Text: Isaiah 43:19
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 14
Subject: Israel's creator, redeemer, and provider
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Typology + Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Isaiah 43:19 announces "I am doing a new thing (חֲדָשָׁה, chadashah)... I will make a way (דֶּרֶךְ, derekh) in the wilderness and rivers in the desert," directly recalling yet surpassing the Exodus 14 deliverance. The "way" through the wilderness echoes Israel's post-sea journey, while "rivers in the desert" reverses the barren landscape of the original exodus wandering. The crucial word is "new" — after rehearsing the original exodus in vv. 16-17, God commands Israel not to dwell on it (v. 18) because the coming deliverance will be categorically greater. The pattern of Exodus 14 remains the template, but the new thing will exceed the old.