Ishodad of Merv : "I have called you by name, I have surnamed you, though you do not know me." God addresses these words to Cyrus, so as to say, I have honored you to such an extent that, even before you were born, I had made your name illustrious and made you a part of my design to give freedom, through your hands, back to my people who are so dear to me. Even though I have honored you so much through my prophets, you were never interested in knowing me. Even though I acted, so that every nation might know me through you, you did not want to recognize me as the master and the creator of universe, but you have given the name of gods to others instead of me. — COMMENTARY ON Isaiah 45:4-6 Jerome : (Verse 5) I am the Lord, and there is no other: besides me there is no God: I have girded you, and you have not known me. I have equipped you with strength; I have made you conquer many nations, and you did not know your helper. In this respect, I cannot help but be amazed at the foolishness of the readers; that they would refer these things to Christ, through whom the world is reconciled to God. I, says the Lord, and there is no one besides me. Besides my word, reason, power, and wisdom, which are in me, there is no other God. — Commentary on Isaiah Theodoret of Cyrus : [Cyrus] also was a slave to the error of idolatry. Even though he had received kingship from the God of the universe and obtained such great assistance from him, he had not known the dispenser of these benefits. God had nevertheless deemed him worthy, despite his error, of all these benefits. He had appointed him as an instrument of chastisement to the Babylonians and of the liberation of Israel. However, I have found some copies that bear this text: "Meanwhile, Israel, you have not known me." But I have not found the presence of the word Israel, either in the Hebrew text or with the other interpreters or in the Hexapla version [Origen's compilation] of the Septuagint. And it is justifiably so, for it is not Israel that he is accusing of scorning him, but Cyrus. Then he also indicates the cause of the liberation of the Jews. — COMMENTARY ON Isaiah 14:45.5