“I am Yahweh. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.
Parallel Translations
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“I am Yahweh. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.
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I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
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I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.
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Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Isaiah 42:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how would my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another.
- Isaiah 43:11 I myself am Yahweh. Besides me, there is no savior.
- Exodus 34:14 for you shall worship no other god; for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
- Exodus 20:3-5 “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,
- Psalms 83:18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth.
- Exodus 3:13-15 Moses said to God, “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations.
- Exodus 4:5 “This is so that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
- John 5:23 that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.
- John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (17 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain I will not suffer my glory to be diminished:…
I will not suffer my glory to be diminished: which I should do if I were not faithful in performing the same, and the idolaters thereby would extol their idols above me.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Isa 42:8 I [am] the LORD: that [is] my…
Isa 42:8 I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Ver. 8. I am the Lord.] I, and no heathen petty god, as I have plainly and plentifully proved, nemine contradicente.
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That is my name.] God, though he be above all name (when Manoah inquired after his name, the answer was, It is wonderful - i.e., far above thy conception), yet here we have his proper name, Jehovah, which is also called his glory, because incommunicable to any creature.
And my glory will I not give to another.] To his Son Christ he hath given it, {Joh 17:2} who, although he is Alius, another yet he is not Aliud different from the Father, but of the same nature and essence. God hath given being to all things, life to many, sense to others, reason to men and angels, his glory he will not give to any. Excellently hereupon Bernard, {a} My glory I will not, &c.; what then wilt thou give us, Lord? what wilt thou give us? My peace, saith he, I give you; my peace I leave unto you. It is enough for me, Lord; I thankfully take what thou leavest, and leave what thou keepest to thyself, &c.
{a} Serm. xiii. in Cant.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain I am the Lord, Heb. Jehovah; who have all…
I am the Lord, Heb. Jehovah; who have all being in and of myself, and give being to all my creatures, and to all my promises, as this name signifies. The everlasting, and unchangeable, and omnipotent God, who therefore both can and will fulfil all my promises, and plead the cause and set up the kingdom of my Son in spite of all opposition, and destroy all those idols which are set up against him and inc.
That is my name, which I must own and justify to the world. He seems to allude to Exo 3:14,15; 6:3.
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My glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images; I will not any longer suffer that honour and worship which is peculiar to me to be given to idols, as it hath been, but I will by Christ and the gospel abolish idolatry in the world.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain I am the Lord, that is my name,.... Jehovah,…
I am the Lord, that is my name,.... Jehovah, a name expressive of his self-existence, eternity, and immutability; a name by which be made himself known to Israel of old, and which is peculiar to him, and does not belong to another, and so distinguishes him from all false gods; see Exo 3:14 or, "Hu is my name" (p); to which "he himself the same", answers; see Psa 102:27, compared with Heb 13:8 and this is one of the names of God with the Jews (q); as Hou is with the Turks to this day; which, in Arabic, signifies "him": that is, God, as Monsieur Thevenot (r) observes; see Isa 48:12,
and my glory will I not give to another; that is, to another god, to a strange god, to an idol; as that has not the nature, it ought not to have the name of deity, nor divine worship given to it: this the Lord will not admit of, but will punish those, be they Heathens, or are called Christians, that give the glory to idols that is due unto his name. This is not to be understood to the exclusion of the Son and Spirit, who are with the Father the one Jehovah, and share in the same glory; the Son is the brightness of his Father's glory, and the Spirit is the Spirit of glory, Heb 1:3 nor will he suffer the glory of the justification, salvation, and conversion of men, to be given to their works, will, and power, which is entirely due to his own grace, to the blood and righteousness of his Son, and to the energy of the divine Spirit:
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neither my praise to graven images; which serves to explain the former clause, what is meant by his "glory", and who by "another", to whom he will not give it. Papists should observe this, for it respects not merely or only the graven images of the Heathens, but chiefly those among them that bear the Christian name; for this relates to New Testament times. The Targum is,
"and my glory, in which I am revealed to you, I will not give to another people; nor my praise to worshippers of images.''
(p) (q) Seder Tephillot. fol. 1. 2. & 4, 1. Ed. Basil. (r) Travels. part 1. B. 1. c. 31. p. 41.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The Lord - Hebrew. Jehovah: who have all being…
The Lord - Hebrew. Jehovah: who have all being in and of myself, and give being to all my creatures. The everlasting, and unchangeable, and omnipotent God, who therefore both can, and will fulfil all my promises.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 8. I am the Lord] אני יהוה ani…
Verse 8. I am the Lord] אני יהוה ani Yehovah. This is the famous tetragrammaton, or name of four letters, which we write Jehovah, Yehovah, Yehveh, Yeveh, Jhuh, Javah, &c. The letters are Y H U H. The Jews never pronounce it, and the true pronunciation is utterly unknown.
That is my name] A name peculiar to myself.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Isa 42:8-9. I am the Lord — Hebrew, Jehovah;…
Isa 42:8-9. I am the Lord — Hebrew, Jehovah; who have all being in and of myself, and give being to all my creatures. The everlasting, and unchangeable, and omnipotent God, who therefore both can and will fulfil all my promises. That is my name — Which I must own and justify to the world. He seems to allude to Exo 3:14; Exo 6:3. My glory will I not give to another — I will not any longer suffer that honour and worship which are peculiar to me to be given to idols, as it hath been, but I will, by the Messiah and his gospel, abolish idolatry out of the world. Behold, the former things are come to pass — As all things which I have formerly promised or foretold, have exactly come to pass in their proper seasons, and not one of them has failed; so you have great reason to believe that what I now promise, though it be new and strange to you, shall infallibly be accomplished. Before they spring forth I tell you of them — That when they come to pass you may know that I am God, and that this is my work.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain I am the Lord - I am Yahweh. Here…
I am the Lord - I am Yahweh. Here is also a change in the address. In the previous verses, God had addressed the Messiah. Here he turns to the people, and assures them that he is the only true God, and that he will not suffer the praise that is due to him to be given to any other, or to any graven image. The name Yahweh signifies being, or essential existence (see the note at Isa 1:9). It is a name which is given to none but the true God, and which is everywhere in the Scriptures used to distinguish him from all others.
That is my name - That is the name which I have chosen by which to distinguish myself from all idols, and which I regard as appropriately expressive of my existence and perfections. Thus it is used in Psa 83:18 (compare Psa 96:5). “And my glory.” The glory, honor, or praise that is due to me.
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Will I not give - I will not allow it to ascribed to another; I will not allow another to assume or receive the honor which is due to me.
To another - To any other; whether it be man, or whether it be an idol. God claims that all appropriate honors should be rendered to him, and that men should cherish no opinions, maintain no doctrines, indulge in no feelings, that would be derogatory to the honor of his name. This declaration is designed to counteract the propensity everywhere manifest to attribute to man that which belongs to God, or to ascribe to our own wisdom, skill, or power, that which he alone can accomplish.
Neither my praise - The praise which is due to me. He would not permit graven images to receive the praise of having done that which he himself had accomplished.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Things. They shall not partake of my divinity. Our…
Things. They shall not partake of my divinity. Our Saviour was truly God, Philippians ii. 6.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain God turns from addressing Messiah to the people.
God turns from addressing Messiah to the people.
Lord--JEHOVAH: God's distinguishing and incommunicable name, indicating essential being and immutable faithfulness (compare Exo 6:3; Psa 83:18; Psa 96:5; Hos 12:5).
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my--that is due to Me, and to Me alone.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 8. I am the Lord — Rather, Jehovah, the…
8. I am the Lord — Rather, Jehovah, the immutable, the incommunicable Name. There is no disjointed chain of thought here. It is Jehovah’s right at every step in this dealing to guard well his sovereignty for moral impression on an idolatrous world. Messiah is no rival. He is sharer, rather, in his Father’s glory, whose will is, that all men “should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 8. my glory … another] (Cf. ch. Isa_48:11)—the glory…
8. my glory … another] (Cf. ch. Isa_48:11)—the glory of true deity, which would be forfeited if Jehovah were unable to predict the future, or if His predictions should fail (Isa_42:9).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (8, 9) I am the Lord. . . .—The…
(8, 9) I am the Lord. . . .—The prophet grasps the full meaning of the name revealed in Exo_3:15. It follows from that meaning that God cannot look with indifference on the transfer to the “graven image” of the worship due to Him. With his vision of Cyrus still present to his thoughts, the prophet again presses the unique point of prediction as distinguishing the religion of Israel from that of the heathen. The “former things” refer probably not to the remote past, but to Isaiah’s earlier prophecies, say the whole Assyrian cycle, on which he now looks back from his new stand-point; or even, as in Isa_41:22, to the near future of the conquests of Cyrus as compared with that which was to usher in the restoration of Israel.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain I am the Lord; rather, I the Lord. The…
I am the Lord; rather, I the Lord. The sense runs on from the preceding verses: I, the Lord, will do all this, I who am all that the Name" Jehovah" signifies self-existent, eternal, self-sufficing, independent, omnipotent, and therefore unique, one whose glory cannot be shared with any other being that exists least of all with images, which are mere vanity and nothingness.
The adaptations of Divine grace.
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This verse describes the general spirit and tone of the Divine dealings with men; but, as it takes distinctly personal form, we are justified in seeing in Christ the type and specimen of such dealings. As God manifest, he illustrates the graciousness of God"s ways. And this aspect of Christ is of special concern to us now. The time is coming when we shall think most of the glory of the Lord; in the time that now is we think most of his grace. We are still journeying under the clouds; we are still in the land of the fainting, the struggling, and the weeping. The night is passing, but it is not past; the victory is nearing, but it is not won; and therefore it is so precious to us that we may bear of the tender, compassionate, sympathizing Redeemer. We are little better than bruised reeds and smouldering flax; therefore it is good to hear of him who will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax.
I CHRIST"S WAY OF DEALING WITH BRUISED REEDS, OR HUMBLED SINNERS. The reed fittingly represents the sinner. It stands so straight, apparently so strong, and yet it is one of the weakest things that grow. It cannot endure the least rough usage. The passing storm will bend and bruise and spoil it. Of all the helpless things, perhaps a bruised reed is the most helpless. There is much confidence and apparent strength in the sinner, at least so long as life goes smoothly and blue sky is overhead. But let the clouds lower, let the burden of life press heavily, let God touch with the afflicting hand, let God try him with sore bereavements, and then the poor reed is bruised and hanging. And it is God"s way to bruise such reeds. The beginning of hope for sinners lies in their humbling under God"s mighty hand. See some of the ways in which this humbling work is done.
1. Sometimes God lets men run themselves tired and work themselves weary in the effort to gain a righteousness for themselves. Men are permitted to hurry after the flickering light, over moor and bog, until, fainting, they lose sight for ever of the vain hope. Men are permitted to build the house of their morality upon the sands of self-confidence, and then, just as they would enter and dwell in peace, they find the foundations sinking and the storm-floods overwhelming. Men are permitted to grasp at world-success and worldly wealth, and then they are led to ask all these things, "What can you buy for my soul"s good?" And, sick at heart, they must hear the answer, "Not one word of peace; not one sun-glint of hope; not one cheer for the dark river and the darker beyond." Many a man has come, since the days of Solomon, out of the trim of all human offers of happiness, to cry, bruised and humbled before God, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
2. Sometimes God directs his providences to the humbling of men by heavy sorrows and cares. He lets their boasted strength bear the brunt of severe and subtle temptations. He finds the joints in the armour, and sends there the arrows that pierce. But he only bruises; he does not break. He may hold back awhile; he never utterly forsakes. He may hide behind a cloud, but he keeps on looking, even through the veil of the cloud, waiting until the response to his gracious dealings comes," We will return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us.
II CHRIST"S WAY OF DEALING WITH SMOKING FLAX, OR FEEBLE BELIEVERS. The best explanation of this figure is that flax was used in the East for the wicks of oil-lamps, and these wicks, unless well cut and constantly trimmed, gave but a flickering, smoky light. A striking illustration of feeble Christians, whose life is a smoke rather than a fire, a spark rather than a light, a glimmer rather than a glow, a name to live rather than a life.
1. The beginnings of Christian life are often very feeble; the smoking flax needs raising to a flame. In the case of Nicodemus there was a little desire, a little spiritual anxiety, a little longing alter high and holy things, a little smoking of the flax. And most tenderly did the Lord breathe upon it, and blow upon it, and try to raise the flame. The rich young ruler had a little smoking of the flax, a little yearning after the "eternal life." And Christ sought to tan it into a flame that should consume even his love for his "great possessions.
2. The figure also represents those conditions of spiritual decline to which we are all exposed, and which make sad places here and there in the story of our Christian lives. Happy indeed is that man who does not know what it is for his spiritual light to become only a smoking wick. And he who has wrought so great a work in us must be sorely grieved when the flame grows dim, the oil of grace is not renewed, and no good atmosphere of trust and prayer nourishes and clears the light. And yet, though grieved, he does "not quench." Bunyan tells us of the fire in the wall, and of one who poured water upon it to quench it. It was not Christ who acted thus. He pours on the oil of grace, until the flame is, made to glow and blaze in power and beauty. But sometimes he holds back his grace, and lets the water almost quench the fire in the dull and careless soul. Many must confess that it is even so with them. Awhile ago the flame was all glowing; amid now there are only a few curlings and wreathings of smoke, and scarcely one feeble flame the waters of the world, self-indulgence, pride, and neglected Christian duty have nearly quenched it. Leave it but a little longer, and the last flicker will die out. Conclude by showing the way for such feeble believers back to Christ. who "waiteth to be gracious." "O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy;" "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. R.T.
The uniqueness of Jehovah.
"My glory will I not give to another." Wherein lies the separateness and distinctness of our God which makes it so impossible for us to find any likenesses for him? The uniqueness of Jehovah is embodied in his Name, which is the assertion of absolute and independent existence; and this can be predicated of only one Being. We can conceive of divinities having in their special charge certain forces of nature, or faculties and relationships of men; and of these there may be many. But if we can conceive of an uncaused Being, who is the cause of all being, there can be only one such. Jehovah stands alone. All others must say, "I was made;" he says, "I am." The distinction comes out very forcibly in relation to the idols which men worship. We know their origin in men"s mental conceptions, or in men"s handiwork. Of Jehovah we know nothing save that he is. But the prophet is far less concerned with the abstract nature of God than with his special and gracious relations with his people. He is here dealing with Jehovah"s faithfulness to his predictions and promises. He is unique in this he keeps his word. The glory of fulfilling his promises belongs to him alone. It was characteristic of idolatry that large promises were made to men by oracle and priest, for which there was no guarantee; and there is no more miserable chapter in the history of idols than the chapter, of excuses for disappointed promise-holders. If the predictions of Jehovah ever failed, he would sink to lower levels than the idols. "The voice that moves the stars along speaks all the promises." The point on which to dwell is that, however tolerant idolatry may be of other conceptions and other ritual developed in other lands, and however attractive to men such latitude in religion and worship may be, not one jot of the absolutely supreme claims of Jehovah can be removed. In this no concession can be made. Here there can be no rivalry, no sharing of honours. God is God alone. He is above all. It is absolutely essential to the worship of Jehovah that it should be wholly exclusive of the idea of another god. No reproach of men can be more severe and searching than this, "They feared the Lord, and served other gods." The uniqueness of God is seen in that:
1. He is for man only a thought; we cannot, we may not, fix him in any shape. "He is a Spirit.
2. He is behind all things. Not behind some things, as idols of wisdom, or of music, or of corn and wine. At the back of everything we can conceive is God, in whom the conception first took shape.
3. He controls all forces. Not like idols, this one controlling the wind, and that the sea.
4. He claims all homage. Not of a nation, but of the world; not of a time, but of the ages.
5. He has the supreme record of faithfulness; for he has been the "Refugeand Dwelling place" of men in all generations. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain I am the Lord: that is My name
Isa_42:8
I am the Lord: that is My name
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Names
The name of a thing, provided it is a true and adequate one, denotes the essential nature of that thing.
When a chemist has discovered a new substance, he is, of course, compelled to invent a new name for it; and he seeks a term that will indicate its distinctive properties. When, for instance, that gas which illuminates our streets and dwellings was first discovered, it was supposed to be the constituent matter of heat, and the name phlogiston was given to it--a name that signifies inflammability. But when Cavendish afterwards more carefully analysed its nature and properties, and discovered that it enters very largely into the production of water, it received the name of hydrogen. In each of these instances the term was intended to denote the intrinsic nature and properties of the thing. That nomenclature which Adam originated at the express command of God, and which the pen of inspiration has recorded as a fact, though it has not specified it in detail, must have been pertinent and exhaustive. The names were the things, the natures, themselves. (G. T. Shedd, D. D.)
Names
Plato (Cratylus, 390) represents Socrates as saying that the right imposition of names is no easy matter, and belongs not to any and every body, but only to him who has an insight into the nature of things. (G. T.Shedd, D. D.)
Gods name
God has a name--not given to Him by Adam, or any finite creature, but self-uttered and self-imposed. The denomination which God prefers for Himself, the name which He chooses before all others as indicative of His nature, is I AM, or its equivalent, Jehovah. Whenever the word Jehovah is employed in the Old Testament as the proper name of God, it announces the same doctrine of His necessary existence that was taught to Moses when he was commanded to say to His people that I AM had sent him unto them. The English name for the Deity, our word God, indicates that He is good--making prominent a moral quality. The Greek and Latin world employed a term (θεος, deus) that lays emphasis upon that characteristic of the Deity whereby He orders and governs the universe. (This etymology is given by Herodotus, 2:52.) According to the Greek and Roman conception, God is the imperial Being who arranges and rules. But the Hebrew, divinely instructed upon this subject, chose a term which refers not to any particular attribute or quality, but to the very being and essence of God, and teaches the world that God must be--that He not only exists, but cannot logically be conceived of as non-existent. (G. T.Shedd, D. D.)
The glorification of God
The text leads us to raise the question, What is it to glorify God? It is implied in glorifying God--
I. THAT WE THINK OF HIM AND RECOGNISE HIS EXISTENCE. The duty required in the first commandment, says the Larger Catechism, is to worship and glorify God, by thinking, meditating upon, and remembering Him. No higher dishonour can be done to any being than to forget and ignore him. But this is the habitual attitude of mans mind toward the Everlasting God. It does not relieve the matter to say that this is mere passive forgetfulness, and that there is no deliberate effort to do dishonour to God. This passive forgetfulness itself is the highest kind of indignity; and is so represented in the Scriptures. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and an the nations that forget God. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. This unthinking forgetfulness of the greatest and most glorious Being in the universe betokens an utter unconcern towards Him. Now, whoever would glorify God must begin by reversing an this. No man has made even a beginning in religion, until he has said, reverently, and feeling the truth of what he says: Thou art Jehovah, the Great I AM; that is Thy name and Thy nature; and Thy glory Thou wilt not give to another, neither Thy praise to graven images.
II. THAT WE THINK OF HIM AS THIS FIRST CAUSE AND LAST END OF ALL THINGS. Here, again, we can arrive at the truth by the way of contrast; by considering what is the common course of mans thought and feeling. Man naturally thinks of himself as the chief cause, and the final end.
1. Whoever would glorify God must think of and recognise God as the First Cause of all things. If he possesses a strong intellect, or a cultivated taste, instead of attributing them to his own diligence in self-discipline and self cultivation, he must trace them back to the author of his intellectual constitution, who not only gave him all his original endowments, but has enabled him to be diligent in the use and discipline of them. If he possess great wealth, instead of saying in his heart, My hand and brain have gotten me this, he should acknowledge the Providence that has favoured his plans and enterprises, and without which his enterprises, like those of many men around him, would have gone awry, and utterly failed. Whatever be the earthly good which anyone holds in his possession, its ultimate origin and authorship must be carried back to the First Cause of all things. And this, too, must become the natural and easy action of the mind and heart, in order perfectly to glorify God.
2. It is implied in glorifying God, that we recognise Him as the last end of all things. Every being and thing must have a final end--a terminus. The mineral kingdom is made for the vegetable kingdom; the vegetable kingdom for the animal kingdom; the animal kingdom for man; and all of them together are made for God. Go through all the ranges of creation, from the molecule of matter to the seraphim, and if you ask for the final purpose of its creation, the reply is, the glory of the Maker. And this is reasonable. For God is the greatest and most important, if we may use the word in such a connection, of all beings. In the light of this doctrine we see--
(1) The need of the regeneration of the human soul.
(2) Why the individual Christian is imperfectly blessed of God. His service is imperfect. There is much worship of self in connection with his worship of God. How many of our prayers are vitiated by unbelief; but unbelief is a species of dishonour to God. It is impossible, in this condition of the soul, that we should experience the perfection of religious joy. I am Jehovah, saith God; that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another.
(3) This subject discloses the reason of languid vitality in the Church, and its slow growth in numbers and influence. The Christian life is in low tone, because the Church gives glory to another than God. (G. T. Shedd, D. D.)
The glorification of God
It is an objection of the sceptic, that this perpetual assertion in the Scriptures that God is the chief end of creation, and this perpetual demand that the creature glorify Him, is only a species of infinite egotism; that in making the whole unlimited universe subservient to Him and His purposes, the Deity is only exhibiting selfishness upon an immense scale. But this objection overlooks the fact that God is an infinitely greater and higher being than any or all of His creatures; and that from the very nature of the case the less must be subordinated to the greater. Is it egotism, when man employs in his service his ox or his ass? Is it selfishness, when the rose or the lily takes up into its own fabric and tissue the inanimate qualities of matter, and converts the dull and colourless elements of the clod into hues and odours, into beauty and bloom? There would be egotism in the procedure, if man were of no higher grade of existence than the ox or the ass. There would be selfishness, if the rose and the lily were upon the same level with the inanimate elements of matter. But the greater dignity in each instance justifies the use and the subordination. And so it is, only in an infinitely greater degree, in the case when the whole creation is subordinated and made to serve and glorify the Creator. The distance between man and his ox, between the lily and the particle of moisture which it imbibes, is appreciable. It is not infinite. But the distance between God and the highest of His archangels is beyond computation. (G. T. Shedd, D. D.)
The rights of God maintained
God is jealous of His honour. The first four commandments of the decalogue have special reference to His rights, and are couched in the most forcible and impressive terms. But, though these injunctions are reasonable, they have been repeatedly violated by all the nations of the earth. This declaration was made in connection with the mission of the Messiah. But the text is of vital interest to ourselves. It is not the idolater only that dis-honours God; but every impenitent sinner, and every unfaithful follower of Christ.
I. THE IMPORT OF GODS NAME. Jehovah. By this name God revealed Himself to Moses (Exo_6:3).
1. It means the Being that exists.
2. It implies that He is the Fountain of all being.
3. That He is also the Preserver of all being.
And the sublimest feature in His providence is that which was exhibited in the redemption of mankind. The name Jehovah leads us to this point. It implies that God is the Saviour of the world, and for this reason, above all others (since, for a sinful world there could have been no preservation without redemption), the great Preserver of the world. That this, too, is the import of the name, is evident from the attributes ascribed to God in connection with it, by Moses: Jehovah, Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. In Christ, the character of God as the merciful I AM, is clearly manifested (Joh_1:14.)
II. THE GLORY WHICH BELONGS TO HIM. The term glory is sometimes used in reference to the visible symbol of Jehovahs presence--the Shechinah; at other times it denotes the manifestation of His power and wisdom in creation, and at other times again it is employed in a more general sense, to set forth the attributes and perfections of His character. But in the text the word is equivalent to honour, worship, adoration, or whatever else God lays claim to from His creatures hands, and hence the latter clause of the passage may be viewed, though with an intensity of meaning, as explanatory of the former. My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. That is, that which belongs to Me as Jehovah, I delegate to no one. What, then, is the glory which belongs exclusively to God?
1. His is the glory of the creation of all things. He is the Fountain of being.
2. His is the glory of the worlds redemption.
3. His is the glory of the application of redemption to the case of each individual believer in Christ Jesus.
4. His is the glory of the advancement of mankind in knowledge, holiness, and peace.
III. HIS DETERMINATION TO MAINTAIN HIS RIGHTS. I will not give My glory to another, neither My praise to graven images. In this impressive declaration God speaks to men of every class, of every country, and of every age. This declaration may be viewed as corrective of--
1. The sin of idolatry.
2. The sin of pride.
3. The sin of unbelief. (Thornley Smith.)
The glory of God incommunicable
I. THE DIVINE SUPREMACY. I am the Lord, that is My name.
1. This assertion involves the idea of the Divine existence.
2. The assertion suggests the idea that He stands infinitely distinguished from all creatures in the manner or mode of His existence.
3. This language intimates dominion. He is related to nature, and He is related to nature necessarily and intimately, because nature is the production of His skill and power. We cannot think of God as the Creator, without being compelled to acknowledge His right and authority to legislate and govern.
4. This phrase is applicable to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the most valid of all testimony in connection with the point, namely, the express and unqualified assertion of the Redeemer Himself, Before Abraham was, I am. Here we have the same terms employed, and employed in the same sense.
II. THE DIVINE PURPOSE. My glory will I not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.
1. He will not give His glory to nature. Nature exists, but only exists as an effect. In nature there is no originality.
2. He will not give His praise to graven images.
3. He will not give His glory to the Church.
(1) He does not give His glory to the ministers of the Church. They are only the stewards of the mysteries of His kingdom. They are but the messengers of the Churches. They are but stars, deriving all their light from the great orb of day.
(2) God, we are likewise assured, will not give His glory to ordinances. The sacraments, whatever may be the mystery and the sacredness associated with them, are but means. Conclusion--
1. Learn from this subject the value of the Bible. This is the only and the great source of all correct information and sound theology as to the essence and moral character of God.
2. You may gather from this text and subject, that Deity is propitiated, and waits to be Gracious.
3. You may fairly infer from the subject that such as have the great (J. Newton.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 nor my praise with carved idols
nor my praise with carved idols
The verb may be supplied from the previous phrase. AT: "nor will I share my praise with carved idols" (See: Ellipsis)
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my praise
This refers to the praise that Yahweh receives from people.
I will tell you
Here "you" is plural and refers to the people of Israel. (See: Forms of You)
translationWords
Yahweh
name
glory
praise
image
declare
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 42:8-9 I am the Lord: As Creator of the…
42:8-9 I am the Lord: As Creator of the world, and as the only one who can bring about the things he predicts, the Lord alone is glorious and worthy of praise.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.