What a wonderful season this is. It refreshes our memories of the beauty and splendor of Jesus, our gratitude that He has come, and our longing for His return. These four Sundays before Christmas take on a special luster as we decorate our homes and start playing the music of the holidays, as we gather for fellowship in our churches for the hanging of the greens, as our worship once again includes the lovely carols we all love, and as preachers bring us fresh insights into the familiar Scriptures from Old Testament prophecies to the enchanted beauty of Bethlehem’s manger.
While few of us observe the distinction, Advent is different from Christmas. Most hymnals note this with two separate sections. The Advent songs look forward, speaking of anticipation of the Savior’s coming, often with a sense of the heaviness of those of the Old Covenant generations who were waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. In contrast, the Christmas songs describe the events in Bethlehem and tell the nativity stories in song, the stories of the shepherds and angels, of Mary and Joseph, the star and the Magi, and the explanations of the glorious doctrines of the incarnation.
One of the most ancient Advent songs still in widespread use is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Its origin takes us back over 1200 years to monastic life in the 8th century when the “O antiphons” would be sung in monasteries seven days before Christmas. These were a series of plainsong antiphons attached to the Magnificat at Vespers. We know that they were paraphrased extensively by the English poet Cynewulf in a poem written before year 800. By the 12th century, they had developed into the Latin metrical form that John Mason Neale (1818-1866) discovered in the appendix of an early 18th century manuscript. His translation was included in the official hymnal of the Anglican Church in 1861.
Here are the original antiphons., all of them drawn from Old Testament titles for Jesus.
O Sapienta (Wisdom)
O Adonai (Lord)
O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse)
O Clavis David (Key of David)
O Oriens (Dayspring)
O Rex Gentium (King of the Gentiles)
O Emmanuel (God with us)
We are deeply indebted to this Anglican scholar. The 1906 “English Hymnal” contains 63 of Neale’s hymn translations and 6 original compositions. We sing his texts in such hymns as “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” “Good Christian Men, Rejoice,” “The Day of Resurrection,” “O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing!” and “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation.”
The familiar tune VENI EMMANUEL had its origins in 15th century France, as it was found in a Roman Catholic collection of processional chants for burials. It was first joined to this text in 1851. The music fits very well, especially with the change in mood of the text. Each stanza is dominated by a solemn, as yet unfulfilled hope for the Messiah’s deliverance. And then at the refrain, the words “Rejoice, rejoice,” shout of the joy-filled confidence that He will indeed come. Organ accompaniment should change dramatically at that point, shifting from principals and dark reeds (perhaps without pedal) to the sudden additional of bright reeds and mixtures.
While there have been varied translations, here is one of the most accurate and complete in use in hymnals today.
In stanza 1, the biblical reference is to Isaiah 7:14, “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name, Immanuel.”
O come, O come, Immanuel, and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
In stanza 2, the biblical reference is to 1 Corinthians 1:30, “Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show and teach us in its ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
In stanza 3, the biblical reference is to Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM, And He said, say this to the people of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” And remember that in John 8:58, Jesus claimed to be that I AM.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times didst give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
In stanza 4, the biblical reference is to Isaiah 11:1-2, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny.
From depths of hell Thy people save, and give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
In stanza 5, the biblical reference is to Revelation 3:7, “The words of the Holy One, the True One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one will open.”
O come, Thou Key of David, come and open wide our heav’nly home.
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
In stanza 6, the biblical reference is to Luke 1:76-79, “And You, Child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for You will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
In stanza 7, the biblical reference is to Ephesians 2:14-16, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”
O come, Thou King of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease and be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
We should remember that since the Latin word Advent means “coming toward,” it’s also appropriate to sing hymns in this season that forward to Jesus’ coming again, like “Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying,” sometimes better known by the translation of Bach’s chorale theme from Cantata number 140, “Sleepers Wake, a Voice Is Calling.”
Here is a link to a magnificent anthem based on “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”