Isaiah 43 · Verse 3

Isaiah 43:3

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
Isaiah 43:3, King James Version

Isaiah 43:3 in other translations

BSBFor I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.
WEBFor I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
ASVFor I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead.
YLTFor I--Jehovah thy God, The Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour, I have appointed Egypt thine atonement, Cush and Seba in thy stead.
DARBYFor I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
BBEFor I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your saviour; I have given Egypt as a price for you, Ethiopia and Seba for you.
WebsterFor I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Cush and Seba for thee.

What does Isaiah 43:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. Egypt for thy ransom--Either Egypt or Israel must perish; God chose that Egypt, though so much more mighty, should be destroyed, in order that His people might be delivered; thus Egypt stood, instead of Israel, as a kind of "ransom." The Hebrew, kopher, means properly "that with which anything is overlaid," as the pitch with which the ark was overlaid; hence that which covers over sins, an atonement. Nebuchadnezzar had subdued Egypt, Ethiopia (Hebrew, Cush), and Saba (descended from Cush, Ge 10:7, probably Meroe of Ethiopia, a great island formed by the Astaboras and the Nile, conquered by Cambyses, successor of Cyrus). Cyrus received these from God with the rest of the Babylonian dominions, in consideration of his being about to deliver Israel. However, the reference may be to the three years' war in which Sargon overcame these countries, and so had his attention diverted from Israel (see on Is 20:1) [Vitringa]. But the reference is probably more general, namely, to all the instances in which Jehovah sacrificed mighty heathen nations, when the safety of Israel required it.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 I gave Egypt for thy ransom - This is commonly supposed to refer to the time of Sennacherib's invasion; who, when he was just ready to fall upon Jerusalem, soon after his entering Judea, was providentially diverted from that design, and turned his arms against the Egyptians, and their allies the Cushean Arabians, with their neighbors the Sabeans, probably joined with them under Tirhakah. See Isa 20:1-6 and Isa 37:9. Or as there are some reasonable objections to this opinion, perhaps it may mean more generally that God has often saved his people at the expense of other nations, whom he had, as it were in their stead, given up to destruction. Vitringa explains this of Shalmaneser's designs upon the kingdom of Judea after he had destroyed that of Samaria, from which he was diverted by carrying the war against the Egyptians, Cusheans, and Sabeans; but of this I think he has no clear proof in history. It is not to be wondered at that many things of this kind should remain very obscure for the want of the light of history, which in regard to these times is extremely deficient. "Did not Cyrus overcome these nations? and might they not be given for releasing the Jews? It seems to have been so from Isa 45:14." - Secker. Kimchi refers all this to the deliverance of Jerusalem from the invasion of Sennacherib. Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, had come out to war against the king of Assyria, who was there-upon obliged to raise the siege of Jerusalem. Thus the Ethiopians, Egyptians, and Sabeans were delivered into the hands of the Assyrians as a ransom for Israel. - Kimchi. I cannot help thinking this to be a very rational solution of the text.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 43:1-7

God's unchangeable love for his people. (Is. 43:1-7) Apostates and idolaters addressed. (Is. 43:8-13) The deliverance from Babylon, and the conversion of the Gentiles. (Is. 43:14-21) Admonition to repent of sin. (Is. 43:22-28) Verses 1-7 God's favour and good-will to his people speak abundant comfort to all believers. The new creature, wherever it is, is of God's forming. All who are redeemed with the blood of his…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 43:1-7 →

Isaiah 43:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּ֗יKiforH3588
אֲנִי֙'a.NiIH589
יְהוָ֣הYah.weh[am] YahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ'e.lo.Hei.khaGod yourH430
קְד֥וֹשׁke.Do.osh[the] holy [one] ofH6918
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
מוֹשִׁיעֶ֑ךָmo.shi.'E.khadeliverer yourH3467
נָתַ֤תִּיna.Ta.tiI have givenH5414
כָפְרְךָ֙kha.fe.re.Kharansom yourH3724
מִצְרַ֔יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgyptH4714
כּ֥וּשׁkushCushH3568
וּסְבָ֖אu.se.Va'and SebaH5434
תַּחְתֶּֽיךָ\׃tach.Tei.khain place of youH8478

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 43:3

  • Isaiah 60:16

    Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

  • Isaiah 45:15

    Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

  • Isaiah 49:26

    And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

  • Exodus 20:2

    I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

  • 2 Chronicles 14:9-14

    And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah. Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. …

  • Proverbs 21:18

    The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

  • Isaiah 45:21

    Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

  • Jude 1:25

    To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

  • Titus 3:4-6

    But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

  • Hosea 13:4

    Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.

  • Isaiah 30:11

    Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

  • Proverbs 11:8

    The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the Holy One.
30:11; 41:14; 45:15,21; 49:26; 60:16; Ho 13:4; Tit 2:10-14
Tit 3:4-6; Jude 1:25
I gave.
Ex 10:7; 2Ch 14:9-14; Pr 11:8; 21:18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 43:2

    When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

  • Isaiah 43:3

    For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

  • Isaiah 43:4

    Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Read all of Isaiah 43

Isaiah 43:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque yo Jehová Dios tuyo, el Santo de Israel, soy tu Salvador: á Egipto he dado por tu rescate, á Etiopía y á Seba por ti.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Car moi, je suis l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, le Saint d’Israël, ton sauveur. J’ai donné l’Égypte pour ta rançon, Cush et Seba pour toi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn ich bin Jehova, dein Gott, ich, der Heilige Israels, dein Heiland; ich gebe als dein Lösegeld Ägypten hin, Äthiopien und Seba an deiner Statt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quia ego Dominus Deus tuus, Sanctus Israël, salvator tuus, dedi propitiationem tuam Ægyptum, Æthopiam, et Saba, pro te.