God reigns over all creation. He raises up kings, and he brings them low. There is no reason to question God’s anointing of Cyrus as his shepherd, since God rules and reigns everywhere. Incidentally, this is why Christians can learn from the wise anywhere in the world, since God is at work preserving and guiding the nations.

God calls the Persian king Cyrus his shepherd and messiah in the Book of Isaiah. Why would God say that? And what does it mean for us as readers of the Bible? The rest of this article seeks to answer that question.

Isaiah: Terms and Context

Isaiah 44:28–55:1 reads: “Cyrus is named as the Lord’s shepherd, the one who shall fulfill all his purpose, saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’ Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand he has grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him, so that gates may not be closed” (Isa 44:28–45:1).

To understand how Cyrus is God’s shepherd and anointed one, or messiah, we need first to define these terms and the near textual context of Isaiah in which God makes these claims.

The term shepherd was a common Ancient Near Eastern title for kings who shepherded their peoples. And the word anointed, or messiah, bespeaks the anointing that God places on his king. So Cyrus the Great (600–530 BC) is, in no uncertain terms, called God’s king and messiah.

Next, the context of Isaiah 44–45 centers on God’s judgment of Babylon. In 586 or 587 BC, Babylon captured Jerusalem and set its people into exile. Isaiah here prophesies Babylon’s demise as punishment for its act of evil against Judah. In fact, Isaiah 46–47 criticizes the Babylonian gods at length as subservient to the LORD.

Thus, Isaiah 46:1 claims that Bel (Marduk) and his son Nebo bow before the true God. The chief god of Babylon was Marduk, and so this insult to their gods struck right at the throat of Babylon’s perceived power. Since God sends his shepherd and messiah, Cyrus, to Babylon, then God, through Cyrus, triumphs over these (false) gods.

It is in this context that God proclaims: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’” (Isa 46:9–10).

And the Lord further explains why he allowed Babylon to conquer Jerusalem: “Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy” (Isa 47:6–7).

But now God would bring judgment upon Babylon. He uses the evil of Babylon to punish Israel for her sins, but he does not let the evil of any nation go unpunished. It is important to make this point here: God’s judicial wrath in Scripture almost always refers to God allowing humans to harm one another without preventing it through intervening grace. Wrath usually refers to regular human life without God’s grace.

In summary, Cyrus acts as God’s anointed shepherd because he conquers his people’s oppressors and, as I will note in a moment, because Cyrus redeems Israel and lets her return to the Land of Promise.

Cyrus: Conqueror and Redeemer

In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and so brought the neo-Babylonian empire under his heel. Evidence suggests that the Babylonians saw him as a liberator, not a conqueror. However, Cyrus was a master propagandist, and so historical record may only represent his imposed narrative.

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