Who hath raised up the just one from the east, hath called him to follow him? he shall give the nations in his sight, and he shall rule over kings: he shall give them as the dust to his sword, as stubble driven by the wind, to his bow.
Ibn Ezra
ממזרח The man from the east. The ancients refer this expression to Abraham, who defeated the kings (Gen. xiv.), and broke the idols; especially because of the words the seed of Abraham, my friend, (ver. 8). This is not impossible, but I refer it rather to Cyrus; because all these chapters are connected by their contents; comp. calling a ravenous bird from the east (46:11) and I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come; from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name (41:25); besides, the name of Cyrus is distinctly mentioned 44:28 and 45:1. From the east, Elam was north-east of Babylon. יקראהו He shall meet it or it shall meet him. לרגלו To his foot. Wherever he goes. ומלכים ירד He will appoint rulers over hings. יַרְדְּ is Hiphil; he will cause to rule; comp. (the Kal) וירר and he shall have dominion (Num. 24:19) יתן כעפר חרבו he will turn his sword into dust, that is, the sword of every other king. Others explain it: he will make his swords as numerous as the dust, and his arrows shall fly about as thickly as stubble driven by the wind.
Hebrew and Aramaic words are the commentator’s citations of the sacred text; the English translation that follows each is the translator’s.
Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.