Yeshayah 43

1 3 But now thus saith Hashem that created thee, O Ya’akov, And He that formed thee, O Yisroel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy shem; thou art Mine.

2 When thou passest through the mayim, I will be with thee; and through the neharot, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the eish, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3 For I am Hashem Eloheicha, the Kadosh Yisroel, thy Moshi’a: I gave Mitzrayim for thy kofer (ransom), Kush and Seva in thy place.

4 Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honored, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give adam [see Isaiah 53:8] in exchange for thee, and people in exchange for thy nefesh.

5 Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy zera from the mizrach (east), and gather thee from the ma’arav (west);

6 I will say to the tzafon (north), Give them up; and to the teiman (south), hold not back; bring My banim from afar, and My banot from the ketzeh ha’aretz;

7 Even every one that is called by My Shem, whom I have created for My kavod, whom I have formed and I have made.

8 Bring forth the Am Ivver that have eyes, and the chereshim that have oznayim.

9 Let kol HaGoyim be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled; who among them can declare this, and show us rishonot (former things)? Let them bring forth their edim (witnesses), that they may be vindicated: or let them hear, and say, It is emes.

10 Ye are My edim (witnesses), saith Hashem. And Avdi whom I have chosen; so that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that Ani Hu (I am He); before Me there was no El formed, neither shall there be after Me.

11 I, even I, am Hashem; and apart from Me there is no Moshi’a.

12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have proclaimed, when there was no zar (foreign) [g-d] among you; therefore you [plural] are My edim (witnesses), saith Hashem, that I am El.

13 Yes, before the yom was, Ani Hu (I am He); and there is none that can deliver out of My Yad; I work, and who shall reverse it?

14 Thus saith Hashem, your Go’el, the Kadosh Yisroel; For your sake [see Isaiah 45:4] I have sent to Babylon, and I shall bring down the fugitives, all of them, even the Kasdim (Chaldeans), whose shout of joy is in the ships.

15 I am Hashem, your Kadosh, the Boreh Yisroel, your Melech.

16 Thus saith Hashem, which maketh a derech in the yam, and a path in the mayim azzim (mighty waters);

17 Which drew out the merkavah and sus, the army and warrior; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched like a wick.

18 Remember ye not the rishonot (former things) neither consider kadmoniyyot (the things of old).

19 Hineni, I am doing a chadashah (new thing); now titzmach (it shall spring forth; Tzemach); shall ye not perceive it? I will even make a derech in the midbar, and neharot in the desert.

20 The animal of the wild shall honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give mayim in the midbar, and neharot in the desert, to give drink to My People, My Bachir.

21 This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My tehillah (praise).

22 But thou hast not called upon Me, O Ya’akov; but thou hast been weary of Me, O Yisroel.

23 Thou hast not brought Me the seh (lamb) of thy olot; neither hast thou honored Me with thy zevakhim. I have not caused thee to serve with a minchah, nor wearied thee with levonah (incense, frankincense).

24 Thou hast bought Me no fragrant calamus with kesef, neither hast thou filled Me with the chelev of thy zevakhim; but thou hast made Me to serve with thy chattot, thou hast wearied Me with thine avonot.

25 I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy peysha’im for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy chattot.

26 Put Me in remembrance; let us plead together at law; declare thou, lema’an (for the sake of) thou being declared righteous.

27 Avicha HaRishon hath sinned, and thy melitzim (mediators) have rebelled against Me.

28 Therefore I have profaned the Sarei Kodesh, (Holy Princes) and have given Ya’akov to cherem, and Yisroel to giddufim (revilings).

Yeshayah 43 Commentary

God's unchangeable love for his people. (1-7) Apostates and idolaters addressed. (8-13) The deliverance from Babylon, and the conversion of the Gentiles. (14-21) Admonition to repent of sin. (22-28)

Verses 1-7 God's favour and good-will to his people speak abundant comfort to all believers. The new creature, wherever it is, is of God's forming. All who are redeemed with the blood of his Son, he has set apart for himself. Those that have God for them need not fear who or what can be against them. What are Egypt and Ethiopia, all their lives and treasures, compared with the blood of Christ? True believers are precious in God's sight, his delight is in them, above any people. Though they went as through fire and water, yet, while they had God with them, they need fear no evil; they should be born up, and brought out. The faithful are encouraged. They were to be assembled from every quarter. And with this pleasing object in view, the prophet again dissuades from anxious fears.

Verses 8-13 Idolaters are called to appear in defence of their idols. Those who make them, and trust in them, are like unto them. They have the shape and faculties of men; but they have not common sense. But God's people know the power of his grace, the sweetness of his comforts, the kind care of his providence, and the truth of his promise. All servants of God can give such an account of what he has wrought in them, and done for them, as may lead others to know and believe his power, truth, and love

Verses 14-21 The deliverance from Babylon is foretold, but there is reference to greater events. The redemption of sinners by Christ, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the recall of the Jews, are described. All that is to be done to rescue sinners, and to bring the believer to glory, is little, compared with that wondrous work of love, the redemption of man.

Verses 22-28 Those who neglect to call upon God, are weary of him. The Master tired not the servants with his commands, but they tired him with disobedience. What were the riches of God's mercy toward them? I, even I, am he who yet blotteth out thy transgressions. This encourages us to repent, because there is forgiveness with God, and shows the freeness of Divine mercy. When God forgives, he forgets. It is not for any thing in us, but for his mercies' sake, his promise' sake; especially for his Son's sake. He is pleased to reckon it his honour. Would man justify himself before God? The attempt is desperate: our first father broke the covenant, and we all have copied his example. We have no reason to expect pardon, except we seek it by faith in Christ; and that is always attended by true repentance, and followed by newness of life, by hatred of sin, and love to God. Let us then put him in remembrance of the promises he has made to the penitent, and the satisfaction his Son has made for them. Plead these with him in wrestling for pardon; and declare these things, that thou mayest be justified freely by his grace. This is the only way, and it is a sure way to peace.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 43

Is this chapter the Lord comforts his own people, under their afflictions, with many precious promises; asserts his deity against the idols of the nations; promises deliverance from Babylon, and a greater redemption than that; one branch of which is forgiveness of sin; and closes the chapter with a prediction of the destruction of the Jews by the Romans, for their iniquities. The Lord claims his interest in his people, not only on the foot of creation, but of redemption and calling, and promises them his presence in the midst of afflictions, Isa 43:1,2, puts them in mind of what he had done for them; and assures them of future layouts, as the effect of his unchangeable love to them, Isa 43:3,4 and promises the conversion of their seed and offspring in the several parts of the world, Isa 43:5-7 then challenges the Heathen nations to give such proofs of the deity of their idols as he was capable of giving of his, as his people were witnesses, taken from his eternity and immutability, as the alone Jehovah, and from his omniscience and omnipotence, Isa 43:8-13, after which the destruction of Babylon is prophesied of, and the redemption of his people out of it; which they are encouraged to believe from his being Jehovah, their Sanctifier, Creator, and King; and from what he had done formerly for them, when he brought them out of Egypt, Isa 43:14-17, and which yet was not to be mentioned or remembered, in comparison of what he would do in the world, a new thing, redemption by the Messiah, and the conversion of the Gentiles to the glory of his grace, Isa 43:18-21, the sins of omission and commission the people of God had been guilty of are mentioned, which are freely pardoned for Christ's sake, Isa 43:22-25 when the body and bulk of the Jewish nation were given up to destruction, because of their sins, Isa 43:26-28.