sixth year of Nubonidus King of Babylon. Next, before the ninth year of Na.bonidus, he must have acquired the sovereignty of Persia, as in that year he ea.lie himself" King of Persia," (4) In the month Nisan (March), of the ninth year of Na.bonidus, Cyrus marched his troops into Accad, or Northern Babylonia. In the tenth year Erech was captured. In the eleventh the situation remained in stat-u quo. In the seventeenth year, in the month of Tammuz (July), Cyrus encountered the army of Accad in the town of Rutum, upon the river Nizallat, when the soldiers of Nabonidus broke into revolt. On the fourteenth day the garrison of Sippara. surrendered, while Na.bonidus fled. On the sixteenth the governor of Gutium (Kurdistan) marched the troops of Cyrus into Babylon without requiring to strike a blow. Na.bonidus, subsequently captured, wa.s cast into fetters in Babylon. Whether the siege of Babylon described by Herodotus (iii. 158, 159) was this of Cyrus (Budge), or a later one of Darius Hystaspis (Sayce), need not here be determined; it is sufficient to note that after this Cyrus assumed the title "King of Ba.by Ion" (Ezra v. 13) in addition to his other titles- "King of Persia. and King of Elam." (5) The clay cylinder of Cyrus contains "a refer- ence to the restoration of the Babylonian captives to their several homes. The expe- rience of Cyrus had taught him that the old Assyrian and Babylonian system of transporting conquered nations was an error, and did but introduce a dangerously dis- affected people into the country to which they had been brought" (Sayce, ibid.). (6) "Those who chose to return to Jerusalem were allowed to do so, and there rebuild a fortress, which Cyrus considered would be useful to him as a. check upon Egypt" (Sayce). (7) In the Cyrus cylinder it is said, "Merodach sought out a king for himself who would perform according to the heart's desire of the god whatever was entrusted to him. He proclaimed the renown of Cyrus the King of Anzan [Elam, Sayce; Persia, Budge] throughout the length and breadth of the land. . . . Merodach, the great lord, directed his (Cyrus's) hand a.nd heart" (Budge, 'Babylonian Life,' etc., pp. 80, 81). II. THE OHEEBING PBOOLAMATION. (Ver. 23.) 1. Its date. The first year of Cyrus, i.e. the first year of his reign as King of Babylon, i.e. B.o. 538 (Canon of Ptolemy). 2. Its cause. The stirring up of his heart by Jehovah. Though the monuments have shown that Cyrus was not a monotheist, but a. polytheist, they have also made it manifest that he considered himself as under the immediate guidance of Heaven in the taking of Babylon; and hence, it may be a.ssumed, also in the liberation of the captives. That he was powerfully persuaded of the propriety of such an action, and regarded his impulse in that direction as "from Heaven," is apparent. The sacred writer states that the true source of that inspiration was Jehovah. Cyrus believed it to be Merodach. 3. Its design. To fulfil the Word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah (x.xix. 10), that a.fter seventy years the captives should be restored. This was Jehovah's design, not Cyrus's--concerning which see above. That the seventy years, in round numbers, were accomplished, can be seen from an easy calculation. Dating from B.c. 599, the year of Jehoiachin's captivity, and setting down the first year of Cyrus as B.c. 538, the interval is only sixty-one years; but if the period of the exile be dated from the third ~an. i. 1) or the fourth year of Jehoiakim (Jer. xxv. 1-12), i.e. B.c. 606, then the mterval from Jeremiah's prediction to Cyrus's proclamation will be sixty-eight years, or sixty-nine inclusive, which, with the months that elapsed before the first company of exiles settled in Palestine ( Ezra iii. 1 ), will practically make seventy years. Or the prophetic year may be taken as consisting of 360 days; in which case 360 x 70 = 25,200 days= 69 years of 365 days. 4. Itsform. (1) Vocal; being probably proclaimed by means of heralds (cf. eh. xxx. 6, 6). (2) Written; being most likely set forth in two languages-Persian and Cha.Idea. 5. Its contents. (1) A devout acknowledgment of Heaven's grace. "All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me" (ver. 23; Ezra. i. 1), the term "Jehovah" being employed in the Hebrew copy instead of "Orma.zd" in the Persian. Persian sovereigns were accustomed to speak of the Supreme Being as the God of heaven (Ezra vi. 9, 10; vii. 12, 23), and to recognize their dependence on him for their earthly po"'.er, an inscription ~f Da~ius saying, "Then the land was mine and the other lands which Orma.zd has given mt0 my hand. I co11- quered them by the gra.ce_of Ormazd" (' Records,' etc., ix. 6~). And the cylinder of Cyrus stating, "Cyrus Kmg of Elam, he (Me~odach) r,rocla1med, by name_ for, sove- reignty; all men everywhere commemorate his name (Sayce, Fresh Light, etc., ll· 172). (2) A hearty submission to Divine will. "He hath charge~:; to build (54 TIIE SEOOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. (on. xxxv1. 1-23,
him e.n house in Jeruse.lem, which is in Jude.h." According to Josephus(' Ant.,' xi. 1, 2), Cyrus learnt the Divine will concerning himself by ree.ding Ise.ie.h'e prophecy (xliv. 28); but R8 Cyrus, whether a polytheist (Sayce) or a monotheist (Budge), was extremely tolere.nt to all religions, and as on capturing Babylon he immedie.tely pro- ceeded to restore the shrines of the Ba.bylonian gods, he me.y he.ve conceived himself as called upon by J ehova.h to do the ea.me thing for the J ewe in Palestine. (3) An earnest inquiry after J ehova.h 's people. "Who is there a.mong you of a.11 his people?" The pro- clamation we.snot limited to the Juda.bites, but extended to e.11 worshippers of Jehovah -to those who ha.d been ca.rried captive from both kingdoms. (4) A free permission to return to Jerusalem. "Let him go up." "Jerusalem we.son a muoh higher level the.n Babyloni&, and the travellers would consequently have to a.scend considerably" (' Pulpit Commentary on Ezra,' i. 3). (6) A solemn benediction on those who availed themselves of his permission. "The Lord his God be with him." The expres- sion of this wish or pra.· corresponded with the mild a.nd benevolent character of Cyrus. LBssoNs. 1. The ability of God 't.o fulfil his promises no less than his threatenings. 2. The secret aocess which God has t.o the hearts of men-of kings no less tha.n of common men. 3. The certainty that God can raise up at any moment a fitting instru- ment to do his wil.1.-W. HOMILETICAL INDEX TO
THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES.