John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. Who is there among you of all his people? etc.] The people of God, the Israelites, as well of the ten tribes, as of the two of Judah and Benjamin; for this edict was published throughout all his dominions, where were the one as well as the other: his God be with him ; to incline his heart to go, to protect him in his journey, and succeed and prosper him in what he goes about: and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, he is the God ; the one only living and true God: which is in Jerusalem ; who has been in former times, and is to be worshipped there; though Aben Ezra says, this is to be connected with “the house of the Lord”; as if the sense was, to build the house, that was in Jerusalem, or to be built there; and so our version connects them, putting those words into a parenthesis, “he is God”; but this is contrary to the accents.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-4 - The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. The hearts of kings are in the hand of the Lord. God governs the world by his influence on the spirit of men; whatever good they do, God stirs up their spirits to do it. It was during the captivity of the Jews, that God principally employe them as the means of calling the attention of the heathen to him. Cyru took it for granted, that those among the Jews who were able, woul offer free-will offerings for the house of God. He would also have the supplied out of his kingdom. Well-wishers to the temple should be well-doers for it.
Original Hebrew מי4310 בכם מכל3605 עמו5971 יהי1961 אלהיו430 עמו5973 ויעל5927 לירושׁלם3389 אשׁר834 ביהודה3063 ויבן1129 את853 בית1004 יהוה3068 אלהי430 ישׂראל3478 הוא1931 האלהים430 אשׁר834 בירושׁלם׃3389
