Cyrus

Cyrus, also known as Cyrus the Great, was the Emperor of Persia who played a significant role in the history of Israel. He is mentioned in several books of the Bible, including 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Isaiah, and Daniel.

According to 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 and Ezra 1:1–2, in the first year of his reign, Cyrus issued a proclamation allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. This decree fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the end of the Babylonian captivity after 70 years.

Cyrus also returned the articles of the Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem (Ezra 1:7–8). The returning exiles, led by Zerubbabel, began to rebuild the Temple with the support of Cyrus (Ezra 3:7).

The prophets Isaiah and Daniel both mention Cyrus by name. Isaiah 44:28 and Isaiah 45:1 refer to Cyrus as the Lord's "anointed" and the one who would carry out God's purpose in rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. Daniel 1:21 and Daniel 10:1 indicate that Daniel lived until the reign of Cyrus, and Daniel 6:28 mentions Cyrus as the king who succeeded Darius the Mede.

Ezra 4:3–5 records the opposition faced by the Jews in rebuilding the Temple during the reigns of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. However, Ezra 5:13–17 and Ezra 6:3–14 recount how Cyrus' original decree was rediscovered during the reign of Darius, leading to the completion of the Temple reconstruction.

Historically, Cyrus was the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. His conquest of Babylon in 539 BC and his subsequent policy of allowing captive peoples to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples made him a significant figure in Jewish history and a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.