The plants that we usually associate with Christmas are evergreen trees and poinsettias and not roses. Therefore, you might be surprised to find out that a song called “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” is viewed as a Christmas song. If this song is unfamiliar to you, the version that I will pass along to listen to is this recording of Jess Ray and Langdon performing at a 2021 Advent Concert put on by The Gospel Coalition. While this song is not as well-known as many other Christmas songs I have written about (see full list of them at the end of this post) and the image used in its title is not one we usually think of at Christmas, the exploration of the song’s origin and lyrics point to having not just a rich history but also being rich in biblical imagery and theology.
The Story
The original name of this song is “Es ist en Ros entsprungen” as it was written in Germany. The earliest copy of it we have is from 1580, but many think that it could be even older than that. It first appeared in print in 1599 and seems to have had up to 23 verses! It may first have been sung as a chant, but the German composer Michael Praetorius (who was the son of a Lutheran minister) set it to a melody in 1609. That tune is still used today and is viewed by many as being a thing of beauty (though potentially challenging for congregations or untrained musicians to sing).
While that tune stuck with the song, only the first two verses seem to have widely circulated, causing the others to be forgotten. A German pastor and hymn writer named Frederick Layriz wrote a few additional verses for the song in 1844 that have proved to be more enduring than the other verses in the original.
It does not appear that it was translated into English until the 19th century, when a few different translations appeared. One version that translated the original first two verses as well as the verses by Layriz was done in 1875 by an American organist named Harriett R. Spaeth who also wrote and translated other hymns. Her translation of Layriz’s verses are sung today, but a different translation of the first two verses is more commonly used, a translation from 1894 by another American named Theodore Baker. The fact that there have been different translations of the same song is a reminder that translating from one language to another always involves some interpretative choices, which is especially the case when it comes to trying to convey the sense of a song. At times a fifth verse is included in modern arrangements found in hymns, with this additional verse dated to 1914 and credited to John C. Mattes (it was unclear in my brief research if this was one he wrote in English or if it was a translation from a verse by Layriz or one from the original).
A tradition holds that its inspiration may have been a monk in the German town of Trier, who found a rose blooming on Christmas Day while on a walk and then brought it to an altar to Mary in that monastery. While it is unclear if that account really happened, it reflects the connection between Mary and roses that was common in medieval Christian art and thought, as Mary was often compared to the “rose of Sharon” that is spoken about in Song of Songs 2:1.
Over the years, however, there have been different understandings concerning the image of the rose in this song. The words of the German original seem to regard Mary as the one who is the rose, but the English translations (both Baker’s and Spaeth’s) identify the rose as being Jesus himself. I’ve seen some note that this shift may have preceded the English translations and been in the German version done by Michael Praetorius, but I have not been able to verify that. The rationale given for the potential change done by Praetorius is that this Lutheran man modified the Catholic song to align with his Lutheran beliefs rather than those of the Catholic Church concerning Mary. The widespread use of the song among English speaking Protestants explains why an English translation, in which the rose is identified as Jesus, is more widely known.
While the link between Mary and roses is a common explanation for this song, there are also other possibilities that explain the use of the rose image, especially if it is used in connection with Jesus. One theory that I encountered in reading some other discussions of it on the internet relates to the German version, noting that the word “Ros” may actually have been “Reis” which refers to a shoot or a sproutling and thus connected with the image of a “branch” used for the Messiah in places like Isaiah 11. Even if “Ros” would be the correct word, the similarity in these words may point to how the image of the rose got connected to Jesus, especially since it seems like there are places in which the sprig that is coming from the stump is viewed as a rose that is giving hope. Another background for the use of the rose in this Christmas song is Isaiah 35, which speaks of flowers blossoming in the dry land (and often viewed as a rose).
The Song
Since I write in English rather than German and I suspect that most of those reading this will only encounter the English version of it; my discussion of the lyrics of the song will be of the English version – in particular, the one found in the hymnal I have at my house (The Trinity Hymnal, where it is number 221) that includes the five verses noted above (when only three verses are included or sung, it is usually verses 1, 2, and 4).
Verse 1 (Baker translation)
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
As men of old have sung.
It came, a flow’ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Verse 2 (Baker)
Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
She bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
Verse 3 (Spaeth translation)
The shepherds heard the story
proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory
was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped
and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.
Verse 4 (Spaeth translation)
This Flow’r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.
Verse 5 (Mattes translation)
O Savior, Child of Mary,
who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory,
who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray,
to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!
While much attention has been paid to the origin and use of the image of the rose in this song, there are a number of other spots in the song in which the biblical background and the theological message is very clear;I wish to draw your attention to these elements.
The reference to a rose blooming and springing from a tender stem in the line of Jesse comes from the promise made in Isaiah 11:1 about a shoot coming from the stump of Jesse, the father of David. While roses do not bear fruit like this “branch” is said to do in Isaiah 11:1, the blossoming of the rose shows both its beauty and life. The identification of the rose as Mary – which the German original of verse 2 seems to do – could explain the use of the image of a “flow’ret” used in this verse, as that “little flower” would be the baby Jesus in the womb of the rose. However, he use of the little flower could also draw upon that image of shoot and branch from Isaiah or the idea of finding hope in the winter. The discussion of how this happens in the midst of the “cold of winter” in verse 1 does not necessarily mean that Jesus was born on a cold and snowy day (as the winters in Israel were not like the winters in Germany or in America), but a reminder that in the darkness and coldest times, Jesus comes to bring new life.
While the opening verse alludes to a passage from Isaiah, verse 2 explicitly names this prophet as the one who foretold it. The English translations then note that this rose is something that Mary beheld and bore, and then note how Jesus shows God’s love and stands as the Savior.
Verse 3 then moves into the account of Jesus’s birth, mentioning the shepherds and the angels as well as Bethlehem and the manger like many other Christmas songs. Verse 4 is a bit more theological, speaking of how this flower “dispels” the darkness as one who is man and God and that he both saves us from sin and carries the burdens of our life (“lightening every load” recalls Matthew 11:29). The final verse also is a bit more theological, noting how Jesus is the king of glory yet identifies with our sufferings and weakness. Those theological truths, however, are not just abstract truths, as this verse forms a fitting conclusion in being a prayer that asks for Jesus to bring us into heaven with him.
The nature of the music for this song may make it more likely for you to hear it sung by a choir or as a solo rather than in a church service. My hope is that if you ever hear it or sing it, you will better understand the somewhat obscure and confusing imagery found in its title so that you can grasp the beauty found in its words and the hope they are meant to inspire even in dark and cold times.
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, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Joy to the World, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, 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.
