Veni, Veni, Emmanuel — Latin Lyrics, English Translation and the O Antiphons
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel is the Latin original of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, the best-known Advent hymn in the English-speaking world. Each verse calls on Christ by a different title from the Old Testament – and behind those titles stand the seven O Antiphons sung in the week before Christmas.
Here are the Veni, Veni, Emmanuel lyrics in Latin and English:
- all seven verses with a literal English translation, line by line
- the O Antiphons at a glance, with dates and Bible references
- the grammar behind veni, educ and solare, plus the pronunciation
What does “Veni, Veni, Emmanuel” mean?
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel means “Come, come, Emmanuel”. Emmanuel is Hebrew for “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14, quoted in Matthew 1:23). The hymn prays for the coming of the Saviour, and the refrain answers: Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel nascetur pro te, Israel – “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel will be born for you, O Israel.”
Veni, Veni, Emmanuel lyrics in Latin and English
This is how the hymn is usually sung today: seven verses, with the refrain Gaude! Gaude! after each one.
| Latin | English (literal) |
|---|---|
| 1 Veni, veni, Emmanuel, | Come, come, Emmanuel, |
| captivum solve Israel, | set captive Israel free, |
| qui gemit in exsilio, | who groans in exile, |
| privatus Dei Filio. | deprived of the Son of God. |
| Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel | Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel |
| nascetur pro te, Israel. | will be born for you, O Israel. |
| 2 Veni, O Sapientia, | Come, O Wisdom, |
| quae hic disponis omnia, | who order all things here, |
| veni, viam prudentiae | come, to teach us the way |
| ut doceas et gloriae. | of prudence and of glory. |
| 3 Veni, veni, Adonai, | Come, come, Adonai (Lord), |
| qui populo in Sinai | who gave your people the Law |
| legem dedisti vertice | on the summit of Sinai |
| in maiestate gloriae. | in the majesty of glory. |
| 4 Veni, O Iesse virgula, | Come, O shoot of Jesse, |
| ex hostis tuos ungula, | out of the enemy’s claw lead your own, |
| de specu tuos tartari | out of the cave of the underworld lead your own |
| educ et antro barathri. | and out of the pit of the abyss. |
| 5 Veni, Clavis Davidica, | Come, Key of David, |
| regna reclude caelica, | unlock the heavenly kingdoms, |
| fac iter tutum superum, | make safe the way on high |
| et claude vias inferum. | and close the paths to the underworld. |
| 6 Veni, veni, O Oriens, | Come, come, O Dawn from on high, |
| solare nos adveniens, | comfort us by your coming, |
| noctis depelle nebulas | drive away the mists of night |
| dirasque mortis tenebras. | and the dreadful darkness of death. |
| 7 Veni, veni, Rex gentium, | Come, come, King of the nations, |
| veni, Redemptor omnium, | come, Redeemer of all, |
| ut salves tuos famulos | to save your servants |
| peccati sibi conscios. | who know their own sin. |
Compare John Mason Neale’s singing version: “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.” It follows the Latin closely in the first verse, but the refrain says “shall come to thee” where the Latin has nascetur, “will be born”.
You will find two small variants in hymnals: the oldest text of verse 6 has noctis tenebras (“darkness of night”) instead of mortis tenebras, and verse 7 sometimes reads ut salvas instead of the grammatically correct ut salves.
The O Antiphons: where the seven verses come from
The O Antiphons are seven short chants that the Church has sung at Vespers from 17 to 23 December since the early Middle Ages, before and after the Magnificat. Each begins with “O” and a title of the coming Messiah. The hymn turns each antiphon into a verse:
| Date | Antiphon | Meaning | Bible | Verse in the hymn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Dec | O Sapientia | Wisdom | Wisdom 8:1 | 2 |
| 18 Dec | O Adonai | Lord (Hebrew name of God) | Exodus 3 and 20 | 3 |
| 19 Dec | O Radix Iesse | Root of Jesse | Isaiah 11:1, 10 | 4 |
| 20 Dec | O Clavis David | Key of David | Isaiah 22:22 | 5 |
| 21 Dec | O Oriens | Dayspring, rising dawn | Luke 1:78 | 6 |
| 22 Dec | O Rex gentium | King of the nations | Jeremiah 10:7 | 7 |
| 23 Dec | O Emmanuel | God with us | Isaiah 7:14 | 1 |
ERO CRAS – “Tomorrow I will be there”
Read the first letters of the titles backwards, from 23 to 17 December, and they spell a sentence:
| Emmanuel | Rex | Oriens | Clavis | Radix | Adonai | Sapientia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | R | O | C | R | A | S |
Ero cras means “Tomorrow I will be there” – the day after the last antiphon is Christmas Eve. Whether it was planned, nobody knows, but it shows how carefully the antiphons are built. In verse 4 the hymn says virgula (“shoot, little branch”) instead of Radix (“root”). The word echoes Isaiah 11:1 in the Vulgate: egredietur virga de radice Iesse – “a shoot shall come forth from the root of Jesse”.
Understand the Latin, don’t just sing along
In Lapicida you read real Latin texts, opened up word by word, including passages from the Vulgate. The Latin readings in the app show the form and meaning of every word, and the forms trainer lets you practise verb forms like nascetur and doceas.
Learn Latin now. Our learning app:
Origin, grammar and pronunciation
The O Antiphons are more than 1,200 years old; the hymn is much younger. Its Latin text first appears in 1710 in a Jesuit hymnal from Cologne, the Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, with five verses. The verses on Wisdom and on the King of the nations were added in the 19th century. In 1851 John Mason Neale translated the hymn into English, and Thomas Helmore set it to the tune we know today. Where that tune came from was only found in 1966, when the musicologist Mary Berry traced it to a 15th-century French manuscript. More on the history is on Wikipedia.
Grammar: seven times “come!”
The hymn is almost nothing but requests, so it is full of imperatives – including some that Latin teachers love to test:
| Word in the hymn | Form | How to translate it |
|---|---|---|
| veni, solve, depelle, claude | imperative singular | “come, set free, drive away, close” |
| educ, fac | short imperatives, like dic, duc, fer | “lead out”, “make” |
| solare | imperative of the deponent solari – looks like an infinitive | “comfort!” |
| gaude | imperative of gaudere | “rejoice!” |
| nascetur | future of the deponent nasci | “he will be born” |
| ut doceas, ut salves | ut + subjunctive: purpose clause | “to teach / to save” |
| privatus Dei Filio | participle + ablative of separation | “deprived of the Son of God” |
| superum, inferum | genitive plural, old ending -um | “of those above”, “of the underworld” |
The biggest trap is solare: the ending looks like a present active infinitive, but solari is a deponent verb, and solare is its imperative – “comfort!”. In the same way nascetur does not mean “he will give birth” but “he will be born”. Purpose clauses with ut are explained in our guide to the subjunctive in subordinate clauses.
How do you pronounce Veni, Veni, Emmanuel?
Choirs sing it in Ecclesiastical (Church) Latin, which follows Italian sounds (see our guide to Latin pronunciation):
| Latin | Church Latin | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| veni | VAY-nee | v as in English “very” |
| Emmanuel | em-MAH-noo-el | double consonants are held |
| gaude | GOW-deh | au as in “now” |
| nascetur | nah-SHAY-toor | sc before e or i sounds like “sh” |
| caelica | CHAY-lee-kah | ae like “ay”, c before e is “ch” |
| gentium | JEN-tsee-oom | g before e is “j”, ti before a vowel is “tsee” |
Frequently asked questions about Veni, Veni, Emmanuel
What does “Emmanuel” mean?
“Emmanuel” (also Immanuel) is Hebrew for “God with us”. The name comes from Isaiah 7:14 and is applied to Jesus in Matthew 1:23.
What does “Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel nascetur pro te, Israel” mean?
“Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel will be born for you, O Israel.” Israel is the one addressed: “gaude” is an imperative, and “nascetur” is the future of “nasci” (to be born).
What are the original Latin lyrics of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”?
The Latin original is “Veni, veni, Emmanuel, captivum solve Israel, qui gemit in exsilio, privatus Dei Filio”, with the refrain “Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel nascetur pro te, Israel.” It first appeared in 1710 in a hymnal from Cologne.
What are the O Antiphons?
Seven chants sung at Vespers from 17 to 23 December, before and after the Magnificat. Each begins with “O” and a title of the Messiah: Sapientia, Adonai, Radix Iesse, Clavis David, Oriens, Rex gentium, Emmanuel.
Is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” an Advent or a Christmas hymn?
It is an Advent hymn, sung especially in the week before Christmas when the O Antiphons are prayed. Because it is so popular, many carol books include it as well.
Is the tune of Veni, Veni, Emmanuel medieval?
The tune appears in a 15th-century French manuscript that Mary Berry identified in 1966. It was first joined to the Latin words by Thomas Helmore in 1851.
Read Latin texts yourself
Hymn, prayer or Bible verse: with Lapicida you learn to read Latin yourself. For Christmas, try Adeste Fideles, the Latin original of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”, translated line by line.
Learn Latin now. Our learning app:
