Christmas Hymn Review: Away in a Manger

Previously, I wrote an article calling for discernment while scrutinizing the lyrics of the popular Christmas song, Mary Did You Know? I knew it would be a provocative piece, as it was meant to be. However, my intent was not to dissuade you from enjoying these tunes, but rather to approach the lyrics with wisdom and discernment.

Christmas songs have a way of burrowing into our hearts, don’t they? From the sweeping grandeur of O Holy Night to the cheerful jingles of Deck the Halls, these melodies become inseparable from the season itself. But sometimes, the words we sing betray theological missteps that go unnoticed—because, let’s face it, who’s stopping to dissect a carol when it’s wrapped in nostalgia?

Just like the previous song I covered, Away in a Manger is another such song. For all its sentimentality, it subtly embeds ideas about Christ that crumble under the scrutiny of Scripture.

The origins of Away in a Manger are tangled in a bit of myth. It was long attributed to Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, and even labeled "Luther’s Cradle Hymn." But this claim is little more than a charming fiction.

The song was first published in 1884 in the Little Children’s Book for Schools and Families and set to music by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895. Kirkpatrick, a Methodist hymn writer known for penning such classics as 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, was prolific but not without theological blind spots. And Away in a Manger—a sweet, childlike lullaby—contains more than one.

On the surface, the song’s simplicity is disarming. “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.” It conjures a peaceful, idyllic image of the nativity, complete with starlit skies and gentle animals. But as the verses unfold, its sentimental veneer starts to show cracks. Let’s take a closer look.

“The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.” A sweet image, but where in Scripture does it say the stars had anything to do with this moment? It’s poetic license, sure—but it subtly embellishes the biblical narrative with fanciful details. Now, poetic imagery isn’t inherently bad, but when songs become vehicles for unbiblical ideas, they risk skewing our understanding of the gospel.