Isaiah 43:25
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Study Note
Study Note
God's remarkable self-identification — 'I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins' — grounds forgiveness not in human merit or even in divine compassion for the undeserving, but in God's own name and character. The phrase 'for my own sake' (lema'ani) is theologically audacious: forgiveness serves the display of divine glory and consistency with divine character, not primarily human benefit. The promise 'I will not remember your sins' goes beyond forgiveness as legal acquittal to a deliberate divine amnesia — an act of will that permanently removes the transgression from the governing account. The verse has been central to discussions of the unilateral character of divine forgiveness and has been connected to the new covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:34 ('I will remember their sin no more').
Other Translations
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake; and I will not remember thy sins.
I--I <FI>am<Fi> He who is blotting out Thy transgressions for Mine own sake, And thy sins I do not remember.
I, even I, am he who takes away your sins; and I will no longer keep your evil doings in mind.
Cross References
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I …
I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for …
I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.
Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit …
For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as …
In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there …
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for …
Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded …