O Come, O Come Emmanuel is one of my favourite hymns at any time, let alone Christmas. (As anyone who has ever been around to listen when I’ve sung it well knows.) There’s about fourteen or fifteen versions of this in my iTunes library.
Sadly it doesn’t get included in corporate worship very much because it requires a little bit of work musically, and some appreciation of biblical imagery and metaphor.
Most churches would barely recognise it as a hymn, let alone a sublime expression of praise for God’s fulfilled repeated promise of sending Christ.
After all, how could these lyrics stand up to: ‘and if our God is with us, then what can stand against’?
(Sorry, I was just having a moment. I’m better now.)
John Mason Neale’s translation and setting of Latin lyrics has a few versions and supplementary verses floating around. I like the version below.
And thankfully I’ve not encountered anyone who felt the need to replace Thomas Helmore’s arranged tune Veni Emmanuel with something more contemporary. Yet. (Although there have been a few rock oriented arrangements of the melody, and one rap adaption.)
The lyrics.
1
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
2
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.
(Refrain)
3
O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
(Refrain)
4
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.
(Refrain)
5
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.
(Refrain)
Firstly, here’s Aled Jones in a clip from Songs of Praise:
And, for a treat, here’s the Civil Wars’ rendition:
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