The Meaning of Isaiah 45:1 Explained

Isaiah 45:1

KJV: Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

YLT: Thus said Jehovah, To His anointed, to Cyrus, Whose right hand I have laid hold on, To subdue nations before him, Yea, loins of kings I loose, To open before him two-leaved doors, Yea, gates are not shut:

Darby: Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him and I will loose the loins of kings; to open before him the two-leaved doors, and the gates shall not be shut:

ASV: Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:

Discover Isaiah 45:1

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Isaiah 45:1?

MEANING: What does Isaiah 45:1 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Isaiah 45:1 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Isaiah 45:1?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus saith  the LORD  to his anointed,  to Cyrus,  whose right hand  I have holden,  to subdue  nations  before  him; and I will loose  the loins  of kings,  to open  before  him the two leaved gates;  and the gates  shall not be shut; 

What does Isaiah 45:1 Mean?

Study Notes

anointed
The only instance where the word is applied to a Gentile. Nebuchadnezzar is called the "servant" of Jehovah Jeremiah 25:9 ; Jeremiah 27:6 ; Jeremiah 43:10 This, with the designation "My shepherd" Isaiah 44:28 also a Messianic title, marks Cyrus as that startling exception, a Gentile type of Christ. The points are:
(1) both are irresistible conquerors of Israel's enemies. Isaiah 45:1 ; Revelation 19:19-21
(2) both are restorers of the holy city Isaiah 44:28 ; Zechariah 14:1-11
(3) through both is the name of the one true God glorified Isaiah 45:6 ; 1 Corinthians 15:28 .

Verse Meaning

Yahweh shockingly referred to Cyrus as His "anointed" (Heb. mashiah), a title normally reserved for Israel"s prophets, priests, and kings. One exception is Hazael whom Elijah was to anoint as King of Aram (cf. 1 Kings 19:15-16). Hazael was also the Lord"s anointed. It also refers to the Messiah. The Israelites thought of their anointed leaders as those whom God uniquely raised up to accomplish His purposes. By calling Cyrus His anointed, the Lord was teaching them that He was the Lord of all the earth, not just Israel. He could and would use whomever he chose to deliver His people.
"Sometimes we forget that God can use even unconverted world leaders for the good of His people and the progress of His work." [1]
"Traditionally, the ruler of Babylon took the hand of Bel in the New Year"s festival. Assyrian rulers coveted this affirmation of their authority. Here Yahweh claims that he has seized Cyrus by the hand ( Isaiah 42:6) and strenghtened [2] his hold on his realm." [3]
Cyrus" election for this task was not due to anything in himself (cf. Romans 9:16). The Lord had taken him by the right hand, as a parent does with a small child, and would enable him to conquer and subdue those nations and kings whom he would.
"Since Israel in exile had no king, Cyrus functioned in a sense as her king (the anointed one) to bring about blessing." [4]
"Cyrus is the only Gentile king who is called God"s "anointed." Since this is the translation of the Hebrew word which we spell in English as Messiah, Cyrus is in a sense a type of the Anointed One, the Lord Jesus Christ.... The only intended resemblance is in the fact that Cyrus was the anointed one who delivered the people of Israel from their captivity. As such he points us to the greater Anointed One who saves His people from their sins." [5]

Context Summary

Isaiah 45:1-13 - Jehovah's Chosen Instrument
Cyrus is one of the noblest figures in ancient history. His character became a model for the Greek youth in strength, simplicity, humanity, purity, and self-restraint. We have seen that Jehovah had assured His people that Jerusalem would be restored, Isaiah 44:26. They probably expected a repetition of the Red Sea and the Exodus. But God does not repeat Himself; and their deliverance from captivity was to be achieved through the victories that made Cyrus master of Babylon. See Ezra 1:1-4.
God's plans are achieved through individuals, whom He equips and raises up for their specific work. There is much in all our lives that we cannot account for, and which is due to the girding of the Almighty. We do not always recognize the real sources of our lives. They are hidden in God. He girds us though we do not know Him. Let us not gird ourselves in our own strength, but stretch forth our hands unto Him, sure that He will neither fail nor forsake. See John 21:18. They who thus utterly yield to God are bidden in the exercise of a daring faith to command, that is, to claim, His saving power. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 45

1  God calls Cyrus for his church's sake
5  By his omnipotence he challenges obedience
20  He convinces the idols of vanity by his saving power

What do the individual words in Isaiah 45:1 mean?

Thus says Yahweh to His anointed to Cyrus whose I have held right hand to subdue before him nations and the armor of kings loose to open the double doors so that the gates not will be shut
כֹּה־ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָה֮ לִמְשִׁיחוֹ֮ לְכ֣וֹרֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־ הֶחֱזַ֣קְתִּי בִֽימִינ֗וֹ לְרַד־ לְפָנָיו֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם וּמָתְנֵ֥י מְלָכִ֖ים אֲפַתֵּ֑חַ לִפְתֹּ֤חַ דְּלָתַ֔יִם וּשְׁעָרִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִסָּגֵֽרוּ

כֹּה־  Thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֣ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָה֮  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לִמְשִׁיחוֹ֮  to  His  anointed 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adjective, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מָשִׁיחַ  
Sense: anointed, anointed one.
לְכ֣וֹרֶשׁ  to  Cyrus 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּורֶשׁ  
Sense: the king of Persia and conqueror of Babylon; first ruler of Persia to make a decree allowing the Israelite exiles to return to Jerusalem.
אֲשֶׁר־  whose 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הֶחֱזַ֣קְתִּי  I  have  held 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
בִֽימִינ֗וֹ  right  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָמִין  
Sense: right, right hand, right side.
לְרַד־  to  subdue 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: רָדַד  
Sense: to beat down, beat out, subdue.
לְפָנָיו֙  before  him 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
גּוֹיִ֔ם  nations 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
וּמָתְנֵ֥י  and  the  armor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, mdc
Root: מָתְנַיִם  
Sense: loins, hips.
מְלָכִ֖ים  of  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אֲפַתֵּ֑חַ  loose 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
לִפְתֹּ֤חַ  to  open 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
דְּלָתַ֔יִם  the  double  doors 
Parse: Noun, fd
Root: דַּל 
Sense: door, gate.
וּשְׁעָרִ֖ים  so  that  the  gates 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
יִסָּגֵֽרוּ  will  be  shut 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָגוּר 
Sense: to shut, close.

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 45:1?

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