English Standard Version
Isaiah 45:1
1Thus 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:
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:
- 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:
- New Living Translation (NLT)This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again.
Context of Isaiah 45:1
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: 2"I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, 3I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
Read all of Isaiah 45Isaiah 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 myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.
- Isaiah 44:28who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose'; saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built,' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.'"
- 1 Kings 19:15And the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
- Jeremiah 27:6Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him.
- Isaiah 41:13For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."
- Isaiah 42:6"I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,
- Psalms 73:23Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold 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 it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword.
- Isaiah 41:2Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow.
- Ezra 1:1In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:
- Jeremiah 50:3"For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away.
- Jeremiah 51:11"Sharpen the arrows! Take up the shields! 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, the vengeance for his temple.
- Daniel 5:6Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.
- Daniel 7:5And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.'
- Daniel 8:3I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.
- Nahum 2:6The river gates are opened; the palace melts away;
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
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
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