“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.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 12:4 Mean?
Isaiah 12:4 is the worship that erupts after judgment has passed and restoration has arrived: "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."
Four commands define post-restoration worship. Hōdū laYHWH — praise, give thanks, confess God's goodness. Qir'u bishmō — call upon His name, proclaim it, invoke it publicly. Hōdī'u ba'ammīm alīlōthav — make known among the peoples His deeds, His works, His actions in history. Hazkirū kī nisgab shĕmō — make mention, remember aloud, that His name is exalted — nisgab, elevated, set on high, unreachable.
The audience shifts outward: "among the people" — ba'ammīm, among the nations. The restoration isn't a private experience. It's public testimony. What God has done for Israel isn't meant to stay inside Israel. It's meant to be declared — hōdī'u, made known — to the watching world. The restored community becomes the evangelistic community. You were saved so that you could tell.
Isaiah 12 functions as a hinge — the conclusion of the judgment oracles (chapters 1-11) and the setup for the nation oracles (chapters 13-23). The worship in this chapter is what stands between the discipline and the mission. God judged. God restored. Now go tell.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What has God restored in your life that you haven't yet declared publicly? Who needs to hear that story?
- 2.Isaiah says restoration leads to testimony. Have you been enjoying the restoration privately without going public with what God did?
- 3.The commands are all outward-facing — declare, make known, make mention. Is your worship directed outward, or has it stayed inward?
- 4.The restored community becomes the evangelistic community. How does your experience of God's faithfulness equip you to reach people who don't know Him yet?
Devotional
After the judgment. After the exile. After the restoration. Then this: tell everyone.
Isaiah 12 is the song that comes after the fire. God disciplined Israel. God restored Israel. And the first instruction for the restored people is: declare His doings among the nations. Make known. Make mention. Go public with what happened to you.
Four commands, and every one of them is outward-facing. Praise — direct your gratitude upward. Call on His name — invoke His identity publicly. Declare His doings among the people — tell the nations what He did. Make mention that His name is exalted — speak it out loud, into the hearing of people who don't know it yet.
Restoration isn't the end of the story. It's the beginning of the testimony. God didn't save you so you could enjoy the relief privately. He saved you so the nations would hear. Your specific story of judgment and restoration — the discipline that humbled you, the grace that rebuilt you, the God who was faithful through both — is a message the peoples need.
"Make mention that his name is exalted" — hazkirū. Remember out loud. Not silently, in the privacy of your own gratitude. Out loud. In the hearing of people who need to know that there is a God who judges, restores, and exalts His own name through the process. Your testimony isn't your private property. It's public evidence. Declare it.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
In that day shall ye say, praise the Lord,.... On account of his being and perfections, for blessings received from him,…
And in that day - (see Isa 12:1). Call upon his name - Margin, ‘Proclaim.’ It denotes to call upon him in the way of…
This is the second part of this evangelical song, and to the same purport with the former; there believers stir up…
The members of the redeemed community exhort each other to publish the praises of Jehovah to the world.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture