This hymn invites us, Puritan-like, to meditate on Christ’s kingship. It leads us to think about Christ’s rule and reign, but also his qualifications to be the righteous king.
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 through all eternity.
The hymn starts by calling us to lift our eyes to Christ enthroned, seated in heaven with songs of praise that are so loud they drown out all other songs. It calls us to join that heavenly song, making it personal because Christ has died for each believer, so each believer should join the song proclaiming this king with no equal. And note that this is not merely a song, but an anthem, a patriotic song of our loyalty and citizenship in this kingdom we proclaim.
Crown Him the virgin’s Son, the God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows, the Babe of Bethlehem.
Now the hymn turns to tell the story of how our great king ascended the throne. It begins with the virgin birth, telling us that this king came as one of us, yet fully God.
Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.
Now we turn to Christ the son of God, but then marvel at our savior who can fully sympathize with our weaknesses. And beyond that, he gives us rest for he has taken and borne all those griefs.
Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.
And Christ did not merely bear the griefs and sins, but he rose from the dead in victory. Which leads us again to sing his glory, for he powerfully lives that death may die.
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.
Risen in glory, Christ still bears the wounds, yet now they are beautiful for through those stripes we are healed. And Christ is so glorious that even the angels, the heavenly beings, cannot look upon him fully but turn away their eyes from such glory.
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 piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.
Christ is enthroned and his salvation work accomplished, so now we turn to the peace his kingdom will bring at his return. All wars will end, all voices will be raised in prayer and praise to him, and this perfect reign will never end!
Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, th'incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King.
The praise continues, as we see the ransomed sinners, now saints, joining the song of the angels to praise Christ day and night.
Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.
Christ’s praise will never end, for he is both the creator and the ruler of time itself. Nothing is outside his power as king, not even the existence of the world and of eternity.
Crown Him the Lord of Heaven, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns, as thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all.
And finally, we sum it all up by singing of every throne and authority and king falling before Christ, for his kingdom is over all.
It’s rare to find a recording of this hymn which uses all nine verses. So here’s one of my favorite versions that I find captures in some small way the triumph of the hymn, married to a somewhat “world music” feel to indicate how Christ is truly king of all he has created.
Hymnal Poetry 