Cyrus was the ruler of the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC, under whom the Babylonian captivity of the Jews ended. Cyrus plays an important role in the history of the Jewish people and is mentioned 23 times in various Bible books. Here is an overview of the key events and Bible verses related to Cyrus:
Cyrus’ decree to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem
After conquering Babylon in 539 BC, Cyrus issued a decree in his first year of reign allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This ended the 70-year Babylonian captivity of the Jews that began in 587 BC when Jerusalem was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar II. The books of Ezra and 2 Chronicles record Cyrus’ decree:
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’” (2 Chronicles 36:22-23)
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-4)
Cyrus recognized as God’s anointed
The prophet Isaiah, who lived about 150 years before Cyrus’ reign, predicted God would use a king named Cyrus for His purposes. Isaiah refers to Cyrus as God’s “anointed” or “messiah”, indicating Cyrus had a special role in God’s plans:
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.” (Isaiah 45:1-3)
This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. (Isaiah 45:1-3)
Cyrus enabled the rebuilding of the Temple
After Cyrus’ decree, the first group of Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem in 538 BC under Sheshbazzar’s leadership. In 536 BC, Zerubbabel, Joshua the high priest, and others came to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Cyrus provided articles from Nebuchadnezzar’s plunder to help fund the rebuilding:
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’” (2 Chronicles 36:22-23)
Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This was the inventory: gold dishes 30, silver dishes 1,000, silver pans 29, gold bowls 30, matching silver bowls 410, and other articles 1,000. In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:7-11)
Cyrus’ kindness foretold
The prophet Isaiah predicted that Cyrus would be motivated by God to be generous towards the Jews and assist with rebuilding Jerusalem. This prophecy highlights God’s sovereignty over world rulers.
“Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’” (Isaiah 44:28)
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ (Isaiah 44:28)
Cyrus’ humility
The book of Ezra records a copy of Cyrus’ decree which demonstrates his humility and willingness to follow God’s leading. He refers to the God of Israel as “the God of heaven” and acknowledges that God appointed him and charged him to build a temple in Jerusalem.
“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.” (Ezra 1:2)
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.” (Ezra 1:2)
Cyrus in prophecy
In addition to Isaiah’s prophecies, the prophet Daniel gave revelations about kings and events hundreds of years in advance. Daniel’s prophecies accurately predicted Alexander the Great’s conquests and the rise of the Roman Empire. Daniel also had a vision of a ram with two horns, representing the “kings of Media and Persia”, which included Cyrus:
As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes… the ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. (Daniel 8:5-20)
While I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage… The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. (Daniel 8:5-20)
Cyrus in secular history
Cyrus the Great founded the Archaemenid Empire, centered in Persia. He is known for his conquests, establishing a unified Persian state, tolerance of varied cultures and faiths within his empire, and emancipation of slaves. The Cyrus Cylinder, discovered in 1879, contains a declaration in Cyrus’ name describing his capture of Babylon and policy of repatriating deported peoples. This corroborates the biblical account of Cyrus enabling the Jews to return to Jerusalem.
Summary of key points
- Cyrus was the Persian king who conquered Babylon and ended the Jewish exile in 539 BC.
- He issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.
- Cyrus provided resources to help rebuild the Temple.
- Isaiah predicted Cyrus by name 150 years earlier and called him God’s “anointed”.
- Cyrus recognized God’s sovereignty and followed His leading to assist the Jews.
- He is known in secular history for religious tolerance and emancipation of slaves.
In conclusion, Cyrus played a pivotal role in Jewish history as the king who freed them from Babylonian captivity. Though a Persian ruler, he served God’s purposes and fulfilled biblical prophecy about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. Cyrus demonstrated remarkable religious tolerance for his day. His actions were motivated by humility and obedience to God’s leading, as seen in his decree recorded in Ezra. Though a foreign king, Cyrus was used mightily by God to restart Jewish sovereignty in their Promised Land.
