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.
God says about Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he will accomplish everything I want him to do. He will say to Jerusalem, You will be rebuilt, and to the temple, Your foundation will be laid.'
God is declaring that He will use a foreign king named Cyrus as His chosen leader to rebuild Jerusalem and restore the temple.
📚 Historical Context
This prophecy was written around 150-200 years before Cyrus the Great of Persia actually conquered Babylon and issued a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return home and rebuild their temple (539 BC). At the time Isaiah wrote this, Jerusalem and the temple were still standing, making this an incredible prediction of future events including the Babylonian exile and subsequent restoration.
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