. . . it is obvious (so obvious
that one is left wondering why critics have not noticed it!) that the
characteristic phraseology of this “Cyrus” prophecy is used over and over again
in this part of Isaiah with reference to Jacob-Israel:
a.
“The Lord which hath called thee (Cyrus?) by thy
name” (45:3, 4). CP: “From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my
name (Israel)” (49:1, 3).
b.
“I have raised him (Cyrus) up in righteousness”
(45:13). Cp. “Who raised up the right man from the east?” (41:2). Is this Cyrus
also?
c.
“I will make straight all his (Cyrus’s?) ways”
(45:13. Cp. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (40:3).
d.
“Surely God is in thee; and there is none else,
there is no God” (45:13). this can only apply to Israel.
e.
“His anointed, to Cyrus” (45:1). But all through
the Old Testament this very common but exalted title is used only of Messiah or
a king reigning in Jerusalem. IT is almost impossible to believe that a prophet
of the Lord would give this high dignity to a pagan monarch.
“He shall perform all my pleasure” (v. 28) is quoted (from LXX) by Paul with
reference to David (Acts 13:22), a detail entirely in harmony with O.T.
usage. On the other hand, if this phrase really belongs to Cyrus what right had
Paul to appropriate it to bolster up his argument about David?
f.
If the prophecy is about Cyrus, why would the
Hebrew text of the consecutive verse apparently make allusion to the names of
Hezekiah and Hephzibah, his wife?: “whose right hand I have holden” (45:1); ‘all
my pleasure” (44:28). A most remarkable coincidence! (Harry Whittaker, Isaiah
[Wigan: Biblia, 1988], 394-95; with respect to the comments in “f,” the relevant Hebrew of these
verses are חֶפְצִ֖י ḥepṣî [Isa 44:28] and הֶחֱזַ֣קְתִּי heḥĕzaqtî
[45:1])
