That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that (there is) none besides me - from the rising to the setting of the sun - i:e., from East to West; the whole habitable world. It is not said, 'from North to South,' for that would not imply the habitable world, as 'from East to West' does (Ezra 1:1-2). The conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon, the capital of the world, and the overthrow of Babylon and restoration of the Jews by Cyrus, who expressly acknowledged himself to be but the instrument in God's hands, were admirably suited to secure, throughout the world, the acknowledgment of Yahweh as the only true God.