We Three Kings is a Christmas carol written in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins Jr., an American Episcopal clergyman, for a Christmas pageant in New York City. It tells the story of the wise men in Matthew 2, who saw the star and came to worship: "when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11). Each gift has its own verse: gold for a King, frankincense for God, and myrrh for a Savior who would die. The words and tune are in the public domain.
We Three Kings is a small drama in song. It was written for a pageant, and it is still often sung that way, with three soloists taking the parts of the wise men and everyone joining on the first and last verses and the refrain. Its minor-key tune sounds like a caravan crossing the desert, and its words do something few carols dare: they move from the manger to the cross and the empty tomb. The gifts of the Magi become a summary of who Jesus is. Below are the verses as most often sung, the story of the carol, and 12 KJV verses behind it, from the star to the resurrection. For what the Bible does and does not say about the visitors, see the three wise men; for another carol about the Magi, see O Come, All Ye Faithful.
We Three Kings: the words
All
We three kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,
Moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
Refrain
O Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading,
Still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect Light.
Gaspard
Born a King on Bethlehem plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King for ever,
Ceasing never
Over us all to reign.
Melchior
Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh:
Prayer and praising
All men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.
Balthazar
Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing,
Bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
All
Glorious now behold Him arise,
King, and God, and Sacrifice;
Heaven sings Hallelujah:
Hallelujah the earth replies.
Words and music: John Henry Hopkins Jr., Three Kings of Orient, written in 1857 for a Christmas pageant in New York City. Public domain. The refrain is sung after every verse. Some hymnals print Bethlehem's plain in verse 2 and Alleluia in place of Hallelujah in the last verse. The names Gaspard, Melchior and Balthazar come from later church tradition, not from the Bible.
Following yonder star (verse 1 and refrain)
1. Matthew 2:1-2
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."
Matthew is the only Gospel that tells of the wise men: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. The Greek word is magoi, scholars who studied the stars, probably from Persia or Babylon. Matthew does not say they were kings or that there were three. The carol takes both ideas from tradition: three gifts suggested three givers, and Psalm 72 suggested kings.
2. Numbers 24:17
"I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth."
Why would a star send men from the east looking for a king of the Jews? Centuries earlier, a prophet from the east named Balaam, hired to curse Israel, blessed it instead and saw a ruler far in the future: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. A star and a sceptre were both signs of a king. Many early Christians connected this prophecy with the star of Bethlehem. Wise men from Balaam's part of the world may have known it. See prophecies about Jesus.
3. Matthew 2:9-10
"When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."
Westward leading, still proceeding: the refrain describes the star as a guide. After the wise men met Herod in Jerusalem, the star led them the last few miles: and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Matthew piles up words for joy, rejoiced with exceeding great joy, because the long journey was over. Guide us to Thy perfect Light: the star is a picture of God leading seekers to Jesus. See Bible verses about stars.
4. Isaiah 60:3
"And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."
Kings came to the light. Isaiah saw a day when the nations would be drawn to the glory of the LORD rising over Israel: And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. The wise men were Gentiles, not Jews, and they were the first foreigners to worship Jesus. Their visit is celebrated at Epiphany, January 6, a word that means appearing or showing: Christ shown to the nations. O star of wonder, star of night: the light that drew them was meant for the whole world.
Gold and frankincense (verses 2-3)
5. Matthew 2:11
"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
This is the verse behind the whole carol: And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Notice the house and the young child: the wise men probably arrived some time after the birth, not on the night of the shepherds. They fell down before a child in an ordinary house, and only then opened their treasures. Worship came first, and gifts second. Gold I bring to crown Him again: gold was the gift for a king.
6. Psalms 72:10-11
"The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him."
The idea that the wise men were kings comes largely from this psalm about the reign of the ideal king: The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. Psalm 72 describes a king whose rule never ends, who rescues the poor and whose name endures forever. Christians have read it as a picture of Christ. King for ever, ceasing never, over us all to reign. See Bible verses about Jesus as King.
7. Isaiah 60:6
"The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD."
Isaiah also names two of the three gifts: The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. This verse is the source of the camels in every nativity scene. Gold and incense were gifts fit for a king and for God. Isaiah adds that the givers would praise the LORD, which is what verse 3 of the carol does: Prayer and praising, all men raising, worship Him, God on high.
8. Psalms 141:2
"Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
Frankincense was a fragrant resin burned in the temple as part of the worship of God (Exodus 30:34-35). Its smoke rising toward heaven became a picture of prayer: Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Incense owns a Deity nigh means incense acknowledges that God is near. By bringing frankincense, the carol says, the wise men confessed that the child was God. Revelation 8:3-4 shows incense and the prayers of the saints rising together before the throne of God.
Myrrh, and the risen King (verses 4-5)
9. Mark 15:23
"And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not."
Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom. Myrrh was a bitter resin used as a perfume, a medicine and a pain-killer. It appears again at the cross: And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. Jesus refused the drugged wine and faced the cross fully awake. A gift given to a child in Bethlehem pointed ahead to the suffering of the man on Golgotha. Hopkins's fourth verse is the darkest in any Christmas carol, and it is true to the story. See Bible verses about Good Friday.
10. John 19:39-40
"And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury."
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. Myrrh's main use was in burial. After Jesus died, Nicodemus came to help Joseph of Arimathea bury Him: And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. The child who received myrrh as a gift was wrapped in myrrh as a dead man. The manger and the tomb are bound together. See Were You There.
11. Romans 6:9
"Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him."
Glorious now behold Him arise. The carol does not end at the tomb. Its last verse is an Easter verse, and Paul explains why that resurrection is final: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. Lazarus was raised and later died again. Jesus rose never to die. The gold of verse 2 says He is King, and the resurrection proves He is King forever, ceasing never. Heaven sings Hallelujah, and the earth replies, because death has lost. See Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.
12. Hebrews 10:12
"But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;"
King and God and Sacrifice: the last verse gathers the three gifts into one line. Gold for the King, frankincense for God, myrrh for the Sacrifice. Hebrews says the sacrifice was made once and never needs repeating: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; Priests in the temple stood and offered sacrifices day after day. Jesus offered Himself once, and then sat down, because the work was finished. The child the wise men worshiped is now seated on the throne. See Bible verses about sacrifice.
A short prayer
Lord Jesus, like the wise men I come seeking You. Thank You for the light that leads me to You. You are the King: I give You my loyalty. You are God: I give You my worship and my prayers. You are the Sacrifice who suffered, died and was sealed in the tomb for me: I give You my thanks and my life. And You are risen, never to die again. Lead me by Your perfect light, and let me rejoice with exceeding great joy when I find You. Hallelujah. 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.
Try free Christmas Bible trivia about the wise men · Print the free Christmas word search · Study Matthew 2 with the SOAP Bible Study Journal
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote We Three Kings?
John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1820-1891), an American Episcopal clergyman, wrote both the words and the music in 1857 for a Christmas pageant in New York City. Its original title was Three Kings of Orient. It was one of the first American Christmas carols to become popular around the world.
Were there really three kings?
The Bible does not say how many wise men there were or that they were kings. Matthew 2 calls them wise men from the east and lists three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The number three comes from the gifts, and the title kings comes from Psalm 72:10-11 and Isaiah 60:3-6. The names Gaspard (or Caspar), Melchior and Balthazar come from church tradition from around the sixth century onward.
What do gold, frankincense and myrrh mean?
Christians have long seen each gift as a statement about Jesus. Gold, the metal of crowns, honors Him as King. Frankincense, burned in the temple, honors Him as God. Myrrh, used in burial, points to His death. We Three Kings gives one verse to each gift, then ends with Him risen as King and God and Sacrifice.
Is We Three Kings in the public domain?
Yes. Hopkins's words and music date from 1857 and are in the public domain. Modern arrangements and recordings may be copyrighted, but the traditional words and tune are free to sing, print and share.
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: Christmas · The three wise men · O Come, All Ye Faithful · Silent Night · Gifts · Stars · Jesus as King · Prophecies about Jesus
Explore more: All Bible verses by topic · KJV Bible verses · Verse of the day · Prayers · Bible study · Bible reading plans
