Isaiah 42:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I am the Lord; that is My name. Therefore, when the Son is addressed by the same title, can He not be acknowledged as genuinely Lord? One Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 8:6). It is significant to recognize that the title ‘Lord’ is mentioned first. When people are referred to as lords, such a designation is not used in its rightful sense, but this title belongs genuinely to God, for He alone is truly Lord. I will not bestow My glory upon another, nor will I share My praise with idols; I will distinguish My name from false gods, and this was fulfilled with the arrival of Jesus Christ our Lord. No longer do people invoke the names of idols, but rather they call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Indeed, only the true God should be acknowledged as God—the Ruler of all. As the Apostle Paul wisely states, while many gods and authorities exist in heaven and on earth, to us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things originate, and we exist through Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things came into being, and we exist through Him (1 Cor. 8:5-6). He has demonstrated His power by performing great and marvelous deeds for us, declaring that He will not share His glory or divine attributes with lifeless idols or any other creations, but will retain them solely for Himself. It is only fitting that the glory inherent in the divine nature should be attributed to no one else, as it aligns with His ineffable and transcendent essence.

The names of God encompass the title Lord. As it is written, "I am the Lord; that is My name" (Is 42:8, LXX) and "The Lord is His name" (Am 4:13). However, we seek a designation that encapsulates God's essence, identity, and existence, independent of any external reference. The name Being truly belongs solely to God, without sharing it with anyone before or after Him, since He has never been nor ever will be constrained or severed from anything.

I am the Lord, this is My name; I will not share My glory with another, nor My praise with idols. The statement, I am the Lord, this is My name; I will not share My glory with another, does not exclude the Son. In the Gospel, He states: ‘Glorify me, Father, with the glory that I had with You before the foundation of the world (John 17:5),’ and affirms, ‘I have both glorified and will glorify’ (Jn. 12:28). He did not assert that He would not give His glory to 'any man'—for if that were the case, it would imply excluding the Son—but rather, He declares that He will not share His glory with 'any other' apart from you, to whom I have given, and to whom I will give.

The Son shares in the Father’s glory and reveals Himself through it, reflecting their unified divine essence. Since God declares that He will not share His glory with anyone else, the Son’s revelation of the Father’s glory indicates that He is not fundamentally different from the Father, but rather of the same divine nature.

One aspect is the breath of life that animates humanity; the other is the life-giving Spirit that elevates him spiritually. Thus, Isaiah proclaims: Thus saith the Lord, who created the heavens and set them in place, who established the earth and everything upon it, and bestowed breath upon the inhabitants and spirit upon those who walk upon it (Isaiah 42:5). This indicates that the breath is granted universally to all nations dwelling on the earth, while the Spirit is bestowed upon those who overcome worldly desires.

Flesh and Spirit Again: Who will grant breath to the inhabitants of the earth and spirit to those who walk upon it (Isaiah 42:5)? Firstly, the soul, meaning the breath, is given to those who live in a carnal manner in the flesh, followed by the spirit for those who subdue their earthly desires. The Apostle also expresses this concept: But not the spiritual comes first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual (1 Cor 15:46). Although Adam foretold the profound mystery of Christ and His Church, stating, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man” (Gen 2:23-24), he remained subject to the fall of the Spirit.

In the name, majesty, and might (Isaiah 42:8), for which He is exalted as the Sovereign Lord over all, I shall acknowledge no other name but Yours, who has been designated as a beacon for the nations (Isaiah 42:6). Thus, fulfilling the promise, Christ, the Son of the Most High, is recognized by all peoples as Lord, since the Father has bestowed this honor solely upon Him. He further states: and I will not share My glory with idols (Is 42:8, LXX); as Aquila translates: I will not grant My praise to images; and according to Symmachus: My glory to carved figures (Is 42:8). Hence, it is only Christ who is referred to as God, for only He, and no other, has received from God Almighty the fullness of glory and divine attributes.

The Messiah is summoned to bring illumination to those who dwell in the shadows of idol worship, shining forth the light of faith in the one true God. The majesty of God requires this action. Guarding the honor of His name as the sole true God, the Lord cannot permit His unique glory to be shared with false deities fashioned by human hands, nor can humanity presume to ascribe all the manifestations of His divine attributes to lifeless idols.