Amid a wave of euphoria following the successful Gaza ceasefire and the return of the last hostages, Israel greeted US President Donald Trump with an extraordinary form of admiration — a comparison to the ancient Persian ruler, Cyrus the Great. Billboards and signs across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, including one prominently flashing on a Tel Aviv electronic board, proclaimed: “Cyrus the Great is alive!”, in a symbolic tribute to the visiting US President.
But why is Trump being likened to the ancient Persian king?
In 539 BC, King Cyrus of Persia, after a decisive military victory, issued a decree allowing the Jewish people exiled in Babylon to return to their homeland in Jerusalem. This momentous act paved the way for the Return to Zion and the rebuilding of the Second Temple, which was a defining chapter in Jewish history. Though not Jewish himself, Cyrus became a revered figure, celebrated as a liberator and restorer of the Jewish nation.
This historical parallel has acquired new resonance in present-day Israel. Many of Trump’s admirers cast him as a modern-day Cyrus, a leader who, through decisive action and diplomacy, has restored Israel’s fortunes, secured the release of hostages, and helped bring the war to an end. In this framing, Gaza becomes the new Babylon, and Trump the contemporary Cyrus.
WHO WAS CYRUS THE GREAT?
Cyrus II of Persia, founder of the Achaemenid Empire, created what was then the largest empire the world had ever seen. He is remembered not only for his military conquests but also for his pioneering policies of religious tolerance and humane governance.
His most famous act, the Liberation of the Jews, occurred in 539 BC when he conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The Babylonians had destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem and exiled the Jewish elite. After his conquest, Cyrus issued a decree, recorded in the Bible, allowing the exiles to return and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem, even providing them with resources to do so.
In the Book of Isaiah, the prophet calls Cyrus God’s “anointed one, (messiah)” the only non-Jewish figure in the Hebrew Bible to be described in such terms. He was seen as a divinely chosen instrument of liberation.
JERUSALEM FACTOR IN TRUMP-CYRUS ANALOGY
The comparison is not entirely new. In 2018, ahead of an Oval Office meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew the same parallel, likening Trump to Harry Truman, Lord Balfour, and Cyrus the Great
“I want to tell you that the Jewish people have a long memory, so we remember the proclamation of the great king, Cyrus the Great, the Persian king 2,500 years ago. He proclaimed that the Jewish exiles in Babylon could come back and rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem. We remember a hundred years ago, Lord Balfour, who issued the Balfour Proclamation that recognised the rights of the Jewish people in our ancestral homeland. We remember 70 years ago, President Harry S. Truman was the first leader to recognise the Jewish state. And we remember how a few weeks ago, President Donald J Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Mr. President, this will be remembered by our people through the ages,” Netanyahu said.
Just as Cyrus ended the Jewish exile in Babylon and enabled the rebuilding of the Temple, Trump’s supporters see him as having delivered the Israeli people from peril, secured the return of hostages, and reaffirmed Jerusalem’s status as the eternal capital. These actions, the Israelis, view as crucial to the nation’s spiritual and physical security.
Going deeper in the analogy, it resonates strongly among the Evangelical Christians, many of whom embrace the idea of an “imperfect vessel” chosen by God to fulfil a divine purpose. Just as the pagan king Cyrus served God’s will, they believe Trump, despite his flaws, was divinely appointed to advance Israel’s destiny.
However, critics of the comparison are quick to point out the differences, especially in leadership style, moral character, and human rights record, between the ancient ruler and the modern president.
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