Isaiah 12:1-2
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. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights a crucial truth often missed: God's anger is not meant to be final, but a pathway to His deeper comfort for us. It suggests that the experience of His displeasure, while real, ultimately serves to prepare us for an even greater assurance of His embrace.
This chapter marks a shift from judgment to salvation, envisioning a future restoration of God's people. Following prophecies of Assyrian destruction and the hopeful reign of a Messianic king in chapters 10 and 11, chapter 12 presents a song of praise. This hymn is what redeemed individuals and the reunited community will sing when God's anger has been turned away and He brings His comforting presence and deliverance.
Why does this song of praise begin by acknowledging God's anger? What 'day' are we talking about?
This powerful song in Isaiah 12:1 isn't just a random expression of joy. It's spoken "in that day," a phrase pointing to a specific time of divine intervention and restoration.
A Future Fulfilled
Commentators suggest "that day" refers to future events of immense significance. It could be the deliverance from Assyrian invasion (like Sennacherib's threat), or more profoundly, the era of the Messiah's reign and salvation.
The Context of Comfort
This song arises after a period of God's displeasure, described as His anger. It's precisely because God's anger has turned away that the comfort can be fully appreciated. The intensity of the comfort is directly linked to the depth of the prior distress. This isn't about God being capricious; it's about His discipline leading to restoration.
Does God's anger mean He's against us? This verse offers a crucial perspective.
The phrase "though you were angry with me" might sound harsh, but in the context of Isaiah, it speaks to God's righteous discipline, not His final abandonment.
The Purpose of Divine Wrath
When God is described as angry, it often signifies His response to sin and rebellion. However, the verse immediately clarifies that this anger "turned away." This wasn't an unyielding fury, but a disciplinary action with a redemptive purpose.
Comfort Through Consequence
The anger served a purpose: "that you might comfort me." This highlights a profound theological truth: God's discipline, while painful, is designed to lead us to a greater understanding of His comfort and grace. It's a way of saying, 'I had to deal with your sin, not to destroy you, but to bring you back to Myself and offer you deep comfort.'
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal, covenantal name of God, revealed to Moses, emphasizing His eternal self-existence, faithfulness, and presence with His people.
anaph · Hebrew Verb
A feeling of strong displeasure or hostility, often used in Scripture to describe God’s righteous response to human sin and rebellion, which is satisfied through atonement or mercy.
nacham · Hebrew Verb
To relieve from distress or grief; in a divine context, it refers to God's compassionate restoration and encouragement of His people after judgment.
yeshu'ah · Hebrew Noun
Deliverance from danger, bondage, or the consequences of sin; it is a holistic act of God's grace to rescue His people and restore them to relationship with Himself.
This song of thanksgiving comes after the devastating fall of Samaria and the northern kingdom of Israel. The people of Judah, facing their own existential threat from Assyria, would have understood God's 'anger' as the judgment they deserved for their sin, and His 'comfort' as the deliverance He granted them, turning away His wrath through His sovereign power and saving mercy.
727 BC
Hoshea rebels against Assyria
Upon the death of the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III, Hoshea, vassal king of Israel, attempts to break free from Assyrian control.
725 BC
Assyrian siege of Samaria begins
Assyrian king Shalmaneser V marches on Israel, captures Hoshea, and begins a three-year siege of the capital city, Samaria.
722-721 BC— this verse
Fall of Samaria to Assyria
Samaria falls to the Assyrians under Sargon II. The northern kingdom of Israel is destroyed, and its people are exiled, never to return as a distinct entity.
c. 720 BC
Isaiah's prophecy of "Woe upon the Assyrian"
Isaiah writes this prophecy after the fall of Samaria, reflecting on the Assyrian threat to Judah, which is now vulnerable with its northern neighbor gone.
This psalm beautifully captures the same essence of God's discipline being temporary and leading to restoration, mirroring Isaiah's theme of anger turning to comfort. It speaks of His anger lasting only a moment but His favor for a lifetime.
Romans 8:28Paul echoes this sentiment, assuring believers that in all circumstances, God is working for their good. This aligns with Isaiah's perspective that even God's anger is a form of discipline that ultimately leads to His comforting presence.
Lamentations 3:22-23The book of Lamentations grapples with God's apparent anger, yet still points to His enduring mercies that are new each morning. This passage supports Isaiah's idea that even in times of judgment, God's faithfulness and desire to comfort remain.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4This passage highlights God as the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles. It directly reflects Isaiah's joyous declaration of receiving comfort after experiencing God's anger.
Hosea 6:1-2This passage shows Israel acknowledging their need to return to the Lord, believing that after two days of judgment, He will revive them, and on the third day, He will restore them. This prophetic hope of restoration after a period of divine displeasure resonates with Isaiah's song of praise.
wesleyIsaiah 12:1: "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."
12:1 In that day - When this great work of the reduction of Israel, and conversion of the Gentiles is fulfilled.
barnesIsaiah 12:1: "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."
And in that day - The day referred to in the previous chapter, the time of the Messiah, when the effects of his reign shall be seen everywhere. The duty of praise, however, is couched in such language as to make it applicable to the event predicted in the former part of the prophecy Isaiah 10 - the delivering of the nation from the invas…
The verse highlights a crucial truth often missed: God's anger is not meant to be final, but a pathway to His deeper comfort for us. It suggests that the experience of His displeasure, while real, ultimately serves to prepare us for an even greater assurance of His embrace.
This chapter marks a shift from judgment to salvation, envisioning a future restoration of God's people. Following prophecies of Assyrian destruction and the hopeful reign of a Messianic king in chapters 10 and 11, chapter 12 presents a song of praise. This hymn is what redeemed individuals and the reunited community will sing when God's anger has been turned away and He brings His comforting presence and deliverance.
This chapter marks a shift from judgment to salvation, envisioning a future restoration of God's people. Following prophecies of Assyrian destruction and the hopeful reign of a Messianic king in chapters 10 and 11, chapter 12 presents a song of praise. This hymn is what redeemed individuals and the reunited community will sing when God's anger has been turned away and He brings His comforting presence and deliverance.
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Who is singing this song? Is it just one person, or a whole group?
Isaiah 12:1 uses the singular "you" (referring to the LORD) and the singular "I" (the one speaking and praising), yet the context implies a broader community.
The Individual Voice Within the Collective
While the song is expressed in the first person ("I will give thanks"), the commentaries suggest this "you" is equivalent to "everyone." This indicates that the experience of God's turning anger into comfort is deeply personal, yet it's a truth shared by the entire redeemed community.
A Model for Worship
This verse provides a template for how God's people should respond to His redemptive acts. It blends a confession of past sin and divine displeasure with an unwavering declaration of praise and thanksgiving for His ultimate comfort and salvation. It's a song meant to be sung by individuals who are part of God's covenant people.
batach · Hebrew Verb
To rely upon, lean on, or place confidence in God’s character and promises, serving as the opposite of self-reliance or fear.
Yah YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun Phrase
The LORD GOD is a compound of YHWH and Elohim, emphasizing both His personal covenantal name and His supreme power as the Creator and Ruler of all.
c. 715-705 BC
Hezekiah's reign and reforms
King Hezekiah of Judah leads religious and political reforms, seeking to strengthen Judah against potential Assyrian aggression, possibly in alliance with Egypt.
701 BC
Sennacherib's invasion of Judah
Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah, capturing many cities and besieging Jerusalem. Jerusalem is miraculously spared due to divine intervention.
"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. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be…" — The verse highlights a crucial truth often missed: God's anger is not meant to be final, but a pathway to His deeper comfort for us. It suggests that the experience of His displeasure, while real, ul…
