Crown Him with Many Crowns
Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne
Crown Him with Many Crowns is a hymn text by Matthew Bridges; Godfrey Thring (1851) in S.M.D. meter. Found in CW21 511, CW93 341, ELH 55, elw 855. Sung to DIADEMATA.
A majestic hymn of praise to Christ as King, drawing on Revelation imagery of the crowned Lamb upon the throne (Rev 19:12). Each stanza crowns Christ with a different title: the Lamb who died, Lord of life, Lord of peace, Lord of years, Lord of lords. The hymn moves systematically through Christology — incarnation, resurrection, ascension, and eternal reign.
History & Background
Written by Matthew Bridges (1800-1894), an English poet who converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism. The original six stanzas appeared in The Passion of Jesus (1852). Godfrey Thring (1823-1903) wrote alternative stanzas in 1874 to avoid the Roman Catholic theological emphases of Bridges. The version used in most Protestant hymnals blends stanzas from both authors. The tune DIADEMATA was composed specifically for this text by George Job Elvey (1816-1893) in 1868.
Hymnal Appearances
- Christian Worship: Hymnal — 511
- Christian Worship — 341
- Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary — 55
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 855
- Gather 4th Edition — 626
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 170
- Lutheran Service Book — 525
- Lutheran Worship — 278
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 341
Bulletin Note
Crown Him with Many Crowns — Matthew Bridges & Godfrey Thring, 1851/1874
Preaching Connection
Each stanza crowns Christ with a different title, connecting to the many names of Christ throughout scripture.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Christ's exaltation from incarnation through resurrection to eternal lordship; progressive crowning of the Lamb in majesty, redemption, love, and life
Background Research
Two hymns merged into one. Matthew Bridges (1800–1894) left the Church of England for Rome c. 1846. He published 'Crown him with many crowns' in Hymns of the Heart (2nd ed., 1851); his st 2 hails Mary as the 'Mystic Rose'. Godfrey Thring, later prebendary of Wells, first revised Bridges for Church Hymns (1871). In Hymns and Sacred Lyrics (1874) he then wrote a wholly new hymn with the same first line, asked for because some of Bridges's stanzas were disliked. The source does not explicitly say the objection was the Marian stanza; that is the usual explanation. Nearly every hymnal prints a mix of Bridges and Thring stanzas, so it's worth checking which stanzas in TLH are which author. Tune DIADEMATA by George J. Elvey, organist of St George's Chapel, Windsor, first set to Bridges in the Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern (1868).
Sources: hymnologyarchive.com 'Crown Him with Many Crowns'.
In the Church Year
Suggested in the one-year series
- Ascension (2×)
- Easter 7 (2×)
- Visitation (1×)
Suggested in the three-year series
- Easter 7 (2×)
- Last Sunday of the Church Year (1×)
From LCMS Worship's published hymn suggestions, 2014–2026. The count is how many of those yearly lists suggested this hymn for that day.
Overview
Based on Rev 19:12 ('on his head are many diadems'), this hymn crowns Christ under a series of titles: the Lamb on the throne (1), the Virgin's Son (2), Lord of Love with glorified wounds (3), Lord of Life (4), and Lord of Heaven (5). Bridges, an Anglican who became a Roman Catholic, includes a Marian image ('mystic rose') which TLH retained; the theology overall is Christ-centered and confessionally sound.
Central theme: Christ crowned as Lamb, incarnate Son, Lord of Love, Life, and Heaven
Structure
Each stanza a different crown/title.
Law & Gospel Shape
Gospel; 'died for thee' (st. 1), 'died eternal life to bring' (st. 4).
Confessional Connections
Two natures ('The God incarnate born'); the glorified humanity of Christ retaining his wounds; the 'mystic rose' should be read as referring to Mary as mother of the Lord, not as an object of veneration.
Liturgical Use (Study Notes)
Ascension; Christ the King; Easter season; festive occasions.
Historical Notes
Bridges (1800-1894) wrote it in 1851 after becoming Roman Catholic; Godfrey Thring later added stanzas, and hymnals mix both.
About the Tune
DIADEMATA (George J. Elvey, 1868) — named from the Greek for 'crowns.'
Scripture References
Rev 19:12 Rev 5:6-12 Isa 7:14 Isa 11:1 John 20:27 1 Pet 1:12 1 Cor 15:54-57 Rev 11:15
Stanza by Stanza
Crown the Lamb on his throne; the heavenly anthem drowns out all other music; my soul, wake up and sing of the one who died for you, and hail him as matchless King forever.
Rev 19:12 ('many diadems') and Rev 5:6 (the Lamb standing as if slain, in the midst of the throne). The Lamb is the King — the crucified reigns. 'Drowns / All music but its own' — the song of the Lamb surpasses all others (Rev 5:9-12). 'Of Him who died for thee' — the pro me is at the center of praise.
- Scripture
- Rev 19:12, Rev 5:6-12, Rev 14:3, Gal 2:20
- Imagery & language
- Crowns; throne; anthem.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — the Lamb who died for you.
- Connection to previous
- The Lamb enthroned.
Crown the virgin's son, God born in flesh, whose arm won the bloody trophies that now adorn his brow; fruit of the mystic rose and also its stem, the root of mercy, the Babe of Bethlehem.
'The Virgin's Son, / The God incarnate born' (Isa 7:14; John 1:14). 'Crimson trophies' — his wounds as marks of victory (Isa 63:1-3). 'Fruit of the mystic rose' — Mary as the 'rose' and Christ her fruit (Luke 1:42, 'blessed is the fruit of your womb'); 'As of that rose the stem' — yet he is also the root of Jesse from which Mary herself came (Isa 11:1, 10; Rev 22:16, 'the root and the descendant of David'). A dense paradox: Mary's son is also her source. Lutheran readers honor Mary as Theotokos while directing all worship to Christ.
- Scripture
- Isa 7:14, John 1:14, Luke 1:42, Isa 11:1, 10, Rev 22:16, Isa 63:1-3
- Imagery & language
- Virgin; crimson trophies; mystic rose and stem.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — incarnation.
- Connection to previous
- The incarnate Son.
Crown the Lord of Love; see his hands and side — rich wounds still visible in heaven, glorified in beauty; no angel can fully bear that sight but bends in wonder at such mysteries.
The risen Christ keeps his wounds (John 20:27; Luke 24:39; Rev 5:6). In heaven they are 'in beauty glorified' — signs of love, not defeat. Angels long to look into these things (1 Pet 1:12). The wounds are the eternal proof of redemption; Lutheran devotion treasures them as the place of comfort.
- Scripture
- John 20:27, Luke 24:39, Rev 5:6, 1 Pet 1:12, Zech 12:10
- Imagery & language
- Hands and side; glorified wounds; bending angels.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — the wounds of love.
- Connection to previous
- The wounded Lord.
Crown the Lord of Life who triumphed over the grave and rose victorious for those he came to save; we sing his glories, who died and rose to give eternal life and lives so that death may die.
'Lord of Life' (Acts 3:15). 'For those He came to save' (Luke 19:10). 'Who died eternal life to bring / And lives that death may die' — a splendid paradox: his death gives life, his life kills death (2 Tim 1:10; 1 Cor 15:26, 54).
- Scripture
- Acts 3:15, Luke 19:10, 2 Tim 1:10, 1 Cor 15:26, 54-57, Rev 1:18
- Imagery & language
- Grave; strife; death dying.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — resurrection.
- Connection to previous
- The risen Lord.
Crown the Lord of Heaven, enthroned above, the King whose name is Love; crown him with many crowns as thrones fall before him; kings, crown him, for he is King of all.
'The wondrous name of Love' (1 John 4:8). 'Thrones before Him fall' — earthly powers yield (Rev 4:10; 11:15). 'Crown Him, ye kings' — rulers too must bow (Ps 2:10-12; Rev 21:24). The hymn ends where it began: many crowns.
- Scripture
- 1 John 4:8, Rev 4:10, Rev 11:15, Ps 2:10-12, Rev 19:16
- Imagery & language
- Thrones falling; kings crowning.
- Law / Gospel
- Doxology.
- Connection to previous
- Concluding coronation.
Themes
Christ as King Praise Doxology Coronation Lordship of Christ Revelation imagery