Back to: The Twelve Days of Christmas Carols
The complete lyrics are below this commentary.
(st.1 )The invitation to “come, all ye faithful, . . . to Bethlehem” places the singer both among the shepherds who rushed to see the Christ child and in the long procession of the “faithful” that have journeyed to Bethlehem in their hearts for over 2,000 years.
We sing words borrowed from the Nicene Creed to express the Christian faith about the incarnation (st. 2).
In the third stanza, the “faithful” join their voices with the angels singing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” (Luke 2:14). The refrain then becomes a cosmic chorus uniting heaven and earth.
Then after exhorting the angels to sing their praise (st. 3), we greet Christ on his birthday (st. 4). The text has two unusual features for such a popular hymn: it is unrhymed and has an irregular meter.
The fifth stanza takes a decidedly different tone, placing us not only at the manger scene as one of the humble who has come to see the Christ child, but actually in the manger! Note that there is no comma after “sinners,” indicating that it is not just the “Child” in the manger, but we who join him there in humility, “awe and love”:
These are the original four Latin verses as published by Wade O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! 19th century added 4 additional stanzas
1 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, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
2 God of God, light of light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
3 Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God, glory in the highest:
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
4 Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
5 See how the shepherds, Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither Bend our hearts’ oblations
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
6 There shall we see Him, His Eternal Father’s
Everlasting Brightness now veiled under flesh;
God shall we find there, a Babe in infant clothing;
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
7 Child, for us sinners Poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, Loving us so dearly?
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.
8 Lo! Star-led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him frankincense and gold and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child, Bring our hearts oblations
O come, let us adore Him, (3×)
Christ the Lord.