The Meaning of Isaiah 43:22 Explained

Isaiah 43:22

KJV: But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

YLT: And Me thou hast not called, O Jacob, For thou hast been wearied of me, O Israel,

Darby: But thou hast not called upon me, Jacob; for thou hast been weary of me, O Israel:

ASV: Yet thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But thou hast not called  upon me, O Jacob;  but thou hast been weary  of me, O Israel. 

What does Isaiah 43:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Israelites would genuinely worship God for His coming deliverance of them ( Isaiah 43:21), but at present they were not doing so. They had forsaken their God, and their praise was only formal rather than heartfelt (cf. Isaiah 1:11-14; Isaiah 66:3; Jeremiah 7:5-10; Hosea 6:6; Amos 4:4-6; Micah 6:3-8; Malachi 1:13; Malachi 2:17; Matthew 15:9).

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 43:22 mean?

But not upon Me you have called Jacob for and you have been weary of Me Israel
וְלֹא־ אֹתִ֥י קָרָ֖אתָ יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב כִּֽי־ יָגַ֥עְתָּ בִּ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל

וְלֹא־  But  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֹתִ֥י  upon  Me 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
קָרָ֖אתָ  you  have  called 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב  Jacob 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעֲקֹב  
Sense: son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of the 2 patriarchs of the tribes of Israel.
יָגַ֥עְתָּ  and  you  have  been  weary 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָגַע  
Sense: to toil, labour, grow weary, be weary.
בִּ֖י  of  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.