Isaiah 43:16 (ASV)

Passage

Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

Nearby Context

Isaiah 43:14 Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing.

Isaiah 43:15 I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

Isaiah 43:16 Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

Isaiah 43:17 who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick):

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "saith", "jehovah", "maketh", "path", "mighty", and "waters". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "I am Jehovah your Holy One the..." into verse 17's "who bringeth forth the chariot and horse...", so "thus" and "saith" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thus" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.