Isaiah Chapter 43

At a Glance

  • Isaiah 43 pivots from lament about Israel’s exile to a robust declaration of divine rescue and purposeful identity.
  • The prophetic rhetoric emphasizes witness: you are my witnesses, declares the Lord, so that others may know that there is no other God.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • This chapter is part of Second Isaiah (chapters 40–55), responding to the Babylonian exile and the return to Zion.
  • - God’s personal ownership and redemption: Israel is named, valued, and protected by a tender, committed God.

Chapter Overview

Isaiah 43 pivots from lament about Israel’s exile to a robust declaration of divine rescue and purposeful identity. The Lord speaks words of reassurance: Israel is precious in God’s sight, redeemed, called by name, and claimed as God’s own. The chapter reassures God’s people that even in the peril of waters and fire, God will not abandon them; rather, those trials become means through which God’s steadfast presence becomes visible. The imagery is intimate and personal: you are mine; you belong to God’s redemptive design. This assurance is not for mere comfort but for mission. God promises to bring Judah’s offspring from distant places and to gather a dispersed people, underscoring a future in which the nations recognize the God of Israel.

The prophetic rhetoric emphasizes witness: you are my witnesses, declares the Lord, so that others may know that there is no other God. The chapter then anchors the claims in a sovereign history: I am the first and the last; beside me there is no savior. The call is to trust in the Lord’s ongoing saving act, even as history continues to unfold. The chapter culminates in reconstituting Israel’s ground of identity—God’s ownership and redemptive purpose—so that they might live in faithfulness, courage, and hope, radiating God’s glory to the world.

Historical & Literary Context

This chapter is part of Second Isaiah (chapters 40–55), responding to the Babylonian exile and the return to Zion. Likely composed in the late 6th century BCE, the genre blends prophetic oracles, covenant promises, and lyrical vows. Isaiah 43 functions as a renewal oracle that both comforts and commissions Israel: comfort in God’s redeeming acts and commission to bear witness to God’s uniqueness. The “you are mine” and “I will gather your offspring” motifs align with the exilic postures of identity formation—redefining who Israel is in light of God’s redemptive initiative. The chapter fits into a larger pattern in Isaiah 40–55 where God reveals himself as sovereign, redeemer, and judge, while calling Israel to faithful trust and moral courage in the new era following exile.

Key Themes

- God’s personal ownership and redemption: Israel is named, valued, and protected by a tender, committed God.

- Presence amid danger: God’s nearness in waters and fires reframes trials as guarantees of divine accompaniment.

- Mission and witness: Israel’s identity is bound to be a sign to the nations—that God is the true God.

- Monotheism and exclusive praise: reiteration that there is no other savior besides the Lord.

- God’s gathering and restoration: a future in which people from far nations are drawn to Yahweh through Israel’s witness.

Modern Application

Isaiah 43 speaks directly to modern Christians who face cultural pressure, persecution, or displacement. The affirmation that God knows us by name and will not abandon us in hardship offers deep consolation and resilience. It also reframes suffering as a context for deeper dependence on God’s presence, not a reason for despair. The call to be witnesses is especially pertinent in pluralistic societies where many claim competing truths. Believers are encouraged to live into their identity as God’s owned and redeemed people, letting that identity shape how they engage with others, speak truth, and embody integrity in both private and public life.

Practically, this means cultivating a faith that remains confident under trial, prioritizes evangelistic and compassionate witness, and resists cynicism. It also invites churches to be places of hospitality for the exiled or displaced, reflecting God’s own promise to gather and restore. Theologically, the chapter reinforces God’s sovereignty and faithfulness as foundational for hope in a world of uncertainty.

Cross-References: Isaiah 41:8–13; Psalm 23; John 10:28–29; Romans 8:35–39; 2 Corinthians 4:7–12

Recommended Personas: Jesus (fulfillment of the intimate shepherd-God relationship), Paul (the church as God’s redeemed possession), Moses (leader who reminds Israel of God’s presence), Esther (courage in exile, witness to the nations)

Chapter Text

1

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

2

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3

For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

4

Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

5

Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

6

I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

7

Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

8

Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

9

Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

10

Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

11

I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

12

I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

13

Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

14

Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

15

I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

16

Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

17

Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

18

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

20

The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

21

This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

22

But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

23

Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.

24

Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

25

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

26

Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

27

Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

28

Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

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