Ezra 1:2
in Ezra 1“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
KJV
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
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This verse in Ezra 1
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThus saith Cyrus king of Persia,.... Of whom, and this edict of his, Isaiah prophesied two hundred years before he was born, Isa 44:28 the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; many he had conquered before he took Babylon, and then the whole Babylonian monarchy fell into his hands.
This site's exposition
the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus
on Ezra 1:1-2
The LORD stirred Cyrus to fulfill the word spoken through Jeremiah, the seventy years of Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10. Isaiah named Cyrus more than a century before his birth (Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1). The title the God of heaven recurs through Ezra and Nehemiah more than anywhere else in Scripture.
This site's exposition
has given me all the kingdoms of the earth
Cyrus credits the LORD with every kingdom he holds. John Gill notes that Cyrus had conquered many lands before the whole Babylonian monarchy fell into his hands. Matthew Henry reads the claim as the inheritance of Nebuchadnezzar, whose dominion, Daniel says, reached to the end of the earth.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
The decree of Cyrus, which is committed to writing and recorded in Chronicles and in Esdras (Ezra), and which enjoined all the people to go up, runs thus: In the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
It should seem, his mind was enlightened with the knowledge of Jehovah (for so he calls him), the God of Israel, as the only living and true God, the God of heaven, who is the sovereign Lord and disposer of all the kingdoms of the earth; of him he says (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Thus will the heavenly Canaan be replenished, though many perish in Babylon; and the gospel-offer will not be made in vain. Cyrus having given order that their neighbours should help them, they did so,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
The Lord God of heaven - It is not unworthy of remark, that in all the books written prior to the captivity, Jehovah is called The Lord of Hosts; but in all the books written after the captivity, as 2 Chronicles, Ezra Nehemiah, and Daniel, he is styled The God of Heaven. The words however have the same meaning. All the kingdoms of the earth.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The existence of predictions so remarkable led him to acknowledge that all his kingdoms were gifts bestowed on him by "the Lord God of heaven," and prompted him to fulfil the duty which had been laid upon him long before his birth. This was the source and origin of the great favor he showed to the Jews.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The Lord God of heaven - Or, “Yahweh, the God of heaven.” In the original Persian, the document probably ran - “ Ormazd, the God of heaven.” The Hebrew transcript took “Yahweh” as the equivalent of “Ormazd.” The Persian notion of a single Supreme Being - Ahura-Mazda, “the much-knowing, or much-bestowing Spirit” - did, in fact, approach nearly to the Jewish conception of Yahweh. Hath given me all the kingdoms ... - There is a similar formula at the commencement of the great majority of Persian inscriptions. He hath charged me to build him an house - It is a reasonable conjecture that, on the capture of Babylon, Cyrus was brought into contact with Daniel, who drew his attention to the prophecy of Isaiah Isa 44:28; and that Cyrus accepted this prophecy as a “charge” to rebuild the temple.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
So said Cyrus, the king of Persia..delivered to me that I am the king and ruler over all the kingdoms.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כֹּ֣ה | koh | thus | H3541 → | |
| אָמַ֗ר | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כֹּ֚רֶשׁ | koresh | Cyrus | H3566 → | 15 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| פָּרַ֔ס | paras | Persia | H6539 → | 28 times |
| כֹּ֚ל | kol | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַמְלְכ֣וֹת | mamlekhot | [the] kingdoms of | H4467 → | |
| הָאָ֔רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| נָ֣תַן | natan | he has given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לִ֔י | li | to me | ||
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֣י | ʾelohei | [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | |
| וְהֽוּא־ | vehu'- | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| פָקַ֤ד | fakad | he has appointed | H6485 → | |
| עָלַי֙ | ʾalai | <on> me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| לִבְנֽוֹת־ | livnot- | to build | H1129 → | 376 times |
| ל֣וֹ | lo | for him | ||
| בַ֔יִת | vayit | a house | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם | birushalim | in Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בִּֽיהוּדָֽה׃ | bihudah | [is] in Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
כֹּ֣הthus
kohH3541 →
אָמַ֗רhe says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
כֹּ֚רֶשׁCyrus
koreshH3566 →15 times
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
פָּרַ֔סPersia
parasH6539 →28 times
כֹּ֚לall
kolH3605 →5413 times
מַמְלְכ֣וֹת[the] kingdoms of
mamlekhotH4467 →
הָאָ֔רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
נָ֣תַןhe has given
natanH5414 →2011 times
לִ֔יto me
li
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵ֣י[the] God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →
וְהֽוּא־and he
vehu'-H1931 →1879 times
פָקַ֤דhe has appointed
fakadH6485 →
עָלַי֙<on> me
ʾalaiH5921 →5755 times
לִבְנֽוֹת־to build
livnot-H1129 →376 times
ל֣וֹfor him
lo
בַ֔יִתa house
vayitH1004 →2046 times
בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖םin Jerusalem
birushalimH3389 →643 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בִּֽיהוּדָֽה׃[is] in Judah
bihudahH3063 →819 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Daniel 2:21He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
it leads to
- Psalms 75:5–7
Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’”
- Psalms 31:14–15
But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
- Psalms 113:7–8
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump
- Daniel 4:17
This decision is the decree of the watchers, the verdict declared by the holy ones, so that the living will know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it…
- Daniel 7:25
He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for…
- Psalms 75:5–7
Through
Daniel 5:23Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised…
it leads to
- Job 12:10
The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.
- Job 12:10
Through
Isaiah 44:26who confirms the message of His servant and fulfills the counsel of His messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt, and I…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 18:36–38
At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in…
- Isaiah 42:9
Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
- 1 Kings 18:36–38
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies11
On this verse
About Ezra
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsJudahJacob's fourth son who pledges himself for Benjamin; the tribe that carries the scepter to Shiloh (49:10) and the line to Christ (…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 8; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.