He is Arisen! Glorious Word

"He is Arisen! Glorious Word" (LSB 488) was written by Danish Lutheran Birgitte Katerine Boye (1742-1824).

Boye's chief legacy in the hymnody of the Scandinavian Lutheran churches is her three one-stanza festival hymns. Her three one-stanza hymns are "Rejoice, Rejoice this Happy Mourn," "He is Arisen! Glorious Word" and "O Light of God's Most Wondrous Love." These one-stanza hymns are often sung on festival days preceding the reading of the Gospel text for that day.

The classic Easter greeting "He is risen" opens this hymn. The text draws our attention to Genesis 3, contrasting the fall into sin and consequent curse of death with God's promise to send a Savior who must die for the life and restoration of the world. The original Danish text says that Jesus' victorious death "crushed the weapons of darkness" (Genesis 3:15), which is poetically rendered "destroyed hell's fiercest weapon" (line six).

Christ broke the curse of hell and Satan by His willing suffering and death as humanity's substitute. Satan only appears to have won the victory, while Jesus is the true conqueror over sin, death, and hell!

The hymn ends with the powerful statement: "He lives!" This is the angelic message to the women at the tomb on Easter morning: "Why do you seek the living among the dead? (Luke 24:5), "He is not here, for He has risen, as He said" (Matthew 28:6).

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

1 He is arisen! Glorious Word!
Now reconciled is God, my Lord;
The gates of heav’n are open.
My Jesus did triumphant die,
And Satan’s arrows broken lie,
Destroyed hell’s fiercest weapon.
O hear what cheer!
Christ victorious,
Rising glorious,
Life is giving.
He was dead but now is living!

Text: Public domain