Who is he in yonder stall?
with
WHO IS HE (LOWLINESS)
I. Origins
The original text and tune of this hymn were composed by Benjamin Russell Hanby (1833–1867). Hanby had moved his family from Harrison Township, Ohio, to Chicago ca. 1864–1865, probably to pursue a better career in publishing, connecting with George F. Root of Root & Cady. In 1866, he and Root produced a series of quarterly juvenile songbooks, Our Song Birds, issued as The Snow Bird (January), The Robin (April), The Red Bird (July), and The Dove (October). His hymn “Who is he in yonder stall?” appeared in The Dove: A Collection of Music for Day and Sunday Schools, Juvenile Singing Classes, and the Social Circle (Chicago: Root & Cady, 1866) at No. 33, and in a compilation volume, Chapel Gems for Sunday Schools, Selected from “Our Song Birds,” for 1866 (Chicago: Root & Cady, 1866), at No. 75. This original version has eight short stanzas and a refrain.
Fig. 1. The Dove: A Collection of Music for Day and Sunday Schools, Juvenile Singing Classes, and the Social Circle (Chicago: Root & Cady, 1866).
Fig. 2. Chapel Gems for Sunday Schools, Selected from “Our Song Birds,” for 1866 (Chicago: Root & Cady, 1866).
In the preface to their collection, they explained their purpose and their target audience:
Very many of the music books now in use in the day schools are simply Sunday school music books, never intended for day schools, and not adapted to them. The religious songs and hymns will answer, perhaps, very well for opening exercises, but the pupils need many other songs, such as are suitable for recreation, or for social enjoyment, and songs of this character are supplied in this book to meet such wants. . . .
Hence, to get the full value of the book, it should belong to the pupil, instead of being locked up in the library. He should use it at home, and in the day school, as well as the Sunday school; and to encourage as many as possible to buy for themselves, the price is put lower than music of the same quantity and quality can be procured in any other shape.
In the original printings from 1866, both have the letter T before the first stanza; this is made more clear in the consolidated edition, which contains the explanation, “The teacher’s part may be uttered in the speech voice.” In the Topical Index of Chapel Gems, the song is listed under “Infant Class” rather than under “Christmas.” The structure of the song is catechetical, with the teacher asking the questions, and the students (the Chorus) responding, “Tis the Lord, O wondrous story,” etc.
Hanby is also known as the composer of “Up on the house top,” which first appeared with the title “Santa Claus” and the first line “Upon the house, no delay no pause” in George F. Root’s The Forest Choir (Chicago: Root & Cady, 1867).
II. Analysis
1. Structure
This hymn is in a simple question-and-answer format, referencing specific moments in Christ’s life and ministry.
Stanzas one and two portray the humble beginnings of Christ, emphasizing his incarnation—God becoming a man. Stanzas three and four focus on the life and ministry of Jesus, highlighting the beginning of his earthly ministry filled with compassion, miracles, and self-denial. Stanzas five and six depict the agony and crucifixion of Jesus, illustrating his atoning sacrifice on the cross for sinners. Stanza seven celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, proclaiming his victory over death. The stanza further affirms the purpose of Jesus’ mission: He came to “heal, help, and save.” Finally, stanza eight announces the authority of Jesus and his sovereign rule over heaven and earth, acknowledging his exalted divine kingship.
The chorus/refrain is the climax of the hymn. The question asked in each stanza finds its answer in the exclamatory chorus. The climactic chorus also serves as an invitation to worship the humble incarnate Son of God who died on the cross and rose again, and who is coming back as the King to rule the world.
2. Scriptural Allusions
Related Scriptures are as follows:
Stanzas 1 & 2: Luke 2:16, Matthew 13:55, Isaiah 53:2
Chorus: Revelation 4:8–11, 5:13, Philippians 2:6–11
Stanza 3: John 11:33–37
Stanza 4: Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, Luke 4:1–13
Stanza 5: Matthew 26:36–39, Mark 14:32–42, Luke 22:39–46
Stanza 6: Luke 23:34, Isaiah 53:4–6
Stanza 7: 1 Thessalonians 4:14, Luke 19:10, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
Stanza 8: Revelation 21:23-24, Isaiah 9:6–7
3. Theological Themes
The hymn’s progressive Christological narrative presents several key theological points relating to the person of Jesus Christ and his work. In that sense the hymn is Christ exalting and Christocentric. The hymn begins by highlighting the incarnation, the foundational truth of Christian belief that the Son who eternally co-existed with God the Father became a human being (John 1:14). Next on display is Christ’s compassion for humanity and his temptations as we have been tempted (Heb. 4:15). As the hymn progresses it shifts to the salvific work of Christ—the Atonement, the reconciling work accomplished by Jesus Christ by dying on the cross (2 Cor. 5:18–19), which grants us righteous standing in God’s sight.
The narrative of the hymn then celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. The resurrection affirms God’s redemptive work in Christ. It vindicates the past, empowers the present, and provides future hope of resurrection for the believers (1 Cor. 15). The hymn further progresses to the authority of Christ and his kingship over all the earth. Christ will return as the King of kings and rule the world. Overall, the hymn depicts what can be called the divine reversal, in which Jesus Christ who was born in a lowly manger now becomes the exalted King (Phil. 2:1–11). The chorus of the hymn not only serves as a declarative answer to the questions asked in the stanzas, but it is also a compelling call to worship the exalted Jesus, thus capturing the theme of worship.
4. Poetic Considerations
The hymnic meter is 7.7 plus 8.8.7.7 (refrain), trochaic. The rhyme scheme consists of rhyming couplets (including the refrain): aabbcc. The simplicity of the rhyme adds to the sense of the hymn being suitable for young children. The stanzas are narrative as well as interrogative. The chorus is declarative, with an emphatic tone, which is reinforced by the successive repetition of the words “’Tis the Lord,” which is called anaphora. Another poetic device, epizeuxis, is employed in the last line of the refrain, “Crown Him, Crown Him, Lord of All! The immediate repetition is for emphasis and urgency to worship the King of glory.
5. Musical Considerations
Hanby’s melody is primarily stepwise, with only a few leaps, not larger than a fourth, making it easily singable for congregations. The original harmonies are diatonic, using standard I – IV – V chords. Different names have been assigned to the original hymn tune. Several publications like The New Canadian Hymnal (1916) and Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917) named the tune ADORATION. In some hymnals it was named LOWLINESS, such as in Gospel Melodies: A Collection of Choice Gospel Songs and Hymns (1918) and Bible School Hymnal (1907). The Baptist Hymnal (1991) and others use WHO IS HE.
III. Textual Alteration & Development
A significant alteration appeared in Sacred Songs and Solos No. 2 (1882) and Sacred Songs and Solos, Nos. 1 & 2 Combined (1882), edited by Ira D. Sankey (1840–1908). It is unclear if Sankey was personally responsible for the changes, or someone on his team.
Fig. 3. Sacred Songs and Solos, Nos. 1 & 2 Combined (1882).
This version has a total of ten stanzas. The original stanzas two and six were omitted, four new stanzas were written, and three stanzas were revised: stanza 1, stanza 7 (the new 9), and stanza 8 (the new 10). In addition, the order of stanzas 3 and 4 was reversed to correct the chronology, with Jesus’s time in the wilderness preceding the death of Lazarus. The newly written stanzas emphasize Jesus’s ministry of speaking and healing and introduce the triumphal entry.
Since the 1950s, most publications have arranged the stanzas to four lines instead of two by simply repeating the music, significantly reducing the performance time by eliminating some repetitions of the refrain.
In England, this hymn text is commonly set to RESONET IN LAUDIBUS, a chant tune from the fourteenth century,[1] a precedent set by The English Hymnal (1906). In that hymnal, it was labeled as a catechism hymn. The editors transposed the order of stanzas 3 and 4 for chronological reasons.
Fig. 4. The English Hymnal (Oxford: University Press, 1906).
Percy Dearmer (1867–1936), who was literary editor of The English Hymnal alongside music editor Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), recast the hymn for Songs of Praise (1925). Dearmer said, “we have now taken the opportunity of framing words which involve no alteration of the charming but complicated tune,” resulting in a meter of 7.8.7.11 for the stanzas and 10.9.7.4.4.10, which he called “of course, unique.”[2] Dearmer’s version has seven stanzas. It has not been adopted into other hymnals.
Fig. 5. Songs of Praise (Oxford: University Press, 1925).
by JOSEPH NGULLIE
with CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
25 September 2025
Footnotes:
For more on “Resonet in laudibus,” see especially the New Oxford Book of Carols (Oxford: University Press, 1991), pp. 173–183.
Percy Dearmer, Songs of Praise Discussed (Oxford: University Press, 1933), p. 372.
Related Resources:
J.R. Watson, “Who is he in yonder stall,” Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology:
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/w/who-is-he,-in-yonder-stall