3. ISRAEL’S SONG OF PRAISE FOR THE WRATH AND GRACE OF HIS GOD

CHAPTER 12:1–6

1          AND in that day thou shalt say,

O LORD, I will praise thee:

1Though thou was angry with me, 2thine anger is turned away,

And thou comfortedst me.

2     Behold, 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.

3     Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4And in that day shall ye say,

Praise the LORD,

3Call upon his name,

Declare his doings among the people,

Make mention that his name is exalted.

5     Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things:

This is known in all the earth.

6     Cry out and shout, thou 4inhabitant of Zion:

For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL

On Isa 12:1. יָשֹׁב וגו. I do not think that this period can be construed paratactically; for then it must read וַתָּֽשָׁב וַתְּנַ‍‍‍‍ֽחֲמֵנִי.——Isaiah never uses אָנַף. This word is probably an allusion to 1 Kings 8:46, where Solomon in his prayer of dedication says: “If they sin against thee, and thou be angry with them, וְאָנַפתָּ בָם.” Comp. Ps. 60:3.

On Isa 12:2. ישׁועתי is very frequent both in Isa. (25:9; 26:1; 33:2; 49:6; 51:6, 8; 56:1, etc.), and in the Psalms (62:2; 88:2; 89:27, etc. It occurs three times in our chapter, Isa 12:2, bis, and Isa 12:3.—אבטח and אפהר form a paronomasia.——לא אפחד recalls Ps. 27:1 (יי׳ מָעוֹז־חַיַּי מִמִּי אֶפְחַד). The entire second clause of Isa 12:2 is borrowed from the triumphal song of Moses, of which we were reminded before by קְנוֹת 11:1. Comp. Ps. 118:14. Only it may be noticed that in our passage, as if to excel the original (DELITZSCH), the two divine names יה יחוה stand in the form of a climax ascendens.——יהָּ is an abbreviation of יהוה peculiar to poetry. It occurs first Exod. 15:2; 17:16. Beside the text, it occurs Isa. 26:4, as here joined with יהוה and 38:11, where יה is put double. Beside these instances the word is found only in the Psalms and in Song of Sol. 8:6.——זִמְרָת abbreviated instead of זמרתי would not be Hebrew. The suffix in עזי applies also to זמרת; both appear thereby as one notion. Comp. EWALD, § 339 b.

On Isa 12:3. שׂשׂון 22:13; 35:10; 51:3, 11; 61:1.—מעינות 41:18.

On Isa 12:4. The words הודו to עלילתיו occur word for word, Ps. 105:1; 1 Chr. 16:8.—נשׂגב שׁמו. Comp. Ps. 148:13: כִּי נִשְׂגָּב שְׁמוֹ לְבֵדּוֹ which words appear to have arisen from a combination of our passage and 2:11, 17.

On Isa 12:5. זמרו, too, is an expression borrowed from the poetry of the Pss. where alone it occurs sometimes with לְ sometimes as here with the accus.; Ps. 47:7; 68:5, 33. גאות is an expression of Isaiah; comp. 9:17.——K’thibh מְיֻדַּעַת, K’ri מוּדַעַת. The Pual participle is found only in the plural with suffixes, meaning: “acquaintance,” amicus (Ps. 55:14; 88:9, 19; 31:12; Job 19:14; 2 Kings 10:11). As our chapter evinces so much borrowing from the language of the Psalms, I prefer K’thibh. In respect, to sense, there is no difference. תְּהִי is a verb easily supplied after מידעת. The feminine may refer to גאות or be construed neuter, and so more generally. The latter is perhaps the better.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

1. The Prophet concludes his grand prophecy against Assyria with a short doxology. It has two subdivisions, both of which begin with the words: “and thou shalt (Isa 12:4: ye shall) say in that day.” Both are joined by a brief prophetic middle term (Isa 12:3). The first comprises six, the second seven members. In the first part Israel speaks in the singular (corresponding to “thou wilt say”), “I will thank the Lord,” etc. (Isa 12:12). After this expression of a proper sentiment, and, as it were, in response to the hope expressed in Isa 12:2, the promise of Isa 12:3 is given. After this interpretation comes the second summons, expressed in the plural. Corresponding to this Israel speaks in the plural, manifesting not merely its subjective disposition, but summoning to a general participation in it. Hence follow only imperatives, seven members, in elevated strain. And this little passage, so full of sentiment and art, according to EWALD, cannot be Isaiah’s genuine writing! Fortunately he is quite alone in the opinion.

2. And in that day——my salvation.

Isa 12:1, 2. “In that day” points to the future—when all that has been foretold shall have been fulfilled (comp. 11:10, 11). Then shall Israel say “I will praise thee” (אודך יי׳) that is an original expression of David’s, and thereafter of frequent occurrence in the Psalms; 2 Sam. 22:50; Ps. 18:50; 30:13; 35:18; 43:4; 52:11, etc. But the first thing for which Israel is to return thanks is that the Lord was angry with him—that He has punished him.—[See on the construction Text. and Gram. J. A. ALEXANDER remarks here: “The apparent incongruity of thanking God because He was angry is removed by considering that the subject of the thanksgiving is the whole complex idea expressed in the remainder of the verse, of which God’s being angry is only one element. It was not simply because God was angry that the people praise Him, but because He was angry and His anger ceased. The same mode of expression is used by Paul in Greek, when he says (Rom. 5:17): “But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have from the heart obeyed,” etc. The particle but seems to be necessary to rendering our text into English.—TR.] The holy anger of God is but a manifestation of His love, and he is as much to be thanked for His anger as for His love.

When, too, the turning of this wrath takes place, Israel may pray for the lasting continuance of favor and grace. That the Masorets also construed as we do (vid Text. and Gram.) appears from the Athnach.

3. Therefore ye shall——of salvation.

Isa 12:3. These words appear to be a response to the expression of believing trust that we find in Isa 12:2. That is, richly and endlessly ye shall partake of salvation. At the Feast of the Tabernacles water was drawn from the fountain of Siloam for a drink-offering. From the priest that so brought it with solemnity into the temple, another took it, and, while doing so, used the words of our text. Comp. in a Bib. Dict. art. Feast of Tabernacles. [This ceremony originated at a period long after Isaiah’s time.—TR.]

4. And in that day——midst of thee.

Isa 12:4-6. The second stage of the song. “Ye shall draw” leads the Prophet to proceed in the plural number. Excepting the change of number the words are the same as Isa 12:1. Thus, too, the verbs of the following two verses are in the plural. Notice, at the same time, that they are imperatives. From this it is seen that Israel no longer makes a subjective confession like Isa 12:1, but demands a participation in his faith: Jehovah shall be proclaimed to all the world.

The last ver. (6) is distinguished from the foregoing by the verbs being no longer in the plural, but “the returned” of Israel are addressed in the singular. This, too, doubtless, is no accident. In Isa 12:4 and 5 the word goes out to the wide world: all nations must be taught; the majestic deeds of Jehovah must be made known to the whole earth. It seems to me that the Prophet would wish not to conclude with this look into the measureless expanse, but would rather fix his eyes, to conclude, on the beloved form of the inhabitant [fem. Germ. Bürgerin] of Zion (the expression only here in Isaiah).

All honor and all salvation of Zion rest in this, that it has the Lord in the midst of it as its living and personal shield and fountain of life.

Footnotes:

[1]That.

[2]let thine anger, etc.

[3]Or, Proclaim his name.

[4]Heb. inhabitress.