Jesus's Words

O Come, All Ye Faithful

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About the Carol

"O Come, All Ye Faithful" is a carol dating from the 18th century. It existed first in the Latin as "Adeste Fideles." The Catholic priest Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880) translated it to English in 1841.

Lyrics Back to Top ↑

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,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God's holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Analysis of Carol Back to Top ↑

This carol is excessively repetitive, so there is not much to analyze that either is not repeated, or has not been said half a dozen times already.

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

Yes, come indeed! Augustus wants us counted so he can tax us.(Luke 2:1.)

Come and behold him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God's holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore him,

O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

All Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;

It is amazing just how literal that last line is. The author of the fourth gospel recorded, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.John 1:1, 14.

And of course, Jesus spoke nothing that was his own, only what the Lord told him to. He told us, For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.John 12:49

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