“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; have: or, strengthened”
Anointed, often implies one chosen for some great work. Cyrus was to ruin the empire of Babylon, and to set the nations at liberty. He was a proof of the Deity by executing his decrees. — Cyrus. Some copies of the Septuagint seem to have read kurio, “to the Lord,” incorrectly. (St. Jerome) — Though Cyrus was not anointed, he is styled thus, in allusion to the custom of the Jewish kings. (Worthington)
“I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight : I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:”
Brass. Babylon had 100 such gates. (Herodotus i. 179.)
“And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.”
Treasures. See Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxiii. 3. He overcame the rich king of Lydia, &c.
“For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.”
Likeness of Christ. — Known me. Before the Jews had shewn Cyrus the prophecies, he did not attribute his success to the Lord, and even afterwards he seems not to have left the superstitions of his country, as his sacrifices to idols are described. He resembled Nabuchodonosor and the philosophers, who did not glorify God according to their knowledge, Daniel ii. 47., and Romans i. 21. Cyrus even revoked the decree for building the temple, 1 Esdras iv. 5. (Calmet) — He believed there was one God; (1 Esdras i.) yet he did not embrace the truth entirely. (Worthington)
“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”
Create evil, &c. The evils of afflictions and punishments, but not the evil of sin. (Challoner) — I afflict and comfort my people.
“Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.”
Saviour. Thus the ancient saints thirsted for the coming of Christ. His figure is styled the just, chap. xli. 2, 25. — Him. Christ, born of the virgin, in time, and of God from all eternity. I have appointed Cyrus to be his precursor, to set the captives free. (Calmet) — He has been spoken of before. But now the prophet turns to Christ alone, who built his Church on a rock. (Worthington) — Cyrus had not a right faith in God, and Zorobabel was himself set free, and was not king. (St. Jerome)
“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”
Earthen. Literally, “Samian.” (Haydock) — Samos was famous for its pottery. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxxv. 12.) Hebrew, “Clay, disputest thou against the potters of the earth?” He shews the folly of idols, after having proved his own divinity. (Calmet) — Protestants, “Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth.” (Haydock)
“Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?”
Forth. As such language would be improper to parents, so it is wrong to complain that God places us in any situation. (Menochius)
“Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.”
To me. Ask what will come to pass, or direct me how to act.
“I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts. direct: or, make straight”
Justice. Cyrus shall punish the Chaldeans and restore the Jews. (Calmet) — The prophet returns to him after having mentioned a greater Saviour, ver. 8. (Houbigant)
“Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.”
Stature: the people of Saba were the tallest and best proportioned in Arabia. (Agathar. v. 50.) — Cyrus possessed all these countries. He sent the Egyptians home in the third year of his reign, at Babylon, the year of the world 3470, Ezechiel xxix. 11. They never became subject to the Jews; but embraced the religion of Christ, acknowledging him for God, ver. 15. (Calmet) — Besides thee. Protestants, “Surely God is in thee, and there is none else, there is no God.” Those whom we have hitherto adored, deserve not the name. Vulgate and Septuagint make the people address Christ, the God-man. (Haydock)
“Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.”
Saviour. We confess that thou hast delivered the Jews; or rather, we acknowledge that thou, O Christ, art true God under the veils of thy human nature, and Saviour of all. Cyrus was only a feeble representation of thee.
“They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.”
Confusion. Idolaters shall be confounded, when they shall behold the glory of the elect.
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
In vain. Hebrew, “to be a chaos,” Genesis viii. 2.
“I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.”
Earth. The pagan oracles were given chiefly in mountains, where the impostures of the priests might escape detection. They were also generally ambiguous, or mere guesses. The declarations of the true prophets were quite the reverse. — In vain; without reward. (Calmet)
“Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.”
Gentiles: converts, (Haydock) or Jews, returning from Babylon.
“Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.”
Me. He transports his auditors to the times succeeding the captivity, when the completion of the prophecies will be evident.
“I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
Myself, having none greater, Hebrews vi. 13. — Justice: sure. — To me. All that are born belong to me. The Jewish women had seldom recourse to midwives, (Exodus i. 19., and 1 Kings iv. 19.; Calmet) no more than the Ethiopians. (Ludolf. i. 14.) — Swear, by the true God. (Haydock) — Oaths on proper occasions, honour him, Deuteronomy vi. 13. Nothing could be spoken more plainly of the Gentiles’ conversion.
“In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.”
Empire. Cyrus shall make this confession, (1 Esdras i. 2.) and all who embrace the religion of Christ, shall attribute all their virtue to him.