Isaiah 12:4 · Bible study
Isaiah 12:4 Commentary: Praise, Proclamation, the Exalted Name
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study of Isaiah 12:4's commands: Give thanks, call on His name, declare His doings. What does 'call upon His name' mean for worship and witness?
Research Summary
- Meaning: A call to praise, invoke, and publicly proclaim Yahweh's name and deeds to all peoples.
- Key words: הוֹדוּ (give thanks), קִרְאוּ (call/invoke), הוֹדִיעוּ (make known), הַזְכִּירוּ (cause to remember).
- Main debate: Whether 'call upon his name' refers to prayerful invocation or public proclamation of God's name.
- Theological theme: The redeemed community's mission to make God's salvation known universally.
- Best use: As a template for worship that integrates gratitude, invocation, testimony, and adoration, in that order.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
and on that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.
WEB World English Bible 2000
In that day you will say, “Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name! Declare his doings among the peoples! Proclaim that his name is exalted!
KJV King James Version 1769
And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And ye have said in that day, Give ye praise to Jehovah, call in His name. Make known among the peoples His acts. Make mention that set on high is His name.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And in that day shall ye say, Give ye thanks to Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his deeds among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And you shall say in that day: Praise ye the Lord, and call upon his name: make his works known among the people: remember that his name is high.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y diréis en aquel día: Cantad á Jehová, aclamad su nombre, haced célebres en los pueblos sus obras, recordad que su nombre es engrandecido.
E direis naquele dia: Agradecei ao SENHOR, falai em alta voz ao seu nome; informai seus feitos entre os povos, anunciai quão exaltado é o seu nome.
Et vous direz en ce jour-là:
und werdet sagen zu derselben Zeit: Danket dem HERRN, prediget seinen Namen; machet kund unter den Völkern sein Tun; verkündiget, wie sein Name so hoch ist.
En zult te dienzelfden dage zeggen: Dankt den HEERE, roept Zijn Naam aan, maakt Zijn daden bekend onder de volken! vermeldt, dat Zijn Naam verhoogd is.
e in quel giorno direte: “Celebrate l’Eterno, invocate il suo nome, fate conoscere le sue opere tra i popoli, proclamate che il suo nome è eccelso!
I rzeczecie dnia onego: Wysławiajcie Pana wzywajcie imienia jego, opowiadajcie między narodami sprawy jego, przypominajcie, że wysokie jest imię jego.
и скажете в тот день: славьте Господа, призывайте имя Его; возвещайте в народах дела Его; напоминайте, что велико имя Его;
在那 日，你們要說：當稱謝 耶和華，求告 他的名；將他所行的 傳揚 在萬民中，提說 他的名 已被尊崇。
And in that day you will say, Give praise to the Lord, let his name be honoured, give word of his doings among the peoples, say that his name is lifted up.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 12:4
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
All commentators agree that Isaiah 12:4 records a prophetic song of praise for the day of salvation. The verse's four imperatives form a pattern of worship that is both vertical and horizontal. Barnes notes that 'the whole hymn is one of praise, and not of prayer.' Yet Calvin argues that 'call upon his name' includes the whole of worship, of which prayer is part. Cambridge and others point to the language of Psalm 105:1 and 1 Chronicles 16:8, where the Hebrew phrase 'call by his name' suggests invoking God in solemn worship. The consensus is that the congregation is called to give thanks, invoke God's name, broadcast his deeds, and celebrate his exalted character. Whether the focus is prayer or proclamation, the verse clearly demands a public, vocal, and mission-oriented expression of gratitude for salvation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Prayerful invocation: Gill and Matthew Henry emphasize calling on the name of the Lord in prayer as part of worship.
- Public proclamation: Barnes and Calvin stress the public, outward-facing context of the song, with Calvin identifying the whole of worship under calling upon God.
- Combined meaning: Cambridge Bible and many modern readers see no sharp division; 'call upon his name' can mean both invoking God in worship and announcing his name to others.
What is clear: The verse commands the redeemed community to give thanks, invoke or proclaim God's name, make his deeds known across nations, and celebrate that his name is exalted.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'call upon his name' | All traditions see it as an act of worship directed toward Yahweh. | Some read it as prayerful invocation (Gill, Matthew Henry). Others as public proclamation (Barnes, Calvin). Cambridge and many modern commentators hold that it includes both invoking God in worship and announcing his name to others. |
| The identity of 'that day' | It is a day of salvation and deliverance from God. | Some see it as the historical deliverance from Assyria (Matthew Henry). Others as the messianic age (Gill, many Reformed). Still others see a typological pattern: the immediate deliverance foreshadows the final salvation in Christ. |
| Audience of the proclamation | The phrase 'among the peoples' indicates a scope beyond one nation. | Calvin says the proclamation first to the Jews, then spreads worldwide. Barnes applies it explicitly to the nations. The debate is whether this implies a missionary mandate for Israel or a future ingathering of Gentiles. |
| The role of the Messiah | This song celebrates God's saving acts and his exaltation. | Gill explicitly applies the exaltation to Christ's resurrection and ascension. Barnes sees it as the interposition of the Messiah in general. Others read the exaltation of God's name more broadly, without direct messianic reference. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 12 sits at a hinge in the book. The opening words, 'in that day', look back to the vision of the shoot of Jesse in chapter 11, where the Spirit of the Lord brings justice, peace, and a restored creation. They also look forward to the fall of Babylon and the gathering of the nations. The immediate backdrop may be deliverance from the Assyrian threat under Sennacherib, but the song reaches beyond that event.
The four verbs are all Hiphil imperatives, lending a ringing, authoritative tone. The first, הוֹדוּ (hodu), means 'give thanks,' a word used repeatedly in the Psalms for public confession of God's character. The second, קִרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹ (kir'u vishmo), uses the preposition bet: 'by means of his name' or 'in his name.' This same construction appears in 1 Kings 18:24, where the prophets of Baal 'call on the name' of their god in vocal, public prayer. Third, הוֹדִיעוּ (hodi'u) means 'cause to know', a deliberate declaration. The fourth verb, הַזְכִּירוּ (hazkiru), means 'cause to be remembered.' It is not a passive memory; it is an active proclamation.
The song borrows directly from the psalms of David (1 Chronicles 16:8) and from the song of Moses (Exodus 15). This is not a spontaneous outburst. It is liturgy, crafted and passed down, tying the present salvation to God's long history of redemption. The plural address, 'you will say', pictures an entire community speaking as one voice. And the target is not themselves alone: 'among the peoples' signals a universal audience. This song was written for the nations to hear.
Textual Notes
None of the supplied sources note any significant textual variants for Isaiah 12:4. The Kethib and Q're appear only in verse 5, where the word for 'known' varies between meyudda'ath (Pual) and muda'ath (Hophal). The Hebrew text of verse 4 is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Isaiah 12:4 has been sung in both Jewish and Christian worship for centuries. Its phrases are drawn directly from 1 Chronicles 16:8, which records David's psalm at the arrival of the ark in Jerusalem. Early Christian commentators such as Eusebius and Jerome read the song as a prophecy of the gospel spreading to the nations. During the Reformation, Calvin and others used this verse to emphasize that genuine worship leads to witness. In the modern era, the verse is often quoted in mission conferences and sung in hymns that call the church to declare God's deeds. The four imperatives remain a pattern for liturgy that moves from thanksgiving to proclamation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Give thanks: The foundation of worship is gratitude for God's saving work. The word hodu implies a physical gesture of praise, open hands, raised voice.
- Call on his name: Whether this means prayer or proclamation, the act is deliberate. The community does not simply feel thankful; it speaks the name of Yahweh aloud.
- Broadcast his deeds: The final two imperatives move outward, 'declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted.' Gratitude requires a witness.
Five-point outline
- Remember the day: 'In that day you will say.' This song belongs to those who have experienced deliverance.
- Give thanks to Yahweh: Not generic gratitude, but specific naming of the God who acted.
- Call on his name: The community invokes God, either in prayer or in public testimony.
- Make his works known: The deeds of God are not kept secret; they are declared 'among the peoples.'
- Declare his name exalted: The final confession, that his name is set on high, crowns the song.
Illustration hooks
- A sports team after a championship: they don't celebrate silently. They shout, embrace, and tell anyone who will listen. The joy of salvation should be at least that visible.
- A survivor of a crisis who cannot stop telling the story of rescue. The redeemed community is given a story that must be told.
- The tradition of a family gathering to recount 'the old, old story.' Worship that does not turn into witness becomes stale.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is 'calling on his name' something I do in prayer, or in witness, or both?
- How can I 'declare his doings among the peoples' if I'm not a missionary or preacher?
- What does it mean for daily life that God's name is 'exalted', beyond singing about it on Sunday?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is a script for how God's people respond to salvation. It moves from personal praise to public witness, all in a single breath. Use these questions to explore what it might mean for your group.
Discussion questions
- What do you think 'in that day' refers to in the context of Isaiah 11, 12?
- Identify the four commands in verse 4. Do any of them feel more natural to you than others?
- The meaning of 'call upon his name' is debated: some read it as prayer, others as public proclamation. Which interpretation seems more likely to you, and why?
- How would your worship change if you understood 'call upon his name' primarily as a command to speak God's name openly to others?
- What would it look like in your daily routine to 'declare his doings among the peoples', not just on the internet, but in your neighborhood?
- The verse ends with 'proclaim that his name is exalted.' What makes a name 'exalted' in today's culture, and how is God's name different?
- This song quotes earlier psalms (1 Chronicles 16:8; Psalm 105). Why do you think the Bible often repeats old songs in new situations? How can you draw on past testimony in your own praise?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 15:2 | Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. |
| Exodus 33:19 | He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim Yahweh’s name before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” |
| Exodus 34:5 | Yahweh descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed Yahweh’s name. |
| Exodus 34:7 | keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.” |
| I Chronicles 16:8 | Oh give thanks to Yahweh. Call on his name. Make what he has done known among the peoples. |
| I Chronicles 29:11 | Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as head above all. |
| Nehemiah 9:5 | Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting! Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! |
| Psalms 9:11 | Sing praises to Yahweh, who dwells in Zion, and declare among the people what he has done. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads "Call upon his name" as a missionary command to preach Christ to the nations, not a call to personal prayer. For him the phrase means invoking Christ as the one Mediator and proclaiming that salvation is found only in him.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the hymn is entirely praise, not prayer: calling on God's name here means proclaiming and celebrating, not petitioning. The command to declare among the peoples is specifically about spreading the news of salvation through the Messiah, so that all nations remember that God alone is worthy of exaltation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that "call upon his name" does not mean simply to utter or make known the name, but to use it in solemn invocation. The redeemed community urges one another to publish Jehovah’s praises to the world, and the word for "exalted" appears elsewhere in Isaiah.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that the proper response to God’s exalted name is a fourfold public declaration: praise, calling on his name, declaring his works, and making mention of them among the people. Worship is not private but proclaimed outwardly because God’s name is lifted high.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads this command as a prophecy for the latter days when antichrist will be destroyed and Christ's kingdom fully established. He stresses that "call upon his name" means all worship directed to Christ as the true Jehovah, and "declare his doings" points especially to Christ's completed work of redemption and his subsequent exaltation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
make mention — Hebrew, "cause it to be remembered."
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch sees the water drawn from salvation’s wells as both gift and fuel: it supplies the redeemed and directly inspires their new songs of praise. The second psalm expands that praise outward, calling all nations to know God’s majesty, because when He saves Israel He intends salvation for the whole world.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees a deliberate progression in this song: Israel first speaks personally in the singular, then after a promise of salvation the people call the whole world to praise God. Yet the song does not end with that worldwide focus; it returns to address Zion directly, because all honor and salvation rest on God dwelling in her midst.