Isaiah 45 commentary

ISAIAH 45 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN
1 “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:
1.BARNES, “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed - This is a direct apostrophe to Cyrus,
though it was uttered not less than one hundred and fifty years before Babylon was taken by
him. The word ‘anointed’ is that which is usually rendered “Messiah” (‫משׁיח‬ mashı yach), and
here is rendered by the Septuagint, Τሬ χριστሬ µου Κύρሩ To christo mou Kuro - ‘To Cyrus, my
Christ,’ i. e, my anointed. It properly means “the anointed,” and was a title which was commonly
given to the kings of Israel, because they were set apart to their office by the ceremony of
anointing, who hence were called οι χρυστοᆳ Κυρίου hoi christoi Kuriou - ’The anointed of the
Lord’ 1Sa_2:10, 1Sa_2:35; 1Sa_12:3, 1Sa_12:5; 1Sa_16:6; 1Sa_24:7, 1Sa_24:11; 1Sa_26:9,
1Sa_26:11, 1Sa_26:23; 2Sa_1:14, 2Sa_1:16; 2Sa_19:22-23. There is no evidence that the Persian
kings were inaugurated or consecrated by oil, but this is an appellation which was common
among the Jews, and is applied to Cyrus in accordance with their usual mode of designating
kings. It means here that God had solemnly set apart Cyrus to perform an important public
service in his cause. It does not mean that Cyrus was a man of piety, or a worshipper of the true
God, of which there is no certain evidence, but that his appointment as king was owing to the
arrangement of God’s providence, and that he was to be employed in accomplishing his
purposes. The title does not designate holiness of character, but appointment to an office.
Whose right hand I have holden - Margin, ‘Strengthened.’ Lowth, ‘whom I hold fast by
the right hand.’ The idea seems to be, that God had upheld, sustained, strengthened him as we
do one who is feeble, by taking his right hand (see the notes at Isa_41:13; Isa_42:6)
To subdue nations before him - For a general account of the conquests of Cyrus, see the
notes at Isa_41:2. It may be added here, that ‘besides his native subjects, the nations which

Cyrus subdued, and over which he reigned, were the Cilicians, Syrians, Paphlagonians,
Cappadocians, Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Phenicians, Arabians, Babylonians, Assyrians,
Bactrians, Saeae, and Maryandines. Xenophon describes his empire as extending from the
Mediterranean and Egypt to the Indian Ocean, and from Ethiopia to the Euxine Sea, and
conveys a physical idea of its extent by observing that the extremities were difficult to inhabit,
from opposite causes - some from excess of heat, and others from excess of cold; some from a
scarcity of water, and others from too great abundance.’ - (Pictorial Bible.)
And I will loose the loins of kings - The ancients dressed in a large, loose, flowing robe
thrown over an under-garment or tunic, which was shaped to the body. The outer robe was
girded with a sash when they toiled, or labored, or went to war, or ran. Hence, ‘to gird up the
loins’ is indicative of preparation for a journey, for labor, or for war. To unloose the girdle, or the
loins, was indicative of a state of rest, repose, or feebleness; and the phrase here means that God
would so order it in his providence that the kings would be unprepared to meet him, or so feeble
that they would not be able to resist him (compare Job_38:3; Jer_1:17). See also Job_12:21 :
He poureth contempt upon princes,
And weakeneth the strength of the mighty;
Margin, more correctly, ‘Looseth the girdle of the strong.’ There was a literal fulfillment of this
in regard to Belshazzar, king of Babylon, when the city was taken by Cyrus. When the hand came
forth on the walls of his palace, and the mysterious finger wrote his condemnation, it is said,
‘Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of
his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other’ Dan_5:6. The Vulgate renders
this, ‘I will turn the backs of kings.’
To open before him the two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut - The
folding gates of a city, or a palace. It so happened in the scene of revelry which prevailed in
Babylon when Cyrus took it, that the gates within the city which led from the streets to the river
were left open. The city was not only enclosed with walls, but there were walls within the city on
each side of the river Euphrates with gates, by which the inhabitants had access to the water of
the river. Had not these gates been left open on that occasion, contrary to the usual custom, the
Persians would have been shut up in the bed of the river, and could all have been destroyed. It
also happened in the revelry of that night, that the gates of the palace were left open, so that
there was access to every part of the city. Herodotus (i. 191) says, ‘If the besieged had been aware
of the designs of Cyrus, or had discovered the project before its actual accomplishment, they
might have effected the total destruction of these troops. They had only to secure the little gates
which led to the river, and to have manned the embankments on either side, and they might
have enclosed the Persians in a net from which they could never have escaped; as it happened
they were taken by surprise; and such is the extent of that city, that, as the inhabitants
themselves affirm, they who lived in the extremities were made prisoners before the alarm was
communicated to the center of the palace.’ None but an omniscient Being could have predicted,
a hundred and fifty years before it occurred, that such an event would take place; and this is one
of the many prophecies which demonstrate in the most particular manner that Isaiah was
inspired.
2. CLARKE, “Loose the loins of kings “ungird the loins of kings” - See the note on
Isa_5:27. Xenophon gives the following list of the nations conquered by Cyrus: the Syrians,
Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, both the Phrygians, Lydians, Carians, Phoenicians,
Babylonians. He moreover reigned over the Bactrians, Indians, Cilicians, the Sacae
Paphlagones, and ldariandyni. - Cyrop., lib. 1 p. 4, Edit. Hutchinson, Quarto. All these kingdoms

he acknowledges, in his decree for the restoration of the Jews, to have been given to him by
Jehovah, the God of heaven. Ezr_1:2.
To open before him the two leaved gates, etc. “That I may open before him the
valves; and the gates shall not be shut” - The gates of Babylon within the city leading from
the streets to the river, were providentially left open, when Cyrus’s forces entered the city in the
night through the channel of the river, in the general disorder occasioned by the great feast
which was then celebrated; otherwise, says Herodotus, 1:191, the Persians would have been shut
up in the bed of the river, and taken as in a net, and all destroyed. And the gates of the palace
were opened imprudently by the king’s orders, to inquire what was the cause of the tumult
without; when the two parties under Gobrias and Gadatas rushed in, got possession of the
palace, and slew the king. - Xenoph., Cyrop. 7 p. 528.
3. GILL, “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,.... Cyrus is called the Lord's
anointed, not because he was anointed with material oil, as the kings of Israel and Judah were;
but because he was appointed by the Lord to be a king, and was qualified by him for that office;
and was raised up by him to be an instrument of doing great things in the world, and
particularly of delivering the Jews from their captivity, and restoring them to their own land:
whose right hand I have holden; whom he raised up, supported, strengthened, guided, and
directed to do what he did:
to subdue nations before him; which was accordingly done. Xenophon (y) relates, that he
subdued the Syrians, Assyrians, Arabians, Cappadocians, both the countries of Phrygia, the
Lydians, Carians, Phoenicians, and Babylonians; also the Bactrians, Indians, Cilicians, the
Sacae, Paphlagonians, and Megadinians; likewise the Greeks that inhabit Asia, Cyprians and
Egyptians. Herodotus (z) says, that he ruled over all Asia: all which the Lord subdued under
him; for it was he that did it rather than Cyrus; it was he that clothed him with strength and
courage, gave him skill in military affairs, and success and victory:
I will loose the loins of kings; as Croesus king of Lydia, and Belshazzar king of Babylon, by
divesting them of their dignity, power, and government; and particularly this was true of the
latter, when, by the handwriting on the wall, he was thrown into a panic; "and the joints of his
loins were loosed", Dan_5:6, "to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be
shut"; the gates of cities and palaces wherever he came, which were opened to receive him as
their conqueror and sovereign; this was very remarkably true of the gates of the palace of the
king of Babylon, when the army of Cyrus by a stratagem had got into the city, and were come up
to the king's palace, they found the gates shut; but a clamour and noise being made, the king
ordered to see what was the matter; the gates being opened for that purpose, the soldiers of
Cyrus rushed in to the king, and slew him (a); but, what is more remarkable, the gates of brass,
which shut up the descents from the keys to the river, were left open that night Babylon was
taken, while the inhabitants were feasting and revelling; which, had they been shut (b), would
have defeated the enterprise of Cyrus; but God in his providence ordered it to be so.
4. HENRY, “Cyrus was a Mede, descended (as some say) from Astyages king of Media. The
pagan writers are not agreed in their accounts of his origin. Some tell us that in his infancy he
was an outcast, left exposed, and was saved from perishing by a herdsman's wife. However, it is
agreed that, being a man of an active genius, he soon made himself very considerable, especially

when Croesus king of Lydia made a descent upon his country, which he not only repulsed, but
revenged, prosecuting the advantages he had gained against Croesus with such vigour that in a
little time he took Sardis and made himself master of the rich kingdom of Lydia and the many
provinces that then belonged to it. This made him very great (for Croesus was rich to a proverb)
and enabled him to pursue his victories in many countries; but it was nearly ten years
afterwards that, in conjunction with his uncle Darius and with the forces of Persia, he made this
famous attack upon Babylon, which is here foretold, and which we have the history of Dan. 5.
Babylon had now grown exorbitantly rich and strong. It was forty-five miles in compass (some
say more): the walls were thirty-two feet thick and 100 cubits high. Some say, They were so thick
that six chariots might drive abreast upon them; others say, They were fifty cubits thick and 200
high. Cyrus seems to have had a great ambition to make himself master of this place, and to have
projected it long; and at last he performed it. Now here, 210 years before it came to pass, we are
told,
I. What great things God would do for him, that he might put it into his power to release his
people. In order to this he shall be a mighty conqueror and a wealthy monarch and nations shall
become tributaries to him and help him both with men and money. Now that which God here
promised to do for Cyrus he could have done for Zerubbabel, or some of the Jews themselves;
but the wealth and power of this world God has seldom seen fit to entrust his own people with
much of, so many are the snares and temptations that attend them; but if here has been
occasion, for the god of the church, to make use of them, God has been pleased rather to put
them into the hands of others, to be employed for them, than to venture them in their own
hands. Cyrus is here called God's anointed, because he was both designed and qualified for this
great service by the counsel of God, and was to be herein a type of the Messiah. God engages to
hold his right hand, not only to strengthen and sustain him, but to direct his motions and
intentions, as Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands when he was to shoot his arrow against
Syria, 2Ki_13:16. Being under such direction,
1. He shall extend his conquests very far and shall make nothing of the opposition that will be
given him. Babylon is too strong a place for a young hero to begin with; and therefore, that he
may be able to deal with that, great additions shall be made to his strength by other conquests.
(1.) Populous kingdoms shall yield to him. God will subdue nations before him; when he is in
the full career of his successes he shall make nothing of a nation's being born to him at once: yet
it is not he that subdues them; it is God that subdues them for him; the battle is his, and
therefore his is the victory. (2.) Potent kings shall fall before him: I will loose the loins of kings,
either the girdle of their loins (divesting them of their power and dignity) or the strength of their
loins, and then it was literally fulfilled in Belshazzar, for, when he was terrified by the
handwriting on the wall, the joints of his loins were loosed, Dan_5:6. (3.) Great cities shall
surrender themselves into his hands, without giving him or themselves any trouble. God will
incline the keepers of the city to open before him the two-leaved gates, not treacherously nor
timorously, but from a full conviction that it is to no purpose to contend with him; and therefore
the gates shall not be shut to keep him out as an enemy, but thrown open to admit him as a
friend. (4.) The longest and most dangerous marches shall be made easy and ready to him: I will
go before thee, to clear the way, and to conduct thee in it, and then the crooked places, shall be
made straight; or, as some read it, the hilly places shall be levelled and made even. Those will
find a ready road that have God going before them. (5.) No opposition shall stand before him.
He that gives him his commission will break in pieces the gates of brass that are shut against
him, and cut asunder the bars of iron wherewith they are fastened. This was fulfilled in the
letter, if that be true which Herodotus reports, that the city of Babylon had 100 gates all of brass,
with posts and hooks of the same metal.

5,JAMISON, “Isa_45:1-25. The subject of the deliverance by Cyrus is followed up.
Isa_45:1-7. These seven verses should have been appended to previous chapter, and the new
chapter should begin with Isa_45:8, “Drop down,” etc. [Horsley]. Reference to the deliverance
by Messiah often breaks out from amidst the local and temporary details of the deliverance from
Babylon, as the great ultimate end of the prophecy.
his anointed — Cyrus is so called as being set apart as king, by God’s providence, to fulfil
His special purpose. Though kings were not anointed in Persia, the expression is applied to him
in reference to the Jewish custom of setting apart kings to the regal office by anointing.
right hand ... holden — image from sustaining a feeble person by holding his right hand
(Isa_42:6).
subdue nations — namely, the Cilicians, Syrians, Babylonians, Lydians, Bactrians, etc.; his
empire extended from Egypt and the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, and from Ethiopia to
the Euxine Sea.
loose ... girdle loins — that is, the girdle off the loins; and so enfeeble them. The loose outer
robe of the Orientals, when girt fast round the loins, was the emblem of strength and
preparedness for action; ungirt, was indicative of feebleness (Job_38:3; Job_12:21); “weakeneth
the strength of the mighty” (Margin), “looseth the girdle of the strong.” The joints of
(Belshazzar’s) loins, we read in Dan_5:6, were loosed during the siege by Cyrus, at the sight of
the mysterious handwriting on the palace walls. His being taken by surprise, unaccoutred, is
here foretold.
to open ... gates — In the revelry in Babylon on the night of its capture, the inner gates,
leading from the streets to the river, were left open; for there were walls along each side of the
Euphrates with gates, which, had they been kept shut, would have hemmed the invading hosts
in the bed of the river, where the Babylonians could have easily destroyed them. Also, the gates
of the palace were left open, so that there was access to every part of the city; and such was its
extent, that they who lived in the extremities were taken prisoners before the alarm reached the
center of the palace. [Herodotus, 1.191].
6. K&D 1-3, “The first strophe of the first half of this sixth prophecy (Isa_44:24.), the subject
of which is Cyrus, the predicted restorer of Jerusalem, of the cities of Judah, and of the temple,
is now followed by a second strophe (Isa_45:1-8), having for its subject Cyrus, the man through
whose irresistible career of conquest the heathen would be brought to recognise the power of
Jehovah, so that heavenly blessings would come down upon the earth. The naming of the great
shepherd of the nations, and the address of him, are continued in Isa_45:1-3 : “Thus saith
Jehovah to His anointed, to Koresh, whom I have taken by his right hand to subdue nations
before him; and the loins of kings I ungird, to open before him doors and gates, that they may
not continue shut. I shall go before thee, and level what is heaped up: gates of brass shall I
break in pieces, and bolts of iron shall I smite to the ground. And I shall give thee treasures of
darkness, and jewels of hidden places, that thou mayest know that I Jehovah am He who
called out thy name, (even) the God of Israel.” The words addressed to Cyrus by Jehovah
commence in Isa_45:2, but promises applying to him force themselves into the introduction,
being evoked by the mention of his name. He is the only king of the Gentiles whom Jehovah ever
me
shı̄chı̄ (my anointed; lxx τሬ χριστሬ µου). The fundamental principle of the politics of the
empire of the world was all-absorbing selfishness. But the politics of Cyrus were pervaded by
purer motives, and this brought him eternal honour. The very same thing which the spirit of
Darius, the father of Xerxes, is represented as saying of him in the Persae of Aeschylus (v. 735),

Θεᆵς γᆭρ οᆒκ ᅪχθησεν ᆞς εᆕφρων ᅞφυ (for he was not hateful to God, because he was well-
disposed), is here said by the Spirit of revelation, which by no means regards the virtues of the
heathen as splendida vitia. Jehovah has taken him by his right hand, to accomplish great things
through him while supporting him thus. (On the inf. rad for rod, from radad, to tread down, see
Ges. §67, Anm. 3.) The dual de
lathaim has also a plural force: “double doors” (fores) in great
number, viz., those of palaces. After the two infinitives, the verb passes into the finite tense:
“loins of kings I ungird” (discingo; pitteach, which refers primarily to the loosening of a fastened
garment, is equivalent to depriving of strength). The gates - namely, those of the cities which he
storms - will not be shut, sc. in perpetuity, that is to say, they will have to open to him. Jerome
refers here to the account given of the elder Cyrus in Xenophon's Cyropaedia. A general picture
may no doubt be obtained from this of his success in war; but particular statements need
support from other quarters, since it is only a historical romance. Instead of ‫ר‬ ֵ‫אוֹשׁ‬ (‫ר‬ ִ‫?)אוֹשׁ‬ in
Isa_45:2, the keri has ‫ר‬ ֵ ַ‫י‬ ֲ‫;א‬ just as in Psa_5:9 it has ‫ר‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ְ‫י‬ ַ‫ה‬ instead of ‫ר‬ ַ‫.הוֹשׁ‬ A hiphil ‫יר‬ ִ‫הוֹשׁ‬ cannot
really be shown to have existed, and the abbreviated future form ‫ר‬ ֵ‫עוֹשׁ‬ would be altogether
without ground or object here. ‫ים‬ ִ‫ור‬ ֲ‫ה‬ (tumida; like ‫ימם‬ִ‫י‬ ִ‫ע‬ְ‫,נ‬ amaena, and others) is meant to refer
to the difficulties piled up in the conqueror's way. The “gates of brass' (ne
dhushah, brazen,
poetical for ne
chosheth, brass, as in the derivative passage, Psa_107:16) and “bolts of iron”
remind one more especially of Babylon with its hundred “brazen gates,” the very posts and
lintels of which were also of brass (Herod. i. 179); and the treasures laid up in deep darkness
and jewels preserved in hiding-places, of the riches of Babylon (Jer_50:37; Jer_51:13), and
especially of those of the Lydian Sardes, “the richest city of Asia after Babylon” (Cyrop. vii. 2,
11), which Cyrus conquered first. On the treasures which Cyrus acquired through his conquests,
and to which allusion is made in the Persae of Aeschylus, v. 327 (“O Persian, land and harbour
of many riches thou”), see Plin. h. n. xxxiii. 2. Brerewood estimates the quantity of gold and
silver mentioned there as captured by him at no less than £126,224,000 sterling. And all this
success is given to him by Jehovah, that he may know that it is Jehovah the God of Israel who
has called out with his name, i.e., called out his name, or called him to be what he is, and as what
he shows himself to be.
7. B I, “Cyrus
The name of Cyrus is written Kuras in Babylonian cuneiform, Kurush in Old Persian.
Ctesias stated on the authority of Parysatis, the wife of the Persian king Ochus, that her younger
son was named Cyrus from the sun, as the Persians called the sun Kupos (Epit. Phot. 80; Plut.
Artax. 1)
. In Zend, however, the sun is hware, which could not take the form Kupos in Old Persian,
though in modern Persian it is khur, khir, and kher. The classical writers have given
extraordinary accounts of his birth and rise to power All these versions have been shown to be
unhistorical by contemporaneous cuneiform inscriptions. The most important of these are
(1) a cylinder inscription of Nabonidus, the last king of the Babylonian Empire, from
Abu Habba (Sippara);
(2) an annalistic tablet written shortly after the conquest of Babylonia by Cyrus;

(3) a proclamation of Cyrus of the same date . . . The proclamation of Cyrus shows that
he was not a Zoroastrian like Darius and Xerxes, but that as he claimed to be the
successor of the Babylonian kings, so also he acknowledged the supremacy of Bel-
Merodaeh the supreme Babylonian god. Hence the restoration of the Jewish exiles was
not due to any sympathy with monotheism, but was part of a general policy. Experience
had taught him the danger of allowing a disaffected population to exist in a country
which might be invaded by an enemy; his own conquest of Babylonia had been assisted
by the revolt of a part of its population; and he therefore reversed the policy of
deportation and denationalisation which had been attempted by the Assyrian and Baby-
Ionian kings. The exiles and the images of their gods were sent back to their old homes;
only in the case of the Jews, who had no images, it was the sacred vessels of the temple
which were restored. (Prof. A. H. Sayce, LL. D.)
Cyrus: his character
To Greek literature Cyrus was the prince pre-eminent,—set forth as the model for education in
childhood, self-restraint in youth, just and powerful government in manhood. Most of what we
read of him in Xenophon’s Cyclopaedia is, of course, romance; but the very fact that, like our
own king Arthur, Cyrus was used as a mirror to flash great ideals down the ages, proves that
there was with him native brilliance and width of surface as well as fortunate eminence of
position. He owed much to the virtue of his race. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)
Cyrus, God’s tool
Cyrus is neither chosen for his character, nor said [in the Isaiah passages] to be endowed with
one. But that he is there, and that he does so much, is due simply to this, that God had chosen
him. What he is endowed with is force, push, swiftness, irresistibleness. He is, in short, not a
character, but a tool; and God makes no apology for using him but this, that he has the qualities
of a tool. Now, we cannot help being struck with the contrast of all this, the Hebrew view of
Cyrus, with the well-known Greek view of him. To the Greeks he is first and foremost a
character. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)
The victories of Cyrus
We have vividly described to us the victories of Cyrus; in his whirlwind career, subduing the
nations before him, loosing the loins of kings (that whole troop of vassal empires enumerated by
Xenophon), and opening before him the hundred brazen gates of Babylon (also minutely
described by Herodotus, as guarding alike the approaches to the river and the temple of Belus),
and cutting in sunder the bars of iron. The spoil amassed on that occasion was probably
unexampled in the annals of war; for besides the enormous wealth of palatial Babylon itself, it
included the fabulous riches of Croesus, king of Lydia, who brought waggon-load after waggon-
load to lay at the feet of the conqueror. The aggregate was computed to be equivalent to upwards
of a hundred and twenty-six millions of our money. Well, therefore, might the prophet here
chronicle, among the predestined exploits of this mighty prince (Isa_45:3), “the treasures of
darkness, and hidden riches of secret places.” (J. R.Macduff, D. D.)
Loosing the loins of kings

The monarchs of eastern nations were accustomed to wear girdles about their loins, which were
considered as giving strength and firmness to their bodies; and, being richly decorated, served
as badges of royal dignity. When, therefore, God declares that He would deprive them of their
girdles and loose their loins, the expression imports that He would divest them of their power
and majesty, and reduce them to a mean and contemptible condition. (R. Macculloch.)
Special Divine instrumentalities in the world’s renovation
1. For the enlargement of His Church, God often selects special instruments. In setting into
motion a whole system of agencies this is almost uniformly the case. We recognise the fact
all along the history of the Church. We see men raised up with peculiar gifts and clothed with
peculiar powers to effect certain great works. The text gives us a remarkable illustration of
this method of Divine procedure. In the bosom of the Church itself there are two still more
remarkable examples of this law; the two men who bore the largest part in the inauguration
and establishment of the chief dispensations. Moses and Paul were not indifferent
characters; nor were their training and position like that of the multitude. They stand out
boldly in history as men of peculiar natural gifts and attainments. Their early discipline
exalted their intrinsic power; while their relation to the people among whom their work was
to be performed, and to the science of the age in which they lived, imparted special
qualifications for their great mission, it is not that the human is thus exalted above the
Divine, but simply that the Divine uses that kind and measure of humanity which are best
fitted to accomplish its purposes.
2. It is just as certain that the great Sovereign chooses particular nations to effect certain
parts of His work in the final triumph of the Gospel, as that He chooses certain individuals
for some special operation “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth My
praise.” His sovereignty reaches back of the immediate work. It chooses according to the
character of the nation; it reaches to the antecedent training and the natural characteristics
which combine to prepare the nation most fully for the work; nay, this sovereignty in its far-
reaching wisdom has been busy all along the history of the people in so ordering the
moulding influences under which characters and position are attained, that when the time
comes for them to enter into His special work, they will be found all ripe for His purpose.
This nation, to whom the passage before us refers, is a marked illustration of this thought.
The Jew was designed to be the conservator of the Word of God. He was chosen for this
purpose. The object was not propagation, but conservation. The race by nature and
education had just those qualities which fitted it for this work. Its wonderful tenacity of
impression, its power to hold what once had fairly been forced into it by Divine energy, like
the rock hardened around the crystal, belongs to its nature, reveals itself after Providence
had shattered the nation, in that granite character which, under the fire of eighteen
centuries, remains unchanged. At every step of the progress of Christianity since,
illustrations multiply of the truth that God forms nations to His work, and chooses them
because of their fitness to accomplish certain parts of that work. The Greek with his high
mental culture and his glorious language—fit instrument through which the Divine Word
breathed His life-giving truth; the Roman sceptred in power over the whole realm of
civilisation, and undesignedly constructing the great highway for the Church of Jesus; the
German, with his innate freedom of spirit, nourishing the thoughtful souls whose lofty
utterances awoke, whose wondrous power disenthralled a sleeping and captive Church. (S.
W. Fisher, D. D.)

8. MEYER, “JEHOVAH’S CHOSEN INSTRUMENT
Isa_45:1-13
Cyrus is one of the noblest figures in ancient history. His character became a model for the
Greek youth in strength, simplicity, humanity, purity, and self-restraint. We have seen that
Jehovah had assured His people that Jerusalem would be restored, Isa_44:26. They probably
expected a repetition of the Red Sea and the Exodus. But God does not repeat Himself; and their
deliverance from captivity was to be achieved through the victories that made Cyrus master of
Babylon. See Ezr_1:1-4.
God’s plans are achieved through individuals, whom He equips and raises up for their specific
work. There is much in all our lives that we cannot account for, and which is due to the girding
of the Almighty. We do not always recognize the real sources of our lives. They are hidden in
God. He girds us though we do not know Him. Let us not gird ourselves in our own strength, but
stretch forth our hands unto Him, sure that He will neither fail nor forsake. See Joh_21:18. They
who thus utterly yield to God are bidden in the exercise of a daring faith to command, that is, to
claim, His saving power.
9. PULPIT, “GOD'S WILL CONCERNING HIM ANNOUNCED TO CYRUS. This direct address of God
to a heathen king is without a parallel in Scripture. Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, Abimelech, were warned
through dreams. Nebuchadnezzar was even promised Divine aid (Eze_30:24, Eze_30:25). But no
heathen monarch had previously been personally addressed by God, much less called "his anointed,"
and spoken to by his name (Isa_45:4). Three motives are mentioned for this special favour to him:
(1) that he might acknowledge Jehovah to be the true God;
(2) that Israel might be benefited and advantaged by him;
(3) that the attention of the whole world might be attracted, and the unity of God made manifest far and
wide (Isa_45:3-6).
Isa_45:1
Thus saith the Lord to his anointed. The "anointed of Jehovah" is elsewhere always either an Israelite
king, or the expected Deliverer of the nation, "Messiah the Prince" (Dan_9:25). This Deliverer, however,
was to be of the line of David (Isa_11:1), and of the city of Bethlehem (Mic_5:2), so that we can scarcely
suppose Isaiah to have seen him in Cyrus. But he may have seen in Cyrus a type of the great Deliverer,
as he saw in the release of Israel from the power of Babylon a type of their deliverance from sin. Whose
right hand I have holden; rather, strengthened (comp. Eze_30:24). To subdue nations before
him (see above, Isa_41:2, and the comment ad loc.). Among the nations subdued by Cyrus may be
mentioned the Medes, the Babylonians, the Lydians, the Caftans, the Caunians, the Lycians, the
Bactrians, the Sacae, the Parthians, the Hyrcanians, the Chorasmians, the Sogdians, the Arians of Herat,

the Zarangians, the Arachosians, the Satagydians, and the Gandarians. I will loose the loins of
kings; i.e. render them weak and incapable of resistance" (comp. Dan_5:6), net "disarm them" (Cheyne);
for the chief royal weapons were the spear and the bow, neither of which was carried at the girdle. To
open before him the two-leaved gates. The cities and forts repro-sented on the Assyrian monuments
have invariably their gateways closed by two large gates or doors which meet in the centre of the
gateway. The bronze plating found at Ballarat gave the dimensions, and showed the strength of such
gates.
10CALVIN, “1.Thus saith Jehovah. He pursues the subject which he had begun to handle. He shews
that not in vain did he promise deliverance to his people, since the manner of it was altogether decreed
and appointed by him; (191) for when the question relates to our salvation, we always inquire into the way
and manner. Although God frequently chooses to hold us in suspense, and thus conceals from us the
method which he has ready at hand, yet, in this instance he indulges the weakness of his people, and
explains the method in which he will deliver them.
To Cyrus his anointed. He names the person by whose hand he will bring them back; for, since their faith
would be sharply tried by other temptations, he wished in this respect to provide against doubt, that the
difficulty of the event might not shake them. And in order to impart greater efficacy to this discourse, he
turns to Cyrus himself: “ have chosen thee to be a king to me; I will take hold of thy hand, and will subject
the nations to thy authority, so that they shall open up a passage for thee, and voluntarily surrender.”
These words have greater effect than if the Lord spoke to his people.
Yet it might be thought strange that he calls Cyrus his Anointed; for this is the designation which was
given to the kings of Israel and Judah, because they represented the person of Christ, who alone, strictly
speaking, is “ Lord’ Anointed.” “ Lord went forth with his Anointed,” says Habakkuk, “ the salvation of his
people.” (Hab_3:13.) In the person of David a kingdom had been set up, which professed to be an image
and figure of Christ; and hence also the prophets in many passages call him “” and “ Son of David.”
(Eze_37:24.) It was indeed a special anointing, intended to distinguish that priestly kingdom from all
heathen kingdoms. Since therefore this title belonged to none but the kings of Judea, it might be thought
strange that it is here bestowed on a heathen king and a worshipper of idols; for although he was
instructed by Daniel, yet we do not read that he changed his religion. True, he regarded with reverence
the God of Israel, and considered him to be the Highest; but he was not prompted by a sincere affection
of the heart to worship him, and did not advance so far as to forsake superstitions and idolatries.
Thus God deigns to call him his “” not by a perpetual title, but because he discharged for a time the office
of Redeemer; for he both avenged the Church of God and delivered it from the Assyrians, who were its
enemies. This office belongs peculiarly to Christ; and this ordinary appellation of kings ought to be limited
to this circumstance, that he restored the people of God to the enjoyment of liberty. This should lead us to
observe how highly God values the salvation of the Church, because, for the sake of this single benefit,
Cyrus, a heathen man, is called “ Messiah,” (192) or “ Anointed.
Whose right hand I have taken hold of. By this mode of expression, he means that Cyrus shall prosper in
all his undertakings, for he shall carry on war under God’ direction; and therefore Isaiah declares that, for
the sake of the Church, in order that he may deliver her, God will grant to him prosperity in all things;
while he again commends the providence of God, that the Jews may fully believe, amidst changes and
troubles, that God on high governs all things in such a manner as to promote the benefit of his elect. Now,
since it was not easy for Cyrus to penetrate as far as Babylon, because the whole of Asia had leagued

together in order to frustrate his designs, the Prophet testifies that God will dissolve all the strength which
men can bring against him.
I will loose the loins of kings. Because the whole strength lies in the reins, the Hebrew writers use the
phrase “” or “ the loins,” to denote “ deprived of strength.” We might also view it somewhat differently, that
is, that the Lord will “ bare,” or “ their loins,” according to the customary manner of Scripture, by which
kings are said to be ungirded of the belt, namely, of the badge of royalty, when they are deprived of
authority. Job (Job_12:18) employs this mode of expression, and Isaiah will afterwards employ it: (193) “
will gird thee.” (Ver. 5.) On this account I more readily adopt this sense, that the force of the contrast may
be more evident. This shews clearly that kings have just as much strength and power as the Lord
bestows on them for the preservation of each nation; for when he determines to convey their authority to
others, they cannot defend their condition by any weapons or swords.
To open the gates before him. By this expression he means that no fortresses can resist God, which
indeed is acknowledged by all, but yet they do not cease to place foolish confidences in bulwarks and
fortresses; for, where cities are well surrounded by walls, and the gates are shut, men think that there
they are safe. On the other hand the Prophet shews that all defences are useless, and that it serves no
purpose to block up every entrance, when the Lord wishes to open up a way for the enemies. Although it
is certain that the gates were shut and securely barred, yet, because Cyrus pushed his way as swiftly as
if all the cities had been thrown open, the Prophet justly affirms that nothing shall be closed against him.
(191) “Estoit decrete et ordonne desia en son conseil.” “ already decreed and appointed in his counsel.”
(192) For an explanation of the meaning and use of the term “” see Harmony of the Evangelists, vol. 1, p.
92, n. 2, and p. 142, n. 2. — Ed.
(193) Our author has already explained this allusion. See Commentary on Isaiah, vol. 2, p. 135. — Ed.
2 I will go before you
and will level the mountains[a];
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.

1.BARNES, “I will go before thee - To prepare the way for conquest, a proof that it is by
the providence of God that the proud conquerors of the earth are enabled to triumph. The idea
is, I will take away everything that would retard or oppose your victorious march.
And make the crooked paths straight - (See the note at Isa_40:4). The Chaldee renders
this, ‘My word shall go before thee, and I will prostrate the walls.’ Lowth renders it, ‘Make the
mountains plain.’ Noyes, ‘Make the high places plain.’ The Septuagint renders it, ᆐρη ᆇµαλιራ
Ore homalio - ‘Level mountains.’ Vulgate, Gloriosos terroe humiliabo - ‘The high places of the
earth I will bring down.’ The word ‫הדוּרים‬ hadurı ym is from ‫הדר‬ hadar, to be large, ample,
swollen, tumid; and probably means the swollen tumid places, that is, the hills or elevated
places; and the idea is, that God would make them level, or would remove all obstructions out of
his way.
I will break in pieces the gates of brass - Ancient cities were surrounded by walls, and
secured by strong gates, which were not unfrequently made of brass. To Babylon there were one
hundred gates, twenty-five on each side of the city, which, with their posts, were made of brass.
‘In the circumference of the walls,’ says Herodotus (i. 179), ‘at different distances, were a
hundred massy gates of brass, whose hinges and frames were of the same metal.’ It was to this,
doubtless, that the passage before us refers.
The bars of iron - With which the gates of the city were fastened. ‘One method of securing
the gates of fortified places among the ancients, was to cover them with thick plates of iron - a
custom which is still used in the East, and seems to be of great antiquity. We learn from Pitts,
that Algiers has five gates, and some of these have two, some three other gates within them, and
some of them plated all over with iron. Pococke, speaking of a bridge near Antioch, called the
iron bridge, says, that there are two towers belonging to it, the gates of which are covered with
iron plates. Some of these gates are plated over with brass; such are the enormous gates of the
principal mosque at Damascus, formerly the church of John the Baptist’ (Paxton). The general
idea in these passages is, that Cyrus would owe his success to divine interposition; and that that
interposition would be so striking that it would be manifest that he owed his success to the favor
of heaven. This was so clear in the history of Cyrus, that it is recognized by himself, and was also
recognized even by the pagan who witnessed the success of his arms. Thus Cyrus says Ezr_1:2,
‘Jehovah, God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth.’ Thus Herodotus (i. 124)
records the fact that Harpagus said in a letter to Cyrus, ‘Son of Cambyses, heaven evidently
favors you, or you could never have thus risen superior to fortune.’ So Herodotus (i. 205) says
that Cyrus regarded himself as endowed with powers more than human:, ‘When he considered
the special circumstances of his birth, he believed himself more than human. He reflected also
on the prosperity of his arms, and that wherever he had extended his excursions, he had been
followed by success and victory.’
2. CLARKE, “The crooked places “The mountains” - For ‫הדורים‬ hodurim, crooked
places, a word not easily accounted for in this place, the Septuagint read ‫הררים‬ hararim, τα ορη,
the mountains. Two MSS. have ‫הדרים‬ hadarim, without the ‫ו‬ vau, which is hardly distinguishable
from the reading of the Septuagint. The Divine protection that attended Cyrus, and rendered his
expedition against Babylon easy and prosperous is finely expressed by God’s going before him,
and making the mountains level. The image is highly poetical: -
At vos, qua veniet, tumidi subsidite montes,

Et faciles curvis vallibus este viae.
Ovid, Amor. 2:16.
“Let the lofty mountains fall down,
and make level paths in the crooked valleys.”
The gates of brass “The valves of brass” - Abydenus, apud, Euseb. Praep. Evang. 9:41,
says, that the wall of Babylon had brazen gates. And Herodotus, i, 179. more particularly: “In the
wall all round there are a hundred gates, all of brass; and so in like manner are the sides and the
lintels.” The gates likewise within the city, opening to the river from the several streets, were of
brass; as were those also of the temple of Belus. - Herod. i., 180, 181.
3. GILL, “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight,.... Or, "level the
hilly places" (c); as pioneers do. The sense is, that he would remove all impediments and
obstructions out of his way, and cause him to surmount all difficulties:
I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron; with
which the brasen gates were barred: in the wall that surrounded Babylon there were a hundred
gates, all made of solid brass, twenty five on each side of the square; which, no doubt, are here
referred to; which could not hinder the entrance of Cyrus into the city, and the taking of it;
though they were not then destroyed by him, but by Darius afterwards (d) these gates of brass
are mentioned by Abydenus (e), as made by Nebuchadnezzar, and as continuing till the empire
of the Macedonians.
(c) The Septuagint render the word by ορη, mountains; Gussetius by eminences, high places,
such as stood in the way of passage into countries. The Vulgate Latin interprets it of glorious
persons; and Abendana says it is right to understand it in this way; and applies it to Zerubbabel,
and those that went up with him to Jerusalem, with the leave of Cyrus, who were good men, and
honourable in their works, whom the Lord directed in their way right, and prospered them in
the building of the temple, (d) Herodot. l. 1. c. 179. l. 3. c. 159. (e) Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel.
l. 9. c. 41. p. 457.
4. SBC, “I. Man must go. Each man is accomplishing a journey, going through a process. The
only question is—How? Man may go, either with God or without Him. Whether we go with God
or without Him, we shall find crooked places; we had better clearly understand this, lest any one
should turn round after he has walked the first mile of Christian life, and say he expected there
would have been no such places in all the course. Life is crooked; we ourselves are crooked;
there is nothing in all human experience of which we can certainly say, This is perfectly straight.
God Himself often inserts a crook in the lot. We should regard the text as a warning. There are
crooked places.
II. The text is also a promise. "I will go before thee." God does not say where He will straighten
our path; He does not say how; the great thing for us to believe is that there is a special promise
for us, and to wait in devout hope for its fulfilment. He who waits for God is not misspending his
time. Such waiting is true living—such tarrying is the truest speed.
III. The text is not only a warning and a promise, but also a plan. It is in the word before that I
find the plan, and it is in that word before that I find the difficulty on the human side. God does

not say, I will go alongside thee; we shall go step by step: He says, I will go before thee.
Sometimes it may be a long way before us, so that we cannot see Him; and sometimes it may be
just in front of us. But whether beyond, far away, or here close at hand, the great idea we have to
live upon is that God goes before us. (1) Let us beware of regarding the text as a mere matter of
course. There is an essential question of character to be settled. "The steps of a good man are
ordered by the Lord." (2) Let us beware of regarding this text as a licence for carelessness. Let us
not say, "If God goes before me, and makes all places straight, why need I care?" To the good
man all life is holy; there is no step of indifference; no subject that does not bring out his best
desires. "The place whereon thou standest is holy ground" is the expression 6f every man who
knows what it is to have God going before him.
Parker, City Temple, 1870, p. 4.
5,JAMISON, “crooked ... straight — (Isa_40:4), rather, “maketh mountains plain”
[Lowth], that is, clear out of thy way all opposing persons and things. The Keri reads as in
Isa_45:13, “make straight” (Margin).
gates of brass — (Psa_107:16). Herodotus (1.179) says, Babylon had a hundred massive
gates, twenty-five on each of the four sides of the city, all, as well as their posts, of brass.
bars of iron — with which the gates were fastened.
6. PULPIT, “I will make the crooked places straight; rather, I will make the rugged places level. No
doubt intended generally, "I will smooth his way before him." The gates of brass the bars of iron.
According to Herodotus, the gates of Babylon were of solid bronze, and one hundred in number (1.179).
Solid bronze gates have, however, nowhere been found, and would have been inconvenient from their
enormous weight. It is probable that the "gates of brass," or "bronze," whereof we read, were always, like
these found at Ballarat, of wood plated with bronze. To the eye these would be "gates of bronze." Gates
of towns were, as a matter of course, secured by bars, which would commonly be made of iron, as the
strongest material. Iron was well known to the Babylonians (Herod; 1:186).
7. CALVIN, “2.and 3.I will go before thee. These two verses contain nothing new; but, in general, he
shews that Cyrus will gain an easy and rapid victory, because he will have the Lord for the leader of his
expedition. Accordingly he promises that all crooked paths shall be made straight, because God will
remove every obstruction. Now, since money is the sinews of war, and Cyrus came from the scorched
and poor mountains of Persia, Jehovah says that treasures which were formerly hidden and concealed
shall come into the hands of Cyrus, so that, laden with rich booty, he shall have enough for defraying any
expenditure; for by the treasures of darknesshe means those which lay concealed, and as it were buried
in safe and deep places of defense. It is abundantly clear from history, that all these things happened; for
by taking Croesus, king of Lydia, who was at that time the richest of all men, he obtained large sums of
money. Nor would any one have expected that he would gain victories so easily; and the reason of so
great success is now added, because the Lord called and directed him, that he might give in him an
illustrious demonstration of his power; for he adds —
That thou mayest know that I am Jehovah. True, Cyrus, as we formerly said, though he acknowledged
that the God of Israel is the true God, and was filled with admiration, yet was not converted to him, and
never embraced his pure worship according to the standard of the Law. This was therefore special
knowledge, that is, so far as he assisted the Church, for whose deliverance he was appointed; and

therefore it was necessary that he should be under the influence of this knowledge, in order that he might
execute this work of God. Thus he does not speak of that knowledge by which we are enlightened, or
about the Spirit of regeneration, but about special knowledge, such as men destitute of religion (194) may
possess.
Calling thee by thy name. From some commentators this mode of expression has received a trivial
interpretation, that “ Cyrus was born, God called and described him by his name.” But we have seen in a
former passage, (Isa_43:1,) that the Prophet, while he used the same form of expression, meant
something different; for God is said to “ by name” those whom he has chosen, and whom he appoints to
perform some particular work, that they may be separated from the multitude. This word denotes closer
and more familiar intercourse. Thus a shepherd is said to “ his sheep by name,” (Joh_10:3,) because he
knows them individually. This applies indeed, in the highest degree, to believers, whom God reckons as
belonging to his flock, and to the number of the citizens of his Church. God did not bestow this favor on
Cyrus; but because, by appointing him to be the leader of so excellent a deliverance, he engraved on him
distinguished marks of his power; with good reason is the commendation of an excellent calling applied to
him.
The God of Israel. This ought to be carefully observed; for superstitious men ascribe to their idols the
victories which they have obtained, and, as Habakkuk (Hab_1:16) says, “ sacrifice every one to his god;”
and therefore they wander in their thoughts, and conceive in their hearts any deity that they fancy, while
they ought to acknowledge that Jehovah is the only and true God. What is said of Cyrus ought to be
much more applied to us, that we may not fashion any knowledge of God according to our fancy, but may
distinguish him from idols, so as to embrace him alone, and to know him in Christ alone, apart from whom
nothing but an idol, or even a devil can be worshipped. In that; respect, therefore, let us surpass Cyrus, to
whom the knowledge of God was revealed, so that we may lay aside superstitions and all false worship,
and may thus adore him in a holy and upright manner.
(194) “Les profanes et incredules.” “ and infidels.”
3 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.

1.BARNES, “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness - The treasures which
kings have amassed, and which they have laid up in dark and secure places. The word ‘darkness,’
here, means that which was hidden, unknown, secret (compare Job_12:22). The treasures of the
kings of the East were usually hidden in some obscure and strong place, and were not to be
touched except in cases of pressing necessity. Alexander found vast quantities of treasure thus
hidden among the Persians; and it was by taking such treasures that the rapacity of the soldiers
who followed a conqueror was satisfied, and in fact by a division of the spoils thus taken that
they were paid. There can be no doubt that large quantities of treasure in this manner would be
found in Babylon. The following observations from Harmer (Obs. pp. 111, 511-513), will show
that it was common to conceal treasures in this manner in the East; ‘We are told by travelers in
the East, that they have met with great difficulties, very often from a notion universally
disseminated among them, that all Europeans are magicians, and that their visits to those
eastern countries are not to satisfy curiosity, but to find out, and get possession of those vast
treasures they believe to be buried there in great quantities.
These representations are very common; but Sir John Chardin gives us a more particular and
amusing account of affairs of this kind: “It is common in the Indies, for those sorcerers that
accompany conquerors, everywhere to point out the place where treasures are bid. Thus, at
Surat, when Siragi came thither, there were people who, with a stick striking on the ground or
against walls, found out those that had been hollowed or dug up, and ordered such places to be
opened.” He then intimates that something of this nature had happened to him in Mingrelia.
Among the various contradictions that agitate the human breast, this appears to be a remarkable
one; they firmly believe the power of magicians to discover bidden treasures, and yet they
continue to hide them. Dr. Perry has given us all account of some mighty treasures hidden in the
ground by some of the principal people of the Turkish empire, which, upon a revolution, were
discovered by domestics privy to the secret.
D’Herbelot has given us accounts of treasures concealed in the same manner, some of them of
great princes, discovered by accidents extremely remarkable: but this account of Chardin’s, of
conquerors pretending to find out hidden treasures by means of sorcerers, is very extraordinary.
As, however, people of this cast have made great pretences to mighty things, in all ages, and
were not unfrequently confided in by princes, there is reason to believe they pretended
sometimes, by their art, to discover treasures, anciently, to princes, of which they had gained
intelligence by other methods; and, as God opposed his prophets, at various times, to pretended
sorcerers, it is not unlikely that the prophet Isaiah points at some such prophetic discoveries, in
those remarkable words Isa_45:3 : “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden
riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am
the God of Israel.” I will give them, by enabling some prophet of mine to tell thee where they are
concealed.
Such a supposition throws a great energy into those words.’ The belief that the ruins of cities
abound with treasures that were deposited there long since, prevails in the East, and the
inhabitants of those countries regard all travelers who come there, Burckhardt informs us, as
coming to find treasures, and as having power to remove them by enchantment. ‘It is very
unfortunate,’ says he, ‘for European travelers, that the idea of treasures being hidden in ancient
edifices is so strongly rooted in the minds of the Arabs and Turks; they believe that it is
sufficient for a true magician to have seen and observed the spot where treasures are hidden (of
which be is supposed to be already informed by the old books of the infidels who lived on the
spot), in order to be able afterward at his ease to command the guardian of the treasure to set
the whole before him. It was of no avail to tell them to follow me and see whether I searched for
money.

Their reply was, “Of course you will not dare to take it out before us, but we know that if you
are a skillful magician you will order it to follow you through the air to whatever place you
please.” If the traveler takes the dimensions of a building or a column, they are persuaded it is a
magical proceeding.’ (Travels in Syria, pp. 428, 429. Ed. Lond. 4to, 1822.) Laborde, in his
account of a visit to Petra, or Sela, has given an account of a splendid temple cut in the solid
rock, which is called the Khasne, or ‘treasury of Pharaoh.’ It is sculptured out of an enormous
block of freestone, and is one of the most splendid remains of antiquity. It is believed by the
Arabs to have been the place where Pharaoh, supposed to have been the founder of the costly
edifices of Petra, had deposited his wealth. ‘After having searched in vain,’ says Laborde, ‘all the
coffins and funeral monuments, to find his wealth, they supposed it must be in the urn which
surmounted the Khasne. But, unhappily, being out of their reach, it has only served the more to
kindle their desires.
Hence, whenever they pass through the ravine, they stop for a moment, charge their guns, aim
at the urn, and endeavor by firing at it, to break off some fragments, with a view to demolish it
altogether, and get at the treasure which it is supposed to contain.’ (Laborde’s Sinai and Petra, p.
170. Ed. Lond. 1836.) The treasures which Cyrus obtained in his conquests are known to have
been immense. Sardis, the capital of Croesus, king of Lydia, the most wealthy monarch of his
time, was, according to Herodotus (i. 84), given up to be plundered; and his hoarded wealth
became the spoil of the victor (see also Xen. Cyr. vii.) That Babylon abounded in treasures is
expressly declared by Jeremiah Jer_51:13 : ‘O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in
treasures.’ These treasures also, according to Jeremiah Jer_50:37, became the spoil of the
conqueror of the city. Pithy also has given a description of the wealth which Cyrus obtained in
his conquests, which strikingly confirms what Isaiah here declares: ‘Cyrus, in the conquest of
Asia, obtained thirty-four thousand pounds weight of gold, besides golden vases, and gold that
was made with leaves, and the palm-tree, and the vine.
In which victory also he obtained five hundred thousand talents of silver, and the goblet of
Semiramis, which weighed fifteen talents.’ (Nat. Hist. 33. 3.) Brerewood has estimated that this
gold and silver amounted to one hundred and twenty-six million, and two hundred and twenty-
four thousand pounds sterling. (De Pon. et Men. 10.) Babylon was the center of an immense
traffic that was carried on between the eastern parts of Asia and the western parts of Asia and
Europe. For a description of this commerce, see an article in the Bib. Rep. vol. vii. pp. 364-390.
Babylonian garments, it will be remembered, of great value, had made their way to Palestine in
the time of Joshua Jos_7:21. Tapestries embroidered with figures of griffons and other monsters
of eastern imagination were articles of export (Isaac Vossius, Observatio). Carpets were made
there of the finest materials and workmanship, and formed an article of extensive exportation.
They were of high repute in the times of Cyrus; whose tomb at Pasargada was adorned with
them (Arrian, Exped. Alex. vi. 29). Great quantities of gold were used in Babylon. The vast image
of gold erected by Nebuchadnezzar in the plain of Dura is proof enough of this fact. The image
was sixty cubits high and six broad Dan_3:1. Herodotus (i. 183) informs us that the Chaldeans
used a thousand talents of frankincense annually in the temple of Jupiter.
That thou mayest know - That from these signal successes, and these favors of heaven, you
may learn that Yahweh is the true God. This he would learn because he would see that he owed it
to heaven (see the note at Isa_45:2); and because the prediction which God had made of his
success would convince him that he was the true and only God. That it had this effect on Cyrus is
apparent from his own proclamation (see Ezr_1:2). God took this method of making himself
known to the monarch of the most mighty kingdom of the earth, in order, as he repeatedly
declares, that through his dealings with kingdoms and people he may be acknowledged.
Which call thee by thy name - (See the notes at Isa_43:1). That thou mayest know that I,
who so long before designated thee by name, am the true God. The argument is, that none but
God could have foretold the name of him who should be the deliverer of his people.

Am the God of Israel - That the God of Israel was the true and only God. The point to be
made known was not that he was the God of Israel, but that the God of Israel was Yahweh the
true God.
2. CLARKE, “I will gave thee the treasures of darkness - Sardes and Babylon, when
taken by Cyrus, were the wealthiest cities in the world. Croesus, celebrated beyond all the kings
of that age for his riches, gave up his treasures to Cyrus, with an exact account in writing of the
whole, containing the particulars with which each wagon was loaded when they were carried
away; and they were delivered to Cyrus at the palace of Babylon. - Xenoph. Cyrop. lib. 7 p. 503,
515, 540.
Pliny gives the following account of the wealth taken by Cyrus in Asia. Jam Cyrus devicta
Asia, pondo 34 millia auri invenerat; praeter vasa aurea, aurumque factum, et in eo folia, ac
platanum, vitemque. Qua victoria argenti quingenta millia talentorum reportavit; et craterem
Semiramidis, cuius pondus quindecim talents colligebat. Talentum autem Aegyptium pondo
lxxx. patere 50 capere Varro tradit. - Nat. Hist. 33:15. “When Cyrus conquered Asia, he found
thirty-four thousand pounds weight of gold, besides golden vessels and articles in gold; and
leaves, (folia, perhaps solia, bathing vessels, Hol.), a plane, and vine tree, (of gold.) By which
victory he carried away fifteen thousand talents of silver; and the cup of Semiramis, the weight
of which was fifteen tatents. The Egyptian talent, according to Varro, was eighty pounds.” This
cup was the crater, or large vessel, out of which they filled the drinking cups at great
entertainments. Evidently it could not be a drinking vessel, which, according to what Varro and
Pliny say, must have weighed 1, 200 pounds!
The gold and silver estimated by weight in this account, being converted into pounds sterling,
amount to one hundred and twenty-six millions two hwndred and twenty-four thousand
pounds. - Brerewood, De Ponderibus, cap. x.
Treasures of darkness may refer to the custom of burying their jewels and money under the
ground in their house floors, fearing robbers.
3. GILL, “And I will give thee treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret
places,.... What had been laid up in private places, and had not seen the light for many years.
The Jewish Rabbins say (f), that Nebuchadnezzar having amassed together all the riches of the
world, when he drew near his end, considered with himself to whom he should leave it; and
being unwilling to leave it to Evilmerodach, he ordered ships of brass to be built, and filled them
with it, and dug a place in Euphrates, and hid them in it, and turned the river upon them; and
that day that Cyrus ordered the temple to be built, the Lord revealed them to him: the riches of
Croesus king of Lydia, taken by Cyrus, are meant; especially what he found in Babylon, which
abounded in riches, Jer_51:13. Pliny (g) says, when he conquered Asia, he brought away thirty
four thousand pounds of gold, besides golden vessels, and five hundred thousand talents of
silver, and the cup of Semiramis, which weighed fifteen talents. Xenophon (h) makes mention of
great riches and treasures which Cyrus received from Armenius, Gobryas, and Croesus:
that thou mayest know that I the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of
Israel; to call him by name two hundred years, or near it, before he was born, was a proof that
he was God omniscient, and knew things before they were, and could call things that were not,
as though they were; and this Cyrus was made acquainted with; for, as Josephus (i) says, he read

this prophecy in Isaiah concerning him; and all this being exactly fulfilled in him, obliged him to
acknowledge him the Lord, to be the Lord God of heaven, and the Lord God of Israel, Ezr_1:2.
4. HENRY, “He shall replenish his coffers very much (Isa_45:3): I will give thee the
treasures of darkness, treasures of gold and silver, that have been long kept close under lock
and key and had not seen the light of many years, or had been buried under ground by the
inhabitants, in their fright, upon the taking of the city. The riches of many nations had been
brought to Babylon, and Cyrus seized all together. The hidden riches of secret places, which
belonged either to the crown or to private persons, shall all be a prey to Cyrus. Thus God,
designing him to do a piece of service to his church, paid him richly for it beforehand; and Cyrus
very honestly owned God's goodness to him, and, in consideration of that, released the captives.
Ezr_1:2, God has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and thereby has obliged me to build
him a house at Jerusalem.
II. We are here told what God designed in doing all this for Cyrus. What Cyrus aimed at in
undertaking his wars we may easily guess; but what God aimed at in giving him such wonderful
success in his wars we are here told.
1. It was that the God of Israel might be glorified: “That thou mayest know by all this that I
the Lord am the God of Israel; for I have called thee by thy name long before thou wast born.”
When Cyrus should have this prophecy of Isaiah shown to him, and should there find his own
name and his own achievements particularly described so long before, he should thereby be
brought to acknowledge that the God of Israel was the Lord, Jehovah, the only living and true
God, and that he continued to own his Israel though now in captivity. It is well when thus men's
prosperity brings them to the knowledge of God, for too often it makes them forget him.
5,JAMISON, “treasures of darkness — that is, hidden in subterranean places; a common
Oriental practice. Sorcerers pretended to be able to show where such treasures were to be found;
in opposition to their pretensions, God says, He will really give hidden treasures to Cyrus
(Jer_50:37; Jer_51:13). Pliny (Natural History, 33:3) says that Cyrus obtained from the
conquest of Asia thirty-four thousand pounds weight of gold, besides golden vases, and five
hundred thousand talents of silver, and the goblet of Semiramis, weighing fifteen talents.
that thou mayest know — namely, not merely that He was “the God of Israel,” but that He
was Jehovah, the true God. Ezr_1:1, Ezr_1:2 shows that the correspondence of the event with
the prediction had the desired effect on Cyrus.
which call ... thy name — so long before designate thee by name (Isa_43:1).
6. PULPIT, “I will give thee the treasures of darkness; i.e. "treasures stored in dark places"—"bidden
treasures." Treasuries were built for greater security without windows. Of the treasures which fell into the
hands of Cyrus, the greatest were probably those of Babylon (Herod; 1.183) and of Sardis (Xen; 'Cyrop.,'
7.2, § 11). The value of the latter has been estimated at above one hundred and twenty-six millions
sterling. That thou mayest know; or, acknowledge. If these documents are accepted as genuine, or
even as true in substance (Ewald), Cyrus must be considered to have identified Jehovah with his own
Ormuzd, and to have viewed the Jewish and Persian religions as substantially the same. He would be
under no temptation, with so weak and down-trodden a people as the Jews, to resort to politic pretences,
as he might be in the case of the Babylonians (see the comment on Isa_41:25). Which call thee by thy
name (comp. Isa_45:1 and Isa_44:28). (On the special favour implied in God's condescending to "know"

or "call" a person by his name, see the 'Pulpit Commentary' on Exo_33:12.) Am the God of Israel; rather,
am the Lord the God of Israel.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.
1.BARNES, “For Jacob my servant’s sake - (see the note at Isa_42:19). The statement
here is, that God had raised up Cyrus on account of his own people. The sentiment is common in
the Bible, that kings and nations are in the hand of God; and that he overrules and directs their
actions for the accomplishment of his own purposes, and especially to protect, defend, and
deliver his people (see the note at Isa_10:5; compare Isa_47:6).
I have surnamed thee - On the meaning of the word ‘surname,’ see the notes at Isa_44:5.
The reference here is to the fact that he had appointed him to accomplish important purposes,
and had designated him as his ‘shepherd’ Isa_44:28, and his ‘anointed’ Isa_45:1.
Though thou hast not known me - Before he was called to accomplish these important
services, he was a stranger to Yahweh, and it was only when he should have been so signally
favored of heaven, and should be made acquainted with the divine will in regard to the
deliverance of his people and the rebuilding of the temple Ezr_1:1-3, that he would be
acquainted with the true God.
2. PULPIT, “For Jacob my servant's sake. This second motive is, in a certain sense, the main one.
Cyrus is raised up, especially, to perform God's pleasure with respect to Judah and Jerusalem
(Isa_44:26-28). Jacob, his Church, is more important in God's eyes than any individual. No doubt his
Church is maintained, in part, that it may be "a light to lighten the Gentiles;" but it is not maintained solely:
or even mainly, for this end. Its welfare is an end in itself, and would be sought by God apart from any
further consequence. Israel mine elect (comp. Isa_41:8; Isa_44:1). I have surnamed thee; i.e. "given
thee designations of honour," e.g. "my anointed" (Isa_45:1); "my shepherd" (Isa_44:28); "he who shall do
all my pleasure" (Isa_44:28). Though thou hast not known me; rather, though thou didst not know
me. Cyrus's honours, his titles, his mention by name, etc; were accumulated upon him before his birth,

when he knew nothing of God, when, therefore, he had in no way merited them. Thus all was done, not
for his sake, but lot the sake of Israel.
3. GILL, “For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called
thee by thy name,.... Not so much for the sake of Cyrus, and to do honour to him, was it that
he so long before he was born called him by his name; but to assure the people of the Jews, the
Lord's chosen people, and who were his servants, of the certainty of their deliverance, their
deliverer being mentioned by name; and it was for their sakes, and not his, that he called him,
and raised him up to do such great things as he did, that he might deliver them from their
captivity: and it is for the sake of God's elect, whom he has chosen to holiness and happiness, to
serve him, and be with him for ever, that he has called Christ, of whom Cyrus was a type, and
sent him into the world, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of them:
I have surnamed thee; not only called him by his name, Cyrus, but surnamed him his
"shepherd", and "his anointed", Isa_44:28,
though thou hast not known me; as yet not being born; and when he was, and was grown
up, he was ignorant of the true God; and though, upon sight of the above prophecy, and under
an immediate influence and impression, he acknowledged the God of Israel to be the God of
heaven yet it does not appear that he left the Pagan idolatry; for Xenophon (k) relates, that when
he found his end was near, he took sacrifices, and offered them to Jupiter, and the sun, and the
rest of the gods; and gave them thanks for the care they had taken of him; and prayed them to
grant happiness to his wife, children, friends, and country.
4. HENRY, “It was that the Israel of God might be released, Isa_45:4. Cyrus knew not God as
the God of Israel. Having been trained up in the worship of idols, the true God was to him an
unknown God. But, though he knew not God, God not only knew him when he came into being,
but foreknew him, and bespoke him for his shepherd. He called him by his name, Cyrus, nay,
which was yet great honour, he surnamed him and called him his anointed. And why did God do
all this for Cyrus? Not for his own sake, be it known to him; whether he was a man of virtue or
no is questioned. Xenophon indeed, when he would describe the heroic virtues of an excellent
prince, made use of Cyrus's name, and many of the particulars of his story, in his Cyropaedia;
but other historians represent him as haughty, cruel, and bloodthirsty. The reason why God
preferred him was for Jacob his servant's sake. Note, (1.) In all the revolutions of states and
kingdoms, the sudden falls of the great and strong, and the surprising advancements of the weak
and obscure, God is designing the good of his church. (2.) It is therefore the wisdom of those to
whom God has given wealth and power to use them for his glory, by showing kindness to his
people. Cyrus is preferred that Israel may be released. He shall have a kingdom, only that God's
people may have their liberty; for their kingdom is not of this world, it is yet to come. In all this
Cyrus was a type of Christ, who was made victorious over principalities and powers, and
entrusted with unsearchable riches, for the use and benefit of God's servants, his elect. When he
ascended on high he led captivity captive, took those captives that had taken others captives,
and opened the prison to those that were bound.
5,JAMISON, “(See on Isa_41:8; Isa_43:14).

surnamed — that is, designated to carry out My design of restoring Judah (see on Isa_44:5;
see on Isa_44:28; see on Isa_45:1). Maurer here, as in Isa_44:5, translates, “I have addressed
thee by an honorable name.”
hast not known me — previous to My calling thee to this office; after God’s call, Cyrus did
know Him in some degree (Ezr_1:1-3).
6. K&D 4-7, “A second and third object are introduced by a second and third ‫ן‬ ַ‫ע‬ ַ‫מ‬ ְ‫.ל‬ “For the
sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I called thee hither by name, surnamed thee
when thou knewest me not. I Jehovah, and there is none else, beside me no God: I equipped
thee when thou knewest me not; that they may know from the rising of the sun, and its going
down, that there is none without me: I Jehovah, and there is none else, former of the light, and
creator of the darkness; founder of peace, and creator of evil: I Jehovah am He who worketh
all this.” The ‫א‬ ָ‫ר‬ ְ‫ק‬ ֶ‫א‬ָ‫ו‬ which follows the second reason assigned like an apodosis, is construed
doubly: “I called to thee, calling thee by name.” The parallel ְ ַ‫כ‬ ֲ‫א‬ָ‫ך‬ refers to such titles of honour
as “my shepherd” and “my anointed,” which had been given to him by Jehovah. This calling,
distinguishing, and girding, i.e., this equipment of Cyrus, took place at a time when Cyrus knew
nothing as yet of Jehovah, and by this very fact Jehovah made known His sole Deity. The
meaning is, not that it occurred while he was still worshipping false gods, but, as the refrain-like
repetition of the words “though thou hast not know me” affirms with strong emphasis, before he
had been brought into existence, or could know anything of Jehovah. The passage is to be
explained in the same way as Jer_1:5, “Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee” (see
Psychol. pp. 36, 37, 39); and what the God of prophecy here claims for Himself, must not be
questioned by false criticism, or weakened down by false apologetics (i.e., by giving up the
proper name Cyrus as a gloss in Isa_44:28 and Isa_45:1; or generalizing it into a king's name,
such as Pharaoh, Abimelech, or Agag). The third and last object of this predicted and realized
success of the oppressor of nations and deliverer of Israel is the acknowledgement of Jehovah,
spreading over the heathen world from the rising and setting of the sun, i.e., in every direction.
The ah of ‫ה‬ ָ‫ב‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ע‬ ַ ִ‫וּמ‬ is not a feminine termination (lxx, Targ., Jer.), but a feminine suffix with He
raphato pro mappic (Kimchi); compare Isa_23:17-18; Isa_34:17 (but not ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫נ‬ in Isa_18:5, or ‫ה‬ ָ‫ד‬ ָ‫מוּס‬
in Isa_30:32). Shemesh (the sun) is a feminine here, as in Gen_15:17, Nah_3:17, Mal_4:2, and
always in Arabic; for the west is invariably called ‫ב‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ע‬ ַ‫מ‬ (Arab. magrib). In Isa_45:7 we are led by
the context to understand by darkness and evil the penal judgments, through which light and
peace, or salvation, break forth for the people of God and the nations generally. But as the
prophecy concerning Cyrus closes with this self-assertion of Jehovah, it is unquestionably a
natural supposition that there is also a contrast implied to the dualistic system of Zarathustra,
which divided the one nature of the Deity into two opposing powers (see Windischmann,
Zoroastrische Studien, p. 135). The declaration is so bold, that Marcion appealed to this passage
as a proof that the God of the Old Testament was a different being from the God of the New, and
not the God of goodness only. The Valentinians and other gnostics also regarded the words
“There is no God beside me” in Isaiah, as deceptive words of the Demiurugs. The early church
met them with Tertullian's reply, “de his creator profitetur malis quae congruunt judici,” and
also made use of this self-attestation of the God of revelation as a weapon with which to attack
Manicheesism. The meaning of the words is not exhausted by those who content themselves
with the assertion, that by the evil (or darkness) we are not to understand the evil of guilt
(malum culpae), but the evil of punishment (malum paenae). Undoubtedly, evil as an act is not

the direct working of God, but the spontaneous work of a creature endowed with freedom. At the
same time, evil, as well as good, has in this sense its origin in God - that He combines within
Himself the first principles of love and wrath, the possibility of evil, the self-punishment of evil,
and therefore the consciousness of guilt as well as the evil of punishment in the broadest sense.
When the apostle celebrates the glory of free grace in Rom_9:11., he stands on that giddy height,
to which few are able to follow him without falling headlong into the false conclusions of a
decretum absolutum, and the denial of all creaturely freedom.
7. CALVIN, “4.For the sake of my servant Jacob. He shews for what purpose he would grant such
happy and illustrious success to this prince. It is, in order that he may preserve his people; as if the Lord
had said, “ shalt indeed obtain a signal victory, bur I will have regard to my own people rather than to
thee; for it is for their sake that I subject kings and nations to thy power.” By these predictions, indeed, the
Lord intended to encourage the hearts of believers, that they might not despair amidst those distresses;
but undoubtedly he intended likewise to excite Cyrus to acknowledge that he owed to that nation all that
he should accomplish, that he might he more disposed to treat them with all kindness.
And Israel mine elect. In this second clause there is a repetition which serves still farther to explain that
reason; and at the same time he shews on what ground he reckons the Israelites to be “ servants.” It is
because he condescended to choose them by free grace; for it is not in the power of men to make
themselves “ of God,” or to obtain so great honor by their own exertions. This clause is therefore
added, (195) as before, for the sake of explanation. But still it denotes also the end of election; for, since
we are naturally the slaves of Satan, we are called in order that, being restored to liberty, we may serve
God. Yet he shews that no man is worthy of that honor, as we have said, but he whom God hath chosen;
for who will boast that he is worthy of so high an honor, or what can we render or offer to God? Thus “ are
not sufficient of ourselves, but the Lord hath made us sufficient,” as Paul says. (2Co_3:5.) The beginning
of our salvation, therefore, is God’ election by free grace; and the end of it is the obedience which we
ought to render to him.
But although this is limited to the history of Cyrus, still we may draw from it a general doctrine. When
various changes happen in the world, God secures at the same time the salvation of his people, and in
the midst of storms wonderfully preserves his Church. We are indeed blind and stupid as to the works of
God, yet we ought firmly to believe that, even when everything appears to be driven about at random, and
to be tossed up and down, God never forgets his Church, whose salvation, on the contrary, he promotes
by hidden methods, so that it is at length seen that he is her guardian and defender.
Josephus relates a memorable narrative about Alexander, who, while he was besieging Tyre, sent
ambassadors to Jerusalem, to demand the tribute which the Jews were paying to Darius. Jaddus, the
high-priest, who had sworn that he would pay that tribute, would not become subject to Alexander, and
refused to pay him the tribute. Alexander was highly offended, and, swelling with pride and fierceness,
determined to destroy Jerusalem, and, after having conquered Darius, marched to Jerusalem, for the
purpose of consigning it to utter destruction. Jaddus went out to meet him, accompanied by other priests
and Levites, wearing the priestly dress; and Alexander, as soon as he saw him, leapt from his horse, and
threw himself down as a suppliant at his feet. Every person was astonished at a thing so strange and so
inconsistent with his natural disposition, and thought that he had lost his senses. Parmenio, who alone of
all who were present asked the reason, received a reply, that he did not adore this man, but God, whose
servant he was; and that, before he left Dion, a city of Macedonia, a man of that appearance and dress,

who appeared to have the form of God, presented himself to him in a dream, encouraged him to take
Asia, and promised to be the leader of the army, so that he ought to entertain no doubt of victory, and
therefore that he could not but be powerfully affected by seeing him. In this manner, therefore, was
Jerusalem rescued from the jaws of that savage highwayman who aimed at nothing else than fire and
bloodshed, and even obtained from him greater liberty than before, and likewise gifts and privileges. (196)
I have quoted this example in order to shew that the Church of God is preserved in the midst of dangers
by strange and unusual methods. Those were troublous times, and scarcely a corner of the earth was at
rest; but above all other countries Judea might be said to be devoted to destruction. Yet behold the
Church rescued in a wonderful and unusual manner, while other nations are destroyed, and nearly the
whole world has changed its face!
And yet thou hast not known me. These words are added for the purpose of giving greater force to the
statement, not only that Cyrus may learn that this is not granted on account of any of his own merits, but
that he may not despise the God of Israel, though he does not know him. The Lord frequently, indeed,
reminds us on this subject, that he anticipates all the industry that exists in men, in order that he may beat
down all the pride of the flesh. But there is another reason, as regards Cyrus; for if he had thought that
the Lord granted those things for his own sake, he would have disregarded the Jews and treated them as
despicable slaves. For this reason the Lord testifies that it does not happen on account of Cyrus’ own
merit, but only for the sake of the people, whom he determines to rescue out of the hands of enemies.
Besides, nothing was more probable than that this man, in his blindness, would appropriate to his idols
that which belonged to the true God; because, being entirely under the influence of wicked superstitions,
he would not willingly have given place to a strange and unknown God, if he had not been instructed by
this prediction.
(195) “Ce mot d’ eleu est donc adjuste.” “ word elect is thus added.”
(196) Joseph. Ant., Book 11, chap. 8.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,

1.BARNES, “I am the Lord ... - (see the notes at Isa_42:8; Isa_43:2; Isa_44:8; Isa_45:14,
Isa_45:18, Isa_45:22).
I girded thee ... - (see the note at Isa_45:1). The sense is, I girded thee with the girdle - the
military belt; I prepared thee, and strengthened thee for war and conquest. Even people who are
strangers to the true God are sustained by him, and are unable to accomplish anything without
his providential aid.
2. PULPIT, “I girded thee. As God "loosed the loins" of Cyrus's adversaries (Isa_45:1), to weaken
them, so he "girded" those of Cyrus, to give him strength (comp. Psa_18:32)
3. GILL, “I am the Lord, and there is none else,.... Whom thou, O Cyrus, for the words are
directed to him, ought to own, serve, and worship:
there is no God besides me; in heaven or earth, in any of the countries conquered by thee,
and thou rulest over; for though there were gods and lords many, so called, these were only
nominal fictitious deities; not gods by nature, as he was; of which the following, as well as what
is before said, is a proof:
I girded thee, though thou hast not known me; the Lord girded him with a royal girdle, a
symbol of kingly power; he made him king over many nations; he girded him with strength,
courage, and valour for war; and made him so expeditious, successful, and victorious, as he was,
though a Heathen prince, and ignorant of him, in order to answer some valuable ends of his own
glory, and the good of his people, and particularly for what follows.
4. HENRY, “God here asserts his sole and sovereign dominion, as that which he designed to
prove and manifest to the world in all the great things he did for Cyrus and by him. Observe,
I. How this doctrine is here laid down concerning the sovereignty of the great Jehovah, in two
things: - 1. That he is God alone, and there is no God besides him. This is here inculcated as a
fundamental truth, which, if it were firmly believed, would abolish idolatry out of the world.
With what an awful, commanding, air of majesty and authority, bidding defiance, as it were, to
all pretenders, does the great God here proclaim it to the world: I am the Lord, I the Lord,
Jehovah, and there is none else, there is no God besides me, no other self-existent, self-
sufficient, being, none infinite and eternal.
5,JAMISON, “(Isa_42:8; Isa_43:3, Isa_43:11; Isa_44:8; Isa_46:9).
girded thee — whereas “I will loose (the girdle off) the loins of kings” (Isa_45:1),
strengthening thee, but enfeebling them before thee.
though ... not known me — (Isa_45:4). God knows His elect before they are made to know
Him (Gal_4:9; Joh_15:16).

6. SBC, “God has a definite life-plan for every human person, girding him, visibly or invisibly,
for some exact thing, which it will be the true significance and glory of his life to have
accomplished. What a thought is this for every human soul to cherish! What dignity does it add
to life! What instigations does it add to send us onward in everything that constitutes our
excellence! We live in the Divine thought. We fill a place in the great everlasting plan of God’s
intelligence. We never sink below His care, never drop out of His counsel. But the inquiry will be
made, supposing this to be true, how can we ever get hold of this life-plan God has made for us,
or find our way into it?
I. Observe, first, some negatives that are important, and must be avoided. They are these: (1)
You will never come into God’s plan if you study singularity; for if God has a design and plan for
every man’s life, then it is exactly appropriate to his nature; and as every man’s nature is
singular and peculiar to himself—as peculiar as his face or look—then it follows that God will
lead every man into a singular, original, and peculiar life, without any study or singularity on his
part. (2) As little must we seek to copy the life of another. No man is ever called to be another.
God has as many plans for men as He has men; and therefore He never requires them to
measure their life exactly by any other life. (3) We are never to complain of our birth, our
training, our employments, our hardships; never to fancy that we could be something, if only we
had a different lot and sphere assigned us. God understands His own plan, and He knows what
we want a great deal better than we do. (4) Another mistake to be carefully avoided is, that while
we surrender and renounce all thought of making up a plan, or choosing out a plan, for
ourselves, we do not also give up the hope or expectation that God will set us in any scheme of
life, where the whole course of it will be known or set down beforehand. No contract will be
made with Him, save that He engages, if you trust Him, to lead you into the best things all the
way through.
II. More positive directions for coming into the plan God lays for us may be found (1) in God’s
character; (2) in our conscience; (3) in God’s law and His written word.
H. Bushnell, The New Life, p. 7.
7. CALVIN, “5.I am Jehovah. He confirms the preceding statement, and the repetition is not
superfluous; for it was proper that it should be often repeated to Cyrus, that there is one God, by whose
hands all rulers and nations are governed, that he might be drawn aside from all delusions and be
converted to the God of Israel. Besides, it is clearly stated that we ought not to try to find divinity in any
other; as if he had said, “ of ascribing this victory to idols, or forming any confused idea of a god such as
men imagine; know that the God of Israel is the only author of this victory.” Although Cyrus did not profit
by this admonition to such an extent as to leave his idols and devote himself to the true God, yet it made
so deep an impression on his heart that he acknowledged Jehovah to be God and to possess the highest
authority. At the same time, it was proper that they who were members of the Church should embrace this
doctrine, that they might boldly despise all pretended gods.
I have girded thee. That girding corresponds to the nakedness which he formerly mentioned, (verse 1,)
when he said that he “” or “ the loins of kings;” for he is said to “” those whom he supplies with strength
and courage and renders victorious. Hence it ought to be inferred, that men have no courage but when
the Lord imparts to them his power and strength, that neither weapons nor any military force can do
anything unless he assist, and, in a word, that he presides over all wars, and gives victory to whomsoever
he pleases, that none may think that it happens by chance. He again repeats, Though thou hast not
known me, in order to make it still more certain that these things are granted to Cyrus for the sake of the

Church, in order that he may give evidence that he remembers it with gratitude, and may shew kindness
to the people of God in return for such a distinguished favor.
6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
1.BARNES, “That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west -
This phrase is evidently used here to designate the whole world. Kimchi says, that the reason
why the north and the south are not mentioned here is, that the earth from the east to the west is
perfectly inhabitable, but not so from the north to the south. That this was accomplished, see
Ezr_1:1 ff Cyrus made public proclamation that Yahweh had given him all the kingdoms of the
earth, and had commanded him to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The purpose of all this
arrangement was, to secure the acknowledgment of the truth that Yahweh was the only true
God, as extensively as possible. Nothing could be better adapted to this than the actual course of
events. For,
1. The conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar was an event which would be extensively
known throughout all nations.
2. Babylon was then the magnificent capital of the pagan world, and the kingdom of which it
was the center was the most mighty kingdom of the earth.
3. The fact of the conquest of Babylon, and the manner in which it was done, would be known
all over that empire, and would attract universal attention. Nothing had ever occurred
more remarkable; nothing more fitted to excite the wonder of mankind.
4. The hand of Yahweh was so manifest in this, and the prophecies which had been uttered
were so distinctly fulfilled, that Cyrus himself acknowledged that it was of Yahweh. The
existence, the name, and the truth of Yahweh became known as far as the name and
exploits of Cyrus; and there was a public recognition of the true God by him who had
conquered the most mighty capital of the world, and whose opinions and laws were to
enter into the constitution of the Medo-Persian empire that was to succeed.
2. BI, “The beneficent sovereignty of God

The key-thought to all the intricacies of the whole of this passage is that God is the absolute
Author of all that exists and the infinite Supreme Ruler of all events; and the implied, though
not expressed inference from this claim is, that He is to be absolutely trusted in the matter and
manner of Israel’s redemption from Babylon.
In the 7 th verse, the attitude which the prophet makes the Almighty assume is most absolute.
Why summon Cyrus, a heathen prince? Why not one of their own nation, a prince of their own
people? The answer to this implied objection is contained in Isa_45:9-11. “Woe unto him that
striveth with his Maker,” &c. Will Israel be more wise than God who made him and the world
and rules them in His own manner? The question in the 11 th verse means, “Will ye take the
disposition of things out of My hands, and direct Me how I am to deal with My own chosen
people?” The 12 th and 13 th verses are intended to cairn the anxieties of the exiles in reference
to Cyrus. He who created all things had also raised up Cyrus, whose victorious career had
awakened the fears of the exiles; but Jehovah had in righteousness summoned him to the work,
and this was to be the guarantee that Cyrus would build up Jerusalem again, and set the captives
free, and that without redemption of money. This whole passage may have its drift and meaning
summed up in a single sentence. It is an appeal of God to His people to leave the whole
management of their redemption in His hands, and to let His power, wisdom, and righteousness
reassure their minds under any difficulties or fears that may trouble them. (C. Short, M. A.)
3. GILL, “That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west,.... That
all the inhabitants of the world, from east to west, which takes in the habitable part of the world,
that from north to south not being entirely so; that all within this compass, by hearing what
great things God did by Cyrus, and for his people, might know, own, and acknowledge,
that there is none besides me: I am the Lord, and there is none else; or, "besides me
there is nothing" (l); all creatures are nonentities in comparison of God; and he fills up all
places, and everything lives, and moves, and has its being in him; and there is no God, the Lord,
the eternal Jehovah, but the one true God, Father, Son, and Spirit.
4. HENRY, “And again (Isa_45:6), There is none besides me; all that are set up in competition
with me are counterfeits; they are all vanity and a lie, for I am the Lord, and there is none else.
This is here said to Cyrus, not only to cure him of the sin of his ancestors, which was the
worshipping of idols, but to prevent his falling into the sin of some of his predecessors in victory
and universal monarchy, which was the setting up of themselves for gods and being idolized, to
which some attribute much of the origin of idolatry. Let Cyrus, when he becomes thus rich and
great, remember that still he is but a man, and there is no God but one.
5,JAMISON, “From the rising to the setting of the sun, that is, from east to west, the whole
habitable world. It is not said, “from north to south,” for that would not imply the habitable
world, as, “from east to west” does (Ezr_1:1, etc.). The conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon, the
capital of the world, and the overthrow of Babylon and restoration of the Jews by Cyrus, who
expressly acknowledged himself to be but the instrument in God’s hands, were admirably suited
to secure, throughout the world, the acknowledgment of Jehovah as the only true God.

6. PULPIT, “That they may know from the rising of the sun. Here we have the third motive of the Divine
action respecting Cyrus. The attention of all the world from the extreme east to the extreme west, would
be drawn by the wonderful occurrences. Jehovah's hand in them would be perceived, and his sole
Godhead would obtain acknowledgment. An impulse was doubtless given to monotheism by the victories
of Cyrus and the favour which he showed the Jews; but it cannot be said to have been very marked.
Idolatry and polytheism were to a certain extent discredited; but they maintained their ground
nevertheless. It was not till the true "Anointed One" appeared—the antitype of whom Cyrus was the
type—that the idols were "utterly abolished."
7. CALVIN, “6.Therefore they shall know. He means that this favor shall be so remarkable as to be
acknowledged and admired by all nations. This was not indeed immediately fulfilled; for, although the
fame of that victory was spread far and wide, yet few understood that the God of Israel was the author of
it; but it was immediately made known to the neighbors, and was communicated by one nation to another,
till the report of it was spread throughout the whole world. He does not predict what shall happen
immediately, but what shall happen afterwards, though these things were long concealed. God therefore
did not permit the remembrance of this transaction to fade away, but determined that it should be handed
down in permanent records, that it might be celebrated in all ages, and by the most distant nations, to the
very end of the world. We must therefore remember what I formerly remarked, that the Prophet
interweaves earlier and later events, because the return of the people was the prelude to a future
redemption, and that he thus speaks of a perfect restoration of the Church. Besides, when it happens that
the illustrious works of God are buried by the ingratitude and malice of men, still it does not cease to be
true, that they shall be visible to the whole world; for they shine openly and brightly, though the blind do
not see them.
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things.
1.BARNES, “I form the light, and create darkness - Light, in the Bible, is the emblem
of knowledge, innocence, pure religion, and of prosperity in general; and darkness is the
emblem of the opposite. Light here seems to be the emblem of peace and prosperity, and
darkness the emblem of adversity; and the sentiment of the verse is, that all things prosperous
and adverse are under the providential control and direction of God. Of light, it is literally true

Isaiah 45 commentary

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Isaiah 45 commentary