Isaiah 12:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.

NIV: In that day you will say: "I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.

NASB: Then you will say on that day, 'I will give thanks to You, Lord; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me.

CSB: On that day you will say: "I will give thanks to you, Lord, although you were angry with me. Your anger has turned away, and you have comforted me.

NLT: In that day you will sing: 'I will praise you, O Lord! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me.

KJV: And 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.

NKJV: And in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.

This short passage (Isaiah 12:1–6) concludes a longer section that began with chapter 7. The prophet has just chronicled the future kingdom of the Messiah. This Messiah is the descendant of David who will restore Israel to glory and peace. He will also bring order to the entire world. All the non-Jewish nations will gather under His righteous rule (Isaiah 11:10). The Messiah will reassemble the Jewish people to unite them in victory over their enemies (Isaiah 11:14).

Isaiah now says to Israel that when that day comes, they will proclaim their thanks to the Lord. The nation will recognize that His anger has turned away from them. Now the Lord comforts them instead of punishing their sinful faithlessness to Him. This raises the question of what has changed: why did God stop being angry with His people and begin to comfort them? Isaiah will go much deeper into this question later in his book, especially in chapters 40–55.

Two things will become clear. First, the Lord's anger toward His beloved, unfaithful Israel is satisfied.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins" (Isaiah 40:1–2)

The Lord's judgment of His people has been enough to hold the nation accountable for breaking their covenant with Him.

Still, more will be required to fully cover the sin of all those who have rebelled against the Lord, both Jews and Gentiles alike. How can any sinful person be saved from God's righteous anger toward sin? Isaiah will go into more depth on this question in the next verse (Isaiah 12:2). The prophet is looking toward the coming Savior is Jesus Christ the Lord (Isaiah 53:4–6). He is the only one who can save both Jew and Gentile from their sins through His sacrifice on the cross (John 3:16–18).

Isaiah 12:1–6 describes the future, when a reassembled Israel praises God for comforting them and mercifully diverting His anger. They will see that He alone is their salvation, song and strength. Together, they will praise the Lord and proclaim His glory to the peoples and nations of the world. With singing and shouting, the people of Zion, Israel, will declare the greatness of the Holy One of Israel in their midst.

Isaiah follows his description of the future earthly kingdom of the Messiah on earth with a promise: that God's people will praise Him when that day comes. They will see that His anger has turned away and He is comforting them. They will understand that God alone is their salvation, strength, and song. They will encourage each other to spread the news to the world. They will tell stories of what He has done and to invite everyone to join them in exalting His name. The celebration will include loud shouting and joyful singing because the Holy One of Israel is with them.

Isaiah 12 follows the description in Isaiah 11 of the glorious kingdom to be established in Israel's future. This is when a descendant of King David will take the throne over Israel and the world. In that day, they will praise the Messiah who is living in their midst. They will be grateful that He has turned away His anger and chosen to embrace them. This leads into a radical shift in tone, as Isaiah turns to prophecy against the Gentile nations who were oppressing Israel.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).