O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: condensing seven hymns into one

Posted on by John

The Christmas hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a summary of the seven “O Antiphons,” sung on December 17 though 23, dating back to the 8th century [1]. The seven antiphons are

  1. O Sapientia
  2. O Adonai
  3. O Radix Jesse
  4. O Clavis David
  5. O Oriens
  6. O Rex Gentium
  7. O Emmanuel

The corresponding verses of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” begin with the lines below.

  1. O come, Thou Wisdom from on high
  2. O come, o come, thou lord of might
  3. O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s stem
  4. O come, Thou Key of David, come
  5. O come, Thou Bright and Morning Star
  6. O come, Desire of nations, bind
  7. O come, O come, Emmanuel

[1] Mars Hill Audio Conversations O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: Malcolm Guite and J. A. C. Redford on the Advent O Antiphons