Isaiah 45:3

3 And I shall give hid treasures to thee, and the privy things of privates, that thou know, that I am the Lord, that call thy name, (I am the) God of Israel, (And I shall give hidden treasures to thee from dark and private, or secret, places, so that thou know, that I am the Lord, who call thy name, yea, I am the God of Israel;)

Isaiah 45:3 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 45:3

And I will give thee treasures of darkness, and hidden riches
of secret places
What had been laid up in private places, and had not seen the light for many years. The Jewish Rabbins say F6, that Nebuchadnezzar having amassed together all the riches of the world, when he drew near his end, considered with himself to whom he should leave it; and being unwilling to leave it to Evilmerodach, he ordered ships of brass to be built, and filled them with it, and dug a place in Euphrates, and hid them in it, and turned the river upon them; and that day that Cyrus ordered the temple to be built, the Lord revealed them to him: the riches of Croesus king of Lydia, taken by Cyrus, are meant; especially what he found in Babylon, which abounded in riches, ( Jeremiah 51:13 ) . Pliny F7 says, when he conquered Asia, he brought away thirty four thousand pounds of gold, besides golden vessels, and five hundred thousand talents of silver, and the cup of Semiramis, which weighed fifteen talents. Xenophon F8 makes mention of great riches and treasures which Cyrus received from Armenius, Gobryas, and Croesus: that thou mayest know that I the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am
the God of Israel;
to call him by name two hundred years, or near it, before he was born, was a proof that he was God omniscient, and knew things before they were, and could call things that were not, as though they were; and this Cyrus was made acquainted with; for, as Josephus


FOOTNOTES:

F9 says, he read this prophecy in Isaiah concerning him; and all this being exactly fulfilled in him, obliged him to acknowledge him the Lord, to be the Lord God of heaven, and the Lord God of Israel, ( Ezra 1:2 Ezra 1:3 ) .
F6 Vide Abendana in Miclol Yophi in Ioc.
F7 Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 3.
F8 Cyropaedia, l. 3. c. 3. l. 5. c. 4. l. 7. c. 14.
F9 Antiqu. l. 11. c. 1. sect. 2.

Isaiah 45:3 In-Context

1 The Lord saith these things to my christ, Cyrus, whose right hand I took, that I make subject folks before his face, and turn the backs of kings; and I shall open [the] gates before him, and [the] gates shall not be closed. (I the Lord saith these things to my anointed, yea, to Cyrus, whose right hand I took, to make subject the nations before him, and to break the backs of kings; and I shall open the gates before him, yea, none of the gates shall be closed.)
2 I shall go before thee, and I shall make low the glorious men of earth; I shall all-break [the] brazen gates, and I shall break together [the] iron bars. (I shall go before thee, and I shall bring low the glorious of the earth; I shall all-break the bronze gates, and I shall altogether break the iron bars, or break open the locks.)
3 And I shall give hid treasures to thee, and the privy things of privates, that thou know, that I am the Lord, that call thy name, (I am the) God of Israel, (And I shall give hidden treasures to thee from dark and private, or secret, places, so that thou know, that I am the Lord, who call thy name, yea, I am the God of Israel;)
4 for my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, and I called thee by thy name; I likened thee, and thou knewest not me. (for the sake of my servant Jacob, and my chosen Israel, I called thee by thy name, and I honoured thee, though thou knewest me not.)
5 I am the Lord, and there is no more; without me is no God. I have girded thee, and thou knewest not me. (I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides me. I have girded thee, though thou knewest me not.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.