O Adonai — O Lord

O Adonai is the O Antiphon sung before the Magnificat at Evening Prayer on December 18 — in 2026, Friday, December 18. It is antiphon 2 of seven.

LatinO Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

Our translationO Adonai, Lord and leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

A reflection

Adonai is the title Israel spoke in place of the Name too holy to pronounce. The antiphon calls the child about to be born by it. The God of the burning bush, who freed slaves with an outstretched arm, is asked to do it again — and He will, with arms stretched out on a cross.

Where the words come from

Every phrase of the antiphon is drawn from Scripture. These are the main sources, quoted from the World English Bible:

Exodus 3:2 (WEB)The LORD’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Exodus 6:6 (WEB)Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments.

Isaiah 33:22 (WEB)For the LORD is our judge. The LORD is our lawgiver. The LORD is our king. He will save us.

In the hymn

The verse of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1861) that paraphrases this antiphon:

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

How to pray it

At Evening Prayer it frames the Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55), said before and after it. At home, say it at the Advent wreath before dinner, then sing the matching verse of the hymn. At Mass it is the Gospel acclamation for the day.

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O Adonai: questions

What does O Adonai mean?

O Lord. It is the O Antiphon for December 18: O Adonai, Lord and leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

When is O Adonai prayed in 2026?

On Friday, December 18, 2026, as the antiphon before the Magnificat at Evening Prayer.

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