Scripture Verse

They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel. John 12:12–13

Introduction

portrait
John Brownlie (1857–1925)

Words: Trans­lat­ed from an­cient Greek (Ἰδ­οὺ, ὁ βα­σι­λεύς σου ἔρ­χε­ται) by John Brown­lie, Hymns from the Morn­ing­land (Pais­ley, Scot­land: Al­ex­an­der Gard­ner, 1911), num­ber 87.

Music: Yale W. How­ard Doane, 1884 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Lyrics

illustration
Entry into Jerusalem
William B. Hole (1846-1917)
Wikimedia Commons

Behold, the King of Zi­on rides,
But not in vain ar­ray;
The peo­ple wave their good­ly palms,
With gar­ments strew the way;
And loud ho­san­nas fill the air
From crowds that, surg­ing, throng;
’Tis meet to hon­or Him who rides
With cheer, and shout, and song.

O Zi­on, of your God be­loved,
The day of strife is nigh,
Yet comes He not with ar­mor clad,
And sword up­on His thigh;
The wea­pons of your migh­ty king
No oth­er hand could wield;
The might of God is in His arm,
The will of God His shield.

See, on the cross, with­out the wall,
The King im­mor­tal dies;
Not now ho­san­nas fill the air—
The shouts of hell arise;
But in that hour of tri­umph, deemed,
Satanic might is slain,
For He who bows the head in death,
Shall rise to life again.

O Zion, hail your migh­ty king,
Your palms around Him wave,
And strew your gar­ments in the way
Of Him who rides to save;
And when He mounts His re­gal throne,
By bloody con­flict won,
Give hom­age to the King of Hea­ven,
God’s one eter­nal Son.