Isaiah 45

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 700 BC – 539 BC · Exile in Babylon · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

25 verses · 756 words · ~4 min read · ~5 min listen

God Calls Cyrus

2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4

¹This is what the Lord says to Cyrus His anointed,

whose right hand I have grasped

to subdue nations before him,

to disarm kings,

to open the doors before him,

so that the gates will not be shut:

²“I will go before you

and level the mountains;

I will break down the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

³I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the riches hidden in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the Lord,

the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

⁴For the sake of Jacob My servant

and Israel My chosen one,

I call you by name;

I have given you a title of honor,

though you have not known Me.

⁵I am the Lord, and there is no other;

there is no God but Me.

I will equip you for battle,

though you have not known Me,

⁶so that all may know,

from where the sun rises to where it sets,

that there is none but Me;

I am the Lord, and there is no other.

⁷I form the light and create the darkness;

I bring prosperity and create calamity.

I, the Lord, do all these things.

⁸Drip down, O heavens, from above,

and let the skies pour down righteousness.

Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout

and righteousness spring up with it;

I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—

one clay pot among many.

Does the clay ask the potter,

‘What are you making?’

Does your work say,

‘He has no hands’?

¹⁰Woe to him who says to his father,

‘What have you begotten?’

or to his mother,

‘What have you brought forth?’”

¹¹Thus says the Lord,

the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

“Concerning things to come, do you question Me about My sons,

or instruct Me in the work of My hands?

¹²It is I who made the earth

and created man upon it.

It was My hands that stretched out the heavens,

and I ordained all their host.

¹³I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness,

and I will make all his ways straight.

He will rebuild My city

and set My exiles free,

but not for payment or reward,

says the Lord of Hosts.”

¹⁴This is what the Lord says:

“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,

along with the Sabeans, men of stature,

will come over to you

and will be yours;

they will trudge behind you;

they will come over in chains and bow down to you.

They will confess to you:

‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other;

there is no other God.’”

¹⁵Truly You are a God who hides Himself,

O God of Israel, the Savior.

¹⁶They will all be put to shame and humiliated;

the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.

¹⁷But Israel will be saved by the Lord

with an everlasting salvation;

you will not be put to shame or humiliated,

to ages everlasting.

¹⁸For thus says the Lord,

who created the heavens—He is God;

He formed the earth and fashioned it;

He established it;

He did not create it to be empty,

but formed it to be inhabited:

“I am the Lord,

and there is no other.

¹⁹I have not spoken in secret,

from a place in a land of darkness.

I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,

‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’

I, the Lord, speak the truth;

I say what is right.

²⁰Come, gather together, and draw near,

you fugitives from the nations.

Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood

and pray to a god that cannot save.

²¹Speak up and present your case—

yes, let them take counsel together.

Who foretold this long ago?

Who announced it from ancient times?

Was it not I, the Lord?

There is no other God but Me,

a righteous God and Savior;

there is none but Me.

²²Turn to Me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth;

for I am God,

and there is no other.

²³By Myself I have sworn;

truth has gone out from My mouth,

a word that will not be revoked:

Every knee will bow before Me,

every tongue will swear allegiance.

²⁴Surely they will say of Me,

‘In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.’”

All who rage against Him

will come to Him and be put to shame.

²⁵In the Lord all descendants of Israel

will be justified and will exult.

Footnotes (4)

a v2 DSS and LXX; MT level the terrain
b v9 Cited in Romans 9:20
c v14 That is, the upper Nile region
d v23 Literally every tongue will swear; LXX every tongue will swear by God; cited in Romans 14:11

Study notes on this chapter · 3

Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated

Cyrus named as God's shepherd

Isaiah names Cyrus as the one who will say that Jerusalem shall be rebuilt and the temple's foundation laid. Ezra records exactly this decree in 538 BC. Scholars debate whether the name was given in advance (Isaiah of Jerusalem, c. 700 BC) or the text was written near Cyrus's time (c. 540 BC).

When: Isaiah 40–55 (c. 700 BC or c. 540 BC); Cyrus's decree, 538 BC.

Original passageIsaiah 44:28Isaiah 45:1

Where the New Testament applies itEzra 1:1–4

Ways people read this (2)

Predictive: Isaiah foretold Cyrus by name about 150 years earlier.
Critical: chapters 40–55 were composed during the exile, addressing a situation already unfolding.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

Every knee will bow

In Isaiah, the LORD swears that every knee will bow to him and every tongue swear allegiance. Paul uses this language in the hymn to Christ in Philippians and again in Romans, applying to Jesus words that Isaiah puts in the mouth of the one God.

When: Isaiah, c. 700–540 BC; Philippians, c. AD 60–62; Romans, c. AD 57.

Original passageIsaiah 45:22–23

Where the New Testament applies itPhilippians 2:9–11Romans 14:10–12

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentWidely held reading

The fall of Babylon in a night

Isaiah and Jeremiah say Babylon will fall to the Medes, that its waters will be dried up and its gates will be left open. Daniel records that Belshazzar was killed the night the kingdom passed to Darius the Mede. Greek historians report that Cyrus took the city in 539 BC by diverting the Euphrates, though accounts differ about details.

When: Jeremiah's oracle against Babylon, c. 594 BC; Babylon fell on 12 October 539 BC (by the usual reckoning).

Original passageJeremiah 51:11Jeremiah 51:30–32Isaiah 44:27–28Isaiah 45:1

Where the New Testament applies itDaniel 5:25–31

Ways people read this (3)

The prophecies were fulfilled in 539 BC, as Herodotus and Xenophon describe.
Some of Jeremiah 50–51 describes a more thorough destruction than occurred in 539 BC, and may refer to later events or to a future fall.
Darius the Mede's identity is debated (Cyrus under another title, Gubaru/Ugbaru, or another figure).

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

See all prophecy & fulfillment notes →

Isaiah 45

God Calls Cyrusⓘ

Study notes on this chapter · 3

Cyrus named as God's shepherd

Every knee will bow

The fall of Babylon in a night

God Calls Cyrus