Isaiah 43:16 (LSB)

Passage

Thus says Yahweh, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

Nearby Context

Isaiah 43:14 Thus says Yahweh your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And will bring down those who fled—all of them, Even the Chaldeans—into the ships in which they shouted for joy.

Isaiah 43:15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.”

Isaiah 43:16 Thus says Yahweh, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

Isaiah 43:17 Who brings forth the chariot and the horse, The military force and the mighty man; They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been extinguished and quenched like a wick:

Isaiah 43:18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor carefully consider things of the past.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "says", "yahweh", "makes", "through", "path", and "mighty". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "says", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "I am Yahweh your Holy One The..." into verse 17's "Who brings forth the chariot and the...", so "thus" and "says" 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 "says" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.