Isaiah 43 24

Isaiah 43:24 kjv

Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

Isaiah 43:24 nkjv

You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.

Isaiah 43:24 niv

You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.

Isaiah 43:24 esv

You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.

Isaiah 43:24 nlt

You have not brought me fragrant calamus
or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
and wearied me with your faults.

Isaiah 43 verses

Isaiah 43 24 Meaning

Isaiah 43:24 profoundly reveals God's disillusionment with His people, Israel. He states that they have not offered Him genuine worship, specifically withholding costly aromatic cane and the dedicated fat of sacrifices, which represented the best of their devotion. Instead of honor, they have burdened and wearied Him with their continuous sins and transgressions. This verse contrasts God's faithfulness and promises with Israel's unfaithfulness, highlighting their spiritual apathy and the grievous weight their iniquities place upon a holy God.

Isaiah 43 24 Context

Isaiah 43 is a pivotal chapter often referred to as a "Second Exodus" passage. It speaks of God's sovereign power, His role as the only Redeemer and Savior, and His plan to restore Israel after the Babylonian exile. Leading up to verse 24, God has reiterated His unchanging identity ("I am the LORD, and there is no other," v.11), recounted His powerful acts in delivering Israel (v.16-17), and promised a new and glorious work of redemption (v.18-21).

Verse 24 specifically comes after God's complaint in verse 22 that Israel did not call upon Him and "grew weary of Me." Here, in verse 24, the shocking reversal occurs: God states that He has been wearied by their sins. This indictment is part of a broader call to remembrance, preparing the way for God's declaration of forgiveness in verse 25, which underscores that this forgiveness is for His own sake, not due to any merit in Israel. The historical context is a people who had fallen into spiritual lukewarmness and formalistic worship, leading to their judgment and exile. They maintained outward rituals without inward sincerity or costly devotion, believing they were righteous while God knew their true heart.

Isaiah 43 24 Word analysis

• You have not bought (לֹא־קָנִיתָ - lō-qānîṯā): From qānâ (קנה), to acquire, buy, purchase. Emphatic negation. It's a commercial term, implying they could have and should have offered valuable things but chose not to. They treated God like a vendor from whom they got rather than One to whom they gave.
• me sweet cane (לִּי קָנֶה הַטּוֹב - lî qāneh haṭōwḇ):
  • lî: "for me." This signifies personal dedication to God.
  • qāneh haṭōwḇ: "the good cane," specifically referring to qāneh bōsem (sweet cane, fragrant cane), also known as calamus. This was a valuable and imported spice, often used for holy anointing oil (Ex 30:23). It represents costly and pure worship. Not easily obtained, symbolizing sacrificial devotion.
• with money (בַּכָּ֑סֶף - bakkaṣep̄): Literally "with silver." Silver was the common medium of exchange, representing monetary value and sacrifice. They held onto their wealth instead of investing it in sincere worship to God.
• nor have you filled me (וְחֵ֤לֶב זְבָחֶ֙יךָ֙ לֹ֣א הִרְוִיתָ֑נִי - wəḥêleḇ zəḇāḥeḵā lō hiwîṯā́nî):
  • wəḥêleḇ: "and fat." The ḥêleb (fat) of an animal sacrifice was considered the richest part and was exclusively reserved for the Lord as His portion, signifying the "best" offered to God (Lev 3:16, 7:31).
  • zəḇāḥeḵā: "your sacrifices." This implies they were making sacrifices, but not according to God's standard or with the right heart.
  • lō hiwîṯā́nî: "you have not drenched/filled/satisfied Me." From rāvâ (רוה), to drink to satisfaction, saturate. A strong visual image: God implies their sacrifices were meager, not giving Him the honor and satiety due to Him. It's not a material need for God, but an expression of what should have been from their hearts.
• But you have burdened me (כִּ֣י אִם־הֶעֱבַדְתַּ֗נִי - kî ʾim-heʿeḇadtanî):
  • kî ʾim: "But rather, but indeed." Introduces a strong contrast.
  • heʿeḇadtanî: "you have enslaved me, made me labor, burdened me." From ʿābaḏ (עבד), meaning to work, serve, labor, enslave. This is a powerful, almost shocking, anthropomorphism. Instead of receiving their labor of love, God has been forced to labor under their sin, as if they made Him a slave to their rebellion.
• with your sins (בְּחַטֹּאותֶ֙יךָ֙ - bəḥaṭṭōʾōṯeḵā): Refers to missing the mark, moral failures, wrongdoings against God. Plural, indicating continuous, numerous acts of disobedience.
• you have wearied me (הוֹגַעְתַּֽנִי - hôḡaʿtanî): From yāgaʿ (יגע), meaning to toil, exhaust, be weary. It literally means "you have exhausted Me." This is the peak of God's emotional statement, conveying the profound impact their cumulative and continuous sin has had on Him. It contrasts starkly with their own self-perceived weariness of God (Isa 43:22).
• with your iniquities (בַּעֲוֹנֹתֶיךָ׃ - baʿăwōnōṯêḵā): Refers to perverse acts, guilt, distortion of justice, deliberate rebellion. Plural, intensifying the burden. Iniquities often imply deeper perversity than sins.

Word-groups analysis:

• "You have not bought me sweet cane with money, nor have you filled me with the fat of your sacrifices.": This first part articulates God's charge of neglect in positive worship. It contrasts true, sacrificial worship with their shallow practices. The specific items mentioned (sweet cane, fat) are costly and representative of the best one could offer, highlighting Israel's stinginess and lack of true devotion. They withheld their genuine heart.
• "But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.": This second part, introduced by a strong contrast ("But"), reveals the negative impact of their actions. It's not just a lack of good, but an abundance of evil. The anthropomorphic language ("burdened," "wearied") emphasizes God's righteous grief and distress over their constant rebellion. It's a statement about sin's corrosive effect, not on God's nature, but on His relationship with His people. The repetition of "sins" and "iniquities" (parallelism) underlines the extent and severity of their offenses.

Isaiah 43 24 Bonus section

The Hebrew parallelism in the second half of the verse ("burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities") intensifies the impact of Israel's unfaithfulness. "Sins" (ḥaṭṭāʾōṯ) often denote acts that miss the mark, while "iniquities" (ʿăwōnōṯ) can imply perversion or twisting, a deeper rebellion. This dual indictment underscores the comprehensive nature of their offenses, covering both acts of omission (neglecting true worship) and commission (active sin). This "wearing out" of God should not be misconstrued as God physically or spiritually weakening, but rather an expression of the emotional toll and holy offense sin brings to the relationship between the perfectly righteous God and His sinful creation. It’s an assertion of His deep personal involvement and emotional response to their actions. The context immediately leading to Isaiah 43:24 (verses 22-23) emphasizes that Israel had grown "weary" of God; however, here God emphatically declares that He has been wearied by them. This divine counter-complaint highlights the radical misperception and inverted priorities of His people, emphasizing their spiritual blindness and the depth of their rebellion.

Isaiah 43 24 Commentary

Isaiah 43:24 presents a powerful divine indictment, dismantling any pretense of righteousness Israel might have held. God, who had just reaffirmed His unparalleled redemptive power, here confronts His people with their profound ingratitude and spiritual neglect. The absence of the costly "sweet cane" and the sacred "fat of sacrifices" is not about God's material need—He owns everything (Psa 50:10-12)—but about their heart. These were symbols of lavish, heartfelt worship and strict adherence to His covenant commands regarding offerings. Their failure to provide these indicated a fundamental lack of genuine reverence and a reluctance to offer the "best" to their deliverer.

The pivot in the verse is crucial: "But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities." This is a divine reversal, correcting Israel's earlier lament in verse 22 where they implied God had wearied them. God powerfully declares it is they who have wearied Him. The language is profoundly anthropomorphic, expressing God's holy sorrow and divine patience stretched thin by their chronic disobedience. Their sins are depicted not as light infractions but as a heavy, crushing burden (as implied by heʿeḇadtanî - 'burdened/made to labor') that exhausts the Almighty. This burden is a testament to the incompatibility of human sin with divine holiness, and the righteous grief it causes the Creator when His covenant people continually transgress. It sets the stage for God's incredible grace in verse 25, where He will choose to blot out these very sins for His own name's sake.

Practical Examples:

• A Christian who attends church, sings hymns, but privately engages in malicious gossip or financial dishonesty, fails to bring the "sweet cane" of sincere worship.
• Someone who offers small, grudging amounts to charitable causes but withholds their time, talents, or heartfelt concern from others is like not giving the "fat of sacrifices."
• Parents might feel "wearied" by a child's repeated, unrepented rebellion and broken promises, reflecting God's feeling towards Israel's persistent iniquity.