the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Cyrus
Morrish Bible Dictionary
or Called several times in scripture 'the king of Persia,' though from the monuments he is found to have been also king of Elam, and is otherwise called the founder of the Persian empire. On his taking Babylon, the second great Gentile empire of Daniel was set up. He was prophesied of by name long before his birth; that he would be God's shepherd, to perform all His pleasure, and that he would say to Jerusalem, "Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." He is also called the anointed of Jehovah, to subdue nations (type of Christ restoring Judah in the last days). Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1 . When the 70 years' captivity of which Jeremiah prophesied, were expired (Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 29:10 ) God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, and a proclamation was made that the house of the Lord God of Israel was to be rebuilt, and permission was given to the captives to return. He also restored the holy vessels that had been carried from Jerusalem to Babylon. It was called the first year of Cyrus, when he began to reign alone over Babylon. Ezra 1:1-11; 2 Chronicles 36:22,23 . This would be about B.C. 536, the 70 years of captivity having begun in B.C. 606, the date of the first captivity of Judah. Daniel continued till the reign of Cyrus, and speaks of his third year. Daniel 6:28; Daniel 10:1 .
An ancient cylinder speaks of the forces of Cyrus as 'marching like a cloud, and his army as the waters of a river: opposition comes to nothing before him.' Daniel, in the vision of the kingdom founded by Cyrus, and seen under the figure of a ram, saw it pushing "westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there anythat could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his own will, andbecame great." Daniel 8:4 . For a list of Persian kings see PERSIA. The name of Cyrus has been found thus:
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Morrish, George. Entry for 'Cyrus'. Morrish Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/mbd/c/cyrus.html. 1897.
