Isaiah 43:1

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob,.... This prophecy is not concerning Cyrus, and the redemption of the Jews by him, as some have thought; nor of Sennacherib and his army, and of

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.

ISAIAH CHAPTER 43 Promises to protect and enlarge the church, . God appealeth to them as witnesses of his power and knowledge, . He foretelleth them the destruction of Babylon, and a new deliverance of his people, ; whose sins, , against God’ s mercies, render them inexcusable, . But now thus saith the Lord; but notwithstanding thy gross insensibleness under former judgments, for which I might justly send far heavier ones upon thee, yet I will deal mercifully with thee. That created thee; that made, thee his people, and that in so miraculous a manner, as if he had created thee a second time out of nothing; and therefore he will be gracious to his own workmanship. I have redeemed thee from the Egyptians, and divers other enemies; and therefore I will redeem thee again. By thy name; by the name of God’ s people, which was as proper and peculiar to them as the name of Israel.

Isaiah 43:1 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.Ver. 1. But now, thus saith the Lord.] Here the prophet comforteth those with the gospel whom he had frighted with the law, saith Oecolampadius. That created thee, O Jacob.] By a new creation, especially. Magna sunt opera Dei creatoris, Dei recreatoris longe maxima. The work of redemption is far beyond that of creation. And he that formed thee, O Israel.] As the potter formeth to himself a vessel of honour, and distinguisheth it from other vile and sordid vessels; so have I dealt by thee. I have redeemed thee.] A mercy much celebrated in this book, and for very great reason. I have called thee by thy name.] Which was no small favour. See Exodus 33:17 Psalms 147:4. Some think he alludeth to his giving Jacob the name of Israel, when he had wrestled with God and prevailed. Thou art mine.] I have adopted thee, which is no small honour. Meus es tu, you are mine, may very well be the new name spoken of, better than that of sons and of daughters, See it displayed 1 Peter 2:9. Augustine.

XLIII. (1) But now . . .—The outpouring of love that follows is contrasted with the wrath of the preceding verse. The Lord that created thee.—The title implies something more than “the Maker of heaven and earth.” Jehovah has created Israel as specially answering, as other created things did, to an archetype in His own purpose. To “call by name” is everywhere, but pre-eminently in the East, the mark of an individualising tenderness (John 10:3), almost of a predestinating love that makes the name a witness of its purpose.

CHAPTER XLIII Prediction of that blessed period when God should gather the posterity of Abraham, with tender care, from their several dispersions in every quarter under heaven, and bring them safely to their own land, 1-7. Struck with astonishment at so clear a display of an event so very remote, the prophet again challenges all the blinded nations and their idols to produce an instance of such foreknowledge, 8, 9; and intimates that the Jews should remains (as at this day,) a singular monument to witness the truth of the prediction, till it should at length be fulfilled by the irresistible power of God, 10-13. He then returns to the nearer deliverance - that from the captivity of Babylon, 14, 15; with which, however, he immediately connects another deliverance described by allusions to that from Egypt, but represented as much more wonderful than that; a character which will not at all apply to the deliverance from Babylon, and must therefore be understood of the restoration from the mystical Babylon, 16-18. On this occasion the prophet, with peculiar elegance, and by a very strong poetic figure, represents the tender care of God in comforting and refreshing his people on their way through the desert, to be so great as to make even the wild beasts haunting those parched places so sensible of the blessing of those copious streams then provided by him, as to join their hissing and howling notes with one consent to praise God, 19-21. This leads to a beautiful contrast of the ingratitude of the Jews, and a vindication of God's dealings with regard to them, 22-28. NOTES ON CHAP. XLIII Verse 1. I have called thee by thy name] "קראתי בשמך karathi beshimcha. So all the versions. But it seems from the seventh verse, and from the thing itself, that we should read קראתיך בשמי karathicha bishmi, 'I have called thee by my name;' for this form of speech often occurs - the other never. For Isaiah 45:24, concerning Cyrus, is another matter; but when God calls Jacob Israel, he calls him by the name of God. See Exodus 31:2." - Secker.

1–7. Israel, though blind and deaf (ch. Isaiah 42:18 ff.), is precious in the sight of Jehovah its Creator, who is now about to shew Himself as its Redeemer. But now] Introducing the contrast to Isaiah 42:25. that created thee … that formed thee] Three verbs which express Jehovah’s creative activity are applied in this prophecy to His special relations to Israel: “create” (Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 43:7; Isaiah 43:15); “form” (Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 43:21, Isaiah 44:2; Isaiah 44:21; Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:11, Isaiah 49:5 (Isaiah 64:8); “make” (Isaiah 44:2, Isaiah 51:13, Isaiah 54:5). I have redeemed thee] Rather, I redeem thee (perf. of certainty). see on ch. Isaiah 41:14. I have called (I call) thee by thy name] i.e. I address thee as one who is familiar and dear (Isaiah 45:3 f., cf. Exodus 31:2); stronger than the simple “call” (Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:1).

But now - This expression shows that this chapter is connected with the preceding.

1, 2. The prophet returns to his usual consolatory tone. The first verse is inexpressibly tender; so, for the most part, is the entire chapter. But now — Hebrew, and now.