Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
A German carol that pictures Jesus as a rose growing from the old root of Jesse.
The words are public domain. We print a hymn only after checking it word for word against a dated old printing, and this one hasn’t been checked yet. Hymnary has it now.
“Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
The hymn compares the birth of Jesus to a rose that blooms in the cold of winter. It says the rose grew from the family line of Jesse, and that Mary bore the child.
It rests on Isaiah 11:1, which promises a shoot from the stump of Jesse, King David's father. Christians hear this as a promise of Jesus, born of David's line (Luke 1:32).
It is sung in late Advent and at Christmas. The German carol was printed in 1599. Theodore Baker's English translation was published around 1894.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Anonymous German carol, 1599 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | Theodore Baker (sts. 1-2), 1894 | Public domain |
| Tune | ES IST EIN ROS · German melody (from the 1599 printing), 1599 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages (attribution and rights only). The words are not transcribed here yet.
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.