That says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built; and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.
Read Chapter 44
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Cyrus. This was spoken 110 years before his birth, which shows the prescience and power of God, so as not to injure free-will. The parents of Cyrus could not give him this name to fulfill the prediction, as they knew nothing of it. Amon was apprised that a person called Josias would overturn idolatry; but he had no reason to suppose that it would be his son, 1 Kings xiii. 2.
My shepherd. Chaldean, "that he shall reign. "This was shown by the Jews to Cyrus, on which account, (Calmet) he gave them leave to return (Josephus, xi. 1.)
The title of shepherd is given to Agamemnon by Homer, and it denotes a good prince, such as historians represent Cyrus to have been. He observed that kings and shepherds had the like duties to perform; (Xenophon viii.) and after his death he was bewailed as a "father. "(Herodotus iii. 89.)
At first he did not bear the name of Cyrus, (Herodotus i. 113.) which in the Persian language means "the sun. "(Ctesias.) (Plut.)
And he who attacks Jerusalem and destroys Babylon, says also to Cyrus the king of the Persians, who first destroyed Babylon and the Chaldeans, “You are my shepherd,” or as the Septuagint translates, “that you might be wise.” The cause of this difficulty is clear. For the Hebrew word ro’i, if we read a letter res (r), means “my shepherd,” if with a letter daleth (d), then “knowing or understanding,” whose similarity is only distinguished by a little apex, and on account of this the two words are often confused. It is written at the start of Ezra, the prophet, that at the edict of Cyrus, the king of the Persians and Medes, the captivity of the people of Israel was ended and those who wanted to return were sent back to Jerusalem under Zerubabel son of Salathihel and Hiesu the son of Iosdech the high priest. The Lord inspired Cyrus to do his will and carry out his orders. - "Commentary on Isaiah 12.20"
