December 4, 2022
Lo! How a Rose Ere Blooming Judy Wonning
Why is this Christmas hymn an advent hymn?
Because Isaiah foretold it in Chapter 11: 1-10 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
I like this hymn. It has a beautiful melody and comes from a German background. Jesse was the father of King David.
This a familiar and beloved Advent hymn. The hymn’s origins may be traced back to the late 16th century in a manuscript found in St. Alban’s monastery in Trier. The rose represents the Savior.
Theodore Baker (1851-1934) provided the most commonly sung translation of stanzas one and two in 1894.
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s Lineage coming,
as those of old have sung.
It came, a flow’et, bright,
amid the cold of winter,
when half spent was the night.
Stanza One is discussing the blooming rose who is Jesus, and speaking about the cold whether when Jesus was born, and of Jesse’s lineage to Jesus.
