| Joy to the World | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Christmas carol |
| Written | 1719 |
| Text | Isaac Watts |
| Based on | Psalms 98 |
| Meter | 8.6.8.6 Common metre (C.M.) |
| Melody | "Antioch" by George Frideric Handel, arranged by Lowell Mason |
"Joy to the World" is an English Christmas carol. It was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnist Isaac Watts. The carol is usually sung to the American composer Lowell Mason's 1848 arrangement of a tune attributed to George Frideric Handel. The carol's lyrics are a Christian reinterpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3.
Since the 20th century, "Joy to the World" has been the most-published Christmas hymn in North America. As of December 2009[update], it was published in 1,387 hymnals in North America, according to the Dictionary of North American Hymnology.[1]