Hymn Desk
Hymn Texts /

O Word of God Incarnate

This hymn expresses Luther's emphasis on Christ as the incarnate Word through whom God's salvation is fully revealed and known. It reflects Lutheran Christology in affirming that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man, the Word made flesh for our redemption.

History & Background

Written by English bishop William Walsham How in 1864 for use in his hymnal, this text celebrates the Incarnation as the central revelation of God. It was published in How's collection and gained wide acceptance in Lutheran and Anglican hymnodies.

The prevalent image in this hymn is light: God is the Light; his Word is a light for our path; and we, the church, must be a light for the nations. The author, William W. How (b. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, 1823; d. Leenane, County Mayo, Ireland, 1897), first published it with a subhead quotation from Proverbs 6:23: “For the commandment is a 421 Scripture References st. 1 =Ps. 119:105,130 John 1:1-14 st. 2 = 2Tim. 3:15-17 st. 3 = Matt. 5:14-16 1 Cor. 13:12 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS lamp: and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (KJV). Some hymnodists have stated that the song is based on Psalm 119:105, which contains nearly the same imagery: ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Using intriguing word play, the hymn praises Christ as the “Word of God incarnate” and as the “Light” who has given us Scripture (often referred to as God’s Word) as a “light” (“lantern”) to guide the church (st. 1-2) and to inspire it to be a “lamp” for shining God’s “light” to all the world (st. 2-3). The text also includes travel imagery: “footsteps” (st. 1), “chart and compass,” “voyage” (st. 2), and “pilgrims” (st. 3). Singing this text, we pray that the church, the people of God, will always be led by the Scriptures to seek Christ, to whom the Scriptures point, and to bring the good news of his Word to the nations. This text was first published in the 1867 addition to Psalms and Hymns (1854), a supplementary collection How edited with Thomas B. Morrell. How studied at Wadham College, Oxford, and Durham University and was ordained in the Church of England in 1847. He served various congregations and became Suffragan Bishop in east London in 1879 and Bishop of Wakefield in 1888. Called both the “poor man’s bishop” and “the children’s bishop,” How was known for his work among the destitute in the London slums and among the factory workers in west Yorkshire. He wrote a number of theological works about controversies surrounding the Oxford Movement and attempted to reconcile biblical creation with the theory of evolution. He was joint editor of Psalms and Hymns (1854) and ChurchHymns (1871). While rector in Whittington, How wrote some sixty hymns, including many for chil­ dren. His collected Poems and Hymns were published in 1886. Time MUNICH has a colorful history. Traces of it run as far back as 1593 in the Dresden, Germany, Gesangbuch in conjunction with the text “Wir Christenleut. ” A version from a Meiningen Gesa

Hymnal Appearances

  • Chalice Hymnal — 322
  • Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 514
  • Glory to God — 459
  • The Hymnal 1982 — 632
  • Lutheran Book of Worship — 231
  • Lutheran Service Book — 523
  • Lift Up Your Hearts — 782
  • Lutheran Worship — 335
  • New Century Hymnal — 315
  • Trinity Hymnal — 263
  • The Lutheran Hymnal — 294
  • United Methodist Hymnal — 598
  • Voices Together — 438

Liturgical Use

As a sung prayer for illumination and for the preservation and mission of the church.

Bulletin Note

Written by William Walsham How in 1864, this hymn embodies classic Lutheran Christology: Christ as the Word through whom God's complete salvation is revealed and the sinner's redemption secured through His true humanity and divinity.

Preaching Connection

This hymn crystallizes Luther's insistence that in the Incarnation, the full revelation and redemption of God breaks into human history—a Gospel proclamation that both humbles our sinfulness and exalts Christ's saving sufficiency.

Catechism & Confessional Connections

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law (human longing for deliverance) to Gospel (God's gracious incarnation in humble vulnerability) to Response (joyful human participation in Christ's mystery)

Themes

Incarnation God's Word Christology Divine revelation Scripture

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