Yashai-Ya’oh (Isaiah) 43:3-4
“For I (am) YA’OH, your Al, the Holy One of Ya’ohsharal, your Saviour. I gave your ransom; Matsraym, Chosh, and Saba are underneath you since you have been precious in my eyes; you have been glorified and I love you. And I will put adam beneath you and for peoples in place of your soul.”
Modern European critical biblical scholars argue that these verses are alluding to the conquest of Egypt by Cambyses of Persia in the year 525 BC. The argument goes like this: the anonymous writer of “Deutero-Isaiah” (Isaiah 40-55) wrote these verses in the time of Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and he believed YA’OH ransomed His people from Babylonian exile and would give the countries of Egypt, Chosh (Kush/Ethiopia), and Saba (Seba) to the Persians as payment.
There are, however, serious flaws with this interpretation. Cambyses son of Cyrus did conquer Egypt in 525 BC, but he absolutely did not conquer Chosh and Saba. He planned an expedition against the “long-lived” Ethiopians (Herodotus, 7.17-22) but this campaign was hasty and ill-prepared. It ended in total disaster with heavy losses of manpower. Cambyses himself is said to have gone mad after this campaign failed so miserably. The people of Saba were even more distant than the Ethiopians and Cambyses had no contact with them whatsoever.
While it is true that the so-called “Ethiopians” (OPers. Kushiya; Gr. Aithi-opes “with [sun]burnt faces”) are named among the peoples of the Persian Empire in inscriptions (DNa 30, DSe 30, XPh 28 [Kent, Old Persian, pp. 137, 141, 151]), and they are included at the end of Herodotus’s satrapy list (3.97, 2f.); however, their country was never really part of a satrapy in the Achaemenid Empire and so they did not have to pay regular taxes. They merely exchanged biennial gifts like gold, ebony, boys, and elephant tusks (Herodotus, 3.97, 2; DSf 43f. [Kent, Old Persian, p. 143]) such as the ones shown on the Apadana reliefs at Persepolis on which they are depicted last in the series of the tributaries of the Persian Empire.
Thus, the world has not witnessed a situation at any time during the history of the Persian Empire where it could be said that Matsraym, Chosh, and Saba became a simultaneous ransom payment in exchange for the freedom of Ya’ohsharal.
Simply put, Yashai-Ya’oh (Isaiah) 43:3-4 cannot be talking about the period of the Persian Empire at all. These verses are rather talking about a time still future when peoples of Matsraym, Chosh, and Saba will become the servants of the remnant of Ya’ohsharal as stated verbatim in Yashai-Ya’oh (Isaiah) 45:14.
“Thus says YA’OH: the labor of Matsraym and the merchandise of Chosh and of the Saba’aym, men of stature upon you; they will pass over to you and to you they will belong. After you will they come, in firebrands will they pass over, and to you will they worship, and to you will they pray: ‘Surely Al is with you and there is none else, no ala’aym!'”
This is speaking of the remnant of Ya’ohsharal who will be glorified after they are brought out of the lands of their captivity in the New World. African peoples who witness this transformation will follow after them and become their servants. They will be the ransom.
Note that the only true “Egyptians” who exist today, ever since the conquest of King Nabochadnazzar II of Babylonia, are those who live in the extreme south in Pathros which is ancient Upper Egypt and Nubia (Ezekiel 29:14-16). So the people of Matsraym, Chosh, and Saba who will become servants of Ya’ohsharal will come from the places in Africa that are now called Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya (see map).
Yashai-Ya’oh 43:3-4 and 45:14 are both talking about the same event. This event has not occurred yet. It never occurred in the days of Cyrus the Great or afterwards. It cannot occur as long as Ya’ohsharal is living under the boot of their oppressors. It will only occur after the remnant of Ya’ohsharal has exited the land of pyramids in the New World where they were shipped to as slaves during the trans-atlantic slave and migrate to the wilderness in the far east. They will not be subject to oppression anymore once they arrive in the wilderness that YA’OH has prepared for them. Instead, they will establish themselves and become a prosperous people and build a city and possess servants from Africa.
Why didn’t this event happen in the days of Cyrus the Great as it is seemingly foretold to happen at that time by the prophet Yashai-Ya’oh? Because this event is held over until the coming of another Cyrus. The first Cyrus was a hardcore pagan who worshiped idol gods. He did not give any glory to the name YA’OH in his own words. The original Aramaic decree Cyrus issued for the rebuilding of the temple in Yaroshalam does not even mention the name YA’OH (Ghazar’a [Ezra] 6:1-5). The paraphrases of his decree composed in Hebrew (2 Chronicles 36:23; Ghazar’a [Ezra] 1:2-4) do mention the name, but these were not written by Cyrus. These were written by our people in order to give glory unto the name YA’OH because Cyrus did not give glory unto His name in his own words in the Aramaic original.
Once it is understood that Cyrus the Great was not “raised up in righteousness” and “all his ways” were not in accord with the counsel of YA’OH (Yashai-Ya’oh 45:13) then it will become clear that Yashai-Ya’oh was not prophesying about Cyrus the Great in Yashai-Ya’oh chapter 45. The great prophet was prophesying about another man who would fulfill what Cyrus of Persia left unfulfilled. The name Cyrus means “humiliator of the enemy in verbal contest” (Karl Hoffmann) but Cyrus the Great did not act out the meaning of his name.
I am telling you this now before it happens so you will know who YA’OH is dealing with. Cyrus the Great was compensated for his having issued the royal decree for the rebuilding of the holy city. He was compensated with Babylon, the wealthiest and the most powerful city in the world at that time. But the latter-day “Cyrus” who will send the captives out of the land of the pyramids in the New World will not do it for ransom or compensation. He will do it without a price or reward (Yashai-Ya’oh 45:13). YA’OH is about to glorify His true people and other nations will confess who they really are and that YA’OH is indeed among them.