Isaiah 12 and the Composition of the Book of Isaiah

Isaiah 12 has close phraseological links with the preceding chapters, with chapters 40–55, and with the Psalms (including Exodus 15). This suggests that it was composed deliberately for its present location and that the apparent lack of unity within the chapter should not be explained by the common hypothesis that it drew on two separate previously-existing psalms. Text-critical evidence suggests that verse 4 should be read as singular, not plural, so leaving verse 3 as isolated in this regard, a feature joined with the observation that verse 3 is the only one not to have close parallels elsewhere. The suggestion is therefore explored that it is a later Fortschreibung on the »salvation« mentioned twice in verse 2, encouraging the readers to draw on the teachings of the book of Isaiah. The place and function of the remainder of the chapter as a unity within the wider book, including especially chapters 40–55, are then explained.