Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus is an Advent hymn by Charles Wesley, written in 1744 and printed in his Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord. It is a prayer in two stanzas: the first looks back to Israel's long wait for the Messiah, and the second asks the newborn King to reign in our hearts now. Its best-known line, Dear Desire of every nation, comes from the prophet Haggai: "and the desire of all nations shall come" (Haggai 2:7). The words are in the public domain and are sung to tunes such as Stuttgart and Hyfrydol.
Advent is a season of waiting, and few hymns put that waiting into words as simply as this one. Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley and author of more than six thousand hymns, wrote it in 1744 while thinking about Haggai's promise and the needs of the poor around him, and printed it in a little book of Christmas hymns the next year. The hymn is only sixteen lines long, yet it moves from the cradle to the throne: the child who was expected for centuries is the King who will reign for ever. Today it opens Advent in churches of many traditions. Below are the full words from Wesley's book, and twelve King James verses that stand behind the lines. For Advent readings day by day, see the free Advent reading plan and Bible verses about Advent.
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: the words
Verse 1
Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee:
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Verse 2
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring:
By Thy own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone,
By Thy all-sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Words: Charles Wesley, written in 1744 and first printed as Hymn 10 in Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord (London, 1745). Text as reprinted in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, volume 4 (London, 1869), page 116, checked against the Wikipedia transcription. Public domain. Most hymnals split the two eight-line stanzas into four short verses and print By thine own and By thine all-sufficient. Usual tunes: STUTTGART (adapted from Christian Friedrich Witt, 1715) and HYFRYDOL (Rowland Prichard).
Long expected: Israel's strength and consolation
1. Luke 2:25
"And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him."
Israel's strength and consolation. Wesley took the word consolation straight from Luke. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby to the temple, an old man was there: there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Consolation means comfort, and in Simeon's day it was a name for the Messiah, the One who would comfort God's people (Isaiah 40:1). Simeon had waited his whole life. Advent invites us to stand beside him, to wait with hope rather than with worry, and to recognize the answer when it comes, even when it looks as small as a baby.
2. Haggai 2:7
"And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts."
Dear Desire of every nation. Haggai spoke to discouraged people rebuilding a small temple after the exile, a building that looked poor beside Solomon's. God promised: and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory. Christians have long read the desire of all nations as a title for Christ, and Wesley built his whole hymn on it. The idea is that every human heart, in every land, is longing for something only God can give. People may not know His name, but what they are hungry for is Him. Christmas is the answer to a longing older and wider than Israel. See prophecies about Jesus.
3. Matthew 1:21
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
From our fears and sins release us. The angel told Joseph what the baby's name would be and why: thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. The name Jesus means the LORD saves. Wesley's prayer asks for two kinds of release, from fear and from sin, and the order is honest. Many people come to Christmas more aware of their fears than of their sins. Jesus deals with both. He frees us from guilt, and in doing so He removes the deepest reason to be afraid. See the names of Jesus.
4. Psalms 107:9
"For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."
Joy of every longing heart. The psalmist describes people who wandered, hungry and thirsty, until they cried to the LORD and He led them home. Then he gives the reason for praise: For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Advent is honest about longing. The weeks before Christmas can sharpen loneliness, grief or a sense that something is missing. Wesley does not pretend that longing away. He names Jesus as the joy that answers it. The ache is not a sign that God has forgotten you; it is an appetite He made, and He alone can fill. See Bible verses about joy.
Born a child and yet a king
5. Luke 1:68
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,"
Born to set Thy people free. When John the Baptist was born, his father Zacharias, silent for nine months, opened his mouth with a song: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people. Notice the past tense. Jesus had not yet been born, yet Zacharias speaks as if the rescue is done, because God's promise is that sure. Redeemed means bought back, set free by payment. Wesley's second stanza opens the same way: Born Thy people to deliver. The purpose of the birth is freedom. See Bible verses about redemption and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
6. Luke 1:32-33
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Born to reign in us for ever. Gabriel's message to Mary is a promise of a kingdom: the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. This was the promise God made to David a thousand years earlier (2 Samuel 7:16), and Mary's son was its fulfillment. Wesley adds two small words that make the hymn personal: in us. Christ's kingdom is not only over nations and history but inside each believer. He reigns where He is welcomed. See Jesus as King.
7. Isaiah 9:7
"Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. Isaiah's famous Christmas prophecy, For unto us a child is born, continues with a promise about His rule: Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice. His kingdom grows; it never shrinks. And it brings two things the world always lacks: peace and justice. Wesley asks for it to come now. That is Advent prayer at its boldest. We wait for Christ's return, but we also ask Him to bring His gracious rule into our homes, churches and towns today. See the kingdom of God.
8. Zechariah 9:9
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."
Born a child and yet a king. Zechariah saw the King of Israel coming in a surprising way: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass. Jesus fulfilled this when He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:5). The same lowliness marked His birth. Wesley's paradox, a child and yet a king, is the shape of the whole gospel. God's power came wrapped in weakness, so that no one would be too poor or too small to come near. See Bible verses about humility.
Rule in all our hearts alone
9. Hebrews 9:14
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
By Thy own eternal Spirit. Wesley borrowed this phrase from Hebrews, which explains how Christ's sacrifice cleanses us: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? The same Spirit who was with Christ at His birth, His baptism and His cross is the One who now works in believers. Wesley prays that the Spirit would rule in all our hearts alone. The goal of Christmas is not a warm feeling for a few days but a cleansed conscience and a life that serves the living God. See Bible verses about the Holy Spirit.
10. Colossians 3:15
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."
Rule in all our hearts alone. Paul uses the word rule for the peace of Christ: And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. The Greek word means to act as umpire, to settle disputes and make the calls. Many hearts have several rulers competing at once: fear, ambition, the opinions of others. Wesley asks for one ruler only, Christ alone. When He rules, peace follows, and so does thankfulness, the natural mood of a heart that has stopped fighting God. See Bible verses about peace.
11. Hebrews 7:25
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
By Thy all-sufficient merit. Merit means the worth or the deserving that wins a reward. Wesley's point is that we do not reach heaven by our own merit but by Christ's, and His is enough. Hebrews says: Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. To the uttermost means completely, all the way, without leaving any part undone. Jesus does not start the work of salvation and leave us to finish it. He saves fully and keeps praying for His people. See Bible verses about salvation.
12. Revelation 3:21
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
Raise us to Thy glorious throne. The hymn ends higher than it began. It started with a baby; it finishes with believers seated with Christ. The risen Jesus makes an astonishing promise: To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. The One who came down to a manger came so that He could lift us up. That is the full sweep of Advent: from long waiting, to a lowly birth, to a shared throne. See Bible verses about heaven.
A short prayer
Come, Lord Jesus, long expected and still longed for. Set me free from my fears and my sins, and let me find my rest in You. You are the hope of all the earth and the joy of every longing heart. You were born a child and yet a King; reign in me today, and bring Your gracious kingdom into my home. By Your eternal Spirit, rule in my heart alone, and by Your all-sufficient merit, raise me at last to Your throne. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Wait and read with the free Advent reading plan · Light the Advent wreath with the free Advent candle printable · Memorize Haggai 2:7 with Scripture memory cards
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus?
Charles Wesley (1707-1788), the English hymn writer and co-founder of Methodism with his brother John, wrote it in 1744. It appeared as the tenth hymn in his 1745 collection Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord. Wesley wrote only the words; the tunes were matched to them later. In the United States it is most often sung to Stuttgart, a German melody from 1715, or to the Welsh tune Hyfrydol.
Is Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus in the public domain?
Yes. Charles Wesley's words were published in 1745, and he died in 1788, so the text is in the public domain everywhere. The tunes Stuttgart and Hyfrydol are also old enough to be public domain. Some modern arrangements, added choruses and new verses are copyrighted, so check before copying a recent version or a recording. The words on this page are Wesley's, as reprinted in the 1869 edition of the Wesleys' Poetical Works.
What does Desire of every nation mean?
It is a title for Jesus taken from Haggai 2:7, where God promises that the desire of all nations shall come. Christians have long understood it to mean that Christ is the One every people group is longing for, whether they know it or not. Wesley calls Him dear, a word of affection. The phrase also appears in Angels from the Realms of Glory (Seek the great Desire of nations) and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. It reminds us that Christmas is for every nation.
Is it an Advent hymn or a Christmas hymn?
Both, but it is usually sung during Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, which in 2026 begin on Sunday, November 29. Its theme is waiting: the long wait of Israel for the Messiah, and the church's wait for Christ's return. Many churches sing it on the First Sunday of Advent, often while lighting the first candle of the Advent wreath. See Advent candle meaning for the readings and the meaning of each candle.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Advent · O Come, O Come, Emmanuel · Advent candle meaning · Hark the Herald Angels Sing · Prophecies about Jesus · Angels from the Realms of Glory · Jesus as King · Christmas · Isaiah 7:14 meaning · Free nativity play script
Explore more: All Bible verses by topic · KJV Bible verses · Verse of the day · Prayers · Bible study · Bible reading plans
