Isaiah 41:2

Who hath stirred up … foot A much-disputed clause. Two points may be regarded as settled; (1) that the abstract noun çédeqcannot be rendered "righteous man" (A.V. following Vulg.); and (2) that it is not to be treated as obj. to "stirred up" (A.V., LXX., Vulg.), but belongs to the second member of the sentence (Heb. accentuation). On the whole the most satisfactory translation is: Who hath stirred up from the sun-rising (him whom) victory meets at every step? (lit. "at his foot" cf. Genesis 30:30). Comp. R.V. marg. The Heb. verbs for "meet" and "call" are distinct in origin, but closely resemble each other; and the forms are constantly interchanged. The bare sense of "victory" is perhaps an extreme use of çédeq(righteousness) but it is in the line of the prophet's characteristic use of the expression. It means the outward manifestation that one is in the right, and when, as here, the tribunal is the battle-field, right is equivalent to victory (see Appendix, Note II). If the ordinary sense of "righteousness" is to be retained, the word must be taken as adv. acc., as in R.V.: Who hath raised up one from the east, whom he calleth in righteousness to his foot?

gave giveth. madehim rule over It is perhaps necessary (with Ewald or Hitzig) to change the vowels, rendering, subdueth (as in ch. Isaiah 45:1).

he gavethem as the dustto his sword The words would naturally read, "he maketh his sword as dust." But this is an unnatural figure for the swiftness of Cyrus's conquests; we must either take "his" as equivalent to "their" (which is obviously objectionable), or with the LXX. change the suffix to plur., he maketh their sword as dust. So the next clause: their bow as driven stubble.