The paradoxical source of hope in isaiah 12

Isaiah 12 is a short psalm divided in two parts of three verses, each beginning with a call for praise. It is shown that the pairing of segments of verses that are similarly ranked in both parts yields a coherent composite text that defines the catastrophe befalling the Israelites as the first stage of a rejuvenation process leading to the emergence of an improved reality. The identification of a similar belief in other chapters of Isaiah reveals that this paradoxical source of hope is an important fundamental of the theology in the book of Isaiah as a whole. It is shown that this theological novelty is anchored in ancient, pre-Israelite yahwistic beliefs that are re-Actualized and adapted by the Isaian author(s) to the post- exilic Israelite reality.