Isaiah 43:21 (WEB)

Passage

the people which I formed for myself, that they might declare my praise.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:20 The animals of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen,

Isaiah 43:21 the people which I formed for myself, that they might declare my praise.

Isaiah 43:22 Yet you have not called on me, Jacob; but you have been weary of me, Israel.

Isaiah 43:23 You have not brought me of your sheep for burnt offerings; neither have you honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with frankincense.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "formed", "myself", "might", "declare", 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 animals of the field shall honor..." into verse 22's "Yet you have not called on 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.