1 See, the Conqueror mounts in triumph;
See the King in royal state,
Riding on the clouds, His chariot,
To His heavenly palace gate;
Hark! the choirs of angel voices
Joyful alleluias sing,
And the portals high are lifted
To receive their heavenly King.

2 Who is this that comes in glory,
With the trump of jubilee?
Lord of battles, God of armies,
He hath gained the victory;
He who on the cross did suffer,
He who from the grave arose,
He has vanquished sin and Satan,
He by death has spoiled His foes.

3 While He raised His hands in blessing,
He was parted from His friends;
While their eager eyes behold Him,
He upon the clouds ascends;
He who walked with God and pleased Him,
Preaching truth and doom to come,
Christ, our Enoch, is translated
To His everlasting home.

4 Now our heavenly Aaron enters,
With His blood, within the veil;
Joshua now is come to Canaan,
And the kings before Him quail;
Now He plants the tribes of Israel
In their promised resting-place;
Now our great Elijah offers
Double portion of His grace.

5 Thou hast raised our human nature
In the clouds to God's right hand;
There we sit in heavenly places,
There with Thee in glory stand:
Jesus reigns, adored by angels,
Man with God is on the throne;
Mighty Lord, in Thine ascension,
We by faith behold our own.

Amen.

The Hymnal: Published by the authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 1895

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Ps. 24:7
st. 2 = Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:9
st. 3 = Eph. 2:6, Heb. 1:8, Ps. 68:18

Replete with biblical imagery and allusion, this text by Christopher Wordsworth (PHH 361) was published in his Holy Year (1862) in ten stanzas. John Julian considers "See, the Conqueror" to be one of Wordsworth's finest hymn texts.

The text views the ascending Lord being sung to by angels at heaven's gates (st. 1), recalls Christ's suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension (st. 2), and looks forward to our reign with Christ in glory (st. 3). The text emphasizes not only the event of the Ascension but also its meaning for us: in Christ's ascension, "we by faith can see” our own.

Liturgical Use:
Easter; Ascension; many other worship services.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook