It was first published in 1870, in an expanded version of Noel's collection The Name of Jesus and Other Verses for the Sick and Lonely.
[4] She has been compared to Charlotte Elliott, as an example of a hymn writer whose compositions were "the outcome of her days of pain",[2] and who "learned in suffering what she taught in song".
[2] As the title suggests, she particularly wrote with "the sick and lonely" in mind, and her verses were intended more for personal reflection than public singing.
It is partly based on the New Testament passage Philippians 2:5–11, which describes the incarnation, crucifixion and exaltation of Jesus.
[14] The remainder of the hymn describes Christ's exaltation, before the congregation encourages each other to "name him", "enthrone him", "crown him" and "confess him King of glory", looking forward to his return.
Jesus is presented as a victorious king, who the singer should "crown" as their captain, and "enthrone" him in their hearts, declaring in the final stanza that "all wreaths of empire / meet upon his brow".
"[17] One of the earliest tunes was "Evelyns", which was composed for these words by William Henry Monk, first appearing in the 1875 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern.
[18] In 1925, the hymnal Songs of Praise printed the words with the tune "King's Weston" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
"[6] Another common early tune was "Cuddesdon", by William Harold Ferguson, which was included in the Revised Church Hymnary (1927).