Ezra 1:2

The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth R.V. all the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God of heaven, given me. More correctly, (1) bringing out the emphasis implied by the position of the words in the original; (2) showing more accurately the usage of the Divine name.

The acknowledgment that all earthly sway is derived from Heavenly authority forms the basis of the decree. -All the kingdoms of the earth", the universality of the mission, with which Cyrus is divinely entrusted, justifies his action in dealing with the fortunes of a part.

The Lord God of heaven literally -Jahveh (i.e. Jehovah), the God of heaven". This use of the sacred name of the God of the Jews in the decree of Cyrus gives occasion to the question, whether Cyrus knew, and, if he knew, believed in and worshipped the God of the Jews.

Commentators generally used to hold this view. This was not unnatural. For (1) they considered these verses to reproduce verbatim the decree of Cyrus: (2) they very generally supposed that Cyrus, being a Persian, was also a monotheist, who favoured the Jews on account of their monotheism, and saw in Jahveh a local representation of the One God that he adored: (3) they accepted and reproduced the statement of Josephus that Cyrus, having seen in Isaiah the Jewish prophecies relating to himself, recognised their fulfilment, and worshipped and believed in Jahveh: (4) they derived support for their view from analogous utterances of allegiance to the God of the Jews recorded of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius in Daniel 3:28-29; Daniel 4:2-37; Daniel 6:25-28.

But (1) it is evident that the edict in these verses is recorded in the words of the Hebrew translator and presented in its Jewish form. (2) Recent discoveries have shown that Cyrus was no monotheist. His own inscriptions testify to his having been a polytheist to the last. He acted as High Priest towards the great deities of Babylon. He constantly styles himself and his son Cambyses the worshippers of Nebo and Merodach. (3) The policy of the victorious monarch was to include among the lesser divinities of his Pantheon the gods of the subjugated countries, and to secure the favour of those who presided over different territories. The deities of whom he avowed himself the servant were (a) those of his own land, who had protected him in his career of victory, (b) those of the conquered kingdoms who had transferred to him their favour, and had thus permitted him to be victorious.

Whether Josephus" story that Cyrus had seen the prophecies of Isaiah is correct or not we cannot say. There is nothing in it intrinsically impossible. On the other hand, it was a very probable hypothesis to suggest itself to the mind of a Jew by which to account for Cyrus" benevolent action towards his race (see note on Ezra 1:4).

When Cyrus here, in his edict, made use of a Divine name, he (a) either referred to one of the great gods whom he especially worshipped, e.g. Merodach, Nebo, Bel, for which the Hebrew version has reverently substituted the name of Jahveh: (b) or actually referred by name to Jahveh, as the god of the people, in whose favour the edict was promulgated.

The author of the book presupposes the acquaintance of heathen people with the popular use of the sacred Name which the Jew of later days was forbidden to pronounce.

God of heaven A title, found also in Darius" letter, chap. Ezra 6:9-10, and in Artaxerxes" letter, Ezra 7:12; Ezra 7:21; Ezra 7:23. It is found in the Jewish reply reported in Tattenai's letter Ezra 5:12. In Nehemiah it occurs Ezra 1:4-5; Ezra 2:4; Ezra 2:20; cf. Psalms 136:26; Daniel 2:18-19; Daniel 2:44. Like the similar phrase -the God of heaven and earth" (Ezra 5:11) the title implies boundless sovereignty. For -Heaven" combined the ideas of infinite space, cf. 1 Kings 8:27; Jeremiah 31:37, the forces of nature, cf. Psalms 19:1, and the dwelling-place of Spiritual beings (cf. Isaiah 66:1; 1 Kings 8:30; Psalms 2:4; Psalms 115:3.)

given me An expression of pious humility on the part of Cyrus in acknowledgment of the fact that he had won by his sword, and not inherited, the kingdoms of his empire.

he Very emphatic in the original (cf. LXX. αὐτὸς. Vulgate ipse).

hath charged me The Divine mission which Cyrus probably unconsciously discharged is described in Isaiah 44:24-28; Isaiah 45:1-13. The view that he was shown these prophecies and was influenced by reading them has been already referred to. Some have also supposed that Cyrus was actuated by statements of Daniel as to his duty towards the chosen people. For neither view is there any historical evidence.

a house i.e. a Temple.

at Jerusalem whichis in Judah with geographical detail, Judah being a small and obscure province, unknown probably in many quarters of the great Persian Empire.