The Shared Role of Alexander the Great and King Cyrus in Jewish Prophecies

Greek Reporter ^ | May 6, 2025 | Caleb Howells

[nickcarraway]

There are many similarities between Alexander the Great of Greece and Cyrus the Great of Persia. Alexander admired Cyrus from infancy and strove to be a conqueror like him. Interestingly, both individuals possessed a remarkably uncommon characteristic. Alexander the Great and Cyrus the Great both featured in Jewish prophecies.

Jewish prophecies

The ancient scriptures of the Jews feature numerous prophecies, declarations about the future that the Jews believe came from God. They constitute a significant portion of the Old Testament section of the Bible.

The Jews produced many prophetic books, especially between the ninth and the fifth centuries BCE. These include Amos, Joel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Malachi. Many people today still believe that these books contain authentic prophecies from God. Others think that they were just clever predictions. Yet others believe that some of them were created or modified after the fact.

In any case, what do these Jewish prophecies have to do with Alexander of Greece and Cyrus of Persia?

Cyrus the Great was a Persian king who controlled a vast empire. This empire stretched beyond the Persian Gulf in the east to the limits of Anatolia in the west. He lived in the sixth century BCE.

At this time, the Babylonians were holding the Jews captive in their city of Babylon after having destroyed Jerusalem. In 537 BCE, after defeating the Lydian Empire, Cyrus attacked Babylon and swiftly overthrew it. Shortly afterwards, he released the Jews, allowing them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple.

The reason that this was so important to the Jews was not just that it gave them their freedom. According to the Hebrew Scriptures, Cyrus’ overthrow of Babylon was a foretold event.

In the eighth century BCE, the Book of Isaiah delivers a prophecy condemning Babylon. The passage in question, in part, reads:

“[The One] who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,
and I will dry up your streams,’
who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd
and will accomplish all that I please;
he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”‘”

The following verse mentions that Cyrus would subdue nations and that gates would not be shut before him. In other words, this passage in the Book of Isaiah foretold Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon in detail.

Considering how Cyrus ‘dried up’ Babylon’s streams by diverting the Euphrates River, which flowed through the city, and how the gates of Babylon were accidentally left open during his attack, many readers across history have found this event remarkably significant.

The prophecies about Alexander the Great

What about Alexander the Great? The Book of Daniel famously describes Alexander’s career and the aftermath of his conquests. Daniel allegedly wrote the book in Babylon before and after Cyrus’ conquest of the city.

In Daniel chapter 8, there is a prophecy of a goat with a single prominent horn coming from Greece and attacking a ram with two horns. The prophecy says the goat represents the king of Greece, while the ram represents the kings of Media and Persia.

In the prophecy, the goat defeats the ram. However, the prominent horn is then broken, with four others standing up in its place. As before, the prophecy itself explains. It says that four kingdoms would stand in the place of the first king, but not with the first king’s power.

Later, in chapter 11 of Daniel, we find the extra detail that these four kingdoms would go to the generals of that first king instead of to his descendants.

Similarly to the case of Cyrus, these prophecies match the career of Alexander the Great in remarkable detail.

Alexander, the king of Greece, attacked and defeated the kings of Media and Persia. He died almost immediately after establishing his empire. Finally, his empire was divided into four kingdoms, none of which went to his descendants.

Comparing the Jewish prophecies of Alexander and Cyrus In conclusion, how these Jewish prophecies about Alexander and Cyrus compare is interesting. Both groups of prophecies are about mighty conquerors. Both provide details about their respective military careers. However, there are some notable differences.

In the case of Cyrus, the Book of Isaiah focuses on one specific battle—the attack on Babylon. In contrast, the Book of Daniel provides an overview of Alexander’s wider military career, referring to his entire war against the Persian Empire. Unlike the prophecies about Cyrus, it does not give specific details of any individual siege or battle fought by Alexander.

Another difference in the prophecies is that the Book of Isaiah provides Cyrus’ name, while the Book of Daniel does not specifically name Alexander. On the other hand, Daniel mentions which nation the king would rule over, while Isaiah does not specifically connect Cyrus to the Persians.

These prophecies from the Jewish scriptures have notable differences. Nevertheless, it is fascinating that both Alexander the Great and Cyrus the Great feature in Jewish prophecies, almost uniquely among ancient conquerors.

[T.B. Yoits]

Grow up.

Grow up? Studying history isn't for grown ups?

Been toppling statues the last few years with your Black Lives Matter^TM buddies?

You're welcome to believe He was just a prophet, and only for the Jews, while getting angry that the history of the world is referred to by BC and AD, but then don't get angry when people decide to change the meaning of words, such was when they tell you women can have penises.

...or when gain-of-function experiments are "vaccines".

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks nickcarraway.