经文研读
2 Chronicles 36:22-23 — Cyrus's Decree Ends the Exile
Cyrus king of Persia issues a written proclamation in his first year, declaring that the LORD God of heaven has given him all kingdoms and charged him to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
经文
- 22.波 斯 王 古 列 元 年 ， 耶 和 華 為 要 應 驗 藉 耶 利 米 口 所 說 的 話 ， 就 激 動 波 斯 王 古 列 的 心 ， 使 他 下 詔 通 告 全 國 ， 說 ：Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
- 23.波 斯 王 古 列 如 此 說 ： 耶 和 華 ─ 天 上 的 神 已 將 天 下 萬 國 賜 給 我 ， 又 囑 咐 我 在 猶 大 的 耶 路 撒 冷 為 他 建 造 殿 宇 。 你 們 中 間 凡 作 他 子 民 的 ， 可 以 上 去 ， 願 耶 和 華 ─ 他 的 神 與 他 同 在 。Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all his people, Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up.
这段经文的意思
These closing verses of 2 Chronicles frame Cyrus's decree as the fulfillment of prophecy. The narrator states that the purpose behind the stirring of Cyrus's spirit was 'that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished.' The exile and the return are not political accidents but the carrying out of an earlier divine word delivered through the prophet Jeremiah. The book of Chronicles ends the way it began — with God's word directing the history of his people.
Cyrus's own proclamation acknowledges the God of Israel: 'All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.' A foreign emperor publicly credits the LORD as the God of heaven who rules over all earthly kingdoms and who has personally commissioned him. The decree is written as well as spoken, giving the return both legal force and official record.
The final line opens the door: 'Whosoever there is among you of all his people, Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up.' Any Israelite among the exiles may return to Jerusalem. The book thus closes on a note of divine sovereignty and restoration, leaving the reader at the threshold of the return and the rebuilding of the temple.
背景
Chapters 36 narrates the final collapse of Judah: the temple is burned (36:19), the survivors are carried off to Babylon, and the land lies desolate 'until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths: ... to fulfil threescore and ten years' (36:20-21). The verses immediately preceding our passage explain that the Babylonian servitude itself was the working out of the word spoken 'by the mouth of Jeremiah.' Verses 22-23 then mark the turning point: the same pattern — God's word spoken by a prophet, then fulfilled — frames the return under Cyrus.
Because the chapter closes with this proclamation, the book of Chronicles deliberately hands the reader from the destruction under Babylon to the opening provided by Persia. No information about the actual journey back, the rebuilding, or the completion of the temple is included; those events belong to the book of Ezra. The final phrase, 'let him go up,' stands as the hinge between Chronicles and what follows.
常见问题
Why does the book of Chronicles end with a foreign king's decree?
The narrator uses Cyrus's decree to show that God's word spoken through Jeremiah is now being fulfilled. Ending with a Gentile ruler who credits the LORD and orders the temple rebuilt frames the return as the LORD's own act, not a mere political shift.
What is the connection to Jeremiah mentioned in verse 22?
The chapter earlier explains that the seventy years of Babylonian servitude fulfilled 'the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah' (36:21). Verse 22 names that same prophetic word as the thing now being accomplished by the stirring of Cyrus's spirit and his decree.
Does the passage say Cyrus was a worshiper of the LORD?
The passage states that Cyrus acknowledges Jehovah as 'the God of heaven' who has given him the kingdoms of the earth and charged him to build a house in Jerusalem. It does not describe him converting or worshipping the LORD; it only records his public recognition of the LORD's authority over his commission.