He was born as a baby, to be sure, but He lived a sinless life and gave that life as a ransom to save us all from Satan’s power when we have gone astray! O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!Īs you reflect on this song throughout the Christmas season, or maybe include it in your caroling list, remember that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name and His name is Jesus. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is a wonderful rallying cry for The Church today! Christmas is much more than tinsel and gifts, and as the Body of Christ, it is our duty to herald it from the rooftops that the babe was born in a manger but it didn’t end there. The insertion of the comma after merry could have been written, “God make you mighty, gentlemen.” No wonder they were singing this up and down the streets of London! They weren’t encouraging merry men to rest necessarily, they were encouraging those mighty men, who had discovered Christ had been born, to continue to stand strong, or maybe as a reminder that God would keep them safe and strong if they were in Christ Jesus. The word rest meant to keep or make and merry possibly referred to being strong or mighty, similar to Robin Hood’s Merry Men or Robin Hood’s Mighty and Strong Men. When we look deeper into this ancient and beloved carol, we see that some of the words have changed meanings down through the centuries.
Why the comma in God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen? The composer is not known but at least two sources from that time period heralded it as the nation’s favorite carol.ĭid you know that God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is the only song mentioned in Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol? Ebenezer Scrooge lashes out, “’…at the first sound of ‘God bless you merry, gentlemen, May nothing you dismay!’ Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror…” Sandy, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is one of the oldest carols sung today, dating back over 500 years. Savvy?īut more important than pondering the placement of a punctuation mark is pondering the meaning of the words.Why the comma in God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen? First published in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833), with the help of William B. The title may, in fact, be seen as a reassurance that God will keep these men safe and strong through Christ because Christ has been born on Christmas Day. Keeping that in mind, the title is not about happy fellows being urged to rest, which is what we might think today. Rest may have meant "to keep" and merry meant "strong" or "mighty" (such as in Robin Hood's "merry" men). The heck is that words change meanings over the centuries. The comma goes between Merry and Gentlemen. Speaking of titles, let's talk about the comma, shall we? It's not between Ye and Merry, where many grammar rookies place it. Because of its singularity, it is - for all intents and purposes - the Christmas carol of the title.
This is the only song mentioned in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. So instead of featuring the for-real author of this song, here are a few fun facts about it. It's believed to have been written more than 500 years ago. I don't actually know who the author of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemenis. Today I'm featuring my number one Christmas carol because.
0 kommentar(er)
