Here is a table showing the O Antiphons as paired with the verses of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel":

Dec 17

Antiphon 1: O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge!

Verse 2: O come, O Wisdom from on high who ordered all things mightily to us the path of knowledge show and teach us in its ways to go.

Dec 18

Antiphon 2: O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power!

Verse 3: O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times did give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.

Dec 19

Antiphon 3: O Root of Jesse's stem, sign of God's love for all his people: come to save us without delay!

Verse 4: O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem, unto your own and rescue them! From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o'er the grave.

Dec 20

Antiphon 4: O Key of David, opening the gates of God's eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!

Verse 5: O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death's abode.

Dec 21

Antiphon 5: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Verse 6: O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar! Dispel the shadows of the night and turn our darkness into light.

Dec 22

Antiphon 6: O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

Verse 7: O come, O King of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind. Bid all our sad divisions cease and be yourself our King of Peace.

Dec 23

Antiphon 7: O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!

Verse 1: O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

 

The Seven Recognitions of the Messiah

Through these successive antiphons, the Church expresses her yearning for the coming of the Savior by praising Christ as the wisdom of God, the lord and ruler of Israel, the root of Jesse, the key of David, the Dayspring, the king of nations, and Emmanuel-the name prophesied by Isaiah (7:14), which means "God is with us", and which St. Matthew applies to Christ in his gospel (1:23). As has been justly noted by many writers, the meaning of this name is also emphasized in the last verse of Matthew's gospel (28:20): "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

As the O Antiphons developed historically, they became the seven antiphons surrounding the Magnificat in the Office of the seven days preceding the vigil of Christmas. * Note that there are many versions and translations of the O Antiphons. For example, in our liturgical year section for the dates December 17th through December 23rd, we list both a Traditional Antiphon and a Vespers Antiphon. For the table above, I've used the texts currently provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. There are also many published versions of the song "O Come, O Come, Emannuel", some of which do not include all seven verses. The J. M. Neale translation used here.

 

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