The Meaning of Ezra 1:2 Explained

Ezra 1:2

KJV: Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

YLT: Thus said Cyrus king of Persia, All kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, God of the heavens, given to me, and He hath laid a charge on me to build to Him a house in Jerusalem, that is in Judah;

Darby: Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah the God of the heavens given to me, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

ASV: Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thus saith  Cyrus  king  of Persia,  The LORD  God  of heaven  hath given  me all the kingdoms  of the earth;  and he hath charged  me to build  him an house  at Jerusalem,  which [is] in Judah. 

What does Ezra 1:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezra 1:1-11 - God's Promises Fulfilled
God will ever be mindful of His covenant. There were also many remembrancers as Daniel and other like-minded exiles who gave Him no rest and were ever asking Him for David's sake to bring his people from captivity. See Isaiah 62:6-7. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, Ezra 1:1-11, and the spirits of the people, Ezra 5:1-17. How clearly the minds of men are subject to His promptings! May we never be disobedient to the heavenly visions that visit us, but always on the alert to work out with fear and trembling whatsoever He may work in. Whenever we yield to the divine promptings, it is remarkable how everything seems to cooperate with us. The stars in their courses fight for us. All things serve the man who serves Christ. In the present instance, all that were round about strengthened their hands. Cyrus brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which had been in safe-keeping during those years of anarchy and confusion, like the precious manuscripts of Scripture during the Middle Ages. But when they were needed, God brought them out of their hiding-place. Trust in Him; He makes no mistakes. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezra 1

1  The proclamation of Cyrus for the building of the temple
5  The people provide for their return
7  Cyrus restores the vessels of the temple to Sheshbazzar

What do the individual words in Ezra 1:2 mean?

thus says Cyrus king of Persia all the kingdoms of the earth has given me Yahweh God of heaven and He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which [is] in Judah
כֹּ֣ה אָמַ֗ר כֹּ֚רֶשׁ מֶ֣לֶךְ פָּרַ֔ס כֹּ֚ל מַמְלְכ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ נָ֣תַן לִ֔י יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְהֽוּא־ פָקַ֤ד עָלַי֙ לִבְנֽוֹת־ ל֣וֹ בַ֔יִת בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּֽיהוּדָֽה

כֹּ֣ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֗ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
כֹּ֚רֶשׁ  Cyrus 
Parse: 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.
מֶ֣לֶךְ  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
פָּרַ֔ס  of  Persia 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: פָּרַס  
Sense: the empire Persia; encompassed the territory from India on the east to Egypt and Thrace on the west, and included, besides portions of Europe and Africa, the whole of western Asia between the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Caspian and the Jaxartes on the north, the Arabian desert, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean on the south.
מַמְלְכ֣וֹת  the  kingdoms 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מַמְלָכָה  
Sense: kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
נָ֣תַן  has  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לִ֔י  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם  of  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְהֽוּא־  and  He 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
פָקַ֤ד  has  commanded 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
עָלַי֙  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
לִבְנֽוֹת־  to  build 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בָּנָה  
Sense: to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue.
בַ֔יִת  a  house 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם  at  Jerusalem 
Parse: Preposition-b, 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.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  which  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בִּֽיהוּדָֽה  in  Judah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.