Isaiah 45:2

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.)

Isaiah 45:2 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 45:2

I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight,
&c.] Or, "level the hilly places" ^F3; as pioneers do. The sense is, that he would remove all impediments and obstructions out of his way, and cause him to surmount all difficulties: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars
of iron;
with which the brasen gates were barred: in the wall that surrounded Babylon there were a hundred gates, all made of solid brass, twenty five on each side of the square; which, no doubt, are here referred to; which could not hinder the entrance of Cyrus into the city, and the taking of it; though they were not then destroyed by him, but by Darius afterwards ^F4 these gates of brass are mentioned by Abydenus ^F5, as made by Nebuchadnezzar, and as continuing till the empire of the Macedonians.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 The Septuagint render the word by (orh) , mountains; Gussetius by eminences, high places, such as stood in the way of passage into countries. The Vulgate Latin interprets it of glorious persons; and Abendana says it is right to understand it in this way; and applies it to Zerubbabel, and those that went up with him to Jerusalem, with the leave of Cyrus, who were good men, and honourable in their works, whom the Lord directed in their way right, and prospered them in the building of the temple,
F4 Herodot. l. 1. c. 179. l. 3. c. 159.
F5 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 41. p. 457.

Isaiah 45:2 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.)