· Translation: KJV

1 Chronicles 16:8Oh give thanks to Yahweh. Call on his name. Make his doings known among the peoples.

The setting

Jerusalem, ~1000 BC. David's newly appointed worship team begins the first official psalm in Jerusalem's history. Asaph and his brothers sing these words as the ark rests safely in its tent, surrounded by celebrating Israelites and foreign ambassadors.

The emotion here: overflowing with joy and urgency to share

The original word

hodu (הוֹדוּ) — give thanks, confess, declare publicly

Why it matters

This psalm was sung while representatives from surrounding nations watched, making it international evangelism

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Chronicles 16:8

The phrase 'among the peoples' was radical — they're singing to tell OTHER NATIONS about Israel's God

Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about personal gratitude, but David is commanding public evangelism — tell the NATIONS what God has done.

Bible Genome reading

1 Chronicles 16:8 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerDavid
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionworship
Literary typepsalm
MarkCommand

Emotional genome

Comfort power60%
Quotability80%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone70%
Themes:thanksgivingproclamationworship commands

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Chronicles 16

1 Chronicles 16:8 comes from the book of 1 Chronicles, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is joyful. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include thanksgiving, proclamation, worship commands. Notable phrases: give thanks to Yahweh; call on his name; make his doings known. This verse contains a command.

Your reflection

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