The verse highlights a crucial aspect of God's relationship with His people: His anger is not arbitrary, but a disciplinary measure ultimately intended for comfort and restoration. This song of praise confesses that God's displeasure was real, but its turning away leads to a deeper, more profound comfort than if His anger had never been felt.
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)
This chapter shifts from prophetic judgment and hope to a song of praise. Following the vision of peace and restoration in chapter 11, Isaiah now presents a hymn of thanksgiving to be sung by God's redeemed people. It acknowledges past divine anger and discipline, but celebrates its turning into comfort and salvation.
This verse opens with a powerful declaration about "that day." What specific historical or future events does this refer to, and why is the timing so crucial for this song of praise?
The phrase "in that day" isn't just a casual reference to some future time. It points to a specific, transformative moment when God's redemptive plan is fully realized.
A Future Fulfilled
Commentators suggest "that day" can refer to several key moments:
The Core Idea
Regardless of the specific event, "that day" signifies a time of God's powerful intervention. It's when His people, often through intense discipline, are rescued and brought into His comfort. This anticipation of a future, glorious intervention is what fuels the praise.
The song confesses God's anger, yet pivots to His comfort. How can God be both angry and comforting, and what does this tension reveal about His nature?
This verse beautifully captures a profound theological truth: God's anger and His comfort are not contradictory but are part of His righteous and merciful plan.
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God's Just Anger
Isaiah acknowledges that God was angry. This anger isn't capricious; it's a righteous response to sin and rebellion. The commentaries highlight that this discipline, though severe, serves a purpose.
The Purpose of Discipline
God's anger isn't meant to destroy but to correct and ultimately bring comfort. It's a purification, a way to turn His people away from destructive paths and back to Himself. The shift from "anger" to "comfort" is not a change in God's character but the unfolding of His loving intent.
A Foundation for Praise
Understanding that God's comfort follows His righteous anger gives the praise a deeper resonance. It acknowledges the reality of sin and judgment, while celebrating God's ultimate faithfulness and grace.
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.
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.
This song of praise in Isaiah 12 is deeply rooted in the historical experience of Israel's near annihilation and subsequent deliverance. It reflects the people's acknowledgment of God's righteous anger due to their sin, followed by His profound comfort and restoration, a cycle that resonates through periods like the Assyrian threat and the Babylonian exile.
c. 722-721 BC— this verse
Fall of Samaria to Assyria
Sargon II of Assyria conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, destroying its capital Samaria and exiling its people. This event leaves Judah vulnerable.
c. 720 BC
Woe upon the Assyrian
Isaiah delivers a prophecy (Isaiah 10:5-34) denouncing Assyria's arrogance and predicting its downfall, likely in the context of the aftermath of Samaria's fall.
c. 725 BC
Threat to Jerusalem
Prophecies like those in Isaiah 28 warn Jerusalem of impending judgment and the fate of Samaria, likely around the time of the Assyrian advance on Samaria.
c. 705 BC
Hezekiah's Reign and Assyrian Threat
King Hezekiah of Judah faces increasing pressure from the Assyrian empire, a situation that will culminate in the siege of Jerusalem.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, capturing many cities and besieging Jerusalem, an event vividly described in Isaiah's prophecies.
c. 605 BC - 597 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
The Babylonian Empire rises, initiating deportations of Judeans to Babylon, including the first major exile of its people and the removal of treasures from Jerusalem.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the remaining population and marking the end of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
This passage is a song of praise following God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt, mirroring the thanksgiving found in Isaiah 12:1 after God's anger has turned away.
Psalm 85:1-3This psalm directly speaks of God turning from His fierce anger and showing favor to His land and people, echoing the theme of divine anger being appeased and comfort being given.
Romans 5:8-11Paul explains that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, and through Him we have now received reconciliation, paralleling the idea of God's anger being turned away and replaced by comfort and peace.
Lamentations 3:31-33This passage describes God's discipline and anger but immediately pivots to His compassion and faithfulness, showing that even in His displeasure, His ultimate purpose is not destruction but restoration and comfort.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19This passage reveals that God, through Christ, is reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting sins against people, which is the theological underpinning for His anger turning away and offering the ministry of reconciliation.
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 aspect of God's relationship with His people: His anger is not arbitrary, but a disciplinary measure ultimately intended for comfort and restoration. This song of praise confesses that God's displeasure was real, but its turning away leads to a deeper, more profound comfort than if His anger had never been felt.
This chapter shifts from prophetic judgment and hope to a song of praise. Following the vision of peace and restoration in chapter 11, Isaiah now presents a hymn of thanksgiving to be sung by God's redeemed people. It acknowledges past divine anger and discipline, but celebrates its turning into comfort and salvation.
This chapter shifts from prophetic judgment and hope to a song of praise. Following the vision of peace and restoration in chapter 11, Isaiah now presents a hymn of thanksgiving to be sung by God's redeemed people. It acknowledges past divine anger and discipline, but celebrates its turning into comfort and salvation.
"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 aspect of God's relationship with His people: His anger is not arbitrary, but a disciplinary measure ultimately intended for comfort and restoration. This song of prais…
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Last reviewed October 2026
