Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Zechariah 1:21
Then said I, What come these to do? And he spoke, saying, These [are] the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to frighten them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up [their] horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.
21. he spake ] i.e. the interpreting angel.
have scattered ] Rather, scattered, R.V.
to fray them ] Either the wild animals bearing the horns, or more probably the nations symbolised by them, are here spoken of as being “frayed,” or “panic-stricken.” In the following word, “to cast out,” the figure of the horns is perhaps resumed.
The Third Vision. The man with the measuring line. Zec 2:1-13. (Heb., 2:5 17.) The vision which describes the destruction of her enemies is followed by another, in which the consequent growth and prosperity of Jerusalem are depicted, and which in the largeness of its predictions extends into the more distant future. The prophet sees now upon the stage, or field of view, a young man with a measuring line in his hand, Zec 1:1. He asks him where he is going, and is answered, that he is going to measure Jerusalem, Zec 1:2. Upon this, the interpreting angel quits the prophet’s side and “goes forth” upon the stage in pursuit, as it would seem, of the man with the measuring line, to bid him desist from his purpose. As he does so, he is met by another angel, to whom he delegates the errand on which he himself had started, and whom he commissions in the hearing of the prophet (thus fulfilling his office as “interpreter” of the visions, and removing the false impression which the man’s answer, Zec 1:2, had created) to go and bid the “young man” cease from measuring, because Jerusalem, in its coming populousness and security, should neither admit of nor require walls, Zec 1:3-5. The exiles still remaining in Babylon are now summoned to leave her, Zec 1:6-7, for God’s judgments are about to fall upon her, Zec 1:8-9; whereas in Zion, to which they are invited to return, He will dwell, Zec 1:10-11, making it again His portion and His choice, Zec 1:12, extending its blessings to the Gentiles, Zec 1:11, confirming by the happy event the truth of this prediction, Zec 1:9; Zec 1:11, and manifesting Himself as the Judge of all the earth, Zec 1:13.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. These are come to fray them] To break, pound, and reduce them to powder. Fray, from the French, frayer, to rub. charashim signifies either carpenters or smiths; probably the latter are here intended, who came with hammers, files, and such like, to destroy these horns, which no doubt seemed to be of iron.
From a sensible correspondent I have received the following note: –
“The word we translate carpenters, charashim, is a root which, according to Mr. Parkhurst, denotes silent thought or attention; and in kal and hiphil, to contrive, devise secretly, or in silence; hence applied as a noun to an artificer of any kind, and to any work which disposes to silent attention. Thus, to potters’ ware, Le 6:28; Job 2:8; and in many other places. So also to ploughing, De 22:10; Pr 20:4, which requires constant attention to make ‘the right-lined furrow.’ Let it be remembered that in ancient times such works were more esteemed than the useless ones we have learned to admire. So again, in Ge 24:21, and elsewhere, it implies to be silent, as in deep thought or great attention.
“Now it is evident that the purport of this vision is the same with the gracious declarations which precede it, viz., to express the return of the protecting mercies of God to his people, delivering them from their enemies. I should therefore be inclined to render charashim here, watchers or inspectors, in the sense which our translators have rendered the Chaldee ir, a watcher, in the fourth chapter of Daniel, Da 4:13; understanding thereby ‘spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth,’ Zec 6:5, and are described in the first vision as ‘sent to walk to and fro through the earth.’ This gives to the whole narrative a sublime and important sense, affording us some glimpse of the Divine government by the ministration of angels, such as Jacob was favoured with in his vision at Beth-el, and which our Saviour himself informed Nathanael constituted part of the glory of his mediatorial kingdom.” – M. A. B.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Then, so soon as I could propose the question, immediately upon sight of the carpenters,
said I, Zechariah,
What come these to do? he saw they were men, inquires not who they were, but what was their business and design; perhaps it is fittest for us to rest also in the knowledge of what they are to do, and inquire no further who they were.
And he spake; the Lord Christ informed the prophet.
These are the horns which have scattered Judah: Christ doth in order to satisfy the inquiry first point to the four horns, of which Zec 1:18,19, as if he should have said, Look you, there are four horns which have done mischief to Judah.
So that no man did lift up his head; kept them so under, none had either strength or courage to lift up the head, and thus these horns proudly and cruelly destroyed my people.
But these, these carpenters, or smiths, are emblems of those instruments God will employ in breaking these destroyers. Here are four carpenters to break the four horns.
To fray them; to strike a fear into them first; these kingdoms, signified by horns, shall lose their courage.
To cast out the horns; then their authority and power shall be cast out easily.
The Gentiles; heathen round about Judea.
Which lifted up their horn over, have employed their arms and strength against,
the land of Judah, the whole kingdom of Judah, Gods people,
to scatter it, to drive them out of Gods inheritance, See Zec 1:19.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. These are the hornsrather,Those, namely, the horns being distinguished from the”carpenters,” or destroying workmen (“skilful todestroy,” Ex 21:31),intended in the “these” of the question.
no man . . . lift up hisheadso depressed were they with a heavy weight of evils (Job10:15).
to frayto striketerror into them (Eze 30:9).
lifted up . . . horninthe haughtiness of conscious strength (Psa 75:4;Psa 75:5) tyrannizing over Judah(Eze 34:21).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then said I, What come these to do?…. That is, these four carpenters; for, being artificers or workmen, as the Targum renders the word, the prophet concluded there was some work for them to do:
And he spake, saying; meaning the angel that talked with him, and interpreted the visions to him:
These [are] the horns which have scattered Judah; not that the carpenters were the horns, for these two are distinct from, and opposite to, one another. The words should rather be rendered, “these horns which have scattered Judah”, as before said, Zec 1:19:
so that no man did lift up his head; or, as the Targum paraphrases it, “did not suffer” (a man) “to go with an erect stature”; but, through oppression, sorrow, and misery, was obliged to stoop, and bow, and hang down his head:
but these are come to fray them; these carpenters are come to frighten the horns, to put terror into those kings and kingdoms;
to cast out the horns of the Gentiles; to destroy their kingdoms, and take away their power from them:
which lifted up [their] horns over the land of Judah to scatter it: who make use of their power, and do harm to the people of Israel, and triumph and insult over them; see Ps 75:4 all which may be applied to the ministers of the Gospel, who are workmen; and whose business it is to fight or terrify the horns, wicked men, even men in power, the enemies of Christ’s church and people; by their preaching, which has made a Felix to tremble; by their prayers, which they have been more afraid of than an army of men, as Mary queen of Scots said of the prayers of John Knox; and by their good lives and conversations, which made Herod stand in fear of John the Baptist; nay, even they have been a terror to the devil himself, and have been the means of casting him, and his principalities and powers, out of the Gentile world, and out of both the bodies and souls of men; and of casting down the strong holds of sin, and of breaking in pieces the kingdom and interest of Satan, and of building up the churches of Christ; the work of these spiritual carpenters is to cut down men, comparable to strong, sturdy, and lofty trees, for the pride and haughtiness of their hearts, the stiffness and stubbornness of their wills, and for their show of goodliness and beauty: this is done by the ministry of the word, the cutting doctrines of it, accompanied with the Spirit and power of God; as it is said, “I have hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by, the words of my mouth”, Ho 6:5 whereas, when before, they grew up and stood on their own bottom, their morality, civility, and works of righteousness; now they are cut down, and die to all these things, as to any hope of salvation by them; and then, as the carpenter smooths and planes a timber he has hewed, and fitly frames it together, and joints it in, and lays it on a good foundation; so do Gospel ministers, as instruments in the hands of God, after hewing and cutting work through the ministration of the law, the killing letter, and which works wrath; speak comfortably to such souls, by directing them to the blood and righteousness of Christ for pardon of sin and justification of life; and ministerially lay them in the spiritual building, the church; or advise and exhort them to submit to the ordinances of Christ, and join themselves to Gospel churches; and, above all things, instruct them to build on Christ, the sure foundation in Zion; and ministerially lay him as the alone foundation to build upon for life and salvation, and not upon any works of righteousness done by them; and put them upon walking according to the line and rule of the divine word, in matters of worship, discipline, and conversation: and as there were in the first times of the Gospel many such builders, and have been more or less since; so there will be many more in the latter day, who will be very successfully employed in building, repairing, and beautifying the church of God; see Isa 58:12. Some by the four carpenters understand Zerubbabel, Joshua, Ezra, and Nehemiah; and so, by the four horns, those that opposed them in building the city and temple, as Rehum, Shimshai, Sanballat, and Tobiah; but these seem too inferior governors to be signified by horns; nor did they do what is here ascribed to them; rather their nations, Samaritans, Arabians, Ammonites, and Philistines, are meant.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And who are these smiths? They are also horns; for they all wish to destroy as much as they can the Church; but God does not permit them; on the contrary he excites them to mutual wars to destroy one another. Though then all these are horns, ready to assault the Church, and though it appears evident from the comparison that they are as it were furious and vicious bulls, and as much as they can unite together to scatter the Church, yet God gives hammers to two or three of them, and bids them to check the ferocity of their associates. While all these are intent on striking and dispersing the Church by their horns, the Lord calls them to a different work, and as I have said, bids them to be smiths that they may strike and break in pieces these horns, even their associates, with whom they had previously wickedly conspired. And it is certainly a wonderful instance of God’s providence, that amidst so violent and turbulent commotions the Church should take breath, though under the cross; for except these hammers had broken the horns, we must have been pierced through, not only a hundred but a thousand times, and had been dashed into fragments. But God has turned aside their strokes and assaults by his hammers, and, as I have said, has employed his enemies for this purpose.
We now then see that this prophecy was not only useful in the age of Zechariah, but that it has been so in all ages, and that it ought not to be confined to the ancient people, but extended to the whole body of the Church.
But the Prophet, by saying that he asked the angel, sets before us an example of a truly teachable disposition. Though the Lord then may not immediately explain to us his messages, there is yet no reason for us in disdain to reject what is obscure, as we see to be done by many in our day; for when any thing seems ambiguous to them, they immediately reject it, and also complain that God’s word is extremely difficult; and such blasphemies are uttered by many at this day. But the Prophet, though perplexed, did not yet morosely reject what God had showed; on the contrary, he asked the angels. Though the angels are not nigh us, or at least do not appear to us in a visible form, yet God can by other means afford us help when there is any perplexity in his word: he promises to give us the spirit of understanding and wisdom, whenever there is need; and we also know that the preaching of the word and the sacraments are helps to lead us to himself. If then we neglect not these helps which God affords us, and especially if we ask him to guide us by his Spirit, there will certainly be nothing obscure or intricate in the prophecies, which he will not, as far as it is necessary, make known to us. He does not indeed give the Spirit in an equal degree to all; but we ought to feel assured, that though prophecies may be obscure, there will yet be a sure profit derived, if we be teachable and submissive to God; for we find that Zechariah was not deprived of his request, as the angel gave him an immediate answer.
It must also be observed, that in one place he calls him Jehovah, and in another angel; and indeed he speaks thus indiscriminately of one and the same person. It hence follows that God appeared among the angels. But we must remember what I have already said, that this chief angel was the Mediator and the Head of the Church; and the same is Jehovah, for Christ, as we know, is God manifested in the flesh. There is then no wonder that the Prophet should indiscriminately call him angel and Jehovah, he being the Mediator of the Church, and also God. He is God, being of the same essence with the Father; and Mediator, having already undertaken his Mediatorial office, though not then clothed in our flesh, so as to become our brother; for the Church could not exist, nor be united to her God without a head. We hence see that Christ, as to his eternal essence, is said to be God, and that he is called an angel on account of his office, that is, of a Mediator.
The meaning is now evident: God declares that the horns were those which dispersed or scattered Judah as well as Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Israel: but that he had as many smiths, (28) who would by force and by hammers, shatter these horns in pieces, though for a time they would greatly harass the Church. It must be also noticed that horn is to be taken differently when the number is changed: the Gentiles are called horns in the plural number to show their hardness or their strength; and they are then said to lift up their horn in the singular number to show that they ferociously exerted all their power to lay prostrate or to scatter the people of God. Then follows —
(28) The word, [ חרשים ], is of general import, and means artificers, or workmen either in iron, brass, stone, or wood. It is rendered “workmen” by Newcome and Henderson, and “carpenters” in our version. They may be viewed here as signifying skillful men, fitted to do the work assigned to them. The terms used to designate what they were to do, would lead us to this supposition; they were to “drive away” and to “thrust away.” It was not then a work suitable to any particular trade: hence, “skillful men,” would be perhaps the most suitable rendering.
To give the meaning of terrifying to [ החריד ] seems not suitable here: the idea must be similar to that included in [ ידות ], which is not introduced as explanatory. To cause to fly or to move quickly, is the most common meaning of the first verb, so that it may be rendered, “drive or hurry away:” and the other verb means to throw or cast out, to hurl, to thrust forth or away. It seems to note a stronger action, or a greater force than the former.
There is here an evident instance in which [ אלה ] being repeated must be rendered, those and these; there is otherwise a confusion in the passage. I offer the following version: —
21. And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, saying, “Those are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no one lifted up his head; and these are come to drive them away, — to thrust away the horns of the nations, which have raised the horn over the land of Judah, to scatter it abroad.”
Notwithstanding this difference as to the literal rendering of this verse, yet the general drift of Calvin’s remarks remains the same. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(21) Many commentators suppose that this vision refers to the future as well as the past, and that in it the objects are combined together so as to form one complete picture, without any regard to the time of their appearing in historical reality. And so they take the four horns to symbolise the four empiresthe Assyrian, the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, and the Grco-Macedonian. But such is not the case, as is clearly shown by this verse. It is true that the word scattered might, if standing alone, be taken as discharging the duties of historic and, at the same time, of prophetic perfect. But since in the dependent clause we have, so that no man did lift up his headin the perfectthe word have scattered can refer only to the actual past. We must, therefore, reject all reference to the four monarchies which we have enumerated, because the Grco-Macedonian had not yet come into existence. If, then, the four horns do symbolise four monarchies, they can only be the Assyrian, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Medo-Persian. Some commentators have gone so far as to identify the four workmen with Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Cambyses, and Alexander the Great. (Comp. and contrast Hag. 2:22.) But it seems more probable that here (as in Zec. 1:8) we must not draw too close a comparison between the symbol and the thing symbolised, and should understand the four workmen as merely figuring the destruction of these nations for the good of the Jewish nation, without the manner of its accomplishment being accurately defined. We may remark, in passing, that some commentators do not take the vision as referring to four distinct nations, but suppose the number four to be used in reference to all the powers hostile to Judah, from whatever quarter they may have come. The vision, a natural consequent of the preceding, is one of comfort, its object being to assure the people that as the former nations which had been hostile to Israel and Judah had been destroyed, so the present Medo-Persian monarchy, which also had at times oppressed them, should have the horn of its hostility utterly cast out, and should protect them and encourage the re-building of Jerusalem.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
REFLECTIONS
Reader! let us both pause over this first chapter of the Prophet:, and beg for grace to bless God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, for the grace manifested by each, and by all, in their office, character, and work, in the glorious covenant of redemption, as set forth most blessedly in this precious portion of prophecy.
Surely, Almighty Father, nothing can more fully show the tenderness of thine heart, and the soundings of thy bowels towards the Church, than in thy gracious answers, as contained in this Chapter, to the all prevailing merits and intercession of thy dear Son.
And surely thy Church, blessed Jesus, must be lost to all sense of love and affection, if such views as are here set forth of thee, in thine unequalled condescension, when coming down among the myrtle trees of this lower world for our salvation, do not call forth every faculty of the soul in adoration, attachment, and praise to thy glorious person, both as One with the Father, in the essence of the Godhead, and as one with us in our nature; bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh.
And no less do we find cause to look up in love and praise to thee, thou holy and eternal Spirit, who from thine own sovereign power and Godhead, and in thy covenant engagements, as the Comforter of the Lord’s heritage, thou hast given such a precious testimony of the same superintending care over the present, and eternal interests of the redeemed, as is here displayed, by the appointment of the ministry of thy holy Word, in bringing the Church acquainted with such wonderful things of salvation.
Hail! holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty! in thy threefold character of Person, while existing in the union of the Godhead! The whole Church, in heaven and earth, do praise thee! And blessed forever be that wisdom of God, in a mystery, whereby we can and do approach the Lord, in and through the glorious mediation of an Almighty intercessor. Blessed, blessed forever be God, for Jesus Christ! Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Zec 1:21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spake, saying, These [are] the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up [their] horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.
Ver. 21. What come these to do? ] He asketh not what they were? for by their tools or weapons he perceived they were carpenters or smiths (as some think), with iron instruments to break these iron horns; confer 1Ki 22:11 . He inquireth, therefore, of their employment only. Futilous and foolish questions should be avoided, Tit 3:9 .
So that no man did lift up his head
But these are come to fray them
To cast out, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he: i.e. the angel,
these: i.e. these four smiths (or it may denote the supernatural princes over the kingdoms). They repre sent the Divine agencies raised up, by which Jehovah will overthrow them.
fray. Short for affray-to terrify; hence English, afraid and affright. So the Hebrew harad = terrify. put in consternation (Hebrew. Hiphil, causative). Compare Zep 3:13.
them : i.e. the kingdoms represented by the horns.
Gentiles = nations.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
These are the: Zec 1:19, Dan 12:7
fray: That is, to terrify, or affright, from the French effrayer.
which: Psa 75:4, Psa 75:5, Lam 2:17
Reciprocal: Psa 75:10 – All the horns Zec 9:13 – bent Zec 10:4 – of him came forth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Zec 1:21. The pronoun these is used three times but for different nouns. The first and third refer to the carpenters of the preceding verse, while the second means the four horns that had scattered Judah. The carpenters had come to fray (subdue and destroy) the four horns, In other words, the four world empires were to come to an end , and within their territory and upon their ruins these new builders were to erect another kind of structure. The whole passage including verse 18 through 21 is a prediction with the same meaning as Dan 2:44. That prophecy assures the world that the four world empires were to come to an end and at the same time the God of Heaven would set up a kingdom that was to stand forever. The work of settling in that kingdom was to be accomplished through the agency of these carpenters which would be fulfilled by the labors of the apostles of Christ.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Again in answer to the prophet’s request for interpretation, the angel repeated that the horns represented the powers that had scattered the Israelites. Then he added that the four artisans had come to terrify these horns and to overthrow them for attacking Israel and scattering the Israelites. These smiths evidently carried hammers with which they threatened to smash the horns. Probably the kingdoms of Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Messiah are in view. Each of these kingdoms destroyed the preceding one, Medo-Persia having defeated Babylonia (cf. Dan 2:34-35; Dan 2:44-45).
|
The four smiths |
The four horns |
|
|
Medo-Persia |
destroyed |
Babylonia |
|
Greece |
destroyed |
Medo-Persia |
|
Rome |
destroyed |
Greece |
|
God’s kingdom |
will destroy |
Rome |
Another less likely view is that they describe kingdoms that had already destroyed Israel’s enemies. A third possibility is that they will all appear in the future to take vengeance on Israel’s end-times enemies. A fourth less probable view, I think, is that the horns represent "the full extent of human cruelty, military might, political machinations, and lust for power . . . which destroyed pre-exilic Judah." [Note: McComiskey, p. 1048.] A fifth view is that they represent the four judgments of Eze 14:21: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague (cf. Rev 6:1-8). [Note: The New Scofield . . ., p. 965.] The Ezekiel prophecy describes the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., but similar judgments are predicted for the Tribulation in Revelation 6-19.
"Several features are noteworthy in this vision: (1) God takes account of every one that lifts his hand against Israel; (2) He has complete knowledge of the dejected condition of His people and the extent of their injury; and (3) He has already provided the punishment for every foe of His chosen ones." [Note: Feinberg, God Remembers, pp. 42-43.]
"As little as horns can hold their own before powerful smiths, so little can God’s enemies lastingly prevail over God’s people." [Note: Leupold, p. 51.]