Exegeting the Hymns #51 - All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name 
w - Edward Perronet, John Rippon  m - Oliver Holden

All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name
Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all

Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race
Ye ransomed from the fall
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace
And crown Him Lord of all 
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace
And crown Him Lord of all

Let every kindred, every tribe
On this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe
And crown Him Lord of all
To Him all majesty ascribe
And crown Him Lord of all

Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall
We’ll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all
We’ll join the everlasting song
And crown Him Lord of all

This is one of my favorite all time hymns, and has been referred to as the “National Anthem of Christendom”. The lyrics of the first 2 stanzas were written by a missionary to India in 1779 and has been sung by Christians old and young alike since then (The second stanzas were added later by John Rippon).

All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name. There is power that comes only in the name of Jesus. He (and by extension, His name) is the only one that can bring salvation. Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus Himself said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me.” The power spoken of here is the power to save, to give eternal life, and at this name, this Messiah, that even angels hide their faces… Let angels prostrate fall.  

Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all. Philippians 2:9–11 tells of the name given to Christ that is above every other name… ”Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The name that Jesus was crowned with was LORD. It is above every other name. He is the Lord of lords, the one who humbled Himself and went to the grave, defeated sin and death, and is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, Ye ransomed from the fall. This line can be tricky for those of us who believe that the New Testament church and Old Testament Israel are two separate groups. This verse is not referring to the eschatological plans for the church and Israel, but rather what Paul speaks of in Galatians 3. “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”  

John MacArthur puts it this way, “Now, we who are Gentiles are not the seed of Abraham physically; we are the seed of Abraham spiritually because of faith. He was the father of faith in the sense of the pattern of faith as a life pattern. The first real established man of faith, after the flood, when the new world began, was Abraham. And so, he sets the pattern for us. The pattern of faith. And so, we who live by faith in God are, in a spiritual sense, children of Abraham. We do not become Jews in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense we are the children of Abraham in terms of faith.”

This is clear because of the next line which clarifies who he is speaking of as “Chosen seed of Israel’s race” – “Ye ransomed from the fall.” The only right response to such a saving grace is to “Hail Him Who saves you by His grace and crown Him Lord of all”.

Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball, to Him all majesty ascribe and crown Him Lord of all. Like many modern songs like “May the Peoples Praise You”, this verse calls for everyone around the world to sing the praises of the one Savior and Lord. The Bible is clear in Revelation 7 that there will be people from every tongue, tribe, and nation who are saved and wear white robes. You may say, “What about unreached people groups?” This does not mean salvation comes apart from the preaching of the word, but I believe, even in unreached tribes, there are babies who die and will be standing around the throne singing of the grace of God. The Word of God is true.

Oh, that with yonder sacred throng we at His feet may fall. We’ll join the everlasting song and crown Him Lord of all. The final verse builds on the previous verse and the picture in Revelation 7. There will be a great multitude who will forever be praising the one true God for His greatness. He will receive all the glory then, so why not start now and join with the gathered “Sacred throng” in your local church each week and “Hail the power of Jesus’ Name!”

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