Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 43:16

"Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;" — Isaiah 43:16 (ASV)

Thus saith the Lord - This verse contains a reference to the deliverance from Egyptian servitude—the great storehouse of argument and illustration for the sacred writers; the standing demonstration of God’s merciful interposition on behalf of their nation, and proof that He was their God.

Which maketh - Whose characteristic it is to open a path of safety for His people even when deep and rapid floods are before them. The standing proof of this, which undoubtedly the prophet had in mind, was the deliverance from Egypt. Still, I think, he did not mean to refer to that alone, but to that as an illustration of what God was, and had always been to His people.

A way in the sea - Referring to the path made through the waters of the Red Sea when the children of Israel were permitted to go on dry ground.