For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

ISAIAH 55:12KJV
Know the Bible

Isaiah 55:12 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 55:12 mean?

Isaiah 55:12 describes a joyful and peaceful departure, where creation itself seems to celebrate alongside the people. The verse uses vivid imagery of mountains, hills, and trees expressing happiness, showing that the people’s release or return is marked by overwhelming gladness and harmony.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking God’s words to the people of Israel, promising them a future time of deliverance and restoration. The language paints a picture of not just human joy, but all of nature responding to God’s saving work, emphasizing the completeness and beauty of what God will do.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 55:12

  • The word for "joy" is שִׂמְחָה (simchah), which means gladness or rejoicing. This word highlights the deep, genuine happiness that comes from God’s intervention, not just a fleeting feeling.
  • "Peace" is שָׁלוֹם (shalom), a word that means more than just the absence of conflict; it carries the sense of wholeness, well-being, and harmony. Here, it shows that God’s guidance brings a complete sense of safety and fulfillment.
  • The phrase "clap their hands" uses the word תָּקַע (taqa‘), which means to strike or clap. This is a poetic way of saying that even the trees are so full of joy that they join in the celebration, making the scene feel alive and welcoming.
  • "Singing" comes from רִנָּה (rinnah), which means a ringing cry or shout of joy. This word adds to the sense that creation is not silent but actively rejoicing.

Why Isaiah 55:12 matters

  • Isaiah 55:12 clears up the idea that God’s promises are only about spiritual or inward change; the verse shows that God’s work brings visible, outward joy and peace that affects all of life, even the natural world.
  • The verse emphasizes that God’s deliverance is not just an escape from trouble, but a positive, celebratory event marked by deep happiness and well-being.
  • Isaiah 55:12 connects to the wider passage by showing the result of seeking God and responding to His invitation: a transformed life and world, filled with joy and peace that everyone and everything can see.

Where else these words appear

“clap” Hebrew H4222 · used in 3 verses

  • Psalms 98:8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
  • Ezekiel 25:6 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;

“forth” Hebrew H6476 · used in 8 verses

  • Psalms 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
  • Isaiah 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.
  • Isaiah 52:9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

“forth” Hebrew H2986 · used in 18 verses

  • Job 10:19 I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
  • Psalms 60:9 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
  • Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

“singing” Hebrew H7440 · used in 33 verses

  • 1 Kings 8:28 Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:
  • Psalms 105:43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
  • Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.