Isaiah 43:21 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Isaiah 43:19 behold, I do a new thing; now it shall spring forth: shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the waste.

Isaiah 43:20 The beast of the field shall glorify me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I will give waters in the wilderness, rivers in the waste, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

Isaiah 43:21 This people have I formed for myself: they shall shew forth my praise.

Isaiah 43:22 But thou hast not called upon me, Jacob; for thou hast been weary of me, O Israel:

Isaiah 43:23 thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt-offerings, neither hast thou glorified me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to toil with an oblation, nor wearied thee with incense.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "formed", "myself", "shall", "shew", "forth", and "praise". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "formed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "The beast of the field shall glorify..." into verse 22's "But thou hast not called upon me...", so "people" and "formed" 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 "people" and "formed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.