The Meaning of Isaiah 44:28 Explained

Isaiah 44:28

KJV: 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.

YLT: Who is saying of Cyrus, My shepherd, And all my delight He doth perfect, So as to say of Jerusalem, Thou art built, And of the temple, Thou art founded.

Darby: that saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and he shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

ASV: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Isaiah 44:28 Mean?

Study Notes

Cyrus
Cf. 1 Kings 13:2 where Josiah was mentioned by name three hundred years before his birth.

Verse Meaning

God announced that Cyrus would be the person who would allow Jerusalem to be rebuilt and the temple foundations relaid. The mention of his name climaxes this prophecy ( Isaiah 44:24-28). Cyrus would be the Lord"s shepherd, the one who would lead the Israelites back into their land by permitting its restoration. He would carry out all God"s desire (cf. Isaiah 41:2-3; Isaiah 41:25).
The title "My Shepherd" was one that God used of the Davidic kings (cf. 2 Samuel 5:2; 1 Kings 22:17; Ezekiel 34:23). The fact that He used it here of a pagan monarch shows that God would use pagans to fulfill His wishes-since the Davidic kings had proved unreliable (cf. Isaiah 7:13; Isaiah 39:7). This was indeed a new thing that God had not done before (cf. Isaiah 43:19).
"In a wonderfully ingenious way, just as the foreigner, Ruth , became an ancestress of David ( Ruth 4:13-22), the foreigner Cyrus typifies the Davidic Messiah ( Isaiah 53:10; Zechariah 11:4; Zechariah 13:7; John 8:29; John 10:11)." [1]
Cyrus (559-530 B.C.) issued his decree to allow the Jewish exiles to return and rebuild Jerusalem in538 B.C. This happened about190 years after Isaiah announced this prophecy. Josephus recorded that Cyrus read Isaiah"s prophecy predicting that he himself-Cyrus-would send the Israelites back to Palestine to rebuild the temple, and that he desired to fulfill this very prediction. [2] Josephus also dated Isaiah"s prophecy140 years before the destruction of the temple, namely, about726 B.C. The Persian monarch had not even been born at this time. When Isaiah made this prophecy his hearers probably said to one another: "Who did he say would do this? Who is Cyrus?"
This prophecy is the primary reason that critics on the unity of Isaiah have insisted that Isaiah of Jerusalem could not possibly have written this prediction. It must have been written, they say, sometime after Cyrus issued his decree. [3] However, the point that Yahweh was making throughout this book was that He alone could predict and create the future. For a similar prophecy involving Josiah, who had not yet been born, see 1 Kings 13:2.
Motyer noted parallels between Isaiah 44:24 to Isaiah 48:1-22 and Isaiah 49:1 to Isaiah 53:12. [4] These sections provide the solutions to Israel"s double need: national bondage (cf. Isaiah 42:18 to Isaiah 43:21) and spiritual sinfulness (cf. Isaiah 43:22 to Isaiah 44:22).
The work of Cyrus ( Isaiah 44:24 to Isaiah 48:22)The work of the Servant ( Isaiah 49:1-53:12)The tIsa44:24-28 ask stated and the agent named ( Isaiah 44:24-28)The task stated and the agent named( Isaiah 49:1-6)The task confirmed: to Israel and the world ( Isaiah 45:1-7)The task confirmed: to Israel and the world ( Isaiah 49:7-12)The response: prayer ( Isaiah 45:8)The response: praise ( Isaiah 49:13)Israel"s disquiet ( Isaiah 45:9-25)Israel"s despondency ( Isaiah 49:14 to Isaiah 50:11)•The Lord"s purpose affirmed ( Isaiah 45:9-13)•The Lord"s love affirmed ( Isaiah 49:14-16)•Israel and Gentiles ( Isaiah 45:14-22)•Israel and Gentiles ( Isaiah 49:17-26)•Those who find righteousness and strength in the supreme Lord and those who oppose Him ( Isaiah 45:23-25)•The Servant, the exemplar of those who find strength and vindication in the Almighty Lord ( Isaiah 50:1-11)The Lord"s care for Israel- from the beginning through to the coming salvation ( Isaiah 46:1-13)The Lord"s care for Israel- from the beginning through to the coming salvation ( Isaiah 51:1-16)Babylon: from the throne to the dust ( Isaiah 47:1-15)Zion: from the dust to the throne( Isaiah 51:17 to Isaiah 52:12)Redemption from Babylon ( Isaiah 48:22)Redemption from sin ( Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12)

Context Summary

Isaiah 44:21-28 - The Promise Of Redemption
What divine comfort there is in these gracious words! Notwithstanding all their wanderings and sins, the Chosen People were Jehovah's elect race. Nothing could make Him forget them; He had redeemed them with the saving strength of His right hand. He could never forget them, but He would forget their sins. Their transgressions had melted into the blue azure of His love. If sought for, they could not be found. Nature was asked to be one great orchestra of praise. And notice that our redemption brings more glory to Jehovah than our undoing would.
In Isaiah 45:1-25 the people are assured that they would return from captivity, to rebuild Jerusalem and reinhabit the cities of Judah. They probably expected that their return would be marked by miracles as marvelous as those through which their fathers emerged from Egyptian bondage. But God never repeats Himself; and His purposes would work out through a heathen monarch, Cyrus, whom God was preparing as the executor of His purpose, Isaiah 44:28. "Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs, and works His sovereign will." [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 44

1  God comforts the church with his promises
7  The vanity of idols
9  And folly of idol makers
21  He exhorts to praise God for his redemption and omnipotence

What do the individual words in Isaiah 44:28 mean?

Who says of Cyrus [He is] My shepherd and all My pleasure he shall perform and Saying to Jerusalem You shall be built and to the temple Your foundation shall be laid -
הָאֹמֵ֤ר לְכ֙וֹרֶשׁ֙ רֹעִ֔י וְכָל־ חֶפְצִ֖י יַשְׁלִ֑ם וְלֵאמֹ֤ר לִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ תִּבָּנֶ֔ה וְהֵיכָ֖ל תִּוָּסֵֽד ס

הָאֹמֵ֤ר  Who  says 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְכ֙וֹרֶשׁ֙  of  Cyrus 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּורֶשׁ  
Sense: the king of Persia and conqueror of Babylon; first ruler of Persia to make a decree allowing the Israelite exiles to return to Jerusalem.
רֹעִ֔י  [He  is]  My  shepherd 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רָעָה  
Sense: shepherd (subst).
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
חֶפְצִ֖י  My  pleasure 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: חֵפֶץ  
Sense: delight, pleasure.
יַשְׁלִ֑ם  he  shall  perform 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֵם  
Sense: .
וְלֵאמֹ֤ר  and  Saying 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙  to  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
תִּבָּנֶ֔ה  You  shall  be  built 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.
וְהֵיכָ֖ל  and  to  the  temple 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הֵיכָל  
Sense: palace, temple, nave, sanctuary.
תִּוָּסֵֽד  Your  foundation  shall  be  laid 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָסַד 
Sense: to found, fix, establish, lay foundation.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation