Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia
Not in the first of his reign over Persia, for he had been many
years king over that, and now had all the kingdoms of the earth
given him, ( Ezra 1:2 ) , but over
Babylon, and the dominions belonging to it, which commenced with
Darius upon the taking of Babylon; he reigned in all thirty
years, as Cicero F7 from a Persian writer relates; or
twenty nine, according to Herodotus F8; but in what year this
was is not certain; Africanus F9, has proved, from various
historians, that it was the first year of the fifty fifth
Olympiad, perhaps about the twentieth of Cyrus's Persian
government F11; (See Gill on Daniel
10:1),
that the word of the Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, might
be
fulfilled;
which foretold that the Jews should return from their captivity
at the end of seventy years, which fell on the first of Cyrus,
reckoning from the fourth of Jehoiakim, and the first of
Nebuchadnezzar, see ( Jeremiah
25:1 Jeremiah
25:11 Jeremiah
25:12 ) ( 29:10 ) .
The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of
Persia;
who has the hearts of all men in his hands, and even of the kings
of the earth, and can turn them as he pleases; he wrought upon
him, put it into his heart, enlightened his mind, showed him what
was right, and his duty to do, and pressed him to the performance
of it; so that he could not be easy until he had done it, and he
was made thoroughly willing, and even eager to do it:
that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom,
and put it also in writing; gave it in writing to his heralds to
read and proclaim throughout all his dominions:
saying;
as follows.