For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God’s fierce protection of His own name is the driving force here. The repetition of "for my own sake" and the rhetorical question about His name being profaned reveal that His actions aren't about our merit, but about preserving His holy reputation and glory from being tarnished by the world's ignorance and idolatry. This isn't just about Israel's rescue; it's about God's uncompromising commitment to His own character.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is speaking to the people of Israel, who have a history of both faithfulness and unfaithfulness, even calling themselves by His name yet not living by His truth. He's declared future events and promised to bring about redemption, but He emphasizes that His actions are not driven by their merit. This verse reveals that His motivation is purely His own honor, as He cannot allow His name to be disgraced by the actions of His people or the taunts of the nations.
Why would God go to such lengths to save His people? The answer isn't about their merit, but His own.
The phrase "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it" is a powerful declaration. The repetition emphasizes that God's actions, particularly His redemptive acts, are not primarily motivated by the worthiness of His people, but by His own intrinsic character and purposes. He acts because of who He is. His faithfulness, His covenant, and His ultimate glory are the driving forces.
This isn't about divine ego; it's about the absolute necessity of God being God. His name and His glory are infinitely precious, and He is inherently committed to upholding them. He cannot allow His reputation to be tarnished or His honor to be usurped by false gods or the sin of His people.
God's name is not just a label; it's the very essence of His being. He's fiercely protective of it.
The question 'for how should my name be profaned?' highlights God's deep concern for His reputation. When His people act in ways that dishonor Him, or when they turn to other gods, it leads to the 'profaning' or 'desecration' of His name among the nations. The surrounding nations would then wrongly conclude that the God of Israel was either weak, unable to save His people, or perhaps not even real.
God's intervention is a proactive measure to prevent such blasphemy. He acts to demonstrate His power, His faithfulness, and His unique deity. This protects His name from being diminished in the eyes of the world and upholds the truth of who He is.
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In a world that loves to share credit, God makes a radical claim: His glory belongs only to Him.
The final statement, 'My glory I will not give to another,' is a bold assertion of God's absolute sovereignty and uniqueness. His glory encompasses all that He is – His power, His wisdom, His love, His holiness. It is the radiant display of His divine perfections. God will not share this glory with any created being, human or angelic, nor will He permit any idol or false god to receive the praise that is due to Him alone.
This principle is foundational to monotheism. It underscores that there is no other deity comparable to Yahweh. His redemptive acts are not opportunities for others to gain prestige; they are expressions of His own intrinsic glory, revealed for His own honor.
Understand the original words
shem · Hebrew Noun
The reputation and essential character of God; it represents His revealed presence, authority, and the honor due to Him by all creation. To profane it is to treat it as common or to falsely associate it with something unworthy.
kabod · Hebrew Noun
The manifestation of God's majesty, holiness, and divine presence. It is the inherent weight and brilliance of His being that belongs to Him alone and cannot be shared with idols or created things.
This prophecy was delivered during the Babylonian exile, a period when God's people had severely compromised His name through idolatry and disobedience. The verse emphasizes that God's redemptive actions, both in the past and in the future liberation from Babylon, are not driven by Israel's merit but by His own unwavering commitment to His name and glory, ensuring that His reputation would not be tarnished by the perceived impotence or disinterest of His God.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its people and the scattering of the ten tribes. This event served as a warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonian Empire conquers parts of Judah, and a first group of exiles, including young nobles like Daniel, are taken to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Another wave of exiles, including the prophet Ezekiel, are deported to Babylon following a rebellion by Judah.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar II, utterly destroy Jerusalem and its magnificent Temple, bringing an end to the Southern Kingdom of Judah and taking the majority of the remaining population into exile.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great, leader of the Persian Empire, conquers Babylon, paving the way for the return of the Jewish exiles.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus for Return
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, marking the beginning of the return journey.
This passage describes God's character as merciful and just, revealing that His actions, even in judgment, are ultimately tied to His name and reputation, much like in Isaiah 48:11 where God acts for His own name's sake to prevent its profanation.
Psalm 23:3The Psalmist declares God leads him 'for his name's sake,' echoing the sentiment in Isaiah 48:11 that God's actions are motivated by His own honor and the integrity of His name.
Matthew 6:9The Lord's Prayer teaches us to pray 'hallowed be thy name,' highlighting the importance of God's name and its sanctity, which directly relates to the concern in Isaiah 48:11 that God's name not be profaned.
John 17:1-5Jesus prays for His own glorification and that the Father would be glorified through Him, demonstrating a fulfillment of the principle in Isaiah 48:11 that God will not give His glory to another, but will see it honored through His Son.
Romans 9:17Paul quotes Exodus and applies it to Pharaoh, showing that God raised him up 'for this very purpose, to show my power, and to spread my name throughout all the earth.' This parallels Isaiah 48:11 by emphasizing God's sovereign actions, done for the sake of displaying His name and power.
barnesIsaiah 48:11: "For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another."
For mine own sake - (See Isaiah 48:9 ). The expression here is repeated to denote emphasis. He had thrown them into the furnace of affliction on his own account, that is, in order that his own name should not be profaned by their irreligion and idolatry, and that the glory which was due to him should not be given to idols. For how should my name…
pooleIsaiah 48:11: "For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another."
Will I do it; this great work of delivering my people out of Babylon. My name is here fitly supplied, both out of Isaiah 48:9 , where it is expressed, and out of the following clause of this verse, where he saith, my glory, which is equivalent to it. The sense is, If I should not spare and deliver my people, my name would be sadly profaned and b…
God’s fierce protection of His own name is the driving force here. The repetition of "for my own sake" and the rhetorical question about His name being profaned reveal that His actions aren't about our merit, but about preserving His holy reputation and glory from being tarnished by the world's ignorance and idolatry. This isn't just about Israel's rescue; it's about God's uncompromising commitment to His own character.
God is speaking to the people of Israel, who have a history of both faithfulness and unfaithfulness, even calling themselves by His name yet not living by His truth. He's declared future events and promised to bring about redemption, but He emphasizes that His actions are not driven by their merit. This verse reveals that His motivation is purely His own honor, as He cannot allow His name to be disgraced by the actions of His people or the taunts of the nations.
God is speaking to the people of Israel, who have a history of both faithfulness and unfaithfulness, even calling themselves by His name yet not living by His truth. He's declared future events and promised to bring about redemption, but He emphasizes that His actions are not driven by their merit. This verse reveals that His motivation is purely His own honor, as He cannot allow His name to be disgraced by the actions of His people or the taunts of the nations.
"For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another." — God’s fierce protection of His own name is the driving force here. The repetition of "for my own sake" and the rhetorical question about His name being profaned reveal that His actions aren't about o…
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Last reviewed October 2026