Isaiah 12
ืืฉืขืืื ืคืจืง ืืดื
Section: ื ืืืืื ยท ื ืืืืื ืืืจืื ืื | Book: Isaiah | Chapter: 12 of 66 | Day: 159 of 742
Date: July 20, 2026
ืงืืืื ืขื ืื ืดื
Chapter 12 is the shortest chapter in Yeshayahu โ six verses โ and one of the most consequential. It is a song, and its placement is the point. Chapter 11 closed with a deliberate second Exodus: the sea dried up, the River split into seven streams, a highway home from Assyria โas there was for Israel on the day it came up from the land of Egypt.โ Chapter 12 is what Israel sings on the far shore. As the Shirat HaYam answered the first crossing, this short psalm answers the second โ and it says so in so many words, for its central line, โKi azi vโzimrat Yah Hashem, vayehi li lishuahโ (verse 2), is lifted almost verbatim from the Song at the Sea (Shemot 15:2). Radak hears the echo again in verse 5: โSing to Hashem, for He has done gloriously (geut asah)โ โ as Israel sang at the sea, โki gaoh gaโah,โ for He is highly exalted. The prophet who cast the future redemption in the grammar of the past now writes its lyrics from the same source.
The songโs opening is its most striking theological move: โI thank You, Hashem, for You were angry with meโ (ืืืื ืืณ ืื ืื ืคืช ืื). The thanksgiving is not despite the anger but for it. Rashi and Radak explain: You were angry and You exiled me โ and the exile itself atoned; now that my iniquity has been appeased, Your anger turns back and You comfort me. The singer has come to see the wrath as part of the rescue, the surgery within the cure. Rashi also preserves Targum Yonatanโs gentler reading โ I confess that I sinned, and only Your mercy made me worthy of Your angerโs return. Either way, the redeemed Israel of this song does not edit its history; it gives thanks over the whole of it. Rashi adds a famous midrashic note on the doubled Name in verse 2, โYah Hashemโ: the Name is written incomplete (Yah) throughout the era of struggle โ โfor the hand is on the throne of Yahโ (Shemot 17:16) โ and becomes whole only when the war with Amalek is done. In the song of the final redemption, both halves stand together.
Verse 3 is the line the tradition never stopped singing: โAnd you shall draw water with joy from the springs of salvationโ (ืืฉืืืชื ืืื ืืฉืฉืื ืืืขืื ื ืืืฉืืขื). Radak explains the plain image: a spring, unlike a cistern, never runs dry โ one draws from it without anxiety, and so will the blessing and salvation of the redeemed be, continuous and unfailing. But he also records Targum Yonatanโs rendering, which became the classic reading: โyou shall receive new teachingโ โ for water is Torah, the teachers are the spring, and the students are the drawers. Rashi combines the images: the salvation will so enlarge Israelโs heart that the secrets of the Torah forgotten in the troubles of exile will be revealed again. On this reading the verse promises not only deliverance but restoration of what exile made Israel forget โ and it is no accident that the water-drawing celebration of the Temple, the Simchat Beit HaShoeivah, was named from this verse, of which the Mishnah says that one who never saw it never saw joy in his life. The verse opens the Havdalah liturgy to this day: every week, at the border between Shabbat and the six days, Jews rehearse the song of the final border-crossing.
The second half of the song (verses 4-6) turns the thanksgiving outward. โGive thanks to Hashem, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoplesโ โ the redeemed do not keep the story to themselves; the nations who streamed to the root of Yishai in chapter 11 must hear what happened. Metzudat David notes the tone of mutual urging (zeruz): the verses are Israel exhorting itself, each one telling the other to praise. Radak connects โdeclare that His name is exaltedโฆ this is known in all the earthโ to the wonder of the ingathering itself โ that God brings out a small people from among the many mighty nations โ and, characteristically, to the future downfall of Gog uMagog, of which Yechezkel says โI will be magnified and sanctifiedโฆ before the eyes of many nations.โ The song ends where Yeshayahuโs theology always ends: โCry aloud and sing, inhabitant of Tzion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.โ The title Kedosh Yisrael โ this bookโs signature name for God, the name of the thrice-holy vision of chapter 6 โ closes the song: the Holy One who seemed distant in judgment is now great in Tzionโs midst.
With this chapter the first movement of Sefer Yeshayahu comes to rest. Chapters 1-12 form a complete arc: the indictment of a rebellious nation (1), visions of the end of days (2), judgment and purification (3-5), the prophetโs commissioning (6), the Assyrian crisis and the promises of Immanu El (7-8), the child on Davidโs throne (9), the felling of Assyriaโs forest (10), the shoot from Yishaiโs stump and the second Exodus (11) โ and now the song that seals it all with thanksgiving. From chapter 13 the book turns outward, to the long series of massaโot, the oracles concerning the nations, beginning with Bavel. The daily reader should pause here at the summit: the little song of chapter 12 is the bookโs first ending, and everything in it โ anger turned to comfort, water drawn with joy, the Holy One great in the midst of His city โ is a preview of the bookโs last ending, the consolations that begin at chapter 40.
ืคืจืง ืืดื ยท Chapter 12
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 1
Hebrew:
ืึฐืึธึฝืึทืจึฐืชึผึธึ ืึผึทืึผึฃืึนื ืึทืึืึผื ืืึนืึฐืึธึฃ ืึฐืึนืึธึื ืึผึดึฅื ืึธื ึทึืคึฐืชึผึธ ืึผึดึื ืึธืฉืึนึฅื ืึทืคึผึฐืึธึ ืึผึฝืชึฐื ึทืึฒืึตึฝื ึดืื
English:
In that day, you shall say:โI give thanks to You, O GOD!Although You were wroth with me,Your wrath has turned back and You comfort me.
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 2
Hebrew:
ืึดื ึผึตึจื ืึตึงื ืึฐืฉืืึผืขึธืชึดึื ืึถืึฐืึทึื ืึฐืึนึฃื ืึถืคึฐืึธึื ืึผึดึฝืึพืขืืึผึดึคื ืึฐืึดืึฐืจึธืชึ ืึธึฃืึผ ืึฐืึนืึธึื ืึทึฝืึฐืึดืึพืึดึื ืึดืืฉืืึผืขึธึฝืื
English:
Behold the God who gives me triumph!I am confident, unafraid;For YahaYah A shortened form of this deityโs personal name, which is written as y-h-w-h.โGODโis my strength and might,bmight In contrast to others โsong.โ And has been my deliverance.โ
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 3
Hebrew:
ืึผืฉืึฐืึทืึฐืชึผึถืึพืึทึืึดื ืึผึฐืฉืึธืฉืึืึนื ืึดืึผึทืขึทืึฐื ึตึื ืึทืึฐืฉืืึผืขึธึฝืื
English:
Joyfully shall you draw waterFrom the fountains of triumph,
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 4
Hebrew:
ืึทืึฒืึทืจึฐืชึผึถึื ืึผึทืึผึฃืึนื ืึทืึืึผื ืืึนืึคืึผ ืึทึฝืืึนืึธืึ ืงึดืจึฐืึฃืึผ ืึดืฉืึฐืึืึน ืืึนืึดึฅืืขืึผ ืึธืขึทืึผึดึืื ืขึฒืึดืืึนืชึธึืื ืึทืึฐืึผึดึืืจืึผ ืึผึดึฅื ื ึดืฉืึฐืึผึธึื ืฉืึฐืึฝืึนื
English:
And you shall say on that day:โPraise GOD, proclaim the divine name.Make Godโs deeds known among the peoples;Declare that the divine name is exalted.
โถCommentaries (1)
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 5
Hebrew:
ืึทืึผึฐืจึฃืึผ ืึฐืึนืึธึื ืึผึดึฅื ืึตืึืึผืช ืขึธืฉืึธึื (ืืืืขืช) [ืืึผืึทึฅืขึทืช] ืึนึืืช ืึผึฐืืืึพืึธืึธึฝืจึถืฅื
English:
Hymn GOD,Who has done gloriously;Let this be made knownIn all the world!
ืคืกืืง ืืณ ยท Verse 6
Hebrew:
ืฆึทืึฒืึดึฅื ืึธืจึนึื ึผึดื ืืึนืฉืึถึฃืึถืช ืฆึดืึผึืึนื ืึผึดืึพืึธืึฅืึนื ืึผึฐืงึดืจึฐืึผึตึืึฐ ืงึฐืึฅืึนืฉื ืึดืฉืึฐืจึธืึตึฝืืย {ืก}ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
English:
Oh, shout for joy,You who dwell in Zion!For great in your midstIs the Holy One of Israel.โ
โถCommentaries (1)