Isaiah 43:19 says, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." God spoke it through Isaiah to the people of Judah, who would be exiled in Babylon. He reminds them that He once made a way through the sea when He brought Israel out of Egypt (Isaiah 43:16-17), and then says that what He is about to do will be even greater: a new exodus home through the desert. Christians also read it as a picture of the new life God gives in Christ, who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Isaiah 43:19 is a favorite verse for new beginnings: a new year, a new job, a recovery, a fresh start after loss. That is a fair use of it, as long as we remember who is speaking and to whom. God is not promising that every plan we make will work out. He is telling a discouraged people, far from home, that He is not finished with them, and that the God of the Red Sea can make roads through deserts. That promise is about His character, and His character has not changed. Below is Isaiah 43:19 in its setting, what the former things and the new thing are, and 12 KJV verses with plain notes. For more verses on fresh starts, see Bible verses about new beginnings; for the new year, see Bible verses about the new year.
The setting of Isaiah 43
Isaiah 40 to 55 speaks comfort to the people of Judah as they would be living in exile in Babylon, after Jerusalem fell in 586 BC (Isaiah 40:1-2, 48:20). They had lost their land, their temple and their king, and many wondered whether God had abandoned them. Chapter 43 opens with one of the tenderest promises in Scripture: Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine (Isaiah 43:1). Then God calls Israel His witnesses (Isaiah 43:10) and announces that He will bring them home. Verses 16 and 17 remember the exodus from Egypt, when God parted the sea and drowned Pharaoh's chariots. Verses 18 and 19 say: do not stay stuck in that memory, because I am about to do something new. The new thing was the return from Babylon, which began under the Persian king Cyrus in 538 BC (Ezra 1:1-3), whom Isaiah names (Isaiah 44:28).
Key words in Isaiah 43:19
- Behold: look, pay attention.
- New thing: something fresh that has not been seen before.
- Spring forth: sprout, like a plant breaking through the ground.
- Wilderness and desert: dry, trackless country, like the desert between Babylon and Judah.
Behold, I will do a new thing (Isaiah 43:16-21)
1. Isaiah 43:16-17
"Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow."
Before announcing the new thing, God reminds His people of the old one: Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. This is the Red Sea, when Israel walked through on dry ground and Pharaoh's army drowned behind them (Exodus 14). God starts with it because it proves what He can do: if He made a road through the sea, He can make a road through anything.
2. Isaiah 43:18
"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old."
Then comes a surprising command: Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. This does not mean forget the exodus (Isaiah 46:9). It means do not live in the past as if God's best work is behind Him. The exiles could look back to the glory days of Moses and David and feel that God's mighty acts were long over. God says the opposite. Do not let the past, whether its victories or its failures, set the limit on what you expect from Me. See Bible verses about change.
3. Isaiah 43:19
"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."
Here is the verse itself: Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Behold means look. It is already sprouting, and God asks if His people will notice. Then He describes it: a way, a road, through trackless wilderness, and rivers where there is only sand. The first fulfillment was the journey home from Babylon across the desert. The deeper pattern runs through the whole Bible: God brings life and direction where there seems to be none.
4. Isaiah 43:21
"This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise."
God also explains why He rescues His people: This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. Formed is the word for a potter shaping clay. God made Israel for Himself, and He would bring them home so that they would praise Him. The verse just before says He gives waters in the wilderness to give drink to my people, my chosen (Isaiah 43:20). Peter takes up this language for the church: ye are a chosen generation... that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness (1 Peter 2:9). Our new beginnings, too, are meant to end in praise. See Bible verses about praise and worship.
A way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert
5. Isaiah 43:1
"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine."
The chapter that contains Isaiah 43:19 begins with this promise, and it is the reason the exiles could believe the new thing: But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. God speaks as Creator, Redeemer and the One who knows each person's name. The next verse promises that when they pass through the waters and the fire, He will be with them (Isaiah 43:2). A new beginning is not something we have to create alone. It rests on the fact that we belong to Him. See Bible verses about fear.
6. Isaiah 48:6
"Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them."
A few chapters later God returns to the same theme: Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. God had foretold events long before they happened, so that His people could not say their idols had done it (Isaiah 48:5). Now He announces new things, hidden until now. The point is that God's plans are not exhausted by what we already know. He still has surprises of grace for His people. See Bible verses about God's plan.
7. Isaiah 41:18
"I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water."
Rivers in the desert is one of Isaiah's favorite pictures. Two chapters earlier God promised the poor and needy who seek water and find none: I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. Water in the Bible often stands for life and for the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). In dry seasons of the soul, when prayer feels empty and hope feels thin, these promises remind us that God specializes in bringing water where there was none. See Bible verses about water.
8. Psalms 107:35
"He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings."
Psalm 107 tells story after story of people in trouble who cried to the LORD and were rescued: wanderers in the desert, prisoners, the sick, sailors in a storm. Near the end it sums up God's power to reverse a situation: He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. Watersprings means springs of water. The verse just before describes the opposite, fruitful land turned barren because of wickedness (Psalm 107:34). The psalm's refrain is the right response: Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness (Psalm 107:8). See Bible verses about the goodness of God.
Behold, I make all things new
9. Lamentations 3:22-23
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
New things are not only for big turning points. Jeremiah wrote this in the ruins of Jerusalem, in a book full of grief: It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Consumed means destroyed. Even in the worst season of Israel's history, God's mercy showed up fresh every morning, like manna in the wilderness. The new thing of Isaiah 43:19 may be a great change of circumstances, but it often starts as daily mercy, given one morning at a time. See Lamentations 3:22-23.
10. 2 Corinthians 4:16
"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."
Paul knew what it was to feel worn down by trouble, beatings and age. Yet he wrote: For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. The outward man is the body, which grows weaker over time; the inward man is the life God has put within believers, which grows stronger. Renewed means made new. God's new thing in a Christian's life is often hidden from view, a daily renewal of hope and strength while outward circumstances stay hard. See Bible verses about encouragement.
11. Ezekiel 36:26
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."
The greatest new thing God promises in the Old Testament is a new heart. Ezekiel, who was himself an exile in Babylon, heard God say: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. A stony heart is hard and unresponsive to God; a heart of flesh is alive and tender. Jesus told Nicodemus that this new birth is the work of the Spirit (John 3:5-8). See Bible verses about a new creation.
12. Revelation 21:5
"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
The Bible ends where Isaiah 43:19 points. At the end of history John sees a new heaven and a new earth, and God Himself speaks: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Behold again, the same call to look. The new thing God began with Israel's return from exile and continued in Christ's resurrection will one day reach the whole creation, with no more death, sorrow or crying (Revelation 21:4). These words are true and faithful. See Bible verses about heaven.
A short prayer
LORD, You made a way through the sea for Your people, and You promise to make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Help me not to live in the past, whether its victories or its regrets, as if Your best work were behind You. Open my eyes to see the new thing You are already doing. When my life feels dry, bring Your living water. Renew my inward life day by day, give me a tender heart, and let my new beginnings end in praise to You. Thank You that one day You will make all things new. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Start the year with the free New Year Scripture plan · Print the free January Scripture writing plan · Begin again in prayer with the 30-Day Prayer Journal
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of Isaiah 43:19?
In Isaiah 43:19 God tells His exiled people that He is about to do a new thing: bring them home from Babylon through the desert, a rescue even greater than the exodus from Egypt. He will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, providing both direction and life where there seemed to be none. The verse reveals God's character as the One who opens new ways for His people, which is why Christians also apply it to new life in Christ.
What are the former things in Isaiah 43:18?
The former things are the past events God's people kept looking back to, especially the exodus from Egypt and the parting of the sea described in Isaiah 43:16-17. God is not telling them to forget His past works; elsewhere He commands them to remember (Isaiah 46:9). He is telling them not to live in the past as if His mighty acts were finished. The new thing He was about to do would outshine the old.
Is Isaiah 43:19 a promise for me?
Isaiah 43:19 was first spoken to Judah in exile, and its first fulfillment was their return home. It is not a promise that any particular plan or wish of ours will come true. But it reveals what God is like: He makes ways where there are none and brings life to dry places. Christians trust that the same God is at work in their lives through Christ, who makes believers a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17) and will one day make all things new.
Is Isaiah 43:19 a good verse for the new year?
Yes, as long as it is read in context. It reminds us not to be ruled by last year's failures or successes and to look for what God is doing now. Pair it with Lamentations 3:22-23, about mercies that are new every morning, and Philippians 3:13-14, about forgetting what is behind and pressing forward. Many people write Isaiah 43:19 at the front of a new journal or Bible reading plan in January.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: New beginnings · New year · Lamentations 3:22-23 · Jeremiah 29:11 meaning · Isaiah 40:31 meaning · Isaiah 41:10 KJV · Change · Hope
Explore more: All Bible verses by topic · KJV Bible verses · Verse of the day · Prayers · Bible study · Bible reading plans
