Yesaya 41:2

41:2 Who stirs up this one from the east? ¹ 

Who ²  officially commissions him for service? ³ 

He hands nations over to him, ⁴ 

and enables him to subdue ⁵  kings.

He makes them like dust with his sword,

like windblown straw with his bow. ⁶ 

Yeremia 50:9

50:9 For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon

a host of mighty nations ⁷  from the land of the north.

They will set up their battle lines against her.

They will come from the north and capture her. ⁸ 

Their arrows will be like a skilled soldier ⁹ 

who does not return from the battle empty-handed. ¹⁰ 

Yeremia 50:41

50:41 “Look! An army is about to come from the north.

A mighty nation and many kings ¹¹  are stirring into action

in faraway parts of the earth.

[41:2]  ¹ sn The expression this one from the east refers to the Persian conqueror Cyrus, as later texts indicate (see 44:28-45:6; 46:11; 48:14-16).

[41:2]  ² tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis.

[41:2]  ³ tn Heb “[in] righteousness called him to his foot.”

[41:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “he [the Lord] places before him [Cyrus] nations.”

[41:2]  ⁵ tn The verb יַרְדְּ (yardÿ) is an otherwise unattested Hiphil form from רָדָה (radah, “rule”). But the Hiphil makes no sense with “kings” as object; one must understand an ellipsis and supply “him” (Cyrus) as the object. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has יוֹרִד (yorid), which appears to be a Hiphil form from יָרַד (yarad, “go down”). Others suggest reading יָרֹד (yarod), a Qal form from רָדַד (radad, “beat down”).

[41:2]  ⁶ sn The point is that they are powerless before Cyrus’ military power and scatter before him.

[50:9]  ⁷ sn Some of these are named in Jer 51:27-28.

[50:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “She will be captured from there (i.e., from the north).”

[50:9]  ⁹ tc Read Heb ַָמשְׂכִּיל (moskil) with a number of Hebrew mss and some of the versions in place of מַשְׁכִּיל (mashkil, “one who kills children”) with the majority of Hebrew mss and some of the versions. See BHS note d for the details.

[50:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or more freely, “Their arrows will be as successful at hitting their mark // as a skilled soldier always returns from battle with plunder.”

[50:9]  sn I.e., none of the arrows misses its mark.

[50:41]  ¹¹ sn A mighty nation and many kings is an allusion to the Medo-Persian empire and the vassal kings who provided forces for the Medo-Persian armies.