Isaiah 44:28

44:28 who commissions ¹  Cyrus, the one I appointed as shepherd ² 

to carry out all my wishes ³ 

and to decree concerning Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’

and concerning the temple, ‘It will be reconstructed.’” ⁴ 

Isaiah 45:13

45:13 It is me – I stir him up and commission him; ⁵ 

I will make all his ways level.

He will rebuild my city;

he will send my exiled people home,

but not for a price or a bribe,”

says the Lord who commands armies.

Isaiah 48:14-15

48:14 All of you, gather together and listen!

Who among them ⁶  announced these things?

The Lord’s ally ⁷  will carry out his desire against Babylon;

he will exert his power against the Babylonians. ⁸ 

48:15 I, I have spoken –

yes, I have summoned him;

I lead him and he will succeed. ⁹ 

Ezra 1:2

1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:

“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple ¹⁰  for him in Jerusalem, ¹¹  which is in Judah.

Psalms 76:10

76:10 Certainly ¹²  your angry judgment upon men will bring you praise; ¹³ 

you reveal your anger in full measure. ¹⁴ 

Acts 4:28

4:28 to do as much as your power ¹⁵  and your plan ¹⁶  had decided beforehand ¹⁷  would happen.

[44:28]  ¹ tn Heb “says to.” It is possible that the sentence is not completed, as the description of Cyrus and his God-given role is developed in the rest of the verse. 45:1 picks up where 44:28a leaves off with the Lord’s actual words to Cyrus finally being quoted in 45:2.

[44:28]  ² tn Heb “my shepherd.” The shepherd motif is sometimes applied, as here, to a royal figure who is responsible for the well-being of the people whom he rules.

[44:28]  ³ tn Heb “that he might bring to completion all my desire.”

[44:28]  ⁴ tn Heb “and [concerning the] temple, you will be founded.” The preposition -לְ (lÿ) is understood by ellipsis at the beginning of the second line. The verb תִּוָּסֵד (tivvased, “you will be founded”) is second masculine singular and is probably addressed to the personified temple (הֵיכָל [hekhal, “temple”] is masculine).

[45:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “I stir him up in righteousness”; NASB “I have aroused him.” See the note at 41:2. Cyrus (cf. 44:28) is in view here.

[48:14]  ⁶ sn This probably refers to the idol gods (see v. 5).

[48:14]  ⁷ tn Or “friend,” or “covenant partner.”

[48:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “and his arm [against] the Babylonians.”

[48:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “and his way will be prosperous.”

[1:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “house.” The Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is often used in reference to the temple of Yahweh (BDB 108 s.v. 1.a). This is also frequent elsewhere in Ezra and Nehemiah (e.g., Ezra 1:3, 4, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9).

[1:2]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[76:10]  ¹² tn Or “for.”

[76:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “the anger of men will praise you.” This could mean that men’s anger (subjective genitive), when punished by God, will bring him praise, but this interpretation does not harmonize well with the next line. The translation assumes that God’s anger is in view here (see v. 7) and that “men” is an objective genitive. God’s angry judgment against men brings him praise because it reveals his power and majesty (see vv. 1-4).

[76:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the rest of anger you put on.” The meaning of the statement is not entirely clear. Perhaps the idea is that God, as he prepares for battle, girds himself with every last ounce of his anger, as if it were a weapon.

[4:28]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “hand,” here a metaphor for God’s strength or power or authority.

[4:28]  ¹⁶ tn Or “purpose,” “will.”

[4:28]  ¹⁷ tn Or “had predestined.” Since the term “predestine” is something of a technical theological term, not in wide usage in contemporary English, the translation “decide beforehand” was used instead (see L&N 30.84). God’s direction remains as the major theme.