The O Antiphons are seven short prayers that the Church sings on the last seven days before Christmas Eve, from December 17 to December 23. Each one calls on Christ by a different title from the Old Testament (Wisdom, Lord, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King of the Nations and Emmanuel) and ends with a plea: veni, “come!”
They are sung before and after the Magnificat at Evening Prayer (Vespers) and used, in shorter form, as the Alleluia verse at Mass on those days. The familiar Advent hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is a paraphrase of them.
The O Antiphons in 2026
| Date | Antiphon | Title of Christ |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, December 17 | O Sapientia | O Wisdom |
| Friday, December 18 | O Adonai | O Lord |
| Saturday, December 19 | O Radix Iesse | O Root of Jesse |
| Sunday, December 20 | O Clavis David | O Key of David |
| Monday, December 21 | O Oriens | O Dayspring (Rising Sun) |
| Tuesday, December 22 | O Rex Gentium | O King of the Nations |
| Wednesday, December 23 | O Emmanuel | O Emmanuel |
In 2026 the Fourth Sunday of Advent falls on December 20, so O Clavis David is sung at Sunday Evening Prayer. The antiphons follow the calendar date, not the day of the week.
The seven antiphons in Latin and English
The Latin texts are those of the Roman Breviary. The English versions below are literal translations made for this guide, so you can see exactly what the Latin says. The official English translation used in the Liturgy of the Hours is more poetic.
December 17: O Wisdom (O Sapientia)
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, who came forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other and ordering all things mightily and gently: come and teach us the way of prudence.
Scripture: Wisdom “came out of the mouth of the most High” (Sirach 24:5, Douay-Rheims) and “reacheth from end to end mightily, and ordereth all things sweetly” (Wisdom 8:1). Christ is the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).
December 18: O Lord (O Adonai)
O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come and redeem us with outstretched arm.
Scripture: the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), the giving of the law (Exodus 20), and God’s deliverance of Israel “with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm” (Deuteronomy 5:15). Adonai, “my Lord,” is the word devout Jews say in place of the holy name of God.
December 19: O Root of Jesse (O Radix Iesse)
O Radix Iesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare.
O Root of Jesse, who stand as a sign for the peoples, before whom kings shall keep silent and whom the nations shall seek: come to set us free, delay no longer.
Scripture: “the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech” (Isaiah 11:10), and “kings shall shut their mouth at him” (Isaiah 52:15). Jesse was the father of King David.
December 20: O Key of David (O Clavis David)
O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris et umbra mortis.
O Key of David and Scepter of the house of Israel, who open and no one shuts, who shut and no one opens: come and lead the prisoner out of the prison house, who sits in darkness and the shadow of death.
Scripture: “I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: and he shall open, and none shall shut” (Isaiah 22:22), applied to Christ in Revelation 3:7; and freedom for prisoners in darkness (Isaiah 42:7; Psalm 106:10).
December 21: O Dayspring (O Oriens)
O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.
O Rising Dawn, radiance of the eternal light and sun of justice: come and give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
Scripture: “the Orient from on high hath visited us, to enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:78–79, from the Benedictus); “the Sun of justice shall arise” (Malachi 4:2); Christ as the brightness of the Father’s glory (Hebrews 1:3). It falls on December 21, the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
December 22: O King of the Nations (O Rex Gentium)
O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.
O King of the Nations and their Desired One, the cornerstone who makes the two into one: come and save the human race, whom you formed from the dust of the earth.
Scripture: “the Desired of all nations shall come” (Aggeus/Haggai 2:8, Douay-Rheims); the cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20); Christ “who hath made both one,” Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14); and the creation of man from the slime of the earth (Genesis 2:7).
December 23: O Emmanuel
O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.
O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Savior: come and save us, O Lord our God.
Scripture: “a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23); “the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king: he will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).
The hidden message: ERO CRAS
Take the first letter of each title in Latin (Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, Emmanuel) and read them backward, from December 23 to December 17: E-R-O C-R-A-S. In Latin, ero cras means “Tomorrow I will be there.” On the evening of December 23, the night before Christmas Eve, the antiphons seem to give Christ’s own answer to seven days of “come!”
Whether the acrostic was planned or noticed later, medieval commentators delighted in it, and it is a wonderful thing to share with children.
How old are the O Antiphons?
The antiphons are very old. They were in use by the early Middle Ages, and the ninth-century liturgist Amalarius of Metz already commented on them. Monasteries sang them with special solemnity. In medieval England an eighth antiphon, O Virgo virginum, was added, and the series began a day earlier, on December 16, which is why the Anglican Book of Common Prayer still marks “O Sapientia” on that date.
In the reformed liturgy after the Second Vatican Council, the antiphons remain the Magnificat antiphons for December 17–23, and short versions serve as the Gospel acclamation at weekday Mass on those days.
How to pray the O Antiphons at home
- At the Advent wreath. After lighting the candles each evening from December 17, read that day’s antiphon and its Scripture verse. See our Advent wreath prayers.
- With the Magnificat. Pray the antiphon, then Mary’s song of praise (Luke 1:46–55), then repeat the antiphon. This is how the Church prays it at Evening Prayer.
- With a symbol. Make seven paper ornaments, one for each title: a book or lamp (Wisdom), a burning bush or tablets (Adonai), a flowering branch (Root of Jesse), a key (Key of David), a sunrise (Dayspring), a crown (King of the Nations) and a manger (Emmanuel).
- With a hymn. Sing the matching verse of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
- With a short prayer. After each antiphon, add: “Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts and our home.”
Frequently asked questions
Why are they called the O Antiphons?
Because each one begins with the exclamation “O,” addressed to Christ under a messianic title. An antiphon is a short text sung before and after a psalm or canticle.
Are the O Antiphons used at Mass?
Yes, in shortened form, as the verse before the Gospel at weekday Masses from December 17 to 23. Their full form belongs to Evening Prayer.
What happens on December 24?
The O Antiphons end on December 23. Christmas Eve has its own antiphons, and Christmas begins at evening.
Are the O Antiphons the same as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”?
The hymn is based on them. Its Latin original, Veni, veni, Emmanuel, appeared in the early eighteenth century, and John Mason Neale translated it into English in the nineteenth century. The verses rearrange the antiphons, beginning with Emmanuel.
Related Advent guides
- Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah)
- Psalm 80 (Stir up your might and come)
- Psalm 85 (Show us your mercy)
- O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
- The Jesse Tree
- Simbang Gabi
- Gaudete Sunday 2026
- Christmas Mass 2026
- Advent 2026: dates, readings and traditions
- Advent wreath prayers
- Advent candles: meaning and colors
- The St. Andrew Christmas Novena
- Prayers of the Faithful for Advent
- Catholic liturgical calendar 2026–2027
Texts and sources
- Latin texts: Breviarium Romanum, Magnificat antiphons for December 17–23. English: literal translations by Bidding Prayers.
- Sirach 24:5; Wisdom 8:1; Exodus 3:2; Deuteronomy 5:15; Isaiah 7:14, 11:10, 22:22, 28:16, 33:22, 42:7, 52:15; Aggeus (Haggai) 2:8; Malachi 4:2; Luke 1:78–79; Ephesians 2:14, 20; Revelation 3:7, Douay-Rheims Bible.
- General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, on the Magnificat and its antiphons.