Cyrus
   (Heb. 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, 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 (Dan. 5:30), and then the
   ancient dominion of Assyria was also added to his empire (cf.,
   "Go up, O Elam", Isa.21:2).
   
     Hitherto the great kings of the earth had only oppressed the
   Jews. Cyrus was to them as a "shepherd" (Isa. 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 Chr.
   36:22, 23; Ezra 1:1-4; 4:3; 5:13-17; 6:3-5).
   
     This decree was discovered "at Achmetha [R.V. 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.
   

Cyrus, as miserable; as heir

Cyrus, MN -- U.S. city in Minnesota
   Population (2000):    303
   Housing Units (2000): 164
   Land area (2000):     0.288414 sq. miles (0.746990 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.288414 sq. miles (0.746990 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            14446
   Located within:       Minnesota (MN), FIPS 27
   Location:             45.615099 N, 95.738747 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     56323
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Cyrus, MN
    Cyrus