Isaiah 45:1

Isaiah 45:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
• New International Version (NIV)“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:
• English Standard Version (ESV)Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:

Context of Isaiah 45:1

This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus [king of Persia], Whose right hand I have held To subdue nations before him, And I will ungird the loins of kings [disarming them]; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: 2“I will go before you and level the mountains; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. 3I will give you the treasures of darkness [the hoarded treasures] And the hidden riches of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you (Cyrus the Great) by your name.

Isaiah 45:1 word by word

כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָה֮ לִמְשִׁיחוֹ֮ לְכ֣וֹרֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־הֶחֱזַ֣קְתִּי בִֽימִינ֗וֹ לְרַד־לְפָנָיו֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם וּמָתְנֵ֥י מְלָכִ֖ים אֲפַתֵּ֑חַ לִפְתֹּ֤חַ לְפָנָיו֙ דְּלָתַ֔יִם וּשְׁעָרִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִסָּגֵֽרוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thus saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• to his anointedמָשִׁיחַmâshîyach · anointedH4899
• to Cyrusכּ֫וֹרֶשׁkôresh kôresh · CyrusH3566
• whose right handיָמִיןyâmîyn · rightH3225
• I have holdenחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
• to subdueרָדַדrâdad · to subdueH7286
• nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• him; and I will looseפָּתַחpâthach · to openH6605
• the loinsמׇתְנַ֫יִםmôthen · loinH4975
• of kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• him the two leaved gatesדֶּ֫לֶתdeleth · doorH1817
• and the gatesשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
• shall not be shutסָגַרsâgar · to shutH5462

Cross-references for Isaiah 45:1

• Isaiah 13:3I [the Lord] have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My great warriors, My proudly exulting ones [the Medes and the Persians who triumph for My honor]— To execute My anger.
• Isaiah 44:28It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd (ruler), And he will carry out all that I desire—’ Saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall [again] be laid.’ ”
• 1 Kings 19:15The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram (Syria);
• Jeremiah 27:6Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant and instrument, and I have also given the wild animals of the field to serve him.
• Isaiah 41:13For I the Lord your God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord], Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
• Isaiah 42:6“I am the Lord, I have called You (the Messiah) in righteousness [for a righteous purpose], I will also take You by the hand and keep watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people [Israel], As a light to the nations (Gentiles),
• Psalms 73:23Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.
• Ezekiel 30:21“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and behold, it has not been bound up to heal or wrapped with a bandage, so that it may be strong to hold and wield the sword.
• Isaiah 41:2Who has stirred up and put into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great] Whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? The Lord turns nations over to him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, Like wind-driven chaff with his bow.
• Ezra 1:1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia [that is, the first year he ruled Babylon], in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah [the prophet], the Lord stirred up (put in motion) the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:
• Jeremiah 50:3For out of the north a nation (Media) has come against her which will make her land desolate, and no one will live there. They have fled, they have gone away—both man and animal.
• Jeremiah 51:11Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields [and cover yourselves]! The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, Because His purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it; For that is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance [on Babylon] for [plundering and destroying] His temple.
• Daniel 5:6Then the king’s face grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed him; the joints and muscles of his hips and back weakened and his knees began knocking together.
• Daniel 7:5And behold, another beast, a second one (the Medo-Persian Empire), was like a bear, and it was raised up on one side (domain), and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much meat.’
• Daniel 8:3Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there in front of the canal stood a [lone] ram (the Medo-Persian Empire) which had two horns. The two horns were high, but one (Persia) was higher than the other (Media), and the higher one came up last.
• Nahum 2:6The gates of the rivers [surrounding Nineveh] are opened And the palace [of sun-dried brick] is dissolved [by the torrents].

Commentaries on Isaiah 45:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Loose the loins of kings "ungird the loins of kings" - See the note on Isaiah 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…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Thus 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 mâshı̂yach ), and here is rendered by the Septuagint, ͂ͅ ͂ͅ ́ͅ Tō christō mou Kurō - To Cyrus, my Christ,‘ i. e, my anointed. It properly means “the anointed,” and was a title which was commonly given to the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus. (Is. 45:1-4) God calls for obedience to his almighty power. (Is. 45:5-10) The settlement of his people. (Is. 45:11-19) The conversion of the Gentiles. (Is. 45:20-25) Verses 1-4 Cyrus is called God's anointed; he was designed and qualified for his great service by the counsel of God. The gates of Babylon which led to the river, were left open the night that Cyrus marched his army into the empty channel. The Lord went…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1His anointed: This title, usually for David or the Messiah, is used here for Cyrus. Cyrus was anointed because he was chosen for a special mission. No other foreign ruler received this title (compare 1 Samuel 10:1; Romans 13:1). whose right hand I have grasped: The Lord would help Cyrus defeat Babylon (see Isaiah 43:14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-251. 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 (Is 42:6). subdue nations--namely, the Cilicians, Syrians, Babylonians, Lydians…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 45:1

• Anointing
• Babylon
• Call
• Cyrus
• Gates
• Isaiah
• Persia

In the dictionaries

• Cyrus
• Anointed
• Confusion
• Elect
• Look
• Accommodation
• Gate
• Haggai
• Isaiah
• Mark, the Gospel According to

Commentaries on Isaiah 45

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings