Isaiah 43:20

20 Even the wild animals will be thankful to me -- the wild dogs and owls. They will honor me when I put water in the desert and rivers in the dry land to give water to my people, the ones I chose.

Isaiah 43:20 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 43:20

The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons, and the
owls
Which is not to be understood literally of these creatures, who as they had honoured the Lord, when Israel passed through the wilderness, so would again in their way praise the Lord, when they came through the deserts from Babylon, for giving them water to drink in such dry and thirsty places, to which there may be an allusion; but spiritually of the Gentiles, compared to those creatures for the savageness, fierceness, and stupidity of them, and who were reckoned by the Jews no other than as the beasts of the field; who should honour and glorify God for the Gospel brought unto them, and for his grace and mercy bestowed on them: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert;
as before; (See Gill on Isaiah 43:19); because of the plenty of divine grace, and the means of it: to give drink to my people, my chosen;
to refresh and comfort the hearts of his people, whom he had chosen out from among the Gentiles, and now would call them by his grace, and set them a thirsting after Christ, and salvation by him.

Isaiah 43:20 In-Context

18 The Lord says, "Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.

19 Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don't you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.

20 Even the wild animals will be thankful to me -- the wild dogs and owls. They will honor me when I put water in the desert and rivers in the dry land to give water to my people, the ones I chose.

21 The people I made will sing songs to praise me.

22 "People of Jacob, you have not called to me; people of Israel, you have become tired of me.