🕊️WEB · Isaiah 43:20
What does Isaiah 43:20 mean?
"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 43:20 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
who brings out the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched like a wick):
“Don’t remember the former things, and don’t consider the things of old.
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.
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,
the people which I formed for myself, that they might declare my praise.
Yet you have not called on me, Jacob; but you have been weary of me, Israel.
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.
Explanation
Isaiah 43:20 depicts a striking image: even wild creatures of the wilderness—jackals and ostriches, animals associated with desolate, forbidding places—will honor God because of what he is about to do. The reason for their praise is stated plainly: God will provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, in order to give drink to his chosen people. In plain language, the verse says that God's provision for his people will be so remarkable that even the untamed animals of barren lands will recognize and respond to his glory, because the transformation of the wasteland benefits all creation, not just humans.
The context is the exile of Judah in Babylon. Isaiah, writing (in this section of the book) to a people who had lost their homeland, temple, and sense of identity, delivers a message of comfort and hope. Chapter 43 begins with God reassuring Israel that he has redeemed them, called them by name, and will not abandon them despite their suffering. Verses 16-21 recall God's mighty acts at the Exodus—making a way through the sea—and then pivot to declare a new, even greater act: God will make a way through the wilderness itself, providing water in desolate places so his exiled people can return home. This is a promise of a second exodus, assuring the captives that the same God who split the Red Sea would now sustain them through the desert on their journey back.
Theologically, the verse emphasizes God's sovereignty over creation and his covenant faithfulness to his chosen people. The idea that wild animals would "honor" God underscores that all of creation is responsive to and dependent up
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