Isaiah 45:1

45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen ¹  one,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold ² 

in order to subdue nations before him,

and disarm kings, ³ 

to open doors before him,

so gates remain unclosed:

Isaiah 45:8

45:8 O sky, rain down from above!

Let the clouds send down showers ⁴  of deliverance!

Let the earth absorb it ⁵  so salvation may grow, ⁶ 

and deliverance may sprout up ⁷  along with it.

I, the Lord, create it. ⁸ 

Isaiah 60:11

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁹ 

[45:1]  ¹ tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”

[45:1]  ² sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.

[45:1]  ³ tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”

[45:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “let the clouds drip with”; KJV “let the skies pour down.”

[45:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “open up” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “open wide.”

[45:8]  ⁶ tc The plural verb should be emended to a singular form. The vav (ו) ending is probably virtually dittographic (note the yod at the beginning of the following word).

[45:8]  ⁷ tc The Hiphil verb form (תַצְמִיחַ, tatsmiakh) should probably be emended to a Qal (תִצְמַח, titsmakh). The יח sequence at the end of the form is probably due to dittography (note the following יַחַד, yakhad).

[45:8]  ⁸ tn The masculine singular pronominal suffix probably refers back to יָשַׁע (yasha’, “salvation”).

[60:11]  ⁷ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.