Crown Him with Many Crowns: Lyrics, Meaning and the Catholic Author of the Hymn

By /
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

“Crown Him with Many Crowns” is a majestic hymn to Christ the King, inspired by St. John’s vision of the risen Christ in the Apocalypse: “on his head were many diadems.” It was written in 1851 by Matthew Bridges, an Englishman who had become a Catholic three years earlier, and it is sung today by Christians everywhere, especially on the Solemnity of Christ the King. Below are the lyrics, the story of the hymn, and its meaning.

The lyrics

As printed in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920):

Crown him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon his throne!
Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Thro’ all eternity.

Crown him the Lord of love!
Behold his hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright.

Crown him the Lord of peace,
Whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
And all be prayer and praise!
His reign shall know no end,
And round his pierced feet
Fair flowers of Paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.
Amen.

The Scripture behind the hymn

And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many diadems, and he had a name written, which no man knoweth but himself.

The hymn also echoes the Lamb on the throne in Apocalypse 5, and the wounds of the risen Christ that St. Thomas touched (John 20:27).

History

  • Matthew Bridges (1800–1894), an English writer, was received into the Catholic Church in 1848, influenced by the Oxford Movement. In 1851 he published “Crown Him with Many Crowns” in The Passion of Jesus, with six verses crowning Christ under different titles, such as the Virgin’s Son, the Lord of love and the Lord of peace.
  • Godfrey Thring, an Anglican clergyman, wrote additional verses in 1874; most modern hymnals mix verses of both authors.
  • The tune Diademata (“crowns”), by George Job Elvey, was written for the hymn in 1868.

The meaning of the hymn

  1. The Lamb upon his throne: the crucified and risen Christ reigns in heaven, and all heaven sings his praise. “Awake, my soul, and sing!”
  2. The Lord of love: his wounds remain “visible above, in beauty glorified,” signs of his love for ever.
  3. The Lord of peace: his reign will bring an end to war; his kingdom will have no end.

When is it sung?

  • On the Solemnity of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the liturgical year. See Christ the King Sunday.
  • At Easter and on the Ascension.
  • At Benediction, processions and celebrations of faith.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote Crown Him with Many Crowns?

Matthew Bridges, a Catholic convert, in 1851; Godfrey Thring added verses in 1874.

What Bible verse is Crown Him with Many Crowns based on?

Apocalypse (Revelation) 19:12: “on his head were many diadems.”

Is it a Catholic hymn?

Its first author was a Catholic and it is sung in Catholic parishes, as well as by Protestant churches.

More hymns to Christ

Texts and sources

  • Lyrics: Matthew Bridges (1851), as printed in The Army and Navy Hymnal (1920), public domain (Wikisource).
  • Scripture: Apocalypse 19:12, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.