O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Anonymous (Latin), translated by John M. Neale, 1851
4 verses and a refrain, sung to Veni Emmanuel (8.8.8.8.8.8), public domain, free to print and project.
The words
Verse 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! O Israel!
To thee shall come Emmanuel.
Verse 2. O come Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell thy people save,
And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.
Verse 3. O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine Advent here,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Verse 4. 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.
Sing the refrain after every verse.
Words copied from The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book (1920). They were published in 1851, 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.
The hymn library's slide and print features are made by Church Posting.
The story behind O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
This hymn grew out of the Advent O Antiphons, short prayers sung at Vespers in the days before Christmas. Each one calls on the Messiah by an Old Testament title, such as Emmanuel, Branch of Jesse, Daystar and Key of David. Medieval writers joined them into one Latin hymn, "Veni, veni Emmanuel." Hymnary.org gives the Latin as about the twelfth century in one place and the eighth century in another, so the early dates stay uncertain.
John Mason Neale, an Anglican priest and translator, put the Latin into English. His first version began "Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel." Sources differ on the date. Hymnary.org says 1851, and Cantica Sacra shows dates from 1851 to 1854 for the books involved, including The Hymnal Noted.
The tune VENI EMMANUEL was not written for this text. It comes from a chant for a Requiem Mass in a fifteenth-century French manuscript. Thomas Helmore adapted the chant and printed it in the second part of The Hymnal Noted, a collection he made with Neale. Hymnary.org lists the tune in D minor and the Dorian mode.
Most hymnals print five of the original seven verses. Each verse names a title of the Messiah and ends with the refrain that asks Emmanuel to come.
Thomas Helmore
1811-05-07 to 1890-07-06
Thomas Helmore was born in Kidderminster, England, and died at his home in St. George's Square, London. He studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and served in Lichfield before becoming vice-principal of St. Mark's College, Chelsea, in 1842 and its precentor in 1846. That year he also became master of the choristers at the Chapel Royal, St. James's. He edited The Hymnal Noted with John Mason Neale. He adapted the chant tune VENI EMMANUEL from a fifteenth-century French source and printed it in that collection. The Hymnology Archive notes that the dates of The Hymnal Noted are often misreported.
- Hymnary.org: O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnary.org: VENI EMMANUEL (Chant) , read 2026-10-16
- Cantica Sacra: O come, O come, Emmanuel , read 2026-10-16
- Hymnology Archive: Thomas Helmore , read 2026-10-16
Scripture in O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The Bible passages behind the words.
- Isaiah 7:14
- Matthew 1:23
- Isaiah 11:1
- Isaiah 22:22
- Luke 1:78-79
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel videos
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Hymn 218) | Grace Community Church Congregation & Orchestra Hymns of Grace, Congregation
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel | The Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Choir
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! (Veni Emmanuel) KingsCollegeChoir, Choir
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - A Cappella Hymn A Cappella Hymns, A cappella
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O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Christmas piano instrumental Kaleb Brasee, Piano
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Chris Tomlin - O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Lyric Video) Chris Tomlin, 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.
Downloads, printing and slides
Sheet music files
- Sheet music PDF 103 KB. Words and all four parts, ready to print.
- Lead sheet PDF 87 KB. Melody, words and chord symbols for piano or guitar.
- MusicXML score XML 71 KB. Opens in MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius and Dorico to change the key or print parts.
- MIDI, all parts MIDI 2 KB. Plays the four-part harmony in any MIDI player or notation app.
- MIDI, melody only MIDI 1 KB. The tune alone, for learning it.
Practice tracks for each voice part, as MIDI: Alto , Tenor , Bass .
Chords and keys
Hymnals print it in Dm.
Questions people ask
What are the O Antiphons?
They are short prayers sung at Vespers from December 17 to 23. Each begins with the word O and names the Messiah by an Old Testament title. The hymn turns those titles into verses.
Who wrote the tune VENI EMMANUEL?
The composer is unknown. The melody comes from a chant for a Requiem Mass in a fifteenth-century French manuscript, and Thomas Helmore adapted it for The Hymnal Noted.
Why do hymnals print only five verses?
The Latin original has seven verses, and modern hymnals usually keep five. Hymnary.org lists the five titles Emmanuel, Adonai, Branch of Jesse, Oriens and Key of David.
Is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel in the public domain?
Yes. Neale's English words date to the early 1850s (Hymnary.org gives 1851) and are public domain in the United States. The tune is public domain too, although modern recordings and new arrangements carry their own copyrights.
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