Isaiah 44:28

26 ^aWho confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;

27 ^aWho says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;

28 Who says of ^aCyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, ^b“You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Isaiah 44:28 Mean?

Isaiah 44:28

Ezra 1:1-2 states that Cyrus issued a decree to free the Jews in the first year of his reign over Babylon. Since Cyrus conquered Babylon on October 12, 539 BC, the first year of this reign was 539-538 BC. God through Isaiah, then, named him at least 143 years earlier. What God did through Cyrus also fulfills a prophecy made through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11-14) sometime during the century following Isaiah's death. Ezra distinctly says that God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to perform this and that Cyrus claimed that God commanded him. Ezra 1:5 states that God also stirred the spirit of the Jews, Levites, and Benjamites to return to Jerusalem to build the Temple, confirming His sovereignty over the whole affair.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sovereignty of God: Part Five

**Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Isaiah 44:28:**

Ezekiel 34:1-10
John 10:1-5

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