King James Version

Isaiah 43

Isaiah 43 is God's promise to Israel that he created them, redeemed them, and called them by name, so they need not fear the waters or the fire. He names Israel as his witnesses that there is no saviour beside him, promises to do a new thing by making a way in the wilderness, and says he blots out their transgressions for his own sake.

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Isaiah 43 (KJV)

Fear not: I have called thee by thy name v. 1-7

¹But 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.

²When 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.

³For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

⁴Since 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.

⁵Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

⁶I 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;

⁷Even 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.

Ye are my witnesses v. 8-13

⁸Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

⁹Let 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.

¹⁰Ye 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.

¹¹I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

¹²I 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.

¹³Yea, 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?

Behold, I will do a new thing v. 14-21

¹⁴Thus 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.

¹⁵I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

¹⁶Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

¹⁷Which 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.

¹⁸Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

¹⁹Behold, 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.

²⁰The 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.

²¹This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

Wearied by sin, yet forgiven v. 22-28

²²But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

²³Thou 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.

²⁴Thou 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.

²⁵I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

²⁶Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

²⁷Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

²⁸Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

What Isaiah 43 means

The chapter begins with But now, a turn from the judgment at the end of chapter 42. The LORD speaks as the one who created and formed Jacob, and he tells them why they need not fear: "I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." Verse 2 does not promise there will be no deep waters or fire. It promises his presence in them: "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee."

Verses 3-7 say how much Israel is worth to him. He gave Egypt, Ethiopia and Seba as a ransom for them, because they were precious in his sight and he loved them. He will gather his sons and daughters from the east, west, north and south, everyone called by his name, whom he created for his glory.

In verses 8-13 the scene becomes a courtroom. The nations are invited to bring witnesses for their gods. The LORD calls his people his witnesses instead: before him no God was formed, neither shall there be after him, and "beside me there is no saviour."

Verses 14-21 point forward. The same God who made a path through the mighty waters at the Red Sea now says, "Remember ye not the former things." He will bring down Babylon and "do a new thing," making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert for his chosen people.

The chapter ends honestly. Israel had not called on God; they had wearied him with their iniquities instead of their sacrifices. Yet the answer is grace, not payment: "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Verses 27-28 then remind them that their sin had real consequences.

Background and context

The book is traditionally attributed to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. Chapters 40-55 speak comfort to God's people and look ahead to the exile in Babylon and the return from it, naming Babylon and the Chaldeans in verse 14.

This chapter sits among the chapters that speak of the LORD's servant, and the phrase my servant whom I have chosen appears in verse 10.

Key verses

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. 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.
Isaiah 43:1-2 · KJV

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 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.
Isaiah 43:18-19 · KJV

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Isaiah 43:25 · KJV

Cross references

Exodus 14:21-22 The way in the sea and path in the mighty waters of verse 16.And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Daniel 3:25-27 Three men walk through the fire unharmed, a living picture of verse 2.He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
Isaiah 44:6 The next chapter repeats that there is no God beside the LORD.Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Acts 1:8 Jesus calls his disciples to be his witnesses, as Israel was called in verse 10.But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
2 Corinthians 5:17 In Christ old things are passed away and all things are become new.Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Revelation 21:5 He that sat upon the throne says, Behold, I make all things new.And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Hebrews 8:12 God promises to remember their sins no more, like verse 25.For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

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Common questions

What is the meaning of Isaiah 43?

God tells Israel not to fear because he created, redeemed and named them, he will be with them through water and fire, there is no other saviour, and he will do a new thing and blot out their sins.

Where does it say I have called thee by thy name?

Isaiah 43:1: "Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine."

What is the new thing in Isaiah 43:19?

In context it is God bringing his people home through the wilderness, with a way through it and rivers in the desert, a new deliverance even greater than the Exodus they remembered. Christians have also heard in it the new things God does in Christ.

Who is Isaiah 43 written to?

It is addressed to Jacob and Israel, God's chosen people (verse 1). Many Christians also take its promises of God's presence and forgiveness as words for believers today.