Isaiah 43:4 (KJV)

Passage

Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Isaiah 43:3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

Isaiah 43:4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Isaiah 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

Isaiah 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "since", "thou", "wast", "precious", "sight", "hast", and "been". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "since" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "For I am the LORD thy God..." into verse 5's "Fear not for I am with thee...", so "since" and "thou" 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 "since" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.