Come, Thou Almighty King Anonymous, 1757
4 verses, public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 1. Come, thou Almighty King!
Help us thy name to sing,
Help us to praise;
Father all glorious!
O’er all victorious,
Come and reign over us,
Ancient of days!
Verse 2. Come, thou incarnate Word!
Gird on thy mighty sword;
Our prayer attend:
Come, and thy people bless,
And give thy word success;
Spirit of holiness,
On us descend.
Verse 3. Come, holy Comforter!
Thy sacred witness bear
In this glad hour:
Thou who almighty art,
Now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart,
Spirit of power!
Verse 4. To the great One in Three,
The highest praises be,
Hence, evermore!
His sovereign majesty
May we in glory see,
And to eternity
Love and adore.
Words copied from The Otterbein Hymnal (1892). They were published in 1757, so they are in the public domain in the United States, and your church may print them, show them and sing them without a license.
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The story behind Come, Thou Almighty King
No one knows who wrote this hymn. It first appeared on a four page leaflet with Charles Wesley's hymn Jesu, let thy pitying eye, and the leaflet was bound into some copies of George Whitefield's Collection of Hymns for Social Worship. The Hymnology Archive says the British Library dates the leaflet to about 1760, and copies of the 1757, 1759 and 1760 editions carry it. Hymnary.org gives 1757. People often credit Wesley because the two hymns share a page. The hymn never appeared in a Wesley collection and is not in his manuscripts. The Hymnology Archive concludes the author is unknown. The five Trinitarian stanzas copy the meter of the British anthem God save great George our King. The tune ITALIAN HYMN is by Felice Giardini. Hymnary.org says he wrote it for the Countess of Huntingdon and gives 1769 for its publication in Martin Madan's tune collection, while the Hymnology Archive places it between 1760 and 1763. The name ITALIAN HYMN first appears in 1810. About 100 collections carried the hymn by 1820. Hymnals print it in G.
Felice Giardini
1716 to 1796
Felice Giardini was an Italian violinist and composer. He was playing in theatre orchestras by age twelve and toured Europe as a violinist. He settled in England around 1750 and led the orchestra and directed the Italian Opera in London. A later attempt to run a theatre in Naples met setbacks, and he went to Russia, where he had little success and died in 1796. Hymnary.org says he wrote the tune ITALIAN HYMN for Selina Shirley, Countess of Huntingdon, for the text Come, Thou Almighty King. It was published in Martin Madan's collection of tunes for the Lock Hospital.
- Hymnology Archive, Come, Thou Almighty King , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, ITALIAN HYMN , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org, Felice Giardini , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in Come, Thou Almighty King
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Micah 5:2
- Isaiah 55:11
- John 14:16
Come, Thou Almighty King videos
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Come, Thou Almighty King • Congregational Daniel Baptist, Congregation
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Come, Thou Almighty King Martijn de Groot, Congregation
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Come Thou Almighty King by Rev. Timothy Wright and the New York Fellowship Mass Choir Robbieatnsudotcom, Choir
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Come, Thou Almighty King - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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Come, Thou Almighty King - piano instrumental cover with lyrics Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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Come Thou Almighty King (Live from Sing! '21) Keith & Kristyn Getty, Tommy Bailey KeithandKristyn Getty, Modern arrangement
Videos play from YouTube, and nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. A video may sing different verses from the ones printed on this page.
Print and project
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in G.
Questions people ask
Who wrote Come, Thou Almighty King?
The author is unknown. Charles Wesley's name is often attached because the hymn was printed beside one of his, but it is in no Wesley collection or manuscript.
Who wrote the tune for Come, Thou Almighty King?
Felice Giardini wrote ITALIAN HYMN. Hymnary.org gives 1769 for its publication, and the Hymnology Archive gives 1760 to 1763.
What is the hymn about?
It addresses the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in turn, and it ends with a doxology. The Hymnology Archive reads it as a defense of the Trinity.
Does the hymn borrow from a national anthem?
The Hymnology Archive says the words imitate the British anthem God save great George our King and share its meter and rhyme scheme. Giardini wrote the tune.
Is Come, Thou Almighty King in the public domain?
The words are public domain in the United States. They were first printed in 1757 or a few years later, and Giardini's tune dates to the 1760s.
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