Isaiah 43:1–2

Context

Chapters 40–55 of Isaiah contain words of comfort and restoration addressed to Israel in captivity in Babylon. The traditional view holds that the eighth-century BC prophet Isaiah wrote this section, looking ahead to the future. The view of critical scholarship holds that another prophet wrote it in the later exilic period (the so-called "Second Isaiah," or Deutero-Isaiah).

At the end of the preceding chapter, Isaiah 42, God rebukes Israel for failing to understand even after suffering judgment by fire. Isaiah 43:1 reverses the direction of the passage with the words "But now," moving from judgment to the promise of salvation. God introduces himself as the one who "created" Israel and who "formed" (shaped and fashioned) Israel. He then declares, "I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." The Hebrew word translated "redeem," ga'al, is generally understood to refer to the act of a kinsman who pays a price to recover a family member or land that has been sold. The waters and rivers of verse 2 are read as language recalling the Exodus narrative of crossing the Red Sea and the Jordan River.

Interpretation

• Historical reading: The passage is read as a promise that exiled Israel will return to its homeland. It connects with the "new exodus" theme of the section that immediately follows.
• Covenant theology reading: The Reformed tradition holds that this word also applies to the church and to believers, who in Christ share in inheriting the promises given to Israel.
• Dispensationalist reading: This view holds that the promise was given primarily to ethnic Israel, and it applies the passage to believers today as a principle that reveals God's character.
• Reading focused on God's presence: Many commentators point out that the expressions "when thou passest through" and "when thou walkest through" are not a promise that there will be no suffering but a promise that God will be present in the midst of suffering.

Questions of Application

The passage is not the subject of significant controversy among denominations. Interpreters do, however, differ in emphasis on whether it is appropriate to apply a promise given to Israel directly as a word of personal comfort. Some also point out that reading "thou shalt not be burned" as a guarantee against any disaster does not fit the context.

In Korean Churches

The passage is frequently read as a word of comfort and encouragement at times when the future feels uncertain, such as during pastoral visits to the sick, during college entrance examinations and school transitions, and at the New Year. It is also commonly printed on Scripture cards and used as a memory verse.

Related Passages

• Isaiah 43:16–21
• Exodus 14:13–14
• Daniel 3:24–28
• John 10:3–4
• Psalm 46:1–3