The Meaning of Isaiah 43:20 Explained

Isaiah 43:20

KJV: The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

YLT: Honour me doth the beast of the field, Dragons and daughters of an ostrich, For I have given in a wilderness waters, Floods in a desolate place, To give drink to My people -- My chosen.

Darby: The beast of the field shall glorify me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I will give waters in the wilderness, rivers in the waste, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

ASV: The beasts of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The beast  of the field  shall honour  me, the dragons  and the owls:  because I give  waters  in the wilderness,  [and] rivers  in the desert,  to give drink  to my people,  my chosen. 

What does Isaiah 43:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 43:14-28 - A Way In The Wilderness
Let uptake care lest we thwart God's purpose in our lives. We were made to show forth His praise, Isaiah 43:21; but we must beware of causing a revoking of His gracious purpose (See Numbers 14:34, r.v. margin): by prayerlessness, Isaiah 43:22; by the neglect of little things, Isaiah 43:23; by the lack of sweetness and tenderness in our disposition, Isaiah 43:24. "Be not high-minded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will He spare thee," Romans 11:20-21, r.v.
On the other hand, directly sin is repented of and put away, it is blotted out, Isaiah 43:25. It is persistence in sin that causes God to turn from us. If we forsake what is evil, as soon as we are conscious of it, "the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." It is blotted out as a cloud from the sky and no more remembered against us forever. This is done for God's own sake. The reason for our salvation and deliverance is not in us, but in Him. The cross of shame and sorrow was His own expedient, and the Lamb in the midst of the throne is the emblem of the divine Atonement, which was commenced and finished by the inexplicable grace of God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 43

1  The Lord comforts the church with his promises
8  He appeals to the people for witness of his omnipotence
14  He foretells them the destruction of Babylon
18  And his wonderful deliverance of his people
22  He reproves the people as inexcusable

What do the individual words in Isaiah 43:20 mean?

Will honor Me the beast of the field the jackals and the ostriches because I give in the wilderness waters [And] rivers in the desert to give drink to My people My chosen
תְּכַבְּדֵ֙נִי֙ חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה תַּנִּ֖ים וּבְנ֣וֹת יַֽעֲנָ֑ה כִּֽי־ נָתַ֨תִּי בַמִּדְבָּ֜ר מַ֗יִם נְהָרוֹת֙ בִּֽישִׁימֹ֔ן לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת עַמִּ֥י בְחִירִֽי

תְּכַבְּדֵ֙נִי֙  Will  honor  Me 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular, first person common singular
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured.
חַיַּ֣ת  the  beast 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה  of  the  field 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
תַּנִּ֖ים  the  jackals 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: תַּנִּין  
Sense: dragon, serpent, sea monster.
יַֽעֲנָ֑ה  the  ostriches 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: יַעֲנָה  
Sense: an unclean bird.
כִּֽי־  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
נָתַ֨תִּי  I  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בַמִּדְבָּ֜ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
מַ֗יִם  waters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
נְהָרוֹת֙  [And]  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
בִּֽישִׁימֹ֔ן  in  the  desert 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְשִׁימֹון  
Sense: waste, wilderness, desert, desolate place.
לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת  to  give  drink 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׁקָה  
Sense: to give to drink, irrigate, drink, water, cause to drink water.
עַמִּ֥י  to  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
בְחִירִֽי  My  chosen 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בָּחִיר  
Sense: chosen, choice one, chosen one, elect (of God).