Isaiah 45:2

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

1 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To ^aCyrus, whose ^bright hand I have held—
^cTo subdue nations before him
And ^dloose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:

2 ‘I will go before you
^aAnd¹ make the crooked places straight;
^bI will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
^aThat you may know that I, the Lord,
Who ^bcall you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.

4 For ^aJacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.

5 I ^aam the Lord, and ^bthere is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
^cI will gird you, though you have not known Me,

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

<< Isaiah 45:1

Isaiah 45:3 >>

Isaiah 45:2

The crooked places "The mountains" - For hodurim , crooked places, a word not easily accounted for in this place, the Septuagint read hararim , , the mountains. Two MSS. have hadarim , without the vau , which is hardly distinguishable from the reading of the Septuagint. The Divine protection that attended Cyrus, and rendered his expedition against Babylon easy and prosperous is finely expressed by God' s going before him, and making the mountains level. The image is highly poetical: -

At vos, qua veniet, tumidi subsidite montes,

Et faciles curvis vallibus este viae .

Ovid, Amor. 2:16.

"Let the lofty mountains fall down,

and make level paths in the crooked valleys."

The gates of brass "The valves of brass" - Abydenus, apud, Euseb. Praep. Evang. 9:41, says, that the wall of Babylon had brazen gates. And Herodotus, i, 179. more particularly: "In the wall all round there are a hundred gates, all of brass; and so in like manner are the sides and the lintels." The gates likewise within the city, opening to the river from the several streets, were of brass; as were those also of the temple of Belus. - Herod. i., 180, 181.

<< Isaiah 45:1

Isaiah 45:3 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,029+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

Isaiah 45:2

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning