Bible Strands
Isaiah 44:28
who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh continues a prophetic declaration from the preceding verse, addressing future geopolitical and religious events. The moment establishes a pattern of divine speech dictating historical outcomes, moving from commanding the sea to appointing a foreign king.
The words — רֹעִי (ro'i) translates literally to "my shepherd," and יַשְׁלִ֑ם (yashlim) means "he will perform" or "fulfill." These terms frame Cyrus as the appointed instrument who will execute every divine intention regarding Jerusalem and the temple.
The thread — The historical fulfillment appears in Ezra 6:3 and 2 Chronicles 36:22, which record Cyrus issuing the decree to rebuild the Jerusalem temple. Isaiah 45:1 expands the divine commission given to this same Persian ruler, confirming the same prophetic thread.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that political rulers operate under divine oversight to accomplish specific national and architectural goals. It requires the reader to accept that spoken divine intentions will manifest in concrete historical and physical reality without deviation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 36:22 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
- Isaiah 45:1 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:
- Ezra 6:3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,
- Daniel 10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, and it concerned a great conflict. And the understanding of the message was given to him in a vision.
- Isaiah 45:13 I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for payment or reward, says the LORD of Hosts.”
- Isaiah 46:11 I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.
- Isaiah 63:11 Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them,
- Psalms 78:71 from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
- Isaiah 45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
- Isaiah 48:14 Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon, and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.