Isaiah 12 is a straightforward psalm, a song of praise and gratitude. It speaks of the Millennium when all people with sing this psalm “of thanksgiving, praising the Lord whose anger is turned away and recognizing that He is the source of strength and of salvation.”1
This chapter compares to 2 Nephi 22 and is a “short but beautiful chapter referring to the Millennium. It describes the faithful who survive the destruction at the Second Coming of Christ as praising the Lord and rejoicing at the salvation that has come to them.”2
THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
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King James Version |
Book of Mormon
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Expanded Notes and Commentary |
| Joseph Smith Translation (JST) corrections in the Book of Mormon are in RED; commentary and notes are GREEN | ||
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1 aAnd bin that day thou shalt say, cO Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. |
1 aAnd 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.
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bIE in the time of the events of the preceding chapter. “In that day” refers to the millennial day, continuing the theme from the previous chapter. 2 Nephi 22:1. “Thine anger is turned away” Covenant Israel felt the wrath of the Lord, now they praise him with song. Problems created by fallen man always find their solution in the atonement and mercy of Christ. Anger and reconciliation, sin and repentance, fall and atonement, death and resurrection, apostasy and restoration—man’s problems and Christ’s solutions are a noticeable theme throughout the scriptures. We learn that we must go through the wilderness before we are led to the promised land.1 |
| 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord aJEHOVAH is my bstrength and my song; he also csalvation. |
2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will atrust, and not be afraid; for the Lord bJehovah is my cstrength and my dsong; he also has become my salvation. |
This verse may be translated literally as follows:
Behold El is my salvation, As Jesus himself would later testify, he was the great Jehovah, the Law and the Light, who came to earth to provide eternal life (3 Nephi 15:5–9). He literally became salvation, as Isaiah prophesied. El is the singular of Elohim, but the word seldom occurs in the Bible in singular form. In the King James Version of the Bible, both singular and plural are rendered by the word God. Yah is a contracted form of Yahweh, or Jehovah, which in the Bible is usually rendered in English as Lord. Here, to avoid Lord Lord, the translators rendered it Lord Jehovah. This is one of only four times the name is written out fully as Jehovah in the King James Version. We are not exactly sure why the King James Bible translators chose to do this. The short form Yah also occurs in Hebrew in Exodus 15:2 and Psalm 118:14, which passages reflect a similar tone of praise. Moses, a type of the Messiah, was a great lawgiver and a great deliverer; the Messiah himself was the great Lawgiver and the great Deliverer. The Messiah is Jehovah, and Jehovah is our strength and our song; he is our salvation. It was Jesus Christ who gave his life for our salvation. Jehovah, therefore, could be none other than Jesus Christ, our Lord.3 |
| 3 Therefore with ajoy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. | 3 Therefore, with joy shall ye draw awater out of the wells of salvation. | “Wells of salvation” What better metaphor for the gospel could there be for a desert people than plentiful water? It gives life, it sustains, it saves. Jesus taught, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him.1 |
| 4 And in that day shall ye say: aPraise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. |
His doings refers to all God’s works that bring salvation to mankind during the history of the world, including his restoring priesthood keys, revealing his word, and establishing Zion among his people. …The names Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Son of God, and others belonging to the Lord are the highest, most honorable, and most magnificent of all names. 4 |
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| 5 aSing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. | 5 aSing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. | At the time of Passover and the conclusion of His ministry, Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph. Although within days He would suffer and atone for the sins of the world and be crucified at the hands of the wicked rulers of the Jews, He would triumph over death and hell and, by so doing, enable the salvation of mankind. As He entered Jerusalem, His grateful disciples honored Him with palm branches and shouts of praise, “saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matt. 21:9).5 |
| 6 Cry out and shout, thou ainhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the bmidst of thee. | 6 aCry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. | The terms cry out, shout, inhabitant, and thee are feminine forms in the Hebrew and personify Christ’s bride who is ready to be received by the Holy One of Israel. Zion is depicted as the bride elsewhere (54:1–6; Rev. 21:2, 9; D&C 109:73–74), and Jehovah is portrayed as the husband (54:5). Zion’s inhabitants are the pure in heart (D&C 97:21). …Christ, the Holy One of Israel, will reign over the Saints during the Millennium.6 |
1 John Bytheway, Isaiah For Airheads Deseret Book Company, Kindle Edition.
2 David J.Ridges, The Book of Mormon Made Easier, Part 1, p. 292, Cedar Fort, Inc. Kindle Edition.
3 D. Kelly Ogden, Verse by Verse, Old Testament: Volume Two, Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.
4 Donald W.Parry, Understanding Isaiah, Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.
5 Reg Christensen, Unlocking Isaiah, Covenant Communications Inc.. Kindle Edition
6 Parry, ibid.
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The thing is, that is speaking of a time BEFORE the Second Coming, not after. It is speaking of the period after the cleansing when the Zion Kingdom is rolling forth. All those that receive the Baptism of Fire experience the rejoicing described in the chapter. Right now there are VERY few that actually receive the Baptism of Fire because they don’t love God enough to be obedient and change whatever is required in order to feel that he Spirit’s presence 24/7. That will change during the cleansing, though. During the cleansing the people will have to learn to have the Spirit with them as never before and the result will be that they will achieve the Baptism of Fire and feel to rejoice as stated in that chapter. At that time the rest of the world will be experiencing war and desolation – even their own cleansing – but those that are in Zion will have already been through it and have discovered God to a higher degree of spirituality that they never dreamed of. Those in Zion will be physically protected as well as have the peace and comfort of the Holy Ghost which will cause them to be the happiest people and at peace.