H3566 H3566
Cyrus (Koresh) — king of Persia who conquered Babylon and decreed the Jewish return from exile
One of the most consequential foreign rulers in the Hebrew Bible, Koresh (כּוֹרֶשׁ) — Cyrus II 'the Great' — appears as the instrument of divine purpose. Isaiah names him uniquely as the LORD's 'anointed' (מָשִׁיחַ, Isa 45:1) and 'shepherd' (Isa 44:28), the only gentile ruler so designated. His decree ending the Babylonian exile and authorizing the temple's reconstruction marks a theological turning point: God's sovereignty extends over all nations. The books of Ezra and Daniel refer to him repeatedly as 'king of Persia,' while Chronicles frames the entire exile as culminating in his edict. Translations across languages preserve the name with remarkable consistency — Cyrus, Ciro, Kyrus — reflecting its fame.
Senses
1. Cyrus (king of Persia) — The proper name Koresh (כּוֹרֶשׁ / כֹּרֶשׁ), identifying Cyrus II of Persia (r. 559–530 BCE), conqueror of Babylon and liberator of the Jewish exiles. Called the LORD's 'anointed' in Isaiah 45:1 — a stunning designation for a gentile — and 'my shepherd' in Isaiah 44:28. His edict permitting the temple's rebuilding is recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 and Ezra 1:1–4. Multilingual evidence shows the name rendered consistently as Cyrus (English, French), Ciro (Spanish), and Koresch/Kyrus (German), reflecting the figure's universal recognition. 15×
AR["كُورَشَ", "كُورَشُ", "لِ-كُورَشَ", "لِـ-كُورَشَ", "لِكُورَشَ"]·ben["-কোরশকে", "-কোরসের", "-কোরেশের", "কোরশকে", "কোরসের", "কোরেশ", "কোরেশের"]·DE["Koresch", "Kyrus", "[כרש]", "[לכורש]", "fuer-Koresch", "zu-Kyrus"]·EN["Cyrus", "Koresh", "of-Cyrus", "of-Koresh", "to-Koresh"]·FR["Cyrus", "[לכורש]", "zu-Cyrus"]·heb["כורש", "כורש ׀", "כרש", "ל-כורש"]·HI["के-कोरेश", "कोरेश", "कोरेश-के", "कोरेश-को", "कोरेश-ने", "कोरेश-से", "कोरेशने", "से-कोरेश"]·ID["Kores", "Koresh", "Koresy", "kepada-Koresh", "tentang-Koresh"]·IT["Ciro", "[לכורש]", "a-Ciro"]·jav["Kores", "Korès", "dhateng-Kores", "kang-ratu", "saking-Kores", "saking-Koresy"]·KO["고레스", "고레스-의", "고레스에게", "에-고레스"]·PT["Koresh", "a-Koresh", "de-Ciro", "de-Koresh"]·RU["Кир", "Кира", "Кореш", "Кореша", "Корешу", "у-Кореша"]·ES["Ciro", "Koresh", "a-Ciro", "de-Ciro", "de-Koresh"]·SW["Koreshi", "kwa-Koreshi", "kּworesh", "lkworesh", "wa-Koreshi", "ya-Koreshi", "za-Koreshi"]·TR["Kores", "Kores'e", "Koresin", "Koreş", "Koreş'in", "Koreş'in-"]·urd["خورس", "خورس-سے", "خورس-کو", "خورس-کی", "خورس-کے", "لے-کورش-کے", "کورش", "کورش-نے", "کے-خورس"]
2 Chr 36:22, 2 Chr 36:22, 2 Chr 36:23, Ezra 1:1, Ezra 1:1, Ezra 1:2, Ezra 1:7, Ezra 1:8, Ezra 3:7, Ezra 4:3, Ezra 4:5, Isa 44:28 (+3 more)
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ and (Ezr 1:1, 2) כֹּ֫רֶשׁ n.pr.m. Cyrus (Pers. Kʾurʾu, SpiegAPK 215; Bab. Kuraš COT on Ezr 1:1, Dl in Baer Dn. p. x)—king of (Anzan = Susiana, Tiele Bab.-Assyr. Gesch. 469, and) Persia, conqueror of Babylon (Tiele ib; 468 ff.), restorer of Jews to Palestine Is 44:28; 45:1 Ezr 1:7; called מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס 2 Ch 36:22(×2), 23 Ezr 1:1(×2), 2 also Ezr 1:8; 4:3, 5 Dn 10:1; simply הַמֶּלֶךְ Dn 1:21.