Although Cyrus mentions the Lord, the God of heaven, he was actually a Zoroastrian. His proclamation, written in Hebrew, was likely political propaganda to gain Jewish support for his rule. In a similar statement to the Babylonians, Cyrus claimed to worship their chief god, Marduk. However, his words here show that God appointed him to build a temple in Jerusalem (see Isaiah 44:28; 45:1, 13). He might have learned about these prophecies from Daniel, who served in his court as a high government official (Cyrus is likely referred to by his Median name, Darius, in Daniel 6:1–28; 9:1). God had long planned to raise up Cyrus and give him a vision to restore worship in Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28; 45:13; 48:14–15).