What Does Isaiah 12:4 Mean in the King James?
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.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Praise makes the LORD’s nature public: his name is called, his deeds are made known, and his name is declared exalted.
THE MEANING
You give thanks, call on the LORD’s שֵׁם (shem, name as nature), and make his deeds known among peoples; praise moves from direct address into public declaration. His name stands exalted as his character becomes recognizable through what he does.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It dissolves the belief that praise is only private feeling or repeating a title; here, praise names the LORD’s nature through deeds spoken among peoples.
THE ROOT
הוֹדוּ
hodu
GROWS FROM
ידה
y-d-h
acknowledge, give thanks, praise
“praise / give thanks” in this verse is hodu. הוֹדוּ (hodu, give thanks/praise) comes from ידה (y-d-h, acknowledge/give thanks), while הוֹדִיעוּ (hodi’u, make known) comes from ידע (y-d-ʿ, know/recognize). They are distinct roots with a close sound, letting acknowledgment and disclosure answer each other: praise speaks, then the deeds make the nature named visible.
ALSO GROWS
todah: thanksgiving, gratitude
תּוֹדָה
The shared root shows praise as voiced gratitude and acknowledgment.
Yehudah: Judah, a name associated with praise and thanksgiving
יְהוּדָה
The praise root also appears in a personal name, linking praise with the nature a name carries.
הוֹדִיעוּ
hodi’u
GROWS FROM
ידע
y-d-ʿ
know, recognize, perceive; in this form, make known
“declare / make known” in this verse is hodi’u. הוֹדִיעוּ (hodi’u, make known) is a causative form of יָדַע (yada, know/perceive): the deeds bring knowledge into view. The verse connects those deeds with שֵׁם (shem, name/nature), so what the LORD does makes the nature named recognizable.
ALSO GROWS
yada: know, perceive, recognize
יָדַע
The root verb shows that declaring is the act of bringing recognition.
da’at: knowledge, understanding
דַּעַת
This branch names what the public declaration produces: knowledge of the deeds and the nature they reveal.
קִרְאוּ
qir’u
GROWS FROM
קרא
q-r-ʾ
call out, summon, proclaim
“call upon” in this verse is qir’u. Calling on שֵׁם (shem, name/nature) addresses character, not merely a label. This root also forms words for public reading and gathering, so the name invoked becomes a declaration shared among peoples.
ALSO GROWS
miqra: a gathering or public reading
מִקְרָא
The branch carries the call into a shared setting, echoing the verse’s movement among peoples.
qeri’ah: a call or reading aloud
קְרִיאָה
The voiced call can become public proclamation of the name.
THE PATTERN
Praise moves from acknowledgment of the LORD to public recognition of his character through his deeds.
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:THE THREAD
O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.Psalm 105:1 repeats Isaiah’s sequence through the same roots: ידה (y-d-h, give thanks), קרא (q-r-ʾ, call), and ידע (y-d-ʿ, make known). Its wording makes the movement plain: praise calls on the LORD’s nature, then tells what he does among the people.
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