Isaiah 48:9 · Bible study
Isaiah 48:9 Commentary: For My Name's Sake
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 48:9 reveals God defers judgment for His own glory, not Israel's merit. Explore Hebrew verbs, commentary, and pastoral implications.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God withholds judgment on Israel not for their merit, but for the sake of His own name and praise, so that He will not destroy them.
- Key words: “For my name’s sake” (לְמַעַן שְׁמִי), on account of God’s reputation; “restrain” (חָטַם), literally, to muzzle anger; “cut off” (כָּרַת), to destroy or sever.
- Main debate: Does God’s self-glorification compete with His mercy, or does it guarantee it? Commentators argue the latter: because His name is at stake, mercy is secure.
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty and grace; the ultimate purpose of salvation is God’s glory.
- Best use: To comfort those burdened by failure, showing that God’s faithfulness is anchored in His own nature, not our worthiness. Also for teaching on the relationship between God’s glory and human benefit.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For my name’s sake, I will defer my anger, and for my praise, I hold it back for you so that I don’t cut you off.
KJV King James Version 1769
For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
For My name's sake I defer Mine anger, And My praise I restrain for thee, So as not to cut thee off.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For my name's sake I will defer mine anger, and [for] my praise will I refrain as to thee, that I cut thee not off.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For my name's sake I will remove my wrath far off: and for my praise I will bridle thee, lest thou shouldst perish.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Por amor de mi nombre dilataré mi furor, y para alabanza mía te daré largas, para no talarte.
Por causa do meu nome adiarei a minha ira, e por louvor a mim me conterei para contigo, para que eu não venha a te eliminar.
A cause de mon nom, je suspends ma colère;
Um meines Namens willen bin ich geduldig, und um meines Ruhms willen will ich mich dir zugut enthalten, daß du nicht ausgerottet werdest.
Om Mijns Naams wil zal Ik Mijn toorn langer uitstellen, en om Mijns roems wil zal Ik, u ten goede, Mij bedwingen, opdat Ik u niet afhouwe.
Per amor del mio nome io differirò la mia ira, e per amor della mia gloria io mi raffreno per non sterminarti.
Dla imienia mego zatrzymam popędliwość moję, a dla chwały mojej zahamuję gniew przeciwko tobie, abym cię nie wygładził.
Ради имени Моего отлагал гнев Мой, и ради славы Моей удерживал Себя от истребления тебя.
我為 我的名 暫且忍 怒，為我的頌讚 向你 容忍，不 將你剪除。
Because of my name I will put away my wrath, and for my praise I will keep myself from cutting you off.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 48:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the core meaning: God withholds full judgment against Israel not because of any worth in them, but for the sake of His own name and praise. Barnes stresses that the glory of God, not the happiness of creatures, is the primary object, a purpose he calls “right” because God’s honor outweighs all else. Calvin likewise insists that the people’s survival is “owing to his mercy” alone, and that “the distinction made by the Sophists falls to the ground” where remission of punishment is considered merited. Gill and Matthew Henry echo this: the nation was called by God’s name, and if they were annihilated, the heathen would reproach that name. Thus God’s self-glorifying motive is precisely what secures His mercy. The verb translated “restrain” (chatam, H2413) literally means “to muzzle”, a vivid image of God actively curbing His own wrath, as Keil & Delitzsch note, “taming it for the sake of Israel.” Wesley sums up: “I will spare thee…not for thy sake, but merely for my own sake.”
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse plainly teaches that God withholds judgment on Israel for His own name’s sake, not because of any goodness in them, and that this self-glorifying motive results in mercy and preservation rather than destruction.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'for my name’s sake' | All commentators agree that God’s motive is His own reputation and glory, not Israel’s merit or desert. | Some (Barnes, Calvin) emphasize that God’s glory is the highest end, placing it above creature happiness. Others (Matthew Henry, Gill) focus on the covenantal context: God protects His name because He is bound to His people by promise, so mercy is also an expression of faithfulness. |
| The nature of God’s restraint (חָטַם) | The verb means to muzzle or hold back, depicting active self-control. | Jamieson-Fausset-Brown see it as a temporary check on wrath that may later be released. Keil & Delitzsch and Calvin view it as a permanent holding back for the sake of salvation, culminating in full redemption. The tension is whether the restraint is partial (post-exile history shows further judgment) or ultimate (focused on the final salvation of the remnant). |
| Textual issue: supply of לְמַעַן (lema'an) in second clause | The sense clearly requires 'for the sake of my praise' even if the particle is not repeated in the Hebrew. | Adam Clarke emends the text, moving a redundant לְמַעַן from v.11 to v.9, but most other commentators treat the repetition as understood without alteration. The ethical point remains unaffected. |
| Relationship between God’s glory and human salvation | Both are consistent: God’s pursuit of His own glory results in the salvation of His people. | An extreme reading (rare in classic commentary) might suggest God is indifferent to human suffering, but the main tradition sees the two as inseparable. Calvin and Barnes argue God’s glory is primary, yet it includes merciful deliverance. Wesleyan tradition (Wesley, Clarke) stresses that God’s name motivates Him to act graciously, not harshly. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 48 sits within a section of the prophet’s message addressing the Judean exiles in Babylon (mid-6th century BC). God has just declared His unique power to predict events, both “former things” (the rise of Babylon, the exile itself) and “new things” (the coming deliverance through Cyrus). Israel, however, has been “called a transgressor from the womb” (v.8), stubborn and idolatrous from the nation’s beginning. Their sin was precisely why the exile happened. Now, as God announces a return to the land, one natural question arises: why would He rescue such persistently rebellious people?
The surrounding verses (5, 8) show that God acted so that Israel could not credit their idols. The new deliverance would be hidden until the moment it came, so they could not claim prior knowledge. Into this context steps verse 9. God answers the implied objection: He does not restore them because they deserve it. He does it for His “name’s sake”, for the reputation He has staked on this people, and for the “praise” He will receive when He proves faithful despite their treachery. The cross-reference in Joshua 7:9 shows the same logic: “What will you do for your great name?” Israel’s survival and restoration are tied to God’s public honor. In the ancient Near East, a deity’s power was judged by the fate of its worshippers. If Israel perished utterly, Yahweh’s name would be profaned among the nations. Thus, His own glory becomes the securest guarantee of mercy.
This perspective also informs the divine “refining” in verse 10. The exile was a furnace of affliction, but its purpose was not destruction, it was purification. God held back His full wrath so that a remnant would emerge, a people who would praise Him. The cross-reference in Psalm 78:38 captures the same pattern: “He, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.” God’s self-restraint is a feature of His character, not a response to human merit.
Textual Notes
The primary textual question concerns the phrase “and for my praise.” The first clause has לְמַעַן (lema‘an, “for the sake of”), but the second clause in the Masoretic Text lacks the preposition. Adam Clarke proposes that a stray לְמַעַן from verse 11 (where it appears redundantly) should be moved here, making both clauses parallel. Most other consulted commentators (including Keil & Delitzsch and the Cambridge Bible) treat the preposition as understood from the first clause, requiring no emendation. No significant variant affects the verse’s meaning: all traditions read a clear motive clause for God’s restraint.
Reception History
This verse has been a touchstone in Protestant and Reformed traditions for the doctrine that God’s ultimate end in all things is His own glory. Commentators like Calvin and Barnes used it to argue that salvation is by grace alone, not by human works. In the Wesleyan tradition, Clarke and Wesley emphasized the same point: God spares for His own sake, not ours. The verse also appears in hymns that celebrate God’s mercy grounded in His character. More broadly, Jewish exegesis (seen in the Targum’s paraphrase, “I will confirm you, that I may not consume you”) reads the verse as an assurance of covenantal faithfulness. The imagery of muzzling wrath has been used pastorally to comfort believers: God’s anger is not an uncontrolled force but a deliberate, restrained response, directed finally toward preservation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The problem not addressed: Israel’s longstanding rebellion (Isaiah 48:8). The text does not minimize sin; it names it. The only answer is not found in human reform.
- The motive not human: God acts ‘for my name’s sake.’ Verse 9 explicitly removes any ground of boasting. The reason for mercy is found in God alone.
- The result not destruction: ‘That I don’t cut you off.’ God’s self-restraint (literally, He muzzles His anger) leads to preservation and, ultimately, to praise.
Five-point outline
- The severity of Israel’s sin (vv.1, 8)
- The divine rationale: God’s name and praise (v.9a)
- The divine action: deferring anger, restraining wrath (v.9b)
- The goal: preservation, not destruction (v.9c)
- The ultimate cause: God’s own glory (v.11 expands)
Illustration hooks
- A parent whose child has repeatedly broken trust, yet forgives because of the family name, the parent wants the child to carry that name well, not to be cut off from the family.
- A teacher who could fail a student for chronic lateness but gives extra chances, not because the student earned it, but because the teacher values the student’s future and the school’s reputation for grace.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God’s main concern is His own glory, does He really care about me as a person?
- How can I trust that His mercy is reliable when I know I don’t deserve it?
- Does this verse mean God is angry with me, but just holding back? What about His love?
Leading a Discussion
This verse cuts to the heart of why God saves. Israel had no claim on Him. Neither do we. But instead of despair, the text invites profound security: if God’s mercy is grounded in His own name, it cannot fail. This is not about our worth, but His.
Discussion questions
- Read Isaiah 48:1, 8. What specific sins does God charge against Israel? How would you summarize the nation’s character?
- Verse 9 says God defers His anger “for my name’s sake.” What does that phrase mean in your own words?
- The verb “restrain” (chatam) literally means “to muzzle.” What does this image tell you about the effort involved in God’s mercy?
- Why do you think God emphasizes His own glory as the reason for mercy? How does that differ from how we usually think about forgiveness?
- Psalm 78:38 and Nehemiah 9:30, 31 describe similar moments. How do these cross-references deepen your understanding of God’s character?
- In practical terms, what difference does it make to know that your salvation rests on God’s reputation rather than on your performance?
- How might this verse shape the way you pray for forgiveness or for others who have disappointed you?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 7:9 | For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?” |
| I Samuel 12:22 | For Yahweh will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people for himself. |
| Nehemiah 9:30 | Yet many years you put up with them, and testified against them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not listen. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. |
| Nehemiah 9:31 | “Nevertheless in your manifold mercies you didn’t make a full end of them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God. |
| Psalms 25:11 | For your name’s sake, Yahweh, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. |
| Psalms 78:38 | But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath. |
| Psalms 79:9 | Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake. |
| Psalms 103:8 | Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke proposes a textual adjustment in this passage. He believes the Hebrew word "lemaan" (meaning "for the sake of") was originally here but later moved to another verse, where it seems redundant and is missing from some ancient manuscripts. He therefore restores it here and removes it there.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that God restores Israel not for their sake but to display His own covenant faithfulness, mercy, and glory. God's primary aim in sparing any sinner or believer is the honor of His own name, not their happiness. This is right, because God's glory outweighs the welfare of any creature.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that God spares Israel not because they deserve it, but solely for His own name's sake, out of undeserved goodness. This refutes any idea that human merit or satisfaction earns remission of punishment; forgiveness is entirely by free grace.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that these verses take a harsher stance toward Israel than the rest of Second Isaiah, with a judgmental tone more like Ezekiel. The unusual argument about prophecy hides new events until the last moment, which some scholars assign to a later editor, though the difficulties may be overstated given parallels elsewhere.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes that God holds back His anger and spares Israel from destruction entirely for His own name's sake and praise. There is no merit in the people that moves Him; His own glory and honor are the reason He does not cut them off.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that God delays His anger not because of Israel's merit but for His own name's sake, protecting His reputation among the nations. He withholds judgment for His praise, so that a people may remain to glorify Him. The Hebrew suggests God "stops His nostrils" to keep His wrath from breaking out to destroy them.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the word translated "refrain" literally means "muzzle," comparing God's anger to a restrained beast. His wrath was held back only briefly after the return; because of the people's sins, it would eventually be let loose again. The phrase "for thee" points to God's anger directed against them.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stress that God restrains His anger and refines Israel not because of the people's merit, but solely for the sake of His own name and honor. The refining process is not like smelting silver, which aims to extract value; it is a spiritual testing in the furnace of affliction with the purpose of purification, not destruction. Israel
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that God's deliverance is not granted because of any worth or merit in the person. Instead, God acts solely for His own sake, to vindicate His name and display His power, faithfulness, and goodness, so that He alone receives the praise.