I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
Parallel translations
- WEB I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me;
- KJV I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
- NKJV I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
- NASB “I am the Lord, and there is no one else; There is no God except Me. I will arm you, though you have not known Me,
- NLT I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Yahweh alone is God; there is no other. He strengthens Cyrus even though Cyrus does not acknowledge him.
Overview
This verse is one of Isaiah's strongest monotheistic affirmations, set against the polytheism of Babylon and Persia. God arms a king who does not yet know him, underscoring that all power and authority derive from the one true God. The exclusive claim 'there is no God besides me' grounds the New Testament's confession that salvation is found in no one but the God who became flesh in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Isa 44:8Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.”
- Isa 44:6Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.
- Isa 46:9Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.
- Joel 2:27Then you will know that I am present in Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. My people will never again be put to shame.
- 1 Kgs 8:60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!
- Isa 45:21–22Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.
- Deut 4:35You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.
- Deut 32:39See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
- Isa 45:14–18This is what the LORD says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, along with the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you; they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess to you: ‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.’”
- Deut 4:39Know therefore this day and take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.
- Job 12:21He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.
- Ps 18:39You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
- Ps 18:32It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
- John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Ezra 1:2“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
- Isa 22:21I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
- Job 12:18He loosens the bonds placed by kings and fastens a belt around their waists.
- Heb 1:8–9But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 45:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.