O Rex Gentium — O King of the Nations

O Rex Gentium is the O Antiphon sung before the Magnificat at Evening Prayer on December 22 — in 2026, Tuesday, December 22. It is antiphon 6 of seven.

LatinO Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

Our translationO King of the nations and their desire, the cornerstone who makes both one: come, and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.

A reflection

Until now the antiphons have spoken Israel's hopes. This one widens to every nation: the king is the desire of the Gentiles too, and the cornerstone joins two walls that could not otherwise meet. It ends at the beginning, with the clay of Genesis — the King comes to save what He made.

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:

Haggai 2:7 (WEB)and I will shake all nations. The treasure of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Armies.

Isaiah 28:16 (WEB)Therefore the Lord GOD says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.

Ephesians 2:14 (WEB)For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation,

Genesis 2:7 (WEB)The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

In the hymn

The 1851 hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” paraphrased only five of the seven antiphons; a verse for this one was added in the twentieth century.

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 Rex Gentium: questions

What does O Rex Gentium mean?

O King of the Nations. It is the O Antiphon for December 22: O King of the nations and their desire, the cornerstone who makes both one: come, and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.

When is O Rex Gentium prayed in 2026?

On Tuesday, December 22, 2026, as the antiphon before the Magnificat at Evening Prayer.

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