Crown Him with Many Crowns is a hymn by Matthew Bridges, first published in 1851, with additional stanzas by Godfrey Thring. It is sung to the tune Diademata, from the Greek word for crowns, by George J. Elvey. The hymn takes its title from John's vision of the risen Christ: "on his head were many crowns" (Revelation 19:12), and it pictures Him as "a Lamb as it had been slain" standing in the midst of the throne (Revelation 5:6). It is sung especially at Easter, Ascension and Christ the King Sunday. The words and tune are in the public domain.
Crown Him with Many Crowns is a coronation hymn. Each verse places another crown on the head of Christ: Lord of love, Lord of life, Lord of peace, Lord of years. Its bright, marching tune makes it a favorite for Easter Sunday, Ascension Day and the last Sunday of the church year, Christ the King, which falls on November 21 in 2027 and November 22 this year. Two writers shaped it. Matthew Bridges, an English convert to Roman Catholicism, wrote six stanzas in 1851. Godfrey Thring, an Anglican clergyman, later wrote six of his own, and most hymnals today mix the two. Below are five of the most often sung stanzas, their history, and 12 KJV verses behind them. For the Easter story, see Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; for the cross behind the crowns, see When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.
Crown Him with Many Crowns: the words
Verse 1 (Bridges)
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.
Verse 2 (Bridges)
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!
Verse 3 (Thring)
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.
Verse 4 (Bridges)
Crown Him the Lord of peace!
Whose power a sceptre sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
Absorbed in prayer and praise:
His reign shall know no end,
And round His pierced feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.
Verse 5 (Bridges)
Crown Him the Lord of years!
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime!
Glassed in a sea of light,
Where everlasting waves
Reflect His throne, the Infinite!
Who lives, and loves, and saves.
Words: Matthew Bridges (1851, six stanzas) and Godfrey Thring (six further stanzas, later in the 19th century); the five printed here are a common selection, taken from the texts as originally written. Tune: Diademata by George J. Elvey. Public domain. Hymnals choose and alter stanzas freely; many end with Bridges's Crown Him the Lord of heaven, and many modern books print Those wounds, yet visible above in verse 2.
The Lamb upon His throne (verse 1)
1. Revelation 19:12
"His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself."
The title of the hymn comes from John's vision of Christ returning in victory: His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. In the ancient world, a ruler who governed several kingdoms might wear several crowns at once. Christ's many crowns mean that every realm is His: heaven and earth, life and death, time and eternity. The hymn's verses are a list of those crowns, each one a title He has won. See Bible verses about Jesus as King.
2. Revelation 5:6
"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."
The Lamb upon His throne. In heaven, John was told to look for a lion, the Lion of the tribe of Juda (Revelation 5:5). When he turned, he saw something else: in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain. The One who rules is the One who was sacrificed. His throne is not won by force but by the cross. That is why Bridges begins with the Lamb: the many crowns belong to the One who died. See Bible verses about the lion and the lamb.
3. Revelation 4:10-11
"The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Crowning Christ is what heaven already does. John saw the elders around God's throne cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. The elders' crowns were gifts, and they gave them back. That is what it means to crown Him: to take every honor we have been given and lay it at His feet. The hymn is our part in the heavenly anthem that drowns all music but its own.
4. Psalms 57:8
"Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early."
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee. David wrote Psalm 57 while hiding from King Saul in a cave. Even there, he woke himself up to praise: Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. My glory here means my soul, the deepest part of me. Worship sometimes begins with telling ourselves to wake up and sing, especially in hard times. Bridges's first verse does the same: it calls the soul to join heaven's song and hail Christ as its matchless King through all eternity. See Bible verses about worship.
The Lord of love and the Lord of life (verses 2-3)
5. John 20:27
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing."
Crown Him the Lord of love! Behold His hands and side. A week after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to Thomas, who had refused to believe without seeing the wounds: Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. The risen body of Jesus still bears the marks of the cross. Rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified: even in heaven, the scars of His love remain. Thomas answered, My Lord and my God (John 20:28).
6. Hebrews 2:9
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
Christ wore a crown of thorns before He wore crowns of glory. Hebrews links the two: But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, Bridges writes: angels never died for anyone. The One made lower than they are for a while is now crowned above them, and the reason for both is the grace of God. See Bible verses about the resurrection of Jesus.
7. Revelation 1:18
"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed o'er the grave. Thring's stanza, the most sung of his six, celebrates Easter. The risen Christ said to John: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. To hold the keys is to have authority. Death no longer has the last word for those He came to save, because Christ holds its keys. He died, eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die: death itself is now dying. See Bible verses about Easter.
8. 1 Corinthians 15:20
"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save. Paul says the resurrection of Jesus is the first of many: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. The firstfruits were the first part of the harvest, offered to God as a promise that the rest of the crop would follow. Christ's resurrection guarantees the resurrection of everyone who belongs to Him (1 Corinthians 15:23). His victory was won for us. See 1 Corinthians 15 KJV.
For kids: the free Christian Easter coloring pages, from Palm Sunday to the empty tomb (KJV).
The Lord of peace and the Lord of years (verses 4-5)
9. 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."
Crown Him the Lord of peace! His reign shall know no end. Bridges's fourth verse echoes Isaiah's promise about the child who would be called the Prince of Peace: 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. Earthly kingdoms rise and fall. Christ's kingdom only grows, and its peace grows with it. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this: the promise depends on God, not on us.
10. Micah 4:3
"And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
From pole to pole, that wars may cease. Micah saw the day when the nations would come to learn God's ways, and war would end: they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. The same words appear in Isaiah 2:4 and are carved on a wall across from the United Nations in New York. The hymn says that peace will come under the reign of the Lord of peace, as people are absorbed in prayer and praise. See Bible verses about peace.
11. Colossians 1:16-17
"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres. Paul says the Son is the Maker and Keeper of everything: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Consist means hold together. The planets keep their courses because He holds them. The One crowned in the hymn rules time because He made it.
12. Revelation 11:15
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
The hymn ends where history ends. When the seventh trumpet sounds in Revelation, heaven announces the outcome of everything: The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. These words are best known from the Hallelujah Chorus in Handel's Messiah. Glassed in a sea of light (Revelation 4:6), Christ who lives, and loves, and saves will rule forever. Every crown we give Him now is a small rehearsal for that day. See Bible verses about the kingdom of God.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, I crown You with many crowns. You are the Lamb upon the throne, who died for me. You are the Lord of love: Your wounds are my healing. You are the Lord of life: You triumphed over the grave and hold the keys of death. You are the Lord of peace: let Your peace reign in my heart and in our world. You are the Lord of years, Creator of all things. I lay every crown I have at Your feet. Reign in me now, as You will reign for ever and ever. Amen.
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Crown Him with Many Crowns?
Matthew Bridges (1800-1894), an English writer who became a Roman Catholic, wrote the first version in 1851, in six stanzas. Godfrey Thring (1823-1903), a Church of England clergyman, later wrote six new stanzas, partly so that Protestant churches could sing the hymn without some of Bridges's Catholic imagery, such as the mystic Rose. Most hymnals combine stanzas from both writers.
What Bible verse is Crown Him with Many Crowns based on?
The title and first line come from Revelation 19:12, on his head were many crowns. The Lamb upon His throne is from Revelation 5:6, and the heavenly anthem echoes Revelation 5:11-14. Other stanzas draw on John 20:27 (His hands and side), Isaiah 9:7 (His reign without end), Revelation 1:18 (the Lord of life) and Colossians 1:16-17 (the Creator).
Is Crown Him with Many Crowns an Easter hymn?
It is sung on Easter Sunday, especially for Thring's stanza Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed o'er the grave, and throughout the Easter season. It is also a favorite for Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter (May 6 in 2027), and for Christ the King Sunday at the end of the church year.
Is Crown Him with Many Crowns in the public domain?
Yes. Bridges's words (1851), Thring's stanzas from the 19th century and George J. Elvey's tune Diademata are all in the public domain. Some modern hymnals alter the words, and those altered texts, arrangements and recordings may be under copyright, but the original words and the tune are free to use.
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: Easter · Jesus as King · Resurrection of Jesus · Christ the Lord Is Risen Today · When I Survey the Wondrous Cross · Holy Week timeline · Victory · Kingdom of God
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