This is cyrus...
(Heb. Ko'resh), the celebrated "King of Persia" (Elam) who was conqueror of
Babylon, and issued the decree of liberation to the Jews (Ezra 1:1, 2). He was
the son of Cambyses, the prince of Persia, and was born about B.C. 599. In the
year B.C. 559 he became king of Persia, the kingdom of Media being added to it
partly by conquest. Cyrus was a great military leader, bent on universal
conquest. Babylon fell before his army (B.C. 538) on the night of Belshazzar's
feast (Dan. 5:30), and then the ancient dominion of Assyria was also added to
his empire (cf., "Go up, O Elam", Isa.21:2). Hitherto the great kings of the
earth had only oppressed the Jews. Cyrus was to them as a "shepherd" (Isa.
44:28; 45:1). God employed him in doing service to his ancient people. He may
posibly have gained, through contact with the Jews, some knowledge of their
religion. The "first year of Cyrus" (Ezra 1:1) is not the year of his elevation
to power over the Medes, nor over the Persians, nor the year of the fall of
Babylon, but the year succeeding the two years during which "Darius the Mede"
was viceroy in Babylon after its fall. At this time only (B.C. 536) Cyrus
became actual king over Palestine, which became a part of his Babylonian
empire. The edict of Cyrus for the rebuilding of Jerusalem marked a great epoch
in the history of the Jewish people (2 Chr. 36:22, 23; Ezra 1:1-4; 4:3;
5:13-17; 6:3-5). This decree was discovered "at Achmetha [R.V. marg.,
"Ecbatana"], in the palace that is in the province of the Medes" (Ezra 6:2). A
chronicle drawn up just after the conquest of Babylonia by Cyrus, gives the
history of the reign of Nabonidus (Nabunahid), the last king of Babylon, and of
the fall of the Babylonian empire. In B.C. 538 there was a revolt in Southern
Babylonia, while the army of Cyrus entered the country from the north. In June
the Babylonian army was completely defeated at Opis, and immediately afterwards
Sippara opened its gates to the conqueror. Gobryas (Ugbaru), the governor of
Kurdistan, was then sent to Babylon, which surrendered "without fighting," and
the daily services in the temples continued without a break. In October, Cyrus
himself arrived, and proclaimed a general amnesty, which was communicated by
Gobryas to "all the province of Babylon," of which he had been made governor.
Meanwhile, Nabonidus, who had concealed himself, was captured, but treated
honourably; and when his wife died, Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, conducted the
funeral. Cyrus now assumed the title of "king of Babylon," claimed to be the
descendant of the ancient kings, and made rich offerings to the temples. At the
same time he allowed the foreign populations who had been deported to Babylonia
to return to their old homes, carrying with them the images of their gods.
Among these populations were the Jews, who, as they had no images, took with
them the sacred vessels of the temple.