Isaiah 12:2
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Isaiah 12 is a short song of thanksgiving closing the first major section of the book. It celebrates God's salvation after the promises of a coming deliverer in chapters 9 and 11.
What Does Isaiah 12:2 Mean?
Isaiah 12:2 is a joyful confession that God Himself is the believer's salvation, strength, and song. It comes as a hymn of praise after chapters of warning, the response of a redeemed heart. The opening "Behold" calls attention to a settled truth: salvation is not something God merely gives -- He is salvation. The source and the gift are one.
From that confidence flows a deliberate choice: "I will trust, and not be afraid." Trust is the answer to fear, and here it is grounded in who God is, not in changing circumstances. The verse echoes the song Israel sang after crossing the Red Sea, weaving past deliverance into present hope. God is called "my strength and my song" -- both the power that sustains and the joy that overflows in worship. The same God who delivered the nation becomes "my" salvation, personal and intimate. This verse has comforted countless people facing fear, because it relocates security from self to God. When you cannot find strength within, this song points outside yourself to the Lord who is strength itself, and turns trembling into trust and singing.
In the Original Language
"Salvation" is yeshuah, the root behind the name Jesus. "Strength and my song" pairs ozzi (my strength) and zimrat (my song), echoing the Song of Moses.
Cross References
Application
When fear rises, make trust a deliberate choice by anchoring it in who God is; let Him be both your strength and your song.