Once in Royal David's City - Hymn with Lyrics

1. Once in royal David’s city
stood a lowly cattle shed,
where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

2. He came down to earth from heaven
who is God and Lord of all,
and His shelter was a stable,
and His cradle was a stall:
with the poor, and meek, and lowly,
lived on earth our Savior holy.

3. And our eyes at last shall see Him,
through His own redeeming love;
for that Child so dear and gentle
is our Lord in heav'n above,
and He leads His children on
to the place where He is gone.

4. Not in that poor lowly stable,
with the oxen standing by,
we shall see Him, but in heaven,
set at God’s right hand on high;
when like stars His children crowned
all in white shall wait around.

Scripture; 

Job 19:25-27; 

Isaiah 7:14; 

Daniel 12:3; 

Micah 5:2-5 

The hymn "Once in David's City" was written by Cecil Frances Alexander in 1848. It was originally part of a larger collection of hymns for children, titled Hymns for Little Children. The hymn is a beautiful reflection on the birth of Jesus and the humble setting of His birth in Bethlehem.

The music most commonly associated with the hymn was composed by Henry John Gauntlett in 1852, who arranged it for a traditional English carol tune. It has since become a well-loved Christmas carol. 

The Story Behind the Hymn

Cecil Frances Alexander wrote the hymn as part of a collection titled Hymns for Little Children, which was meant to make Christian teachings more accessible to children. She sought to create simple yet powerful hymns that conveyed theological truths in a way that young minds could grasp. "Once in David's City" focuses on the humble and profound nature of Christ's birth, reflecting the biblical account of Jesus' nativity.

Inspiration from the Nativity Story

The hymn draws from the account in the Gospels, particularly the Gospel of Luke, where the birth of Jesus takes place in a humble stable in Bethlehem. The first verse speaks of how Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth in the most modest of circumstances, "once in David's city"—a reference to Bethlehem, the city of King David.

The hymn's lyrics highlight the humility of Jesus' birth, how he was born in a lowly stable rather than a palace, and how He came not to a royal family but to ordinary, humble people. This theme of Christ's humility and the contrast between His divine nature and His earthly circumstances is a central message of the hymn.