O Come All Ye Faithful
Jocelyn B. Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 All Ye Faithful" is a hymn that invites all faithful believers to come to Bethlehem and rejoice in the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the King of Angels. The refrain urges the listeners to come adore Him and give praise to Christ the Lord. The second stanza acknowledges the divinity of the Christ-child, who is the Light of Light, God of God, and was not created but begotten. The third verse recounts how the shepherds were summoned to the cradle of Jesus and how they left their flocks to go and see Him. It suggests that the listeners also bend their hearts' oblations before Him. The fourth verse recalls how the Magi offered incense, gold, and myrrh, and again exhorts the faithful to bring their hearts' oblations to the Christ-child. The fifth verse acknowledges that Jesus was born for sinners and that even though He was born in a manger as a poor child, we still love Him with love and awe. Finally, the last verse urges choirs of angels and citizens of heaven above to sing "Glory to God" while greeting Jesus, the Word of the Father, who has now appeared in flesh.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, all ye faithful
Come, all who believe and are loyal to God
Joyful and triumphant
Rejoice and be victorious in your faith
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and travel to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him
Come and observe Him
Born the King of Angels!
Born the ruler of the angels
O come let us adore Him
Come, let's worship Him
Christ the Lord!
The Lord, Jesus Christ!
God of God,
God from God,
Light of Light,
Splendor from Splendor,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb;
He is not against being born of a virgin
Very God,
Truly God,
Begotten, not created.
Born, not made.
See how the shepherds
Observe how the shepherds
Summoned to His cradle,
Called to His manger,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze!
Leaving their flocks behind, they come near to see!
We, too, will thither
We will also go there
Bend our hearts' oblations.
Give our hearts' offerings.
Lo, star-led chieftains,
Look, chieftains guided by a star,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Magi, worshiping Christ,
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh;
Offering Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child
We, for the Christ child
Bring our hearts' oblations
Bring our hearts' offerings
Child, for us sinners,
Child, for us who sin,
Poor and in the manger,
Poor and lying in a manger,
Fain we embrace Thee with love and awe;
We eagerly embrace You with love and reverence;
Who would not love Thee,
Who wouldn't love You,
Loving us so dearly?
Because You love us so deeply?
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing, angelic choirs,
Sing in exultation,
Sing joyfully
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Oh sing, all you inhabitants of heaven!
"Glory to God,
"Glory to God
In the highest!"
In the highest!"
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Yes, Lord, we greet You,
Born this happy morning,
Born on this joyful morning,
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Jesus, may all glory be given to You;
Word of the Father,
The word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Now appearing in human form!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind