I realized that the last few Christmas songs I have examined – Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming; and Infant Holy, Infant Lowly – not only have been some lesser known songs but also some slower songs. Therefore, I wanted to close out the study of less familiar Christmas songs here in 2025 by looking at one that is a bit more upbeat and joyful (at least in most renditions of it): “Good Christian Men, Rejoice.” Because there are a few different versions of this song – the reason for which I will explain below – it is tough to simply share one version of it to listen to. Instead, I’ll point to different versions as we discuss the story behind the song and then the song itself. 

The Song
The story of this song often begins in 1328 with a German friar named Heinrich Seuse (or Suso, as it is sometimes spelled). I wasn’t familiar with this man before researching this song, but it appears he was a prolific and prominent writer in that time, writing in both Latin and German – with this song being one that has sections in both Latin and German (the technical term for a song like this in multiple languages is macaronic – just in case you ever need to know that!). Some believe that this song came about through a vision that Seuse had in which an angel came to bring him joy in his sufferings and join in a dance and a song about the infant Jesus. Regardless of whether that is true or not, it reveals the fact that the song is one about joy due to the birth of Jesus and is reminiscent of a folk dance. The opening words of the song are the Latin words “In Dulci Jubilo,” so this song is sometimes known as that; that title is also the one given to the melody that seemed to be paired with this song early on (potentially as early as the 14th century).

Because it was a mixture of Latin and German, it does not appear it was sung in church service at that time – as they were all in Latin – but sung and circulated among the people. Some have viewed it as being used by the Protestant Reformers who sought to shift the language of their services from the Latin mass to the ordinary language of the people; the mixture of Latin and German in this song makes that a plausible use. 

The song would eventually find its way into a Scandinavian collection of hymns known as the Piae Cantiones published in 1582, where it would eventually catch the eye of a man named John Mason Neale who was interested in translating old Latin songs into English for services – such as the song “O Come O Come Emmanuel.” His 1853 translation of this song, which is really more of a loose paraphrase than a direct translation, has proven to be a more influential version of this song than some other translations that may have been more literal, such as a 1567 version by the Scottish poet and theologian John Wedderburn and the 1837 version by the English composer Robert Lucas Pearsall (which retained the Latin words of the original and only translated the German words).

In addition to being critiqued for being a loose translation of the text, Neale’s version has also been criticized over the years for a couple of other reasons. One is that the musician he worked with, named Thomas Helmore, seemed to have made a mistake concerning the music which led to an additional note in the text and the repetition of a word (“news” in verse 1; “joy” in verse 2; “peace” in verse 3). You’ll find this in some modern versions of the song, such as this video. 

Another concern with Neale’s version is the use of the phrase “men” in the opening line, as there is no direct reference to men in particular (or opposed to people in general) in the Latin/German original (the opening line in Latin is literally “In sweet joy, let us sing and be glad”). Therefore, some have updated the hymn into gender-inclusive language so that the opening line and title is “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice” – those are the words in this version by Selah that is still entitled “Good Christian Men, Rejoice.” 

Another change in modern versions appears in the first verse, with some hymnals (e.g, the Trinity Hymnal that I own a copy of) having the line “earth and heav’n before him bow” instead of “ox and ass before Him bow.” I’ve seen less discussion about the reason for this change, but it would either be tied to eliminating a word that we don’t use as much these days to describe a donkey (and can make kids like me chuckle, as I shared in my account of What Child is This?) or due to the lack of explicit reference to oxen and donkeys at Jesus’s birth; the reference to earth and heaven reflects the glory of Jesus in all of creation.

While there are these different versions out there, the overarching message is all the same. For simplicity sake, I’ll focus on Neale’s original words to the song, which are found in this version by Smalltown Poets.

The Song
The song consists of three verses that share an opening line and reflect many parallels between them and repetition with them. 

Verse 1
Good Christ­ian men, re­joice
With heart and soul, and voice;
Give ye heed to what we say:
Je­sus Christ is born to­day;
Ox and ass be­fore Him bow;
And He is in the man­ger now.
Christ is born to­day!
Christ is born to­day!

Verse 2
Good Christ­ian men, re­joice,
With heart and soul and voice;
Now ye hear of end­less bliss:
Je­sus Christ was born for this!
He has op­ened the heav­en­ly door,
And man is blest for­ev­er­more.
Christ was born for this!
Christ was born for this!

Verse 3
Good Christ­ian men, re­joice,
With heart and soul and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Je­sus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all,
To gain His ev­er­last­ing hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!

The song functions as an invitation to respond to the birth of Jesus with great joy, one that leads not just to singing words but doing so with “heart and soul.” The phrase “give ye heed to what we say,” recalls the words of the angels to the shepherds in Luke 2 but now puts them in the context of the singers speaking to the listeners, calling for them to respond to the good news. Those words are a good reminder that our singing in worship gatherings is not just to God but also to each other, as Paul tells us to admonish one another through songs (see Colossians 3:16). 

In addition to describing the circumstances of Jesus’s birth, this song also discusses its significance. The second verse says that the reason for Jesus’s birth (“Jesus Christ was born for this”) is to bring us “endless bliss” and that “he has opened the heavenly door.” The child that was born did not just come that we might have joy in dark times, but that we might have eternal life, being the way that we go to the Father in heaven for all eternity. The third verse continues that thread, noting that the joyous news means that we do not need to “fear the grave” because “Jesus was born to save.” While we will still die, we don’t need to fear death because Jesus saves us from that through his life and resurrection, with his death taking the penalty for our sins. The song seeks to make that truth personal, noting that Jesus calls “you one and calls you all”; the song thus is an invitation to faith and a call to evangelism. The phrase “To gain His ev­er­last­ing hall” is a little odd to modern ears but is another way of speaking of the eternal life that Jesus brings.

Let us give heed to the message of this song, rejoicing in body and soul and celebrating this Christmas Day because Jesus came to save us from sin and death so that we might have endless bliss and a home in heaven. And let us remember that this is not just good news for us but also good news to share with others, calling for others to rejoice with us as well.

Click below if interested in exploring the background of any of these other Christmas songs:
 Angels From the Realms of Glory, Angels We Have Heard on High, Away in a Manager, Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus, The First Noel, God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming; Infant Holy, Infant Lowly; It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful, O Come O Come Emmanuel, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Holy Night, Once in Royal David’s City, Silent Night, The Twelve Days of Christmas, We Three Kings, What Child is This?,  and Who Is He in Yonder Stall. 

Questions about the Bible or theology? Email them to Pastor Brian at Theology@WeAreFaith.org. You can also email to be added to the list that receives weekly emails with our blog posts.