O Come Emmanuel

 

O Come, O Come Emmanuel Lyrics

1 O come, O come, Immanuel,

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,

who ordered all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show

and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain

3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,

who to your tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times did give the law

in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,

unto your own and rescue them!

From depths of hell your people save,

and give them victory o'er the grave. Refrain

5 O come, O Key of David, come

and open wide our heavenly home.

Make safe for us the heavenward road

and bar the way to death's abode. Refrain

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,

and bring us comfort from afar!

Dispel the shadows of the night

and turn our darkness into light. Refrain

7 O come, O King of nations, bind

in one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid all our sad divisions cease

and be yourself our King of Peace. Refrain 

Psalter Hymnal (Gray)

The Story Behind O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

"O come, O come, Emmanuel" is a Christian hymn for Advent and Christmas. It is a translation of a Latin hymn, "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel." The 1861 translation, by John Mason Neale, from Hymns Ancient and Modern is the most notable in the English-speaking realm, but other English translations also endure. Adaptations into other modern languages (particularly German) are also in broad use.

The lyrics and the melody for "O come, O come, Emmanuel" emerged independently. The Latin text is first documented in Germany in 1710, whereas the melody most commonly associated in the English-speaking world has its origins in 15th-century France.

The Biblical Origin of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

In Scripture, the name "Emmanuel" first appears in Isaiah 7:14, which says, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; The virgin will conceive, and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Emmanuel” (NIV). The original meaning of the name is: “with us is God,” or “God with us.” 

Although it says in Isaiah 7:14 “thou shalt call his name Immanuel,” Mary and Joseph didn’t give their son that name. Instead, they followed the directions given specifically to them in Matthew 1:21 (Joseph in a dream) and Luke 1:31 (Mary by the angel Gabriel) to name Him Jesus.

As seen in Matthew 1:23 above, the meaning of Emmanuel is “God with us.” The promised child was given the name of Jesus but was also Emmanuel, God in the flesh

(source:   https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/#:~:text=%22O%20Come%2C%20O%20Come%2C%20Emmanuel%22%20is%20a%20Christian,videos%) 

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It is interesting that although I have read both those scriptures above and never thought about the two different names that Jesus was to be given at his birth. Nevertheless, they do mean the same thing, so who am I to question scripture? 

At any rate, this is a beautiful hymn/carol as are all those that I have looked out at far this month and they each give us pause to remember what this season is truly about. Especially on days that aren't going well. 

Truly as this one says: God is with us.

Thanks for stopping by. God bless you and yours