“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,”
My Notes
What Does 2 Chronicles 36:22 Mean?
The final verse of 2 Chronicles is also the opening of the book of Ezra — a literary hinge connecting exile with return. Cyrus of Persia, who conquered Babylon, issues a decree allowing the Jews to return home and rebuild the Temple. The Chronicler attributes this to two causes: the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy (that the exile would last seventy years) and God "stirring up" the spirit of Cyrus.
The phrase "the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus" is theologically loaded. Cyrus is a pagan king who worships Marduk, yet God works through him. Isaiah 45:1 even calls Cyrus God's "anointed" — the only non-Israelite to receive that title. God doesn't limit His instruments to His covenant people. He uses whoever He chooses, including kings who don't know Him.
The book of 2 Chronicles, which began with Solomon's glory and traced the long decline through exile, ends not with destruction but with a door opening. The last word of the Hebrew Bible in its traditional ordering isn't exile — it's permission to go home. Hope has the final word.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Has God ever worked through an unexpected or unlikely person to bring something good into your life?
- 2.What does it mean to you that the Hebrew Bible ends with hope rather than exile?
- 3.How does Cyrus — a pagan king used by God — expand your understanding of how God works?
- 4.What promise from God are you still waiting on, and how do you hold on during the delay?
Devotional
The entire Hebrew Bible, in its traditional ordering, ends with this verse — with Cyrus saying "go up." After everything — the creation, the patriarchs, the exodus, the kingdom, the prophets, the exile — the final word is a pagan king sending God's people home. Hope doesn't just survive; it gets the last sentence.
God stirs up the spirit of a Persian emperor who has never read a scroll of Torah, never offered a sacrifice at the Temple, never claimed to follow the God of Israel. And yet Cyrus becomes the instrument through which seventy years of exile end. God's tools aren't limited to God's people. He works through whoever He works through, and He doesn't ask our permission.
This should expand your understanding of how God operates. The person, opportunity, or circumstance that brings your breakthrough might not look spiritual at all. It might be a boss who doesn't share your faith, a policy change from a government you distrust, a relationship you never expected. God stirred up Cyrus. He can stir up anyone.
Jeremiah predicted the exile would end after seventy years. Cyrus's decree came right on time. God's timing is His own, but His word doesn't expire. What promise are you waiting on? And are you willing to recognize the Cyrus when he shows up — even if he doesn't look like what you expected?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
This and the next verse are repeated at the commencement of the book of Ezra Ezr 1:1-3, which was, it is probable,…
Now in the first year of Cyrus - This and the following verse are supposed to have been written by mistake from the book…
These last two verses of this book have a double aspect. 1. They look back to the prophecy of Jeremiah, and show how…
stirred up the spirit Cp. 1Ch 5:26; Hag 1:14.
made a proclamation cp. 2Ch 30:5. The phrase is characteristic of the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture