From Heaven Above to Earth I Come
Luther wrote it for his own children, and it is still shaped like a family Christmas play.
The words
In church you’ll sing updated words from hymn 268. These are the older words, and most lines are the same.
From heaven above to earth I come To bear good news to every home, Glad tidings of great joy I bring, Whereof I now will say and sing.
To you this night is born a child Of Mary, chosen mother mild; This little child, of lowly birth, Shall be the joy of all the earth.
'Tis Christ, our God, who far on high Hath heard your sad and bitter cry; Himself will your salvation be, Himself from sin will make you free.
He brings those blessings, long ago Prepared by God for all below; Henceforth His kingdom open stands To you, as to the angel bands.
These are the tokens ye shall mark, The swaddling clothes and manger dark; There shall ye find the young child laid, By whom the heavens and earth were made.
Now let us all with gladsome cheer Follow the shepherds, and draw near To see this wondrous gift of God, Who hath His only Son bestowed.
Give heed, my heart, lift up thine eyes! Who is it in yon manger lies? Who is this child so young and fair? The blessed Christ-child lieth there.
Welcome to earth, Thou noble Guest, Through whom the sinful world is blest! Thou com'st to share our misery, What can we render, Lord, to Thee!
Ah, Lord, who hast created all, How hast Thou made Thee weak and small, That Thou must choose Thy infant bed Where ass and ox but lately fed!
Were earth a thousand times as fair, Beset with gold and jewels rare, She yet were far too poor to be A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee.
For velvets soft and silken stuff Thou hast but hay and straw so rough, Whereon Thou King, so rich and great, As 'twere Thy heaven, art throned in state.
Thus hath it pleased Thee to make plain The truth to us poor fools and vain, That this world's honor, wealth, and might Are naught and worthless in Thy sight.
Ah, dearest Jesus, Holy Child, Make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled, Within my heart, that it may be A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
My heart for very joy doth leap, My lips no more can silence keep; I too must raise with joyful tongue That sweetest ancient cradle-song—
Glory to God in highest heaven, Who unto man His Son hath given! While angels sing with pious mirth A glad New Year to all the earth.
As printed in Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal (Ohio Synod, 1880), no. 28. Public domain: free to print, copy and share.
Old words in this hymn
- Thee, Thou
- you (speaking to one person, often to God)
- Thy, Thine
- your, yours
- Ye
- you (speaking to several people)
- Hath, Hast
- has, have
- Doth, Dost
- does, do
- Art
- are, as in “Thou art”, you are
- ’Tis
- it is
- ’Twere
- it were, as if it were
- Mirth
- joy, laughter
About this hymn
The first stanzas belong to the angel. The rest belong to whoever is listening. In the Luther household somebody dressed as the angel sang the opening and the room answered back, which is how the hymn is built and why it runs to fifteen stanzas.
It is domestic in a way almost no other Christmas hymn manages. No shepherds keeping watch at a distance, no kings on the horizon. Just a crib, a room, and a direct address to a child.
If fifteen stanzas is too many, most hymnals cut it to five or six and nothing breaks.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Martin Luther, 1535 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | Catherine Winkworth (as altered in the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, 1880), 1855 | Public domain |
| Tune | VOM HIMMEL HOCH · Martin Luther (melody first printed in Valentin Schumann's Geistliche Lieder, Leipzig, 1539), 1539 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal (Ohio Synod, 1880), no. 28, via hymnary.org page scans (pp. 25-27) and transcription; cross-checked word for word against The Lutheran Hymnary (Norwegian synods, 1913), no. 181, hymnary.org transcription
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.