“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;”
The proclamation concerning Cyrus—'Thus says Yahweh to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped'—confers the title 'anointed' (messiah) on this pagan king. The image of God grasping Cyrus's right hand suggests intimate divine guidance and empowerment. The term 'anointed' (normally reserved for Israel's kings and the Davidic messiah) applied to Cyrus extends messianic significance beyond Israelite expectations. This verse's radical claim that a non-Israelite serves as God's anointed breaks down ethnic boundaries in God's purposes.
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