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.

ISAIAH 43:19KJV
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Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 43:19 mean?

Isaiah 43:19 describes God announcing that He is about to do something entirely new, something that will surprise people and bring life and hope where there was none before. The verse uses the image of making a path through the wilderness and streams in the desert to show that God can create possibilities and blessings in the most unlikely places.

In this verse, God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel, who were facing hardship and exile. The message is meant to encourage them by promising that God is not limited by past events and can bring about unexpected change. The language highlights God’s power to transform desperate situations and provide for His people in ways they could not imagine.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 43:19

  • "Do" (עָשָׂה, ʿasah) means to make or accomplish. Here, it emphasizes that God Himself is actively bringing about this new thing, not just allowing it to happen.
  • "Thing" (חָדָשׁ, chadash) means new or fresh. This word stresses that what God is doing is not a repeat of the past but something unprecedented.
  • "Way" (דֶּרֶךְ, derek) means a road or path. In the context of wilderness, it suggests God is making a route where none existed, symbolizing guidance and provision.
  • "Rivers" (נָהָר, nahar) means streams or flowing water. In the desert context, it points to life, abundance, and renewal where there was barrenness.

Why Isaiah 43:19 matters

  • Isaiah 43:19 clears up the idea that God is only a God of the past; it shows that He is always able to do something new, even when situations seem hopeless.
  • The verse emphasizes that God’s help can come in completely unexpected ways, encouraging people not to limit their expectations to what they have already seen.
  • In the wider passage, this verse marks a shift from remembering past miracles (like the Exodus) to looking forward with hope, reminding the people that God’s power is not exhausted.

Where else these words appear

“desert” Hebrew H3452 · used in 13 verses

  • Numbers 21:20 And from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.
  • 1 Samuel 23:24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
  • Psalms 78:40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

“forth” Hebrew H6779 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
  • 2 Samuel 23:5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
  • Isaiah 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

“thing” Hebrew H2319 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
  • 2 Samuel 21:16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
  • Song of Solomon 7:13 The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

“rivers” Hebrew H5104 · used in 109 verses

  • Genesis 2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
  • Ezra 8:31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way.
  • Isaiah 42:15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.