Passage
Who brought forth the chariot and the horse, the army and the strong: they lay down to sleep together, and they shall not rise again: they are broken as flax, and are extinct.
Isaiah 43:17 (DRB)
Nearby Context
Isaiah 43:15 I am the Lord your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
Isaiah 43:16 Thus saith the Lord, who made a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters.
Isaiah 43:17 Who brought forth the chariot and the horse, the army and the strong: they lay down to sleep together, and they shall not rise again: they are broken as flax, and are extinct.
Isaiah 43:18 Remember not former things, and look not on things of old.
Isaiah 43:19 Behold I do new things, and now they shall spring forth, verily you shall know them: I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "brought", "forth", "chariot", "horse", "army", "strong", "down", and "sleep". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brought" and "forth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Thus saith the Lord who made a..." into verse 18's "Remember not former things and look not...", so "brought" and "forth" 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 "brought" and "forth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.