We Three Kings of Orient Are
John Henry Hopkins Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bearing gifts we traverse afar.
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
Glorious now behold Him arise,
King and God and Sacrifice.
Heav'n sings, alleluia!
Alleluia! Earth replies.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
In the song "We Three Kings of Orient Are", the three kings are on a journey from the East to present their gifts to the newborn king in Bethlehem. The lyrics describe the landscape through which they travel - "Field and fountain, moor and mountain" - and the guiding light of a special star which they follow. The star is described as "wonderful" and "royal", and it leads them to the "perfect light". Each king brings a gift for the newborn king, one brings gold to crown him, another brings frankincense to symbolize his divinity, and the third brings myrrh as an ointment for burial, foreshadowing the sacrifice that Jesus will later make. The song ends with the rejoicing of the heavens and earth at the birth of the king and God, with the repeated refrain of "O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright."
Line by Line Meaning
We three kings of Orient are
We are three wise men from the eastern lands.
Bearing gifts we traverse afar.
We are carrying valuable gifts and traveling a long distance.
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
We are crossing fields, fountains, moors, and mountains.
Following yonder star.
We are following a star that we believe will lead us to something special.
O star of wonder, star of night,
The star we are following is a source of wonder, shining brightly in the night sky.
Star with royal beauty bright,
The star we are following has a majestic appearance.
Westward leading, still proceeding,
The star is guiding us westwards, and we're still following it.
Guide us to thy perfect light.
We hope the star will lead us to a place of enlightenment or divine guidance.
Born a king on Bethlehem′s plain,
A king was recently born in Bethlehem.
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
I have brought gold to honor and recognize Him as a king.
King forever, ceasing never
He is a king who will reign eternally and never stop ruling.
Over us all to reign.
The king is meant to rule over all of us.
Glorious now behold Him arise,
We are witnessing the glorious ascent of the new king.
King and God and Sacrifice.
He is both a powerful king, a divine being, and a sacrifice to ensure salvation for all.
Heav'n sings, alleluia!
The heavens are rejoicing and singing in praise of the new king.
Alleluia! Earth replies.
We on earth also join in the praises of the heavens.
Guide us to thy perfect light.
We still hope the star will lead us to a place of enlightenment or divine guidance.
Writer(s): John Jr Henry Hopkins, Manfred Hilger
Contributed by Victoria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rulir3706
There is no better arrangement than this one....!!
@jennasiefner9638
watched this before i performed it with my choir a couple of years ago, now im rewatching it to re-live the beatifulness that this song is
@aurorabyrd6104
Played this areangement for orchestra a week or two ago. Absolutely loved it! Quite an amazing arrangement.
@nickgreen4731
Was trying to remember who did this amazing, Eastern-tinged, haunting arrangement. Finally found it.
John Rutter.
Of course it's John Rutter. It's always John Rutter.
@PeaceIsYeshua
I love this arrangement too! I’ll have to look for more John Rutter compositions—I just learned of him thanks to you. Although, it says JH Hopkins is the composer, so maybe he’s who composed this eastern themed version. Does John Rutter compose also?
@dennyduran-flores9449
@@PeaceIsYeshua JH Hopkins is the person who composed We Three Kings. John Rutter was responsible for this specific arrangement. Rutter is an incredible arranger (definitely look into his Christmas stuff), but he also has some great original works.
@PeaceIsYeshua
@Denny Duran-Flores
Oh wow!! Thank you SO much for being kind enough to explain this! I’m going to look him up right now! Merry Christmas to you! 🎄🌟
@dennyduran-flores9449
@@PeaceIsYeshua Of course! I hope you enjoy the music. Have a merry Christmas!
@PeaceIsYeshua
@Denny Duran-Flores
Thank you, friend! 🥰🎶🎄
@spartansrace4293
Family Radio brought me here for this Sacred arrangement. What a Christmas blessing