O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Several centuries ago, possibly the 12th Century AD, an unknown author was perusing a collection of antiphons—liturgical texts which were chanted or sung responsively and which preceded or followed the reading of a psalm in a worship service. In reviewing these existing works, the author was inspired to pull pieces from the various texts in order to create a new work that emphasized the coming of the Lord God incarnate—the birth of Jesus, the Christ. The text later became paired with a 15th Century melody which was used as a processional by French Franciscan nuns. The first line of the new composition was “Veni, veni Emanuel,”—Latin, first translated into English in the 19th Century as “Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel,” but more popularly known as “O come, o come, Emmanuel.”

The lyrics of the piece echo a number of prophetic themes. The title comes from the Bible passage Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel is Hebrew for “God with us.” In the second verse, the “Rod of Jesse” refers to Isaiah 11:11: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse”; Jesse was the father of David, second king of Israel. In another verse, “Day-Spring” comes from Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, in Luke 1:78: “The dayspring from on high has visited us.” And in another verse, “Thou Key of David” is in Isaiah 22:22: “The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder,” which in turn refers to Isaiah 9:6 “The government shall be upon His shoulder.”

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Eternal Father, Strong to Save

In 1860, a teacher wrote a poem for a student. The teacher was William Whiting (1825 - 1878), originally from Kensington, England. Whiting was then the master of Winchester College Choristers' School in Hampshire. One of his students was about to sail to the United States and Whiting gave him a prayer, in written form, asking the Eternal Father to protect him, as well as all others who were in peril on the see. The text soon became more widely known and the following year, 1861, Anglican clergyman John B. Dykes (1823 - 1876) composed a tune to accompany the words. Dykes called his tune "Melita," an archaic term for Malta, an ancient island seafaring nation which was a colony of the British Empire and the site of a shipwreck which included among the passengers the Apostle Paul (Acts 27-28).

This beautiful hymn is traditionally associated with the Royal Navy, the Corps of the Royal Marines, the Royal Air Force, and the British Army, as well as the navies of the British commonwealth. In the United States, the hymn is associated with the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Marine Corps.

Each verse of the original text has references to particular biblical events. The first verse refers to God forbidding the waters to flood the earth as described in Psalm 104. The second verse refers to Jesus' miracles of stilling a storm and walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee. The third verse references the Holy Spirit's role in the creation of the earth in the Book of Genesis. And the final verse is a reference to Psalm 107.

Over time, the hymn text has been altered by various parties for various reasons. One alteration was made to include more references to travel on land. And some alterations were made to add more modes of transportation, including in the air, and in outer space.

Here is the original text.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy Word,
Who walked on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

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To learn more, visit these links.

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/e/t/eternalf.htm

http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/e/e038.html

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq53-1.htm

http://www.zplace2b.com/464th/poems/pray.htm

http://navintpro.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Fall_winter.pdf

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