Apatu ascribe?

S:Deuteronomy 32:3-4

For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name.
Ascribe greatness to our God!
⁴ The Rock: his work is perfect,
    for all his ways are just.
    A God of faithfulness who does no wrong,
    just and right is he.

O: I’m familiar with these verses from Don Moen’s song

But I always thought the phrase “ascribe greatness” a bit odd — after all, God is already great; He doesn’t need us to make Him great. So I went to look it up.

In Deuteronomy 32:3, the Hebrew phrase is:

כִּי שֵׁם יְהוָה אֶקְרָא הָבוּ גֹדֶל לֵאלֹהֵינוּ
Ki shem Yahweh ekra; havu gōdel l’Eloheinu.

“For the name of Yahweh I will call; give (or ascribe) greatness to our God.”

Reading up on this, I found that the verb הָבוּ (havu) means “give,” “ascribe,” or “attribute.” So it’s not about proclaiming greatness as if we’re creating it, but about acknowledging or crediting God with the greatness that already belongs to Him.

In other words, it’s kinda like saying “I will call on Yahweh’s name — you, therefore, should recognise and declare how great He is.”

It’s like saying, “I will proclaim Yahweh; now, you react to His glory!” We don’t make God great; we recognise His greatness and respond to it in worship.

A: Yahweh is so great and good to us. We need to react to that in worship, in praise, and in motivation to follow Him. Worship isn’t just singing — it’s a recognition that all goodness, justice, and faithfulness flow from Him. We should not forget His goodness for us like the Israelites did in the desert, which Moses went on to remind them of in the rest of this passage. Otherwise we will reap the negative consequences of our negative actions.

The last few chapters has had a lot of reminders about consequences — both good and bad. It’s the principle of sowing and reaping — we reap what we sow. But when we continually ascribe greatness to God — giving Him the honour and gratitude He deserves — it keeps our hearts humble and our lives aligned with His ways.

P: Father, thank You for being our Rock — faithful, just, and perfect in all Your ways. Help me always to recognize Your greatness and to respond with gratitude and obedience.may I always be mindful of Your greatness and Your love for us, and may I always follow You. As You love us, You have warned us about the consequences — both positive and negative. May I sow faithfulness and reap the fruit of Your goodness. In Jesus’ name, amen.