wide our heavenly home
And open up our home in heaven to us.
Contributed by Kylie L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.