Isaiah — Chapter 12
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1In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.
2Surely 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.”
3With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,
4and on that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.
5Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known in all the earth.
6Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”
1And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
4And 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.
5Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
6Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
1And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me.
2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Jehovah, [even] Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation.
3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
4And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted.
5Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth.
6Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.
1At that time you will say: “I praise you, O Lord, for even though you were angry with me, your anger subsided, and you consoled me.
2Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him and not fear. For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.”
3Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of deliverance.
4At that time you will say: “Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicize his mighty acts among the nations. Make it known that he is unique.
5Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things; let this be known throughout the earth.
6Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel acts mightily among you!”
1In that day you will say, “I will give thanks to you, Yahweh; for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you comfort me.
2Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation.”
3Therefore with joy you will draw water out of the wells of salvation.
4In that day you will say, “Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name. Declare his doings among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted!
5Sing to Yahweh, for he has done excellent things! Let this be known in all the earth!
6Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for the Holy One of Israel is great among you!”
Summary
This short psalm closes the "Book of Immanuel" (chapters 7-12) with a song of thanksgiving for the salvation just promised. The redeemed declare that though God was once angry, his anger has turned away and he has become their comfort, their strength, and their song (vv. 1-2). They will draw water joyfully from the wells of salvation, call on his name, and make his deeds known among the nations (vv. 3-4). The chapter ends with a call for Zion's people to sing and shout, for the Holy One of Israel is great in their midst (vv. 5-6).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Zion (v.6): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines this chapter as the conclusion to the Book of Immanuel, connecting the wells of salvation to Jesus' teaching and the joy of the redeemed.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the promised king who runs through Isaiah from beginning to end.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Isaiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Trust Displacing Fear (v.2) — The song declares trust in God as salvation and refuses to be afraid, not by willpower but by fixing attention on who God is. What fear currently dominates you that could shrink if your focus shifted to God's character instead?
- Drawing Water With Joy (v.3) — The redeemed draw water from the wells of salvation with joy, not as a burdensome duty. Has your relationship with God settled into obligation, or does it still feel like something you draw from with gladness?
- Salvation That Speaks (v.4) — The response to deliverance is to make God's deeds known among the peoples, not to keep it private. When did you last tell someone specifically what God has done for you?
- God in Your Midst (v.6) — The chapter closes by declaring the Holy One of Israel great in the midst of His people, not distant from them. Do you live as though God is present with you right now, or as someone waiting for Him to show up later?