Isaiah 43:15-25

15 I am the Lord, your Holy, your king, making Israel of nought. (I am the Lord, your Holy One, your King, making Israel out of nothing.)

16 The Lord saith these things, that gave [a] way in the sea, and a path in running waters;

17 which led out a cart, and horse, a company, and (a) strong man; they slept together, neither they shall rise again; they be all-broken as flax, and be quenched (like a wick). (who led out chariots, and horses, yea, a company of strong men; they all sleep now, or be dead, and they shall never rise again; they be all-broken like flax, and be quenched, or snuffed out, like a wick.)

18 Think ye not on the former things, and behold ye not (on the) old things.

19 Lo! I make new things, and now those shall begin to be made; soothly ye shall know them. I shall set [a] way in (the) desert, and floods in a land without (a) way.

20 And a beast of the field shall glorify me, (the) dragons and ostriches shall glorify me; for I gave waters in desert, and floods in the land without (a) way, that I should give drink to my people, to my chosen people.

21 I formed this people to me, it shall tell my praising. (I formed this people for myself, and they shall tell out my praises.)

22 Jacob, thou calledest not me to help; and thou, Israel, travailedest not for me. (Yet Jacob, thou hast not called upon me for help; yea, Israel, thou hast not laboured for me.)

23 Thou offeredest not to me the ram of thy burnt sacrifice, and thou glorifiedest not me with thy slain sacrifices. I made not thee to serve in offering, neither I gave to thee travail in incense. (Thou hast not offered me the ram of thy burnt sacrifice, and thou hast not glorified me with thy slain sacrifices. And I did not ask thee to serve me with offerings, nor did I ask thee to offer incense to me.)

24 Thou boughtest not to me sweet smelling spicery for silver, and thou filledest not me with [the] fatness of thy slain sacrifices; nevertheless thou madest me to serve in thy sins, thou gavest travail to me in thy wickednesses. (Thou hast not brought me sweet smelling spices with thy silver, and thou hast not fulfilled, or satisfied, me/and thou hast not filled me with the fatness of thy slain sacrifices; nevertheless thou hast burdened me with thy sins, and thou hast given me trials and tribulation with thy wickednesses.)

25 I am, I myself am, that do away thy wickednesses for me, and I shall not have mind on thy sins. (But I am, yea, I am he who do away thy wickednesses for my own sake, and I shall not remember thy sins.)

Isaiah 43:15-25 Meaning and Commentary

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.