Isaiah 45

This chapter belongs to the prophecies of comfort and restoration that begin in Isaiah 40. Its opening section continues the message concerning Cyrus, who is first named at the end of Isaiah 44 (44:28).

Outline

• Verses 1–7 The LORD promises to hold the right hand of Cyrus, "his anointed," to go before him, and to open gates for him. He says that although Cyrus has not known him, he has called Cyrus by name "for Jacob my servant's sake." He then declares that he alone forms the light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates evil.
• Verse 8 He commands the heavens and the earth to pour down righteousness and to bring forth salvation.
• Verses 9–13 Using the image of clay that cannot question the potter, he rebukes those who strive with their Maker. He declares that the one he has raised up will build his city and let his captives go "not for price nor reward."
• Verses 14–17 The peoples of Egypt, Cush (Ethiopia), and the Sabeans will submit and confess, "Surely God is in thee." This is followed by the confession "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself." The makers of idols will be put to shame, but Israel will be saved with an everlasting salvation.
• Verses 18–21 The Creator, who did not create the earth in vain, summons those who have escaped from the nations. He exposes the ignorance of those who pray to wooden idols and asks, "Who hath declared this from ancient time?"
• Verses 22–25 He invites all the ends of the earth to look to the LORD and be saved. This leads to his oath that every knee shall bow, and the chapter closes with the declaration that all the seed of Israel shall be justified.

Key Verses

• Isaiah 45:1 "To his anointed, to Cyrus": a rare instance of a foreign king being described as one who has received anointing.
• Isaiah 45:7 "I make peace, and create evil": frequently cited in discussions of God's sovereignty and suffering.
• Isaiah 45:22 "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth": an invitation to salvation addressed to all nations. Charles Spurgeon is said to have recalled that he was converted as a young man after hearing a sermon on this verse.

People and Places

• Cyrus: the king of Persia who conquered Babylon and permitted the exiles of Judah to return.
• Jacob/Israel: in this chapter, the captive people as a whole.
• Egypt: the land of Egypt.
• Cush: a region south of Egypt, generally identified with what is today northern Sudan.
• The Sabeans (Seba): a southern people mentioned alongside Cush; their exact location is uncertain.

Points for Reflection

• The name of Cyrus: Traditional interpretation holds that the prophet Isaiah foretold Cyrus by name more than a century in advance. Most critical scholars hold that chapters 40–55 were written near the end of the Babylonian exile and refer to them as "Second Isaiah" (Deutero-Isaiah). Cyrus's decree permitting the return appears in Ezra 1. Josephus wrote in Antiquities of the Jews that Cyrus read Isaiah's prophecy and then allowed the return, but this is a tradition from outside the Bible.
• "Calamity" or "evil" in verse 7: The Hebrew word ra can also be rendered "evil," and the King James Version translates it that way. Many interpreters read the word as calamity, the counterpart of "peace," and do not take the verse as a statement about the source of moral evil.
• The potter image: An image similar to that of verse 9 appears in Romans 9:18–23. The Reformed tradition reads this in connection with the doctrine of predestination, while the Wesleyan tradition and others tend to read it as speaking of God's sovereignty in using people within history.
• Connections with the New Testament: Verse 23 is quoted in Romans 14:11 and is applied to Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:9–11. The "God that hidest thyself" of verse 15 is often mentioned in connection with Martin Luther's concept of the "hidden God" (Deus absconditus).