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Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Hebrew Ko'resh) The celebrated "King of Persia" (Elam)
who was conqueror of Babylon, and issued the decree of liberation to the Jews
( Ezra
1:1 ,
1:2 ). He was the son of Cambyses, the prince of Persia, and was born about
B.C. 599. In the year B.C. 559 he became king of Persia, the kingdom of Media
being added to it partly by conquest. Cyrus was a great military leader, bent
on universal conquest. Babylon fell before his army (B.C. 538) on the night of
Belshazzar's feast ( Daniel
5:30 ), and then the ancient dominion of Assyria was also added to his empire
(cf., "Go up, O Elam", Isaiah
21:2).
Hitherto the great kings of the earth had only oppressed the Jews. Cyrus was to
them as a "shepherd" ( Isaiah
44:28 ; 45:1
). God employed him in doing service to his ancient people. He may posibly have
gained, through contact with the Jews, some knowledge of their religion.
The "first year of Cyrus" ( Ezra
1:1 ) is not the year of his elevation to power over the Medes, nor over the
Persians, nor the year of the fall of Babylon, but the year succeeding the two
years during which "Darius the Mede" was viceroy in Babylon after its fall. At
this time only (B.C. 536) Cyrus became actual king over Palestine, which became
a part of his Babylonian empire. The edict of Cyrus for the rebuilding of Jerusalem
marked a great epoch in the history of the Jewish people ( 2
Chronicles 36:22 , 36:23
; Ezra
1:1 - 4
; 4:3
; 5:13
- 17
; 6:3
- 5
).
This decree was discovered "at Achmetha [RSV marg., "Ecbatana"], in the palace
that is in the province of the Medes" ( Ezra
6:2 ). A chronicle drawn up just after the conquest of Babylonia by Cyrus,
gives the history of the reign of Nabonidus (Nabunahid), the last king of Babylon,
and of the fall of the Babylonian empire. In B.C. 538 there was a revolt in Southern
Babylonia, while the army of Cyrus entered the country from the north. In June
the Babylonian army was completely defeated at Opis, and immediately afterwards
Sippara opened its gates to the conqueror. Gobryas (Ugbaru), the governor of Kurdistan,
was then sent to Babylon, which surrendered "without fighting," and the daily
services in the temples continued without a break. In October, Cyrus himself arrived,
and proclaimed a general amnesty, which was communicated by Gobryas to "all the
province of Babylon," of which he had been made governor. Meanwhile, Nabonidus,
who had concealed himself, was captured, but treated honourably; and when his
wife died, Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, conducted the funeral. Cyrus now assumed
the title of "king of Babylon," claimed to be the descendant of the ancient kings,
and made rich offerings to the temples. At the same time he allowed the foreign
populations who had been deported to Babylonia to return to their old homes, carrying
with them the images of their gods. Among these populations were the Jews, who,
as they had no images, took with them the sacred vessels of the temple.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
as miserable; as heir
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(the sun) The founder of the Persian empire --see ( 2
Chronicles 36:22 , 36:23 ; Daniel 6:28 ; 10:1 , 10:13 ) --was, according to the
common legend, the son of Cambyses, a Persian of the royal family of the Achaemenidae.
When he grew up to manhood his courage and genius placed him at the head of the
Persians. His conquests were numerous and brilliant. He defeated and captured
the Median king B.C. 559. In B.V. 546 (?) he defeated Croesus, and the kingdom
of lydia was the prize of his success. Babylon fell before his army, and the ancient
dominions of Assyria were added to his empire B.C. 538. The prophet Daniels home
for a time was at his court. ( Daniel 6:28 ) The edict of Cyrus for the rebuilding
of the temple, ( 2 Chronicles 36:22 , 36:23 ; Ezra 1:1 - 4 ; 3:7 ; 4:3 ; 5:13
, 5:17 ; 6:3 ) was in fact the beginning of Judaism; and the great changes by
which the nation was transformed into a church are clearly marked. His tomb is
still shown at Pasargadae, the scene of his first decisive victory.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
si'-rus (koresh; Old Persian Kurus; Babylonian Kur(r)as, Kur(r)asu; Greek Kuros, 2 Chronicles 36:22, etc.):
1. Genealogy of Cyrus:
The son of the earlier Cambyses, of the royal race of the Achemenians. His genealogy,
as given by himself, is as follows: "I am Cyrus, king of the host, the great king,
the mighty king, king of Tindir (Babylon), king of the land of Sumeru and Akkadu,
king of the four regions, son of Cambyses, the great king, king of the city Ansan,
grandson of Cyrus, the great king, king of the city Ansan, great-grandson of Sispis
(Teispes), the great king, king of the city Ansan, the all-enduring royal seed
whose sovereignty Bel and Nebo love," etc. (WAI, V, plural 35, 20-22).
2. His Country, Ansan or Anzan:
As, in the Babylonian inscriptions, Assan (Ansan, Anzan) is explained as Elam--the
city was, in fact, the capital of that country--it is probable that Cyrus' name
was Elamite; but the meaning is doubtful. The Greek etymology connecting it with
khor, "the sun" in Persian, may therefore be rejected. According to Strabo, he
was at first called Agradates, the name by which he was universally known being
taken from that of the river Cyrus. This, however, is more likely to have been
the reason why his grandfather (after whom he was probably named) was called Cyrus.
3. His Origin (Herodotus):
Several versions of his birth and rise to power are recorded. Herodotus (i.95)
mentions three. In that which he quotes (i.107), it is said that Mandane was the
daughter of the Median king Astyages, who, in consequence of a dream which he
had had, foretelling the ultimate triumph of her son over his dynasty, gave her
in marriage to a Persian named Cambyses, who was not one of his peers. A second
dream caused him to watch for her expected offspring, and when Cyrus came into
the world Astyages delivered the child to his relative, Harpagus, with orders
to destroy it. Being Unwilling to do this, he handed the infant to a Shepherd
named Mitradates, who, his wife having brought forth a still-born child, consented
to spare the life of the infant Cyrus. Later on, in consequence of his imperious
acts, Cyrus was recognized by Astyages, who came to learn the whole story, and
spared him because, having once been made king by his companions in play, the
Magians held the predictions concerning his ultimate royal state to have been
fulfilled. The vengeance taken by Astyages upon Harpagus for his apparent disobedience
to orders is well known: his son was slain, and a portion, disguised, given him
to eat. Though filled with grief, Harpagus concealed his feelings, and departed
with the remains of his son's body; and Cyrus, in due course, was sent to stay
with his parents, Cambyses and Mandane. Later on, Harpagus persuaded Cyrus to
induce the Persians to revolt, and Astyages having blindly appointed Harpagus
commander- in-chief of the Median army, the last-named went over to the side of
Cyrus. The result was an easy victory for the latter, but Astyages took care to
impale the Magians who had advised him to spare his grandson. Having gathered
another, but smaller, army, he took the field in person, but was defeated and
captured. Cyrus, however, who became king of Media as well as of Persia, treated
him honorably and well.
4. His Origin (Xenophon):
According to Xenophon, Cyropedia i. section 2, Cambyses, the father of Cyrus,
was king of Persia. (NOTE: He may have added Persia to his dominion, but according
to Cyrus himself, he was king of Ansan or Elam.) Until his 12th year, Cyrus was
educated in Persia, when he was sent for, with his mother, by Astyages, to whom
he at once manifested much affection. Astyages is said to have been succeeded
by his son Cyaxares, and Cyrus then became his commander-in-chief, subduing, among
others, the Lydians. He twice defeated the Assyrians (= Babylonians), his final
conquest of the country being while the Median king was still alive. As, however,
the Cyropedia is a romance, the historical details are not of any great value.
5. His Origin (Nicolaus of Damascus):
Nicolaus of Damascus describes Cyrus as the son of a Mardian bandit named Atradates,
his mother's name being Argoste. While in service in the palace of Astyages, he
was adopted by Artembarks, cupbearer, and thus obtained prominence. Cyrus now
made his bandit-father satrap of Persia, and, with base ingratitude, plotted against
his king and benefactor. The preparations for a revolt having been made, he and
his general Oibaras were victorious at Hyrba, but were defeated at Parsagadae,
where his father Atradates was captured and later on died. Cyrus now took refuge
in his mountain home, but the taunts of the women sent him and his helpers forth
again, this time to victory and dominion.
6. His Origin (Ctesias):
Ctesias also states that there was no relationship between Cyrus and Astyages
(Astyigas), who, when Cyrus conquered Media, fled to Ecbatana, and was there hidden
by his daughter Amytis, and Spitamas her husband. Had not Astyages yielded, Cyrus,
it is said, would have tortured them, with their children. Cyrus afterward liberated
Astyages, and married his daughter Amytis, whose husband he had put to death for
telling a falsehood. The Bactrians are said to have been so satisfied at the reconciliation
of Cyrus with Astyages and his daughter, that they voluntarily submitted. Cyrus
is said by Ctesias to have been taken prisoner by the Sacae, but he was ransomed.
He died from a wound received in battle with the Derbices, assisted by the Indians.
7. Babylonian Records of His Reign--the Cylinder of Nabonidus:
In the midst of so much uncertainty, it is a relief to turn to the contemporary
documents of the Babylonians, which, though they do not speak of Cyrus' youth
in detail, and refer only to other periods of his career in which they were more
immediately interested, may nevertheless, being contemporary, be held to have
an altogether special authority. According to the inscriptions, the conflict with
Astyages took place in 549 BC. From the cylinder of Nabonidus we learn that the
Medes had been very successful in their warlike operations, and had gone even
as far afield as Haran, which they had besieged. The Babylonjan King Nabonidus
desired to carry out the instructions of Merodach, revealed in a dream, to restore
the temple of Sin, the Moon-god, in that city. This, however, in consequence of
the siege, he could not do, and it was revealed to him in a dream that the power
of Astyages would be overthrown at the end of three years, which happened as predicted.
"They (the gods Sin and Merodach) then caused Cyrus, king of Anzan, his (Merodach's)
young servant, with his little army, to rise up against him (the Median); he destroyed
the extensive Umman-manda (Medes), Istuwegu (Astyages), king of the Medes, he
captured, and took (him) prisoner to his (own) land." The account of this engagement
in the Babylonian Chronicle (which is, perhaps, Cyrus' own), is as follows: "(Astyages)
gathered his army, and went against Cyrus, king of Ansan, to capture him, and
(as for) Astyages, his army revolted against him and took him, and gave him to
Cyrus."
8. The Babylonian Chronicle:
Cyrus went to the land of Ecbatana, his royal city. He carried off from Ecbatana
silver, gold, furniture, merchandise, and took to the land of Ansan the furniture
and merchandise which he had captured.
The above is the entry for the 6th year of Nabonidus, which corresponds with 549
BC; and it will be noticed that he is here called "king of Ansan." The next reference
to Cyrus in the Babylonian Chronicle is the entry for Nabonidus' 9th year (546
BC), where it is stated that "Cyrus, king of the land of Parsu (Persia) gathered
his army, and crossed the Tigris below Arbela," and in the following month (Iyyar)
entered the land of Is- ...., where someone seems to have taken a bribe, garrisoned
the place, and afterward a king ruled there. The passage, however, is imperfect,
and therefore obscure, but we may, perhaps, see therein some preparatory move
on the part of Cyrus to obtain possession of the tract over which Nabonidus claimed
dominion. The next year (545 BC) there seems to have been another move on the
part of the Persians, for the Elamite governor (?) is referred to, and had apparently
some dealings with the governor of Erech. All this time things seem to have been
the same in Babylonia, the king's son (he is not named, but apparently Belshazzar
is meant) and the soldiers remaining in Akkad (possibly used in the old sense
of the word, to indicate the district around Sippar), where it was seemingly expected
that the main attack would be delivered. The reference to the governor of Erech
might imply that some conspiracy was on foot more to the south--a movement of
which the native authorities possibly remained in ignorance.
9. The Babylonian Chronicle--the Capture of Babylon:
After a gap which leaves four years unaccounted for, we have traces of four lines
which mention the goddess Ishtar of Erech, and the gods of the land of Par ....
(?Persia) are referred to. After this comes the long entry, which, though the
date is broken away, must refer to the 17th year of Nabonidus. A royal visit to
a temple is referred to, and there is mention of a revolt. Certain religious ceremonies
were then performed, and others omitted. In the month Tammuz, Cyrus seems to have
fought a battle in Opis, and succeeded in attacking the army of Akkad situated
on the Tigris. On the 14th of the month, Sippar was taken without fighting, and
Nabonidus fled. On the 16th Ugbaru (Gobryas) governor of Media, entered Babylon,
with the army of Cyrus, without fighting, and there Nabonidus was captured with
his followers. At this time E-saggil and the temples of the land seem to have
been closed, possibly to prevent the followers of Nabonidus from taking sanctuary
there, or else to prevent plotters from coming forth; and on the 3rd of Marcheswan
(October), Cyrus entered Babylon. "Crowds collected before him, proposing peace
for the city; Cyrus, command the peace of Babylon, all of it." Gobryas, his vice-regent,
then appointed governors in Babylon, and the gods whom Nabonidus had taken down
to Babylon, were returned to their shrines. On the night of the 11th of Marcheswan,
Ugbaru went against (some part of Babylon), and the son of the king died; and
there was mourning for him from the 27th of Adar to the 3rd of Nisan (six days).
There is some doubt as to whether the text speaks of the king or the son of the
king, but as there is a record that Nabonidus was exiled to Carmania, it would
seem most likely that the death of Belshazzar "in the night" is here referred
to. The day after the completion of the mourning (the 4th of Nisan), Cambyses,
son of Cyrus, performed ceremonies in the temple E-nig-had-kalamma, probably in
connection with the new year's festival, for which Cyrus had probably timed his
arrival at Babylon. According to Herodotus (i.191), Babylon' was taken during
a festival, agreeing with Daniel 5:1.
10. The Cylinder of Cyrus:
The other inscription of Cyrus, discovered by Mr. H. Rassam at Babylon, is a kind
of proclamation justifying his seizure of the crown. He states that the gods (of
the various cities of Babylonia) forsook their dwellings in anger that he (Nabonidus)
had made them enter within Su-anna (Babylon). Merodach, the chief divinity of
Babylon, sought also a just king, the desire of his heart, whose hand he might
hold--Cyrus, king of Ansan, he called his title--to all the kingdoms together
(his) name was proclaimed.
The glory of Cyrus' conquests probably appealed to the Babylonians, for Cyrus
next states that Merodach placed the whole of the troops of Qutu (Media) under
his feet, and the whole of the troops of the Manda (barbarians and mercenaries).
He also caused his hands to hold the people of the dark head (Asiatics, including
the Babylonians)--in righteousness and justice he cared for them. He commanded
that he should go to his city Babylon, and walked by his side like a friend and
a companion--without fighting and battle Merodach caused him to enter Su-anna.
By his high command, the kings of every region from the upper sea to the lower
sea (the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf), the kings of the Amorites, and the
dwellers in tents, brought their valuable tribute and kissed his feet within Su-anna
(Babylon). From Nineveh(?), the city Assur, Susa, Agade, the land of Esnunnak,
Zamban, Me-Turnu, and Deru, to the borders of Media, the gods inhabiting them
were returned to their shrines, and all the people were collected and sent back
to their dwellings. He finishes by soliciting the prayers of the gods to Bel and
Nebo for length of days and happiness, asking them also to appeal to Merodach
on behalf of Cyrus "his worshipper," and his son Cambyses.
11. Cyrus' History from Greek Sources:
It was probably between the defeat of Astyages and the capture of Babylon that
Cyrus defeated Croesus and conquered Lydia. After preparing to attack the Greek
cities of Asia Minor, he returned to Ecbatana, taking Croesus with him. The states
which had formed the Lydian empire, however, at once revolted, and had again to
be reduced to submission, this time by Harpagus, his faithful general, after a
determined resistance. It was at this period that Cyrus subdued the nations of
Upper Asia, his next objective being Babylonia (section 9 and the two preceding
paragraphs). In this connection it is noteworthy that, in the Babylonian official
account, there is no mention of his engineering works preparatory to the taking
of Babylon--the turning of the waters of the Gyndes into a number of channels
in order to cross (Herod. i.189); the siege of Babylon, long and difficult, and
the final capture of the city by changing the course of the Euphrates, enabling
his army to enter by the bed of the river' (Herodotus i.190-91). There may be
some foundation for this statement, but if so, the king did not boast of it--perhaps
because it did not entail any real labor, for the irrigation works already in
existence may have been nearly sufficient for the purpose. It seems likely that
the conquest of Babylon opened the way for other military exploits. Herodotus
states that he next attacked the Massagetae, who were located beyond the Araxes.
12. The Massagetae:
One-third of their army was defeated, and the son of Tomyris, the queen, captured
by a stratagem; but on being freed from his bonds, he committed suicide. In another
exceedingly fierce battle which followed, the Persian army was destroyed, and
Cyrus himself brought his life to an end there, after a reign of 29 years. (He
had ruled over Media for 11, and over Babylonia (and Assyria) for 9 years.) According
to the Babylonian contract-tablets, Cambyses, his son, was associated with him
on the throne during the first portion of his 1st year of rule in Babylon.
13. The Sacae, Berbices, etc.:
According to Ctesias, Cyrus made war with the Bactrians and the Sacae, but was
taken prisoner by the latter, and was afterward ransomed. He died from a wound
received in battle with the Berbices. Diodorus agrees, in the main, with Herodotus,
but relates that Cyrus was captured by the Scythian queen (apparently Tomyris),
who crucified or impaled him.
14. Doubt as to the Manner of His Death:
It is strange that, in the case of such a celebrated ruler as Cyrus, nothing certain
is known as to the manner of his death. The accounts which have come down to us
seem to make it certain that he was killed in battle with some enemy, but the
statements concerning his end are conflicting. This absence of any account of
his death from a trustworthy source implies that Herodotus is right in indicating
a terrible disaster to the Persian arms, and it is therefore probable that he
fell on the field of battle--perhaps in conflict with the Massagetae, as Herodotus
states. Supposing that only a few of the Persian army escaped, it may be that
not one of those who saw him fall lived to tell the tale, and the world was dependent
on the more or less trustworthy statements which the Massagetae made.
15. Cyrus' Reputation:
That he was considered to be a personage of noble character is clear from all
that has come down to us concerning him, the most noteworthy being Xenophon's
Cyropedia and Institution of Cyrus. The Babylonian inscriptions do not reproduce
Babylonian opinion, but the fact that on the occasion of the siege of Babylon
the people trusted to his honor and came forth asking peace for the city (apparently
with every confidence that their request would be granted); and that the Babylonians,
as a whole, were contented under his rule, may be regarded as tacit confirmation.
Nabonidus, before the invasion of his territory by the Persian forces, was evidently
well disposed toward him, and looked upon him, as we have seen, as "the young
servant of Merodach," the patron deity of Babylon.
16. Why Did the Babylonians Accept Him?:
It is not altogether clear, however, why theBabylonians submitted to him with
so little resistance--their inscriptions contain no indication that they had real
reason to be dissatisfied with the rule of Nabonidus--he seems to have been simply
regarded as somewhat unorthodox in his worship of the gods; but could they expect
an alien, of a different religion, to be better in that respect? Dissatisfaction
on the part of the Babyloninn priesthood was undoubtedly at the bottom of their
discontent, however, and may be held to supply a sufficient reason, though it
does not redound to the credit of Babylonian patriotism. It has been said that
the success of Cyrus was in part due to the aid given him by the Jews, who, recognizing
him as a monotheist like themselves, gave him more than mere sympathy; but it
is probable that he could never have conquered Babylonia had not the priests,
as indicated by their own records, spread discontent among the people. It is doubtful
whether we may attribute a higher motive to the priesthood, though that is not
altogether impossible. The inner teaching of the Babylonian polytheistic faith
was, as is now well known, monotheistic, and there may have been, among the priests,
a desire to have a ruler holding that to be the true faith, and also not so inclined
as Nabonidus to run counter to the people's (and the priests') prejudices. Jewish
influence would, in some measure, account for this.
17. Cyrus and the Jews:
If the Jews thought that they would be more sympathetically
treated under Cyrus' rule, they were not disappointed. It was he who gave orders
for the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:23 ; Ezra 1:2 ;
5:13 ; 6:3), restored the vessels of the House of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar
had taken away (Ezra 1:7), and provided funds to bring cedar trees from Lebanon
(Ezra 3:7). But he also restored the temples of the Babylonians, and brought back
the images of the gods to their shrines. Nevertheless the Jews evidently felt
that the favors he granted them showed sympathy for them, and this it probably
was which caused Isaiah (Isaiah 44:28) to see in him a "shepherd" of the Lord,
and an anointed king (Messiah,. to Christo mou, Isaiah 45:1)--a title suggesting
to later writers that he was a type of Christ (Hieron., Commentary on Isaiah 44:1).
18. Cyrus in Persia--His Bas-relief:
From Persia we do not get any help as to his character, nor as to the estimation
in which he was held. His only inscription extant is above his idealized bas-relief
at Murghab, where he simply writes: "I am Cyrus, the Achemenian." The stone shows
Cyrus standing, looking to the right, draped in a fringed garment resembling those
worn by the ancientBabylonians, reaching to the feet. His hair is combed back
in the Persian style, and upon his head is an elaborate Egyptian crown, two horns
extending to front and back, with a uraeus serpent rising from each end, and between
the serpents three vase-like objects, with discs at their bases and summits, and
serrated leaves between. There is no doubt that this crown is symbolical of his
dominion over Egypt, the three vase-like objects being modifications of the triple
helmet-crown of the Egyptian deities. The king is represented as four-winged in
the Assyro-Babylonian style, probably as a claim to divinity in their hierarchy
as well as to dominion in the lands of Merodach and Assur. In his right hand,
which is raised to the level of his shoulder, he holds a kind of scepter seemingly
terminating in a bird's head--in all probability also a symbol of Babylonian dominion,
though the emblem of the Babylonian cities of the South was most commonly a bird
with wings displayed.
T. G. Pinches
Tags:
bible commentary, bible reference, bible study, history of, conquered babylon, cyrus, define, founder of the persian empire, king of persia, rebuilt temple
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