The book of Ezra opens with a Persian king putting out an order in writing. He is not an Israelite, and the text never pretends he is. He is Cyrus king of Persia, and his order is that the house of the LORD in Jerusalem be built again.
The very first verse tells you why it happened: that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. A promise made to exiles decades earlier comes due, and God moves a foreign king to keep it.
The Story of Cyrus the Great
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia. The result was a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and he put it also in writing.
The decree speaks in the king’s own voice: The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Cyrus credits his empire to the God of Israel and says that God has given him a job to do.
Then comes the invitation. Anyone among all his people was free to go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel. Those who stayed behind were told to help with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God.
People answered. The chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites rose up to go, with all them whose spirit God had raised. The same God who stirred up the king’s spirit also stirred up the hearts of the ones who would actually make the journey, and their neighbors strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, gold, goods, beasts and precious things.
Cyrus went further than permission. He brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods. By the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, they were counted out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.
Ezra records the count: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty basons of gold, four hundred and ten silver basons of a second sort, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred, and Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles from Babylon unto Jerusalem.
Behind all of this stand the prophets. Jeremiah had said the nations would serve the king of Babylon seventy years, and that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon the LORD would visit His people and cause them to return to this place. Isaiah had even named the king: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Key Verses
“That the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” Ezra 1:1
“The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem” Ezra 1:2
“Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem” Ezra 1:7
“After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” Jeremiah 29:10
“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure” Isaiah 44:28
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Cyrus the Great Teaches Us
Ezra 1 does not start with Israel’s courage or Persia’s policy. It starts with the LORD keeping His word – that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The return from exile is presented first as an answer to a promise.
God works through people who are not His covenant people. The text says plainly that the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, and Isaiah calls him the LORD’s shepherd and His anointed. A Persian king was still carrying out what God had said He would do.
The same idea shows up twice: God stirred up the king’s spirit, and God raised the spirit of the ones who went. A decree opened the door, but people still had to choose to walk through it, pack what they had, and go up to build.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Cyrus in the Bible?
Cyrus king of Persia, the ruler who, in his first year, issued a written proclamation allowing the Jewish exiles to return and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4).
What prophecy did Cyrus fulfill?
Ezra 1:1 says it happened that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. Jeremiah had foretold seventy years of serving Babylon, after which God would bring His people back (Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10).
Does the Bible mention Cyrus by name before he was king?
Yes. Isaiah 44:28 says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, and Isaiah 45:1 calls him the LORD’s anointed, whose right hand I have holden.
What did Cyrus give back to the Jews?
He brought out the vessels of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar had carried off and put in the house of his gods, and had them counted out to Sheshbazzar – five thousand and four hundred vessels of gold and silver (Ezra 1:7-11).
Who was Sheshbazzar?
Ezra 1:8 calls him the prince of Judah. The treasurer Mithredath counted the temple vessels out to him, and he brought them up from Babylon to Jerusalem with the returning exiles (Ezra 1:11).