“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 44:28 Mean?
Isaiah 44:28 is one of the most extraordinary prophecies in the Old Testament. God names Cyrus — the Persian king who would conquer Babylon and decree the return of the Jewish exiles — by name, roughly 150 years before Cyrus was born. The Hebrew text reads: "The one saying to Cyrus, 'My shepherd.'" God calls a pagan king His shepherd (ro'i), the same title used for David.
The significance is layered. Cyrus did not worship Yahweh. He was a Zoroastrian who, according to the Cyrus Cylinder (a historical artifact), credited his own god Marduk for his conquests. Yet God claims Cyrus as His instrument and calls him "my shepherd" — the one who will tend God's flock by sending the exiles home. God's sovereignty is not limited to people who acknowledge Him. He uses whoever He chooses to accomplish His purposes.
"Shall perform all my pleasure" — the Hebrew chephets means delight, desire, purpose. Cyrus will accomplish what God delights in: the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the relaying of the temple's foundation. This prophecy was fulfilled precisely in 538 BC when Cyrus issued the decree recorded in Ezra 1:1-4. The level of specificity — a named individual, a specific action, a particular city and building — makes this one of the most verifiable predictive prophecies in Scripture.
Reflection Questions
- 1.God called a pagan king 'my shepherd.' Has God ever used an unexpected or unlikely person to accomplish something important in your life? Who was it?
- 2.Cyrus didn't know God was using him. How does that expand your understanding of how God works — even through people who don't acknowledge Him?
- 3.God named Cyrus 150 years before his birth. What does that level of specificity tell you about how detailed God's plan is for your life?
- 4.Is there a 'rebuilding' you're waiting for — a relationship, a calling, a dream? What would it look like to trust that God has already named the instrument of that restoration, even if you can't see it yet?
Devotional
God names a pagan king 150 years before he's born and calls him "my shepherd." That should stop you in your tracks. Cyrus didn't know God. He didn't worship God. He would later credit a completely different deity for his success. And God says: he's mine. He'll do exactly what I want.
This verse obliterates the idea that God can only work through people who know Him. He's not limited to the faithful, the churched, the theologically correct. He uses whoever and whatever He wants — including people who have no idea they're being used. The boss who unexpectedly gave you the break. The stranger whose offhand comment changed your trajectory. The unlikely door that opened when every "spiritual" door had closed. God's instruments don't need to know they're instruments.
But the deeper comfort is in the specificity. God didn't just say "someone will eventually help." He said Cyrus. By name. A century and a half early. He named the solution before the problem fully existed. If God can name your deliverer before they're born, He can handle the timeline of your life. The thing you're waiting for — the restoration, the rebuilding, the return from exile — may already have a name attached to it that you don't know yet. God does.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
That saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd,.... Or Coresh, as his name in the Hebrew language is; and in the Persian tongue…
That saith of Cyrus - This is the first time in which Cyrus is expressly named by Isaiah, though he is often referred…
In these verses we have,
I. The duty which Jacob and Israel, now in captivity, were called to, that they might be…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture