Ezra 1 :: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Cyrus the Great captured Babylon in Oct 539 B.C. This was about seventy years after the first Hebrew captives were taken to Babylon.

Cyrus the Great established the Persian Empire and ruled from 559-530 B.C. His kingdom extended from Turkey in the west to the Indus River in the east, covering most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia. He was a great soldier as well as a wise and benevolent king, whose respect for religious freedom led to the return of the Hebrew captives to Jerusalem. Ancient historians report that the tomb assumed to be his was visited by Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) when he conquered Persepolis in 330 B.C. The tomb still exists among the ruins of Pasargadae in modern Iran.

It is remarkable that Cyrus actually used God’s special name, the tetragrammaton YHWH (traditionally rendered “LORD”). Certainly Cyrus recognized the true God, but he probably considered Him as one of a number of existing gods, as was typical for a polytheist. For Cyrus God of heaven probably meant just that, along with God of Israel and the God who is in Jerusalem (v 3).

The Hebrew verb “to stand” or “arise” is often an instruction to get ready to fulfill a command, somewhat similar to the military command “attention.”

There is occasionally a debate over the identities of Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel. Sheshbazzar was an older Jewish official who was appointed by Cyrus and served in Judah (5:24). Zerubbabel was a younger man who was recognized as a political leader among the Jews. He was the son of Shealtiel and an ancestor of Jesus (5:2; Matt 1:12, 13).