The beloved Christmas carol, Joy to the World was written by Isaac Watts, based on his study of Psalm 98. The carol was first published in 1719 with a melody different from the one sung today. The more familiar tune was written in 1836 by Lowell Mason after he combined various pieces of Handel’s Messiah.
Because Psalm 98 was written before Jesus’ birth, the original readers rightly read it as a proclamation of the Messiah’s coming. For modern readers, Psalm 98 is both a proof that the Messiah came and a prophecy that the Messiah is coming again. Joy to the world is, then, both a Christmas song and an apocalyptic song.
Because Psalm 98 was written before Jesus’ birth, the original readers rightly read it as a proclamation of the Messiah’s coming. For modern readers, Psalm 98 is both a proof that the Messiah came and a prophecy that the Messiah is coming again. Joy to the world is, then, both a Christmas song and an apocalyptic song.
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