He brashly called himself ‘king of the four corners of the world’ and is hailed for having liberated the Jews from the cruel Babylonians.
Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian Empire in the sixth century BC, was an early proponent of religious freedom.
Now, more than 2,600 years on, giant billboards in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are likening US President Donald Trump to Cyrus after the deal he brokered to end the war in Gaza.
Israeli hostages were reunited with their families in the country’s capital today after spending 738 days as the captives of Hamas terrorists.
President Trump, who has flown to Jerusalem, today hailed a ‘historic dawn of a new Middle East’ in an address to the Israeli parliament.
The new billboards show a photo of Mr Trump and reads: ‘Cyrus the Great is alive!’
A giant billboard in Tel Aviv is likening US President Donald Trump to Cyrus after the deal he brokered to end the war in Gaza
It bears the logo of Jerusalem-based Friends of Zion Museum.
In an opinion piece in Israeli outlets including the Jerusalem Post, American pro-Israel commentator Dr Mike Evans backed up the comparison.
He wrote: ‘Those who know their Bible will understand that Cyrus, the ancient Persian king who allowed the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem after their captivity in Babylon, was not the leader the Jews would have chosen.
‘He was not the man the world expected. But he was the one God used to change the course of history.
‘In 2025, President Trump has played that same role. When others hesitated, he acted. When the world doubted, he delivered.
‘From moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, to brokering the Abraham Accords and now to this peace deal in Gaza, President Trump has done more for Israel’s security and future than any leader in living memory.’
Regarded as one of the greatest figures of the ancient Middle East, Cyrus presided over the first multi-racial, multi-faith empire, the Achaemenid dynasty.
It spanned more than two million square miles.
Cyrus the Great, who founded the Persian Empire in the sixth century BC, was an early proponent of religious freedom
He captured Babylon in what is now Iraq in 539BC and released Jews who were being held captive there.
The Babylonians had exiled the Jewish elite from Jerusalem and destroyed Solomon’s Temple in the city.
Cyrus allowed the Jewish return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple.
The Books of Ezra and Isaiah in the Bible’s Old Testament – the Torah in Judaism – mention Cyrus at length.
The start of Isiah Chapter 45 reads: ‘Cyrus is my anointed king. I take hold of his right hand. I give him the power to bring nations under his control.
‘I help him strip kings of their power to go to war against him. I break city gates open so he can go through them.’
It adds: ‘Cyrus, I am sending for you by name. I am doing it for the good of the family of Jacob. They are my servant. I am doing it for Israel. They are my chosen people.’
President Trump was previously compared to Cyrus by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in 2018, after the President recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he said: ‘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.’
He added: ‘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.’
Cyrus proclaimed himself ‘king of the four corners of the world’ in the treasured Cyrus Cyilnder, which is held by the British Museum.
President Trump provoked controversy in February when he likened himself to a monarch.
In a post on his Truth Social social media site, he declared: ‘CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!’
Cyrus was killed in battle in around 530BC.