Classic Christian Hymns · Public-domain text

Crown Him with Many Crowns

Matthew Bridges and Godfrey Thring

Matthew Bridges (1800–1894) was an English poet and hymnist who participated in the Oxford Movement, later converting from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism under the influence of John Henry Newman. Driven by a deep desire to celebrate the absolute sovereignty and majesty of Christ, he wrote the majestic hymn 'Crown Him with Many Crowns' in 1851. His stanzas focused on the crown of the Savior, the crown of love, and the crown of peace, providing the church with a rich, multi-layered meditation on the kingship of Jesus.

Source: Hymns and Sacred Poems; Hymns and Sacred Lyrics

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.
Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o'er 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.
Crown him the Lord of love;
behold his hands and side,
rich wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified;
no angels in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
but downward bends their burning eye
at mysteries so bright.
Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time,
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.