1 Chronicles 16:24 — Word Study
WLCסַפְּר֤וּ בַגּוֹיִם֙ אֶת־ כְּבוֹד֔וֹ בְּכָל־ הָעַמִּ֖ים נִפְלְאֹתָֽיו׃
BSADeclareçâphar [rehearse, tell forth] His glorykâbôwd [great honor, splendor] among the nationsgôwy [Gentiles, heathen] His wonderspâlâʼ among allkôl [every, the whole of] peoplesʻam [nations, people groups]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| סַפְּר֤וּ | recount | Verb, Piel, imperative second person masculine plural |
| בַגּוֹיִם֙ | among the nations | Preposition, noun common masculine plural absolute |
| אֶת־ | the object marker | Particle |
| כְּבוֹד֔וֹ | glory his | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| בְּכָל־ | among all | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| הָעַמִּ֖ים | the peoples | Particle, noun common masculine plural absolute |
| נִפְלְאֹתָֽיו׃ | wonders his | Verb niphal participle (active) feminine plural common, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples. |
| KJV | Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. |
| ASV | Declare his glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples. |
| YLT | Rehearse among nations His glory, Among all the peoples His wonders. |
| WEB | Declare his glory among the nations, and his marvelous works among all the peoples. |
| BBE | Make clear his glory to the nations, and his wonders to all the peoples. |
There are no significant differences in the translations of this verse.
The sentence is structured around a main command, with additional phrases specifying the audience and the content of the declaration.
3 commentators on this verse
Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
verbסָפַר
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 1 Chronicles 16:24
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Call to Praisegenerated
1 Chronicles 16:24 is part of a song that encourages the people of Israel to celebrate the Lord's greatness. The psalmist emphasizes the importance of proclaiming God's glory and His marvelous deeds to all nations, reflecting a desire for all peoples to recognize and honor the Lord. This call to worship is consistent with the broader themes found throughout the Psalms, where the majesty of God is celebrated and shared with the world.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Kings 19:19 | And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.” |
| 2 | Psalm 22:27 | All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. |
| 3 | Isaiah 12:2–6 | Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.” |
| 4 | Daniel 4:1–3 | King Nebuchadnezzar, To the people of every nation and language who dwell in all the earth: May your prosperity be multiplied. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — סַפְּר֤וּ, sa.pe.Rugenerated
The verb סָפַר (safar) means to recount or declare, and it is in the Piel stem, which often indicates an intensive action. Here, it is used in the imperative form, urging the community to actively share and rehearse God's glory and deeds.
This word carries the connotation of recording or inscribing, suggesting that the act of declaring is not just verbal but also a form of testimony that preserves the greatness of God for future generations.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as 'Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples.' This wording is consistent across several translations, including the KJV and ASV, which also emphasize the proclamation of God's glory.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is סַפְּר֤וּ, declare, which governs the rest of the sentence. It is followed by two prepositional phrases: the first specifies where to declare God's glory, and the second specifies among whom His wonderful deeds should be proclaimed.
The structure emphasizes the imperative nature of the command, calling for action to be taken by the people to share God's glory and works with all nations.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint does not provide a direct Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word סַפְּר֤וּ, indicating a potential interpretive choice by the translators. This absence may suggest a focus on the act of proclamation rather than a specific term for recounting.
The lack of a direct translation may also imply that the translators understood the significance of the command to declare God's glory as a broader call to worship rather than a mere recounting of events.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
1 Chronicles 16:24 calls on the people to declare God's glory and wonderful deeds to all nations. This verse emphasizes the importance of sharing God's greatness and miraculous works with everyone, highlighting the universal call to worship.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Declaring God's glory involves publicly acknowledging and praising His greatness, majesty, and the wonderful things He has done.
Sharing God's deeds among all peoples helps to spread the knowledge of His greatness and invites others to recognize and worship Him.
We can declare God's glory through worship, testimony, sharing the gospel, and living in a way that reflects His character and works.
Examples of God's wonderful deeds include creation, miracles in the Bible, answered prayers, and personal experiences of His faithfulness in our lives.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways can I actively declare God's glory in my daily life?
- How can I share the wonderful deeds of God with those around me?
- What does it mean for me to be a witness to God's greatness in my community?
- How can I encourage others to recognize and praise God's works?
Commentators on this verse — 3 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 1 Chronicles 16:24 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryGive thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. No JFB commentary on these verses.
Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Chronicles 16 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(4-42) THE OF A FOR THE ARK. THE ODE SUNG ON THE DAY OF . This entire section is peculiar to the Chronicle. 1 Chronicles 16:43 is almost identical with 2 Samuel 6:19-20. Compared, then, with the older text, this relation of the chronicler’s looks like a parenthesis interpolated from another source into the history, as narrated in 2 Samuel 6:12-20.
Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Chronicles 16 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges24. the heathen … all nations] R.V. the nations … all the peoples.
Read Cambridge on 1 Chronicles 16 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples.
Declare his glory among the nations, and his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.
Tell the nations about his splendor, tell all the nations about his miraculous deeds!
Tyndale line
Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.
Declare his glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
Declare his glory among the heathen; his wonderful works among all nations.
Declare his glory among the nations, and his wonderful workes among all people.
Strictly literal
Declare his glory among the nations, His wondrous works among all peoples.
Rehearse among nations His glory, Among all the peoples His wonders.
Recount His glory among nations, || His wonders among all the peoples.
Relate among the nations his glory: among all the people his wonderful deeds.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all the nations.
From the Latin
Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.
Simplified
Declare his glorious acts among the nations, the wonderful things he does among all peoples.
Make clear his glory to the nations, and his wonders to all the peoples.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads סַפְּר֤וּ בַגּוֹיִם֙ אֶת־ כְּבוֹד֔וֹ בְּכָל־ הָעַמִּ֖ים נִפְלְאֹתָֽיו׃, while the Septuagint matches 6 of the 7 words, indicating a close alignment in meaning despite differences in word order and structure.
סַפְּר֤וּ בַגּוֹיִם֙ אֶת־ כְּבוֹד֔וֹ בְּכָל־ הָעַמִּ֖ים נִפְלְאֹתָֽיו׃
6 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 1 Chronicles 16:24
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
סָפַר (safar) is a Hebrew verb meaning to count or recount, with various forms indicating actions like declaring or rehearsing. The noun form סֹפֵר (sofer) refers to a scribe or secretary. The entries highlight its use in contexts of enumeration and record-keeping, but do not present significant disagreement among lexicons.
סָפַר 107 vb. count, Pi. recount, relate
Qal 27
count things, to learn their number
number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon
Niph. be counted, numbered
Pi. 67 recount, rehearse, declare
Pu. be recounted, related, rehearsed
base
סֹפֵר, סוֹפֵר n.m. enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe
base
H5608a סָפַר count, Pi. recount, relate .. count things, to learn their number
. number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon
. be counted, numbered
. recount, rehearse, declare
. be recounted, related, rehearsed
H5608b סֹפֵר, סוֹפֵר enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe
5608 caphar saw-far'
a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally
or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to
enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate:--commune,
(ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew
forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.
סָפַר (sa.phar) — to recount.
v
1) to count, recount, relate
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to count (things)
1a2) to number, take account of, reckon
1b) (Niphal) to be counted, be numbered
1c) (Piel) to recount, rehearse, declare
1c1) to recount (something), rehearse
1c2) to talk
1c3) to count exactly or accurately
1d) (Pual) to be recounted, be rehearsed, be related
סֹפֵר (so.pher) — secretary.
1) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe
1a) enumerator, muster-officer, secretary
1b) learned man, scribe
Aramaic equivalent: sa.pher (סָפִר "scribe" H5613)
V-Piel-Impv-2mp — Verb · Piel · imperative second person masculine pluralHVpv2mp
גּוֹי (goy) refers to a nation or people, often indicating non-Hebrew groups, but can also encompass descendants of Abraham and Israel. It may figuratively describe a swarm of locusts or animals. The plural form, גּוֹיִם (goyim), is noted as a proper noun referring to the people of Goim, specifically mentioned in Genesis 14:1.
גּוֹי 661 n.m. nation, people
base
גּוֹיִם n.pr.gent. Tid‛al king of Goim
base
H1471a גּוֹי nation, people H1471b גּוֹיִם n. pr. gent. Tid‛al king of Goim
1471 gowy go'-ee
rarely (shortened) goy {go'-ee}; apparently from the same
root as 1465 (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation;
hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a
flight of locusts:--Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
see HEBREW for 01465
גּוֹי (goy) — nation.
1) nation, people
1a) nation, people
1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people
1a2) of descendants of Abraham
1a3) of Israel
1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.)
גּוֹיִם (go.yim) — Goiim.
People descended from Goy(?), first mentioned at Gen.14.1
§ Goyim (Tidgal, king of)
גּוֹי (goy) — Gentile.
1) nation, people
1a) nation, people
1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people
1a2) of descendants of Abraham
1a3) of Israel
1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.)
1c) Goyim? = "nations"
Also named: ethnos (ἔθνος "Gentiles" G1484)
גּוֹי (goy) — (Harosheth)-hagoyim.
Goyim (Tidgal, king of)
Combined with cha.ro.shet (חֲרֹ֫שֶׁת "Harosheth" H2800)
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural absoluteHRd/Ncmpa
na'-shunz.
See GENTILES; GOIIM; HEATHEN; TABLE OF NATIONS.
אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).
אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
base
H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite
853 'eth ayth
apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of
entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more
definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or
namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).
see HEBREW for 0226
אֵת (et) — [Obj.].
sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative
Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
HTo — ParticleHTo
כָּבוֹד (kabowd) refers to concepts of abundance, honour, and glory. It encompasses external splendor, dignity of position, and reputation, as well as the inner nobility of a person. The term can denote both the weightiness of glory and the reverence due to someone. The entries consistently emphasize its positive connotations.
כָּבוֹד n.m. and f. abundance, honour, glory
abundance, riches
honour, splendor, glory, of external condition and circumstances
honour, dignity of position
honour, reputation, of character
my honour, poet. of the seat of honour in the inner man, the noblest part of man
honour, reverence, glory, as due to one or ascribed to one
glory as the object, of honour, reverence and glorifying
base
H3519 כָּבוֹד abundance, honour, glory . abundance, riches
. honour, splendor, glory, of external condition and circumstances
. honour, dignity of position
. honour, reputation, of character
. my honour, poet. of the seat of honour in the inner man, the noblest part of man
. honour, reverence, glory, as due to one or ascribed to one
. glory as the object, of honour, reverence and glorifying
3519 kabowd kaw-bode'
rarely kabod {kaw-bode'}; from 3513; properly, weight, but
only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or
copiousness:--glorious(-ly), glory, honour(-able).
see HEBREW for 03513
כָּבוֹד (ka.vod) — glory.
1) glory, honour, glorious, abundance
1a) abundance, riches
1b) honour, splendour, glory
1c) honour, dignity
1d) honour, reputation
1e) honour, reverence, glory
1f) glory
N-cs | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp3ms
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.
(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.
(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).
עַם (am) primarily means 'people' or 'nation,' referring to a collective group, often in the context of tribes such as those of Israel. It can also denote kinsmen or compatriots. The term appears in various contexts, including military and familial references. There is a mention of a specific individual named Ammi in Song of Solomon 6:12.
עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people
a people, nation
= smaller units
= common people
people in gen., persons
phrases
base
[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)
base
H5971a עַם, עָם people H5971b עַם kinsman (on father's side)
5971 `am am
from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a
tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or
attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation,
people.
see HEBREW for 06004
עַם (am) — people.
: people/nation
1) nation, people
1a) people, nation
1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men
עַם (am) — kinsman.
kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — Ammi.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at Sng.6.12
§ kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — People's (Gate).
§ kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — (Ibleam)-am.
Combined with yiv.le.am (יִבְלְעָם "Ibleam" H2991)
§ kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — Amaw.
This name means nation, people
עַם (am) — people: soldiers.
: soldiers/army
1) nation, people
1a) people, nation
1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men
עַם (am) — people: creatures.
: creatures
1) nation, people
1a) people, nation
1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men
Art | N-mp — Particle · noun common masculine plural absoluteHTd/Ncmpa
The Hebrew word פָּלָא (pala') is a verb that conveys the idea of being extraordinary or wonderful. It can describe actions that are difficult to perform or understand, as well as marvelous acts of God, particularly in judgment and redemption. The word can also refer to making special offerings or showing oneself in a marvelous way.
[פָּלָא] 71 vb. denom. Niph. etc., be surpassing, extraordinary
Niph.
be beyond one's power, difficult to do
be difficult to understand
be extraordinary, wonderful
as subst., marvellous things
= wonderful acts of י׳ in judgement and redemption
Pi. make a special votive offering
Hiph.
do a hard or difficult thing
make wonderful, do wondrously
of God working wonders in doing
Hithp. thou dost shew thyself marvellous (act inexplicably) against me
base
H6381 פָּלָא vb. denom. Niph. etc., be surpassing, extraordinary . . be beyond one's power, difficult to do
. be difficult to understand
. . be extraordinary, wonderful
. as subst., marvellous things
. = wonderful acts of י׳ in judgement and redemption
. make a special votive offering
. . do a hard or difficult thing
. make wonderful, do wondrously
. of God working wonders in doing
. thou dost shew thyself marvellous (act inexplicably) against me
6381 pala' paw-law'
a primitive root; properly, perhaps to separate, i.e.
distinguish (literally or figuratively); by implication, to be
(causatively, make) great, difficult, wonderful:--accomplish,
(arise...too, be too) hard, hidden, things too high, (be, do,
do a, shew) marvelous(-ly, -els, things, work), miracles,
perform, separate, make singular, (be, great, make)
wonderful(-ers, -ly, things, works), wondrous (things,
works, -ly).
פָּלָא (pa.la) — to wonder.
1) to be marvellous, be wonderful, be surpassing, be extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action
1a) (Niphal)
1a1) to be beyond one's power, be difficult to do
1a2) to be difficult to understand
1a3) to be wonderful, be extraordinary
1a3a) marvellous (participle)
1b) (Piel) to separate (an offering)
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to do extraordinary or hard or difficult thing
1c2) to make wonderful, do wondrously
1d) (Hithpael) to show oneself wonderful or marvellous
V-Niphal | Suff — Verb niphal participle (active) feminine plural common · suffixHVNrfpc/Sp3ms