Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Zechariah 9:1
The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus [shall be] the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall be] toward the LORD.
1. The burden ] It is difficult to decide between the meanings burden and utterance (onus and effatum) for this word, which is of frequent occurrence, especially in Isaiah. If we translate burden, it will mean the heavy judgment of Jehovah. In favour of this is the fact that the word is almost always used (Zec 12:1; Mal 1:1, are referred to as exceptions, but the second of these passages can hardly be called so) to introduce a prophecy of judgment. “The sentence issued against an individual or a community hung as a heavy weight, which at last dragged them down.” ( Speak. Com. on Isa 13:1. Comp. 2Ki 9:25.) On the other hand, from the use of the cognate verb in the sense of “taking up,” i.e. “uttering,” a word or speech (as, “thou shalt not take up the name of Jehovah, thy God, in vain,” Exo 20:7; “He took up his parable,” Num 23:18), many prefer to render utterance, or oracle.
in the land ] upon the land, R. V.
Hadrach ] This word, which occurs nowhere else in the O. T., caused, till recently, much perplexity to commentators. Some of them explained it to be the name of a king, others of an idol, while others regarded it as a symbolical name composed by the prophet. The question, however, as to the meaning of the word appears to have been satisfactorily set at rest, by its being discovered in the Assyrian inscriptions “in the catalogue of Syrian cities tributary to Nineveh.” Sir H. Rawlinson, quoted by Pusey, says, “It is now certain that there was a city called Hadrach in the neighbourhood of Damascus and Hamath, although its exact site is not known In the Assyrian Canon Hadrach is the object of three Assyrian expeditions.”
the rest thereof ] Or, its resting place, R. V., i.e. the place on which it (the burden, or utterance, of the word of the Lord) shall light and settle. See Zec 6:8, and note there.
when the eyes of man, &c.] Or, for the eye is, R. V. This has been explained as implying “a conversion of Gentiles, as well as Jews. For man, as contrasted with Israel, must be the heathen world, mankind. ‘The eyes of all must needs look in adoration to God, expecting all good from Him, because the Creator of all provided for the well-being of all.’ ” Pusey. Or, since the context, which is minatory in tone, seems not to admit of this interpretation, the words have been thus paraphrased: “When the fulfilment of the oracles takes place upon Hadrach and Damascus, and the wrath of God descends upon those cities and districts, the eyes of the nations as well as those of the people of Israel will look towards Jehovah, and marvel at the wonders of judgment which will then be performed in their sight in accordance with the solemn warnings of the prophet.” Rev. C. H. H. Wright. It is, possible, however, to render, for to Jehovah is (i. e. Jehovah has) an eye on man, and on all the tribes of Israel, the sense being that of such passages as Jer 32:19, and Psa 10:14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Chap. Zec 9:1-8 . The punishment of Israel’s enemies
The first section opens with a prediction (Zec 9:1-8), from which the title of the whole of this first group of prophecies is derived, of the judgments of God upon the enemies of Israel and of the deliverance of Jerusalem, as a preparation for the coming of her King. Jehovah, whose eye is on the affairs of men, will punish the neighbours and enemies of His people on every side, the Syrians (Zec 9:1), the Phnicians, in spite of their resources and their wisdom (Zec 9:2-4), and the Philistines (Zec 9:5-6). This last nation shall be converted from idolatry and incorporated into the family of God (Zec 9:7). Judah and Jerusalem shall be protected from the invading armies by which the surrounding nations are scourged, and shall await in safety the advent of their King (Zec 9:8).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The burden – o of the word of the Lord in (or, upon) the land of Hadrach The foreground of this prophecy is the course of the Victories of Alexander, which circled round the holy land without hurting it, and ended in the overthrow of the Persian empire. The surrender of Damascus followed first, immediately on his great victory at the Issus; then Sidon yielded itself and received its ruler from the conqueror, Tyre he utterly destroyed; Gaza, we know, perished; he passed harmless by Jerusalem. Samaria, on his return from Egypt, he chastised.
It is now certain that there was a city called Hadrach in the neighborhood of Damascus and Hamath, although its exact site is not known. It was first found upon the geographical tablets among the Assyrian inscriptions. In the catalogue of Syrian cities, tributary to Nineveh, (of which we have several copies in a more or less perfect state, and varying from each other, both in arrangement and extent) there are three names, which are uniformly grouped together and which we read Manatsuah, Magida (Megiddo) and Duar (Dor). As these names are associated with those of Samaria, Damascus, Arpad, Hamath, Carchemish, Hadrach, Zobah, there can be no doubt of the position of the cities . In the Assyrian Canon, Hadrach is the object of three Assyrian expeditions , 9183 (b.c. 818), 9190 (811) and 9200 (801). The first of these follows upon one against Damascus, 9182 (817). In the wars of Tiglath-pileser II. (the Tiglath-pileser of Holy Scripture,) it has been twice deciphered;
(1) In the war b.c. 738, 737, after the mention of the cities to Saua the mountain which is in Lebanon were divided, the land of Bahalzephon to Ammana (Ammon), there follows Hadrach ; and subsequently there are mentioned as joined to the league, 19 districts of Hamath, and the cities which were round them, which are beside the sea of the setting sun.
(2) In his War in Palestine and Arabia , the city of Hadrach to the land of Saua, and six other cities are enumerated, as the cities beside the upper sea, which, he says, I possessed, and six of my generals as governors over them I appointed. No other authority nearly approaches these times. The nearest authority is of the second century after our Lord, 116 a.d. : R. Jose, born of a Damascene mother, said, answering R. Yehudah ben Elai, , I call heaven and earth to witness upon me, that I am of Damascus, and that there is a place called Hadrach. Cyril of Alexandria says that the land of Hadrach must be somewhere in the eastern parts, and near to Emath (now Epiphania of Antioch) a little further than Damascus, the metropolis of the Phoenicians and Palestine. A writer of the 10th century says that there was a very beautiful mosque there, called the Mesjed-el-Khadra, and that the town was named from it. The conjecture that Hadrach might be the name of a king , or an idol , will now probably be abandoned, nor can the idea, (which before seemed the most probable and which was very old), that it was a symbolic name, hold any longer.
For the prophets do use symbolic names ; but then they are names which they themselves frame. Micah again selects several names of towns, now almost unknown and probably unimportant, in order to impress upon his people some meaning connected with them , but then he does himself so connect it. He does not name it (so to say), leaving it to explain itself. The name Hadrach would be a real name, used symbolically, without anything in the context to show that it is a symbol.
The cities, upon which the burden or heavy prophecy tell, possessed no interest for Israel. Damascus was no longer a hostile power; Hamath had ever been peaceable, and was far away; Tyre and Sidon did not now carry on a trade in Jewish captives. But the Jews knew from Daniel, that the empire, to which they were in subjection, would be overthrown by Greece Dan 8:20-21. When that rapid attack should come, it would be a great consolation to them to know, how they themselves would fare. It was a turning point in their history and the history of the then known world. The prophet describes (see below at Zec 9:8) the circuit, which the conqueror would take around the land which God defended; how the thunder-cloud circled round Judaea, broke irresistibly upon cities more powerful than Jerusalem, but was turned aside from the holy city in going and returning, because God encamped around it.
The selection of the places and of the whole line of country corresponds very exactly to the march of Alexander after the battle of Issus, when Damascus, which Darius had chosen as the strong depository of his wealth, of Persian women of rank, confidential officers and envoys, , was betrayed, but so opened its gates to his general, Parmenio. Zidon, a city renowned for its antiquity and its founders, surrendered freely; Tyre, here specially marked out, was taken after a 7 months siege; Gaza too resisted for 5 months, was taken, and, as it was said, plucked up.
And Damascus shall be the rest thereof – Gods judgment fell first upon Damascus. But the word resting-place is commonly used of quiet peaceful resting, especially as given by God to Israel; of the ark, the token of the Presence of God, after its manifold removals, and of the glorious dwelling-place of the Christ among people . The prophet seems then purposely to have chosen a word of large meaning, which should at once express (as he had before) Zec 6:8, that the word of God should fall heavily on Damascus and yet be its resting-place. Hence, about the time of our Lord, the Jews interpreted this of the coming of the Messiah, that Jerusalem should reach to the gates of Damascus. Since Damascus shall be the place of His rest, but the place of His rest is only the house of the sanctuary, as it is said, This is My rest for ever; here will I dwell. Another added, , All the prophets and all prophesied but of the years of redemption and the days of the Messiah. Damascus, on the conversion of Paul, became the first resting-place of the word of God, the first-fruits of the Gentiles whom the Apostle of the Gentiles gathered from east to west throughout the world.
When (or For) the eyes of man – As (literally, and that is, especially beyond others) of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord. This also implies a conversion of Gentiles, as well as Jews. For man, as contrasted with Israel, must be the pagan world, mankind . The eyes of all must needs look in adoration to God, expecting all good from Him, because the Creator of all provided for the well-being of all, as the Apostle says, Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yea, of the Gentiles also Rom 3:29. Gods time of delivering His people is, when they pray to Him. So Jehoshaphat prayed, O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? For we have no strength against this great company, which is come against us, and we know not what we shall do; but our eyes are on Thee 2Ch 20:12; and the Psalmist says, The eyes of all wait toward Thee; and, toward them that fear Him. Psa 33:18, or in Ezras Chaldee, The eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews Ezr 5:5., or, the eyes of the Lord thy God are upon it (the land), Deu 11:12; but there is no construction like the Lord hath an eye on (obj.) man (as 70: Jonathan, Syr.) The passages, whose eyes are opened upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give etc. Jer 32:19, his eyes behold the nations, are altogether different. The eye of must be construed as his own eye.) as the eyes of servants are unto the hand of their masters, add as the eyes of a maiden are unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are unto the Lord our God, until He have mercy upon us.
For in those days, says a Jew, who represents the traditional interpretation, (Rashi), man shall look to his Creator, and his eyes shall look to the Blessed One, as it was said above, we will go with you, and they shall join themselves, they and their cities, to the cities of Israel. And another; (Kimchi), In those days the eyes of all mankind shall be to the Lord, not to idols or images; therefore the land of Hadrach and Damascus, and the other places near the land of Israel – shall be included among the cities of Judah, and shall be in the faith of Israel.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Zec 9:1-8
The burden of the Word of the Lord
The dark and bright side of God
s revelation to mankind
I.
The dark side of the Divine Word. Notice two things–
1. In this aspect it is here called a burden. The word burden is almost invariably used to represent a calamity. Thus we read of the burden of Babylon, the burden of Moab, the burden of Damascus, the burden of Tyre, the burden of Egypt, etc.
2. In this aspect it bears upon wicked men. The doomed peoples are here mentioned. They are in the land of Hadrach. Whether Hadrach here means the land of Syria or the common names of the kings of Syria, it scarcely matters; the people of the place of which Damascus was the capital were the doomed ones. Besides these, there are the men of Hamath, a country lying to the north of Damascus and joining the districts of Zobah and Rehub. And still more, there are Tyrus and Zidon, places about which we often read in the Bible, and with whose history most students of the Bible are acquainted. Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron, are also mentioned. These were the chief cities of the Philistines, and the capitals of different districts. All these peoples were not only enemies of the chosen tribe, but enemies of the one true and living God. History tells us how, through the bloody conquests of Alexander and his successors, this burden of the Word of the Lord fell with all its weight upon these people. Observe–
(1) That the Bible is heavy with black threatenings to the wicked.
(2) That these black thrcatenings will inevitably be fulfilled.
All the threatenings here against the land of Hadrach, Hamath, Tyrus, Zidon, Gaza, Ekron, Ashkelon, and the Philistines were fulfilled.
II. The bright side of the Divine Word. There is a beam of promise here (Zec 9:7-8). The following is Dr. Keils translation of these verses: And I shall take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth, and he will also remain to our God and will be as a tribe prince in Judah, and Ekron like the Jebusite. I pitch a tent for My house against military power, against those who go to and fro, and no oppressor will pass over them any more, for now have I seen with My eyes. The promise in these words seems to be twofold–
1. The deprivation of the power of the enemy to injure. The Bible promises to the good man the subjection of all his foes.
2. Divine protection from all their enemies. The Bible promises eternal protection to the good. (Homilist.)
Prophetic fulfilments
1. Every fulfilled prophecy is a distinct proof of the truth of the Bible–of its having been given by inspiration of God, Prophecy is a miracle. We generally apply the word miracle to supernatural manifestations of power; but it is equally applicable to supernatural manifestations of knowledge. Knowledge of futurity belongs only to God. Jehovah frequently appeals to such foreknowledge of the future as one of His distinctive attributes. The accomplishment of Divine predictions stands out, incontestably, in the records of ancient history.
2. The true value of the evidences of revelation arises from the value of what is revealed. Were it of trivial importance, that would be itself a strong presumptive proof–almost, indeed, a conclusive one–that what professed to be a revelation had no real title to be so regarded. That which revelation does make known has in it to us a value beyond the powers of man or angel to estimate. It shows unto us the way of salvation. This is its great discovery. It is no mere republication of the lessons of nature. It is not a mere volume of precepts. It does confirm all that nature teaches. It does set before us a perfect code of morals. But it does more: it addresses us not as creatures merely, but as sinners. It makes provision for us in this capacity–for our deliverance from the guilt, condemnation, and punishment of sin, and our restoration to the favour, the image, the enjoyment of God; and that for the eternity of our being. It is this that stamps every proof of the divinity of the Bible with such importance,–every species of evidence, and every variety of each species. The investigation of the evidence is what every man in his sane mind should feel to be the most momentous inquiry in which he can possibly be engaged.
3. The past fulfilment of prophecy should establish our faith in God regarding all that is yet future; and especially our faith in God as still in all His providential administration, having His eye upon the Church. His entire, extensive, and complicated administration is ever working out the development of the plan of salvation.
4. The enemies of God and of His people have cause to tremble. He will not leave either Himself or His people unavenged. He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of His eye. It may at times be difficult to see on which side lies His favour; in seasons when the ungodly prosper in the world, while waters of a full cup are wrung out to the faithful. In such seasons, love seems to be hidden, and even as inverting the order of its manifestations, and tempting the Christian to say–How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? But when the whole comes to be set by God, and seen by men in the light of the final judgment, all will be clear. The distinction, then, between His people and His enemies, will be fully, finally, and irreversibly marked; an everlasting separation made, and the great gulf, fixed between them. (Ralph Wardlaw, D. D.)
National judgments
1. The condition of all men is laid open to the eye of God, and He will appoint judgment or mercy according to that condition (Zec 9:1).
2. Worldly wisdom is at last greatly inferior to that wisdom, the beginning of which is the fear of the Lord (Zec 9:2).
3. However secure nations or men may think themselves in sin, their sin will be sure to find them out. Never has sin more proudly entrenched herself than in godless, but magnificent Tyre. Never has every element of earthly prosperity seemed more completely under control than in her case. And yet they were all swept like chaff before the whirlwind of the wrath of God, when the time for the fulfilment of His threatenings had come. Hence though nations now trample on law and right, and seem long to flourish in their sin, let not the child of God be impatient. Let him remember that two hundred years passed away after the utterance of these threatenings against Tyre, and she seemed stronger than over, and yet when the day of doom had dawned, the galleys that left her on their stated voyages the peerless queen of the seas, when they returned found her but a bare and blackened rock, a lonely monument of the truth, that our God is a consuming fire. If then, God thus executes His threats, even on a mighty commonwealth, in spite of His delay, let not the fact that judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily cause the hearts of the sons of men to be fully set in them to do evil. Let men remember that it is a falsehood to violate a threatening as much as to violate a promise, and that God will not make Himself a liar to save man in his sins (Zec 9:3-7).
4. Amidst all the tumults of nations, the true people of God are safe, being guarded by the arm of Almightiness (Zec 9:8). (T. V. Moore, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER IX
Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine, were conquered by
Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards by Alexander. Some apply the
beginning of this chapter (1-7) to the one event, and some to
the other. The close of the seventh verse relates to the number
of Philistines that should become proselytes to Judaism; (see
Joseph. Antiq. xiv. 15, 4;) and the eighth, to the watchful
providence of God over his temple in those troublesome times.
From this the prophet passes on to that most eminent instance
of God’s goodness to his Church and people, the sending of the
Messiah, with an account of the peaceable tendency and great
extent of his kingdom, 9, 10.
God then declares that he has ratified his covenant with his
people, delivered them from their captivity, and restored them
to favour, 11, 12.
In consequence of this, victory over their enemies is promised
them in large and lofty terms, with every other kind of
prosperity, 13-17.
Judas Maccabeus gained several advantages over the troops of
Antiochus, who was of Grecian or Macedonian descent. But
without excluding these events, it must be allowed that the
terms of this prophecy are much too strong to be confined to
them; their ultimate fulfilment must therefore be referred to
Gospel times.
NOTES ON CHAP. IX
Verse 1. The burden of the word of the Lord] The oracle contained in the word which Jehovah now speaks.
This is a prophecy against Syria, the Philistines, Tyre, and Sidon, which were to be subdued by Alexander the Great. After this the prophet speaks gloriously concerning the coming of Christ, and redemption by him.
Most learned men are of opinion that this and the succeeding chapters are not the work of Zechariah, but rather of Jeremiah; Hosea, or some one before the captivity. It is certain that Zec 11:12-13, is quoted Mt 27:9-10, as the language of Jeremiah the prophet. The first eight chapters appear by the introductory parts to be the prophecies of Zechariah: they stand in connection with each other, are pertinent to the time when they were delivered, are uniform in style and manner, and constitute a regular whole; but the six last chapters are not expressly assigned to Zechariah, and are unconnected with those that precede:-the three first of them are unsuitable in many parts to the time when Zechariah lived; all of them have a more adorned and poetical turn of composition than the eight first chapters, and they manifestly break the unity of the prophetical book.
I conclude, from internal marks, that these three chapters, (Zec 9, Zec 10, Zec 11) were written much earlier than the time of Jeremiah, and before the captivity of the ten tribes. They seem to suit Hosea’s age and manner; but whoever wrote them, their Divine authority is established by the two quotations from them, Zec 9:9; Zec 11:12-13. See below.
The twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth chapters form a distinct prophecy, and were written after the death of Josiah, Zec 12:11; but whether before or after the captivity, and by what prophet, is uncertain, although I incline to think that the author lived before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. See on Zec 13:2-6. They are twice quoted in the New Testament, Zec 12:10; Zec 13:7. –Newcome.
My own opinion is, that these chapters form not only a distinct work, but belong to a different author. If they do not belong to Jeremiah, they form a thirteenth book in the minor prophets, but the inspired writer is unknown.
The land of Hadrach] The valley of Damascus, or a place near to Damascus. Alexander the Great gained possession of Damascus, and took all its treasures; but it was without blood; the city was betrayed to him.
Damascus shall be the rest thereof] The principal part of this calamity shall fall on this city. God’s anger rests on those whom he punishes, Eze 5:13; Eze 16:42; Eze 24:13. And his rod, or his arm, rests upon his enemies, Ps 125:3; Isa 30:23. See Newcome.
When the eye of man] Newcome translates thus:
“For the eye of Jehovah is over man,
And over all the tribes of Israel.”
This is an easy sense, and is followed by the versions.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The burden, i.e. the heavy, sad, and grievous, the menacing prediction of future evils coming upon a people; so burden in prophetic style, Isa 13:1; 15:1; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1, signifieth.
The word; in which from Gods own mouth Zechariah threateneth. This might be read in apposition thus, The burden the word, for when the word of the Lord threateneth sad afflictions, they will come as a heavy burden, which they cannot decline without repentance, nor shake off by their own strength.
Of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who determines what he will do against Israels enemies, and none can alter his purpose.
In, or, on, against, Heb.,
the land of Hadrach; not Messiahs land, as some, nor the land of an idol called Hadrach, i.e. the sun, as others, nor yet the land or countries that lie round about Judea, as others, nor yet is Arabia here meant, as others; but it is the name both of a city in Coelosyria, and here signifieth the country also. This town was not far from Damascus, and about twenty-five miles distant from Bostra, a sea town of Phoenicia, which is not far from Byblos, now called Giblee, or Gibelletto, says my author; no further mention is made of it in Scripture. It was likely all enemy to the Jews, and had sinned therein, and now must account for it and be punished.
And Damascus; chief city of that part of Syria; and whether Abel were slain there or not, or whether that murder gave it the name, or whether the etymology be rightly given, (dam, blood, sack, a bag,) I say not; but it was no friend to Gods people, Isa 7, and here it is threatened among other their enemies: the country is intended here as well as the city.
Shall be the rest thereof; this burden shall lie long as well as heavy on Damascus.
When; rather, for, Heb.
The eyes, Heb. eye: as we read it, it is of some difficult interpretation, but more easy if read, as it may be, thus, for unto the Lord is the eye of man, and of the tribes of Israel; i.e. unto the Lord it belongeth in look to, and by his providence to dispose of, all men as well as of Israel, and all mens appeals in cases of wrong are to Heaven; so they who have been wronged by Syrian injustice look to Heaven for right, and to be avenged, and God will do it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. in . . . Hadrachrather,concerning or against Hadrach (compare Isa21:13). “Burden” means a prophecy BURDENEDwith wrath against the guilty. MAURER,not so well, explains it, What is taken up and uttered, theutterance, a solemn declaration.
Hadracha part ofSyria, near Damascus. As the name is not mentioned in ancienthistories, it probably was the less-used name of a region having twonames (“Hadrach” and “Bikathaven,” Am1:5, Margin); hence it passed into oblivion. An ancientRABBI JOSEis, however, stated to have expressly mentioned it. An Arab, Jos.Abassi, in 1768 also declared to MICHAELISthat there was then a town of that name, and that it was capital ofthe region Hadrach. The name means “enclosed” in Syrian,that is, the west interior part of Syria, enclosed by hills,the Coeliglo-Syria of STRABO[MAURER]. JEROMEconsiders Hadrach to be the metropolis of Coeliglo-Syria, as Damascuswas of the region about that city. HENGSTENBERGregards Hadrach as a symbolical name of Persia, which Zechariahavoids designating by its proper name so as not to offend thegovernment under which he lived. But the context seems to refer tothe Syrian region. GESENIUSthinks that the name is that of a Syrian king, which might moreeasily pass into oblivion than that of a region. Compare the similar”land of Sihon,” Ne 9:22.
Damascus . . . restthereofthat is, the place on which the “burden” ofthe Lord’s wrath shall rest. It shall permanently settle on it untilSyria is utterly prostrate. Fulfilled under Alexander the Great, whoovercame Syria [CURTIUS,Books 3 and 4].
eyes of man, as of all . . .Israel . . . toward the LordThe eyes of men in general, and ofall Israel in particular, through consternation at the victoriousprogress of Alexander, shall be directed to Jehovah. The Jews, whenthreatened by him because of Jaddua the high priest’s refusal toswear fealty to him, prayed earnestly to the Lord, and so weredelivered (2Ch 20:12; Psa 23:2).Typical of the effect of God’s judgments hereafter on all men, andespecially on the Jews in turning them to Him. MAURER,PEMBELLUS and others, lessprobably translate, “The eyes of the Lord are upon man, as theyare upon all Israel,” namely, to punish the ungodly and toprotect His people. He, who has chastised His people, will not failto punish men for their sins severely. The “all,” I think,implies that whereas men’s attention generally (whence “man”is the expression) was directed to Jehovah’s judgments, allIsrael especially looks to Him.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The burden of the word of the Lord,…. A prophecy, as in
Pr 31:1 which is sometimes of things sorrowful and distressing, as the destruction of people, as in Isa 31:1 and sometimes of things joyful, as in Zec 13:1 and here it contains good news to the church of Christ, Zec 9:9, c. and is called a “burden”, because the word of the Lord is often so to carnal men; see Jer 23:33 the words may be rendered, a “declaration”, or “a publication”, of “the word of the Lord” u; it signifies a publishing of it or bringing it forth; and so the Arabic version renders it “a revelation of the word of the Lord”; a carrying of it about: which was made
in the land of Hadrach; this is either the name of a man; of some king, as Aben Ezra observes; and some Jewish writers w say the King Messiah, who is “sharp” to the nations of the world, and “tender” to the Israelites: or rather the name of a place, and may design Syria, to which Damascus belonged; see Isa 7:8 or some place near it: says R. Jose x,
“I am of Damascus, and I call heaven and earth to witness that there is a place there, the name of which is Hadrach.”
Hillerus y takes it to be the same with Coelesyria, or hollow Syria, a vale which lay between Libanus and Antilibanus, and goes by many names; the same that is called Hoba, Ge 14:15 the plain of Aren, and the house of Eden, Am 1:5 and here Hadrach; and thinks it had its name from Hadar, a son of Ishmael, Ge 25:15 and observes what is said, Ge 25:18, that the “Ishmaelites dwelt from Havilah”, which is to the south of Palestine, “unto Shur”, a town situated over against Egypt, “as you go to Assyria”; that is, to the Agra of Ptolemy in Susiana. The Targum renders it
“in the land of the south.”
There was a city in Coelesyria, called Adra by Ptolemy z; which, as Jerom says a, was distant from Bostra twenty five miles; since called the city of Bernard de Stampis; where were Christian churches in the fourth and fifth centuries, whose bishops were present at councils held in those times b; and, according to this prophecy, here the word of the Lord was to be published; and it may have respect to the conversion of the inhabitants of it in future times: though some take it to be not the proper name of a place, but an appellative, and render it, “the land about”, or “the land about thee” c; that is, about Judea; the nations round about it, particularly Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine.
And Damascus [shall be] the rest thereof; either of the Lord himself; his glorious Shechinah shall rest there, as Kimchi interprets it; and so the Targum paraphrases it,
“and Damascus shall be converted, that it may be of the house of his Shechinah;”
see Isa 11:10 or of the word of the Lord, which should be declared and published there, as it was by the Apostle Paul, who was converted near it, and preached in it, Ac 9:3 or of Hadrach, or the adjacent country: unless it is to be understood of the burden of the Lord resting on it, or of the taking of this city in the times of Alexander the great; which, with the destruction of the cities after mentioned, some make a type or symbol of the abolition of Paganism in the Roman empire; but the former sense seems best.
When the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall] be towards the Lord; or, “when the eyes of men shall be to the Lord, and to all the tribes of Israel”; so Kimchi and Ben Melech; that is, as they interpret it, when the eyes of all men shall be to the Lord, and not to their idols; and also to all the tribes of Israel, to go along with them in their ways; as it is said above Zec 8:23, “we will go with you”: or they shall look to the Lord, even as the tribes of Israel themselves do; and which is true of sinners when converted, whether Jews or Gentiles; and particularly was true of that great man, the Apostle Paul, who was converted near Damascus, when the eyes of his understanding being enlightened, and he seeing the insufficiency of all other objects, looked to the Lord alone for pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation; even as all true Israelites do, who are after the Spirit, and not after the flesh. Though some understand these words of the eyes of the Lord being upon every man, as well as upon the tribes of Israel; upon wicked men to punish them, as upon his people to protect and defend them: and to this sense the Targum inclines, paraphrasing the words thus,
“for before the Lord are manifest the works of the children of men, and he is well pleased with all the tribes of Israel.”
u “prolatio verbi Jehovae”, Cocceius. w R. Judah in Jarchi, R. Benaiah in Kimchi in loc. R. Nehemiah in Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 24. 1. x Shirhashirim ib. Siphre in Yalkut Simeoni in loc. y Onomast. sacr. p. 578. z Geograph. l. 5. c. 15. a De locis Hebr. fol. 97. I. b Reland. Palestina Illustrata, l. 3. p. 548. c “in terram circumstantem te”, Junius & Tremellius, Tarnovius “super terram quae te circuit”, Grotius “in terra circa te”, Cocceius; “ad verbum, in terram circuitus tui”, De Dieu.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Judgment upon the Land of Hadrach; and Zion’s King of Peace. – Zec 9:1. The true interpretation of this section, and, in fact, of the whole prophecy, depends upon the explanation to be given to the heading contained in this verse. The whole verse reads thus: “Burden of the word of Jehovah over the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting-place; for Jehovah has an eye upon the men, and upon all the tribes of Israel.” There is a wide divergence of opinion concerning the land of . We need not stop to give any elaborate refutation to the opinion that Hadrach is the name of the Messiah (as some Rabbins suppose), or that it is the name of an unknown Syrian king (Ges., Bleek), or of an Assyrian fire-god, Adar or Asar (Movers), or of a deity of Eastern Aramaea (Babylonia), as Hitzig maintained, since there is no trace whatever of the existence of such a king or deity; and even Hitzig himself has relinquished his own conjecture. And the view defended by J. D. Mich. and Rosenmller, that Hadrach is the name of an ancient city, situated not far from Damascus, is destitute of any tenable basis, since Hengstenberg ( Christol. iii. p. 372, transl.) has proved that the historical testimonies adduced in support of this rest upon some confusion with the ancient Arabian city of Dra, Adra, the biblical Edrei (Deu 1:4). As the name Hadrach or Chadrach never occurs again, and yet a city which gives its name to a land, and occurs in connection with Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, and Sidon, could not possibly have vanished so completely, that even the earlier Jewish and Christian commentators heard nothing of it, Chadrach can only be a symbolical name formed by the prophet himself (as Jerome maintained, according to a Jewish tradition), from chad, acris, sharp, brave, ready for war (in Arabic, hdd , vehemens fuit, durus in ira, pugna ), and rakh , soft, tender, in the sense of sharp-soft, or strong-tender, after the analogy of the symbolical names. Dumah for Edom, in Isa 21:11; Sheshach for Babylon, in Jer 25:26; Jer 51:41; Ariel for Jerusalem, in Isa 29:1-2, Isa 29:7. This view can no more be upset by the objection of Koehler, that the interpretation of the name is a disputed point among the commentators, and that it is doubtful why the prophet should have chosen such a symbolical epithet, than by the circumstance that the rabbinical interpretation of the word as a name for the Messiah is evidently false, and has long ago been given up by the Christian commentators. That Hadrach denotes a land or kingdom, is raised above all reach of doubt by the fact that ‘erets (the land) is placed before it. But what land? The statement in the following sentence by no means compels us to think of a province of Syria, as Hitzig, Koehler, and others suppose. As the cities and lands which follow are quoted under their ordinary names, it is impossible to imagine any reason for the choice of a symbolical name for another district of Syria bordering upon Damascus and Hamath. The symbolical name rather points to the fact that the land of Hadrach denotes a territory, of which Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia formed the several parts. And this is favoured by the circumstance that the words, “Burden of the word of Jehovah upon the land of Hadrach,” form the heading to the oracle, in which the preposition is used as in the expression in Isa 21:13, and is to be explained from the phrase in Isa 9:7: The burdensome word falls, descends upon the land of Hadrach. The remark of Koehler in opposition to this, to the effect that these words are not a heading, but form the commencement of the exposition of the word of Jehovah through the prophet, inasmuch as the following clause is appended with , is quite groundless. The clause in Isa 14:28, “In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden,” is also a heading; and the assertion that the before is not a explic., but an actual conjunct., rests upon the assumption that the cities and lands mentioned in the course of this prophecy have not already been all embraced by the expression – an assumption which has not been sustained by any proofs. On the contrary, the fact that not only is Damascus mentioned as the resting-place of the word of Jehovah, but Hamath and also the capitals of Phoenicia and Philistia are appended, proves the very opposite. This evidently implies that the burden resting upon the land of Hadrach will affect all these cities and lands.
The exposition of the burden announced upon the land of Hadrach commences with . This is attached to the heading with Vav, because, so far as the sense is concerned, massa’ is equivalent to “it presses as a burden.” The exposition, however, is restricted, so far as Damascus and Hamath are concerned, to the simple remark that the burdensome word upon Hadrach will rest upon it, i.e., will settle permanently upon it. (The suffix in refers to .) It is only with the lands which stood in a closer relation to Judah, viz., Tyre, Sidon, and the provinces of Philistia, that it assumes the form of a specially prophetic description. The contents of the heading are sustained by the thought in the second hemistich: “Jehovah has an eye upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel.” with the genit. obj. signifies the rest of mankind, i.e., the heathen world, as in Jer 32:20, where “Israel” and “men” are opposed to one another. The explanatory clause, according to which the burden of Jehovah falls upon the land of Hadrach, and rests upon Damascus, because the eyes of Jehovah looks upon mankind and all the tribes of Israel, i.e., His providence stretches over the heathen world as well as over Israel, is quite sufficient in itself to overthrow the assumption of Hofmann and Koehler, that by the land of Hadrach we are to understand the land of Israel. For if the explanatory clause were understood as signifying that the burden, i.e., the judgment, would not only fall upon Hamath as the representative of the human race outside the limits of Israel, but also upon the land of Hadrach as the land of all the tribes of Israel, this view would be precluded not only by the circumstance that in what follows heathen nations alone are mentioned as the objects of the judgment, whereas salvation and peace are proclaimed to Israel, but also by the fact that no ground whatever can be discovered for the application of so mysterious an epithet to the land of Israel. According to Hofmann ( Schriftb. ii. 2, p. 604), signifies the whole of the territory of the kingdom of David, which is so called as “the land of Israel, which, though weak in itself, was, through the strength of God, as sharp as a warrior’s sword.” But if a judgment of destruction, which Hofmann finds in our prophecy, were announced “to all the nations dwelling within the bounds of what was once the Davidic kingdom,” the judgment would fall upon Israel in the same way as upon the heathen nations that are named, since the tribes of Israel formed the kernel of the nations who dwelt in what was once the Davidic kingdom, and Israel would therefore show itself as a sharp-soft people. Hence Koehler has modified this view, and supposes that only the heathen dwelling within the limits of the nation of the twelve tribes are threatened with Jehovah’s judgment, – namely, all the heathen within the land which Jehovah promised to His people on their taking possession of Canaan (Num 34:1-12). But apart from the unfounded assumption that Hadrach is the name of a district of Syria on the border of Damascus and Hamath, this loophole is closed by the fact that, according to Num 34:1., Hamath and Damascus are not included in the possession promised to Israel. According to Num 34:8, the northern boundary of the land of Israel was to extend to Hamath, i.e., to the territory of the kingdom of Hamath, and Damascus is very far beyond the eastern boundary of the territory assigned to the Israelites (see the exposition of Num 34:1-12). Now, if the land of Hadrach, Damascus, and Hamath were not within the ideal boundaries of Israel, and if Hamath and Hadrach did not belong to the Israelitish kingdom in the time of David, the other lands or cities mentioned in our oracle cannot be threatened with the judgment on account of their lying within the Mosaic boundaries of the land of Israel, or being subject to the Israelites for a time, but can only come into consideration as enemies of Israel whose might was to be threatened and destroyed by the judgment. Consequently the land of Hadrach must denote a land hostile to the covenant nation or the kingdom of God, and can only be a symbolical epithet descriptive of the Medo-Persian empire, which is called sharp-soft or strong-weak on account of its inwardly divided character, as Hengstenberg and Kliefoth assume. Now, however difficult it may be satisfactorily to explain the reason why Zechariah chose this symbolical name for the Medo-Persian monarchy, so much is certain, that the choice of a figurative name was much more suitable in the case of the dominant empire of that time, than in that of any small country on the border of Damascus or Hamath. All the cities and land enumerated after “the land of Hadrach,” as losing their glory at the same time, belonged to the Medo-Persian monarchy. Of these the prophet simply refers to Damascus and Hamath in general terms; and it is only in the case of the Phoenician and Philistian cities that he proceeds to a special description of their fall from their lofty eminence, because they stood nearest to the kingdom of Israel, and represented the might of the kingdom of the world, and its hostility to the kingdom of God, partly in the worldly development of their own might, and partly in their hostility to the covenant nation. The description is an individualizing one throughout, exemplifying general facts by particular cities. This is also evident from the announcement of salvation for Zion in Zec 9:8-10, from which we may see that the overthrow of the nations hostile to Israel stands in intimate connection with the establishment of the Messianic kingdom; and it is also confirmed by the second half of our chapter, where the conquest of the imperial power by the people of God is set forth in the victories of Judah and Ephraim over the sons of Javan. That the several peoples and cities mentioned by name are simply introduced as representatives of the imperial power, is evident from the distinction made in this verse between (the rest of) mankind and all the tribes of Israel.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Prophecy against Syria; Prophecy against the Enemies of Israel; Judgments and Mercies. | B. C. 510. |
1 The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD. 2 And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise. 3 And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. 4 Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. 5 Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. 6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. 8 And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
After the precious promises we had in the foregoing chapter of favour to God’s people, their persecutors, who hated them, come to be reckoned with, those particularly that bordered close upon them.
I. The Syrians had been bad neighbours to Israel, and God had a controversy with them. The word of the Lord shall be a burden in the land of Hadrach, that is, of Syria, but it does not appear why it was so called. That that kingdom is meant is plain, because Damascus, the metropolis of that kingdom, is said to be the rest of this burden; that is, the judgments here threatened shall light and lie upon that city. Those are miserable upon whom the burden of the word of the Lord rests, upon whom the wrath of God abides (John iii. 36); for it is a weight that they can neither shake off nor bear up under. There are those whom God causes his fury to rest upon. Those whom the wrath of God makes its mark it will be sure to hit; those whom it makes its rest it will be sure to sink. And the reason of this burden’s resting on Damascus is because the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel (or rather, even of all the tribes of Israel), are towards the Lord, because the people of God by faith and prayer look up to him for succour and relief and depend upon him to take their part against their enemies. Note, It is a sign that God is about to appear remarkably for his people when he raises their believing expectations from him and dependence upon him, and when by his grace he turns them from idols to himself. Isa 17:7; Isa 17:8, At that day shall a man look to his Maker. It may be read thus, for the Lord has an eye upon man, and upon all the tribes of Israel; he is King of nations as well as King of saints; he governs the world as well as the church, and therefore will punish the sins of other people as well as those of his own people. God is Judge of all, and therefore all must give account of themselves to him. When St. Paul was converted at Damascus, and preached there, and disputed with the Jews, then the word of the Lord might be said to rest there, and then the eyes of men, of other men besides the tribes of Israel, began to be towards the Lord; see Acts ix. 22. Hamath, a country which lay north of Damascus, and which we often read of, shall border thereby (v. 2); it joins to Syria, and shall share in the burden of the word of the Lord that rests upon Damascus. The Jews have a proverb, Woe to the wicked man, and woe to his neighbour, who is in danger of partaking in his sins and in his plagues. Woe to the land of Hadrach, and woe to Hamath that borders thereby.
II. Tyre and Zidon come next to be called to an account here, as in other prophecies, v. 2-4. Observe here,
1. Tyrus flourishing, thinking herself very safe, and ready to set God’s judgments, not only at a distance, but at defiance: for, (1.) She is very wise. It is spoken ironically; she thinks herself very wise, and able to outwit even the wisdom of God. It is granted that her king is a great politician, and that her statesmen are so, Ezek. xxviii. 3. But with all their wit and policy they shall not be able to evade the judgments of God when they come with commission; there is no wisdom nor counsel against the Lord; nay, it is his honour to take the wise in their own craftiness. (2.) She is very strong, and well fortified both by nature and art: Tyrus did build herself a strong-hold, which she thought could never be brought down nor got over. (3.) She is very rich; and money is a defence; it is the sinews of war, Eccl. vii. 12. By her vast trade she has heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets, that is, she has an abundance of them, heaps of silver as common as heaps of sand, Job xxvii. 16. Solomon made silver to be in Jerusalem as the stones of the streets; but Tyre went further, and made fine gold to be as the mire of the streets. It were well if we could all learn so to look upon it, in comparison with the merchandise of wisdom and grace and the gains thereof.
2. Tyrus falling, after all. Her wisdom, and wealth, and strength, shall not be able to secure her (v. 4): The Lord will cast her out of that strong-hold wherein she has fortified herself, will make her poor (so some read it); there have been instances of those that have fallen from the height of plenty to the depth of poverty, and great riches have come to nothing. God will smite her power in the sea; her being surrounded by the water shall not secure her, but she shall be devoured with fire, and burnt down to the ground. Tyrus, being seated in the midst of the water, was, one would have thought, in danger of being some time or other overflowed or washed away by that; yet God chooses to destroy it by the contrary element. Sometimes he brings ruin upon his enemies by those means which they least suspect. Water enough was nigh at hand to quench the flames of Tyre, and yet by them she shall be devoured; for who can put out the fire which the breath of the Almighty blows up?
III. God next contends with the Philistines, with their great cities and great lords, that bordered southward upon Israel.
1. They shall be alarmed and affrighted by the word of the Lord lighting and resting upon Damascus (v. 5); the disgraces of Israel had many a time been published in the streets of Ashkelon, and they had triumphed in them; but now Ashkelon shall see the ruin of her friends and allies, and shall fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron, concluding that their own turns come next, now that the cup of trembling goes round. What will become of their house when their neighbour’s is on fire? They had looked upon Tyre and Zidon as a barrier to their country; but, when those strong cities were ruined, their expectations from them were ashamed, as our expectation from all creatures will be in the issue.
2. They shall themselves be ruined and wasted. (1.) The government shall be dissolved: The king shall perish from Gaza, not only the present king shall be cut off, but there shall be no succession, no successor, (2.) The cities shall be dispeopled: Ashkelon shall not be inhabited; the rightful owners shall be expelled, either slain or carried into captivity. (3.) Foreigners shall take possession of their land and become masters of all its wealth (v. 6): A bastard shall dwell in Ashdod; a spurious brood of strangers shall enter upon the inheritances of the natives, which they have no more right to than a bastard has to the estates of the legitimate children. And thus God will cut off the pride of the Philistines, all the strength and wealth which they prided themselves in, and which were the ground of their confidence in themselves and their contempt of the Israel of God. This prophecy of the destruction of the Philistines, and of Damascus, and Tyre, was accomplished, not long after this, by Alexander the Great, who ravaged all these countries with his victorious army, took the cities, and planted colonies in them, which Quintus Curtius gives a particular account of in the history of his conquests. And some think he is meant by the bastard that shall dwell in Ashdod, for his mother Olympia owned him begotten in adultery, but pretended it was by Jupiter. The Jews afterwards got ground of the Philistines, Syrians, and others of their neighbours, took some of their cities from them and possessed their countries, as appears by the histories of Josephus and the Maccabees, and this was foretold before, Zep 2:4; Oba 1:20.
3. Some among them shall be converted, and brought home to God, by his gospel and grace; so some understand v. 7, as a promise, (1.) That God would take away the sins of these nations–their blood and their abominations, their cruelties and their idolatries. God will part between them and these sins which they have rolled under their tongue as a sweet morsel, and are as loth to part with as men are to part with the meat out of their mouths, and which they hold fast between their teeth. Nothing is too hard for the grace of God to do. (2.) That he would accept of a remnant of them for his own: He that remains shall be for our God. God would preserve a remnant even of these nations, that should be the monuments of his mercy and grace and be set apart for him; and the disadvantages of their birth shall be no bar to their acceptance with God, but a Philistine shall be as acceptable to God, upon gospel-terms, as one of Judah, nay, as a governor, or chief one, in Judah, and a man of Ekron shall be as a Jebusite, or a man of Jerusalem, as a proselyted Jebusite, as Araunah the Jebusite, 2 Sam. xxiv. 16. In Christ Jesus there is no distinction of nations, but all are one in him, all alike welcome to him.
IV. In all this God intends mercy for Israel, and it is in kindness to them that God will deal thus with the neighbouring nations, to avenge their quarrel for what is past and to secure them for the future.
1. Thus some understand the seventh verse, as intimating, (1.) That thus God would deliver his people from their bloody adversaries, who hated them, and to whom they were an abomination, when they were just ready to devour them and make a prey of them: I will take away his blood (that is, the blood of Israel) out of the mouth of the Philistines and from between their teeth (Amos iii. 12), when, in their hatred of them and enmity to them, they were greedily devouring them. (2.) That lie would thus give them victory and dominion over them: And he that remains (that is, the remnant of Israel) shall be for our God, shall be taken into his favour, shall own him and be owned by him, and he shall be as a governor in Judah; though the Jews have been long in servitude, they shall recover their ancient dignity, and be victorious, as David and other governors in Judah formerly were; and Ekron (that is, the Philistines) shall be as the Jebusites, and the rest of the devoted nations, who were brought into subjection under them.
2. However, this is plainly the sense of v. 8, that God will take his people under his special protection, and therefore will weaken their neighbours, that it may not be in their power to do them a mischief: I will encamp about my house because of the army. Note, God’s house lies in the midst of an enemy’s country, and his church is as a lily among thorns; and therefore God’s power and goodness are to be observed in the special preservation of it. The camp of the saints, being a little flock in comparison with the numerous armies of the powers of darkness that are set against it round about, would certainly be swallowed up if the angels of God did not encamp about it, as they did about Elisha, to deliver it, Rev 20:9; Psa 34:7. When the times are unusually perilous, when armies are marching and counter-marching, and all bearing ill-will to Zion, then Providence will as it were double its guards upon the church of God, because of him that passes by and because of him that returns, that whether he return a conqueror or conquered he may do it no harm. And, as none that pass by shall hurt them, so no oppressor shall pass through them any more; they shall have no enemy within themselves to rule them with rigour, and to make their lives bitter to them with sore bondage, as of old in Egypt. This was fulfilled when, for some time after the struggles of the Maccabees, Judea was a free and flourishing state, or perhaps when Alexander the Great, struck with an awe of Jaddus the high priest, favoured the Jews, and took them under his protection, at the same time when he wasted the neighbouring countries. And the reason given for all this is, “For now have I seen with my eyes, now have I carefully distinguished between my people and other people, with whom before they seemed to have their lot in common, and have made it to appear that I know those that are mine,” This agrees with Ps. xxxiv. 15, The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous; now his eyes, which run to and fro through the earth, shall fix upon them, that he may show himself tender of them, and strong on their behalf, 2 Chron. xvi. 9.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
ZECHARIAH – CHAPTER 9
THE BURDEN ON CITIES OF PALESTINE
Verses 1-8:
The Burdened Cities Named
Verse 1 describes the burden or wrath of the Lord against Hadrach, a part of Syria near Damascus. And Damascus is named at the city on which the “burden” or weight of God’s wrath shall rest, until Syria is completely prostrate, Amo 1:3. It shall be a time when the eyes of men in general, and all Israel especially, shall be turned toward Jehovah, as described 2Ch 20:12; Psa 123:2; Isa 17:7-8; Isa 45:20; Isa 45:22; Isa 52:10; Jer 32:20.
Verse 2 lists three further cities, Hamath that borders near Hadrach, adjoining Damascus, Jer 49:23; and Tyrus and Zidon as cities that are receivers of God’s burden of wrath, Amo 1:9; Oba 1:10. Though Zidon was very wise as the older city, in her own eyes, building a strong hold and heaping up gold and silver, Eze 28:3-5; Eze 28:12; Eze 28:17. Yet with all her wisdom she could not avert her doom under Alexander, Jeremiah ch. 33.
Verse 3 declared that Tyrus too built herself a stronghold and heaped up or accumulated silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of streets, so plentiful and abundant. The new Tyre was located some 700 paces from the shore on an island from old Tyre or Zidon, Eze 28:3-17. It had a seemingly impregnable double wall 150 feet high around it, as well as the sea. Yet she was not so secure that the burden of God’s wrath would not fall upon her.
Verse 4 asserts however that the Lord will cast her out, dispossess, smite, or destroy her power in the sea, both her fortifications and her fleets at sea, Eze 26:4; Eze 26:12; Eze 27:27. Alexander conquered her, after a 7 month siege, by laying a road from the shore to the island, slew 8,000 of the people with the sword, took 13,000 as slaves, crucified 2,000 and burned the city with fire as here foretold, Eze 26:17; Eze 28:2.
Verse 5 declares that Ashkelon should see Tyre’s fall and fear, Zep 2:4; and Gaza should behold it in sorrow, with awe, Act 8:26 And Ekron, the farthest north of the Palestine cities, for her expectation, or belief in Tyre, should see her fall and be ashamed, put to shame and fear. It is then asserted that the king of Gaza should perish as Alexander the Great swept down through Palestine. After a 2 month seige of Gaza 10,000 of its people were slain and the rest sold for slaves. Only Gath, the inland city, from the army’s march, was left out.
Verse 6 foretold that a bastard, a foreigner, not the rightful heir, a vile and low person, should dwell in or inhabit Ashdod, another city with the burden of God’s wrath. Because of such, the speech of the people were unintelligible to the Jews, Neh 13:24. The people of Ashdod became a distinct people who joined with the Arabians against Judah, Neh 4:7.
Verse 7 warns that the Lord will rescue His people out of the bloody hands of their enemies, the Philistines. Taking blood out of the mouth, which heathen often drank, of the ruler of Ashdod, alludes to blood, as forbidden as food, Gen 9:4; Lev 7:26; Act 15:20. In a similar sense, He would take His people from the bloody jaws of the Philistines who were an abomination to Him, because of their idolatry, Numbers 25; Numbers 2; Act 15:29; 1Co 10:19. He who remains in the land shall be converted to the Lord, even the stranger, and Philistines, Isa 56:3; Isa 56:8; Luk 4:17; Act 21:3-4. The ruler of that city, in that day, shall be as a governor in Judah, with dignity. And Ekron shall be governed by one accepted of the Lord as a Jebusite, who originally ruled in Jerusalem, and who were conquered and incorporated with the Jews under David, 2Sa 24:16; 1Ki 9:20-21.
Verse 8 is a pledge that the Lord will camp about (protect) His house of the Jews, because of the army, to see that His people complete the rebuilding of the temple, because of those who came and went, Psa 34:7; Who watched for the outcome of the temple construction. They are assured the oppressor will pass through them to destroy them no more, alluding to the time of the kingdom age, for He had seen His people’s labors, with His own eyes, Isa 60:8; Eze 28:24; Exo 3:7; Exo 2:25.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
One thing had escaped my notice in the words of the Prophet — that great people and strong nations would come. We have said that “great” rather than “many” ought to be adopted. The latter meaning may indeed be allowed that the worshipers of God would come from various cities; but as the word עצומים, otsumim properly signifies strong, and as it is certain that the Prophet means the same thing by the two words, it is more probable that he speaks of strong and valiant people, as they are not so easily subdued; for the more any one excels in prowess, the more stiff is his neck to undertake the yoke. As then the strong and the brave, and such as are eminent in the world, are not so easily brought to submit to God, the Prophet expressly says, that they shall become teachable, and be made willing, so that pride, as it is usually the case, shall not be a hindrance to them. (93)
I come now to the passage in which the Prophet announces a heavy burden, or a severe and fearful prophecy respecting Syria and other neighboring nations. I prefer to retain the word “burden,” rather than to render it prophecy, as many expositors have done; for though משא, mesha, is sometimes taken simply for prophecy, yet there is here, as it appears to me, something particular intended; for the Prophet denounces God’s judgment both on Syria and on the surrounding countries, and the word prophecy is not suitable; for to say “the prophecy of the word,” would be strange and without meaning. But when he says, The burden of the word of God, the sentence is full, and flows well; for he reminds us that his word would not be ineffectual, but full of effect, as it would lie as a burden on Syria and on other countries, which they should not be able to shake off. The burden then of the word of Jehovah; that is, “I have now a prediction which will be grievous and severe to those heathens who now disturb the Jews, the chosen people.”
But this doctrine contains consolation to the godly; for they may hence know that they are safe under God’s protection, as he carries on war with their enemies; nay, his vengeance was now prepared against all those who harassed the Jews. As then he had before promised that incredible favor of God which we have noticed, so now he declares that the Church would be safe under the protection of God, inasmuch as vengeance was in readiness for all the ungodly.
But the Prophet mentions here only the cities known to the Jews, for it was enough to refer to them as an example, that the Jews might hence conclude that God would be always the protector of his Church, so that no enemies shall escape unpunished. The Prophet then no doubt mentioned these few cities to the Jews, that they might feel assured that nothing is so strong and impetuous in the world which God cannot easily subdue and lay prostrate. Now as we apprehend the Prophet’s object, we shall come to the words.
Some think that the word חדרך, chedrak, includes the whole of Syria, which seems to me probable. Others suppose that some notable city is meant, as Damascus is immediately subjoined. But as the matter is uncertain, and as there is no doubt but that the Prophet speaks of the kingdom of Syria, I will not contest the point. Be it then the name of a city or of a country, (94) it is all the same, for the Prophet means that the vengeance of God was impending over the Syrians, and impending in such a manner, that it would not depart from them until they were wholly destroyed. For when he adds that its rest would be Damascus, he intimates that God’s judgment would not be like a storm, which soon passes away, but that it would be a heavy and burdensome mass, which could not be dissipated, according to what Isaiah says —
“
The word came on Jacob and fell on Israel;” (Isa 8:9😉
that is, what God pronounced against Jacob fell on Israel. He indeed changes the name, but it is the same as though he had said — “When God shall punish Jacob, can the Israelites escape?” for they were the same. The sentence then shall fall, that is, it shall find its own place: in vain will they run here and there to escape. The Jews then will gain nothing by their flight; for the vengeance now denounced by the Lord shall lay hold on them. So also in this place he says, the burden of the word of Jehovah on the land of Chadrak and Damascus, the royal city, the metropolis, shall be its rest, its dwelling; for the Lord’s vengeance will fix its station there, and it cannot be thence removed. In vain then will the Syrians try in various ways to escape, for they must be pressed down by God’s hand, until they be laid prostrate. We now then understand in what sense the Prophet says that Damascus would be the rest, the habitation, or the abode of God’s vengeance.
He afterwards adds, For to Jehovah the eye of man. The particle כי, ki is to be taken here, I think, as an adverb of time, “When”. There is indeed in reality but little difference, except that the common rendering of it greatly obscures the meaning of the Prophet. But if it be taken as an adverb of time, the passage will read better, When the eye of man shall be to Jehovah, and of all the tribes of Israel; that is, when the Jews shall begin to turn to God without any dissimulation, but with real sincerity; then he says, God will in every way bless them, and raise up his hand against their enemies. The Prophet had before exhorted the Jews to repentance; for they had been too much given to sacrifices and fastings, while no integrity existed among them. So also he shows again that their hypocrisy was an hindrance, which prevented God to manifest his favor to them; and thus he reminds them, that the gate would be opened, and the way made plain and even for God’s favor and blessings, whenever they raised their eyes to him, that is, whenever they derived their hopes from him, and fixed on him their dependence. For to direct the eyes to God is nothing else than to look to him so as to fix on him all our thoughts. Some understand by “man” all mortals, but of this I approve not; nor do I doubt but that the Prophet refers to the Jews alone; and doubtless it is not consistent with the context to regard any but the Jews. It is indeed true, that the Prophet speaks here of the calling of the Gentiles, but so as to begin with the Jews; for as they were the first-born, so it was necessary for them to have the precedence. The Prophet then here declares that God would be glorious in his chosen people, and would lay prostrate all the bordering enemies. Then the eye of man signifies the same as the eye of the whole people; as though he had said, that after the Jews had begun to lay aside all dissimulation and devoted themselves to God, and cast all their hopes on him, they would then find God sufficiently powerful to lay in the dust all their enemies.
But he afterwards adds, by way of explanation, and of all the tribes of Israel. Some give this rendering, “How much more,” as though the Prophet reasoned here from the less to the greater. But, as I have already said, this cannot be maintained. First, this explanation is strained, “The eye of man, and especially of all the tribes of Israel;” for the Jews ought to have had the first place: and secondly, the particle waw has no amplifying sense. In short, he intended by a small particle to show that precedence belonged to the Jews. I do not then understand what they mean, who would include all nations in the word “man,” and then regard the Prophet as proceeding to mention the tribes of Israel. Now what I have stated, that the true servants of God were then few, is probable enough; hence the Prophet here exhorts the whole people to a union in religion. Whenever then the whole tribes of Israel directed their eyes to God, the burden of his word would then come upon Damascus and all the Syrians. (95)
(93) There seems to be no good reason for considering the two adjectives as describing the same thing. On the contrary, the reverse is most probable. Their number as well as their character is evidently here set forth; they were “many,” and “strong,” or mighty or powerful. The Septuagint and Jerome render the word “many,” and so do most interpreters. — Ed.
(94) Blayney thinks it to be the name of a Syrian king, and so does Henderson. The former quotes Josephus, who calls Rehob, in 2Sa 8:3, [ Λραχος ]. This prince reigned over a part of Syria called Zobah. If this be admitted, then the three chief kingdoms of Syria are here named — Zobah, Damascus, and Hamath. But Henderson is disposed to think that it is a corruption of the word [ חרר ], the common name of the kings of Syria. — Ed.
(95) This sentence is one of some difficulty. The Septuagint, the Targum, the Syriac, and the Arabic versions, give this meaning, — that Jehovah sees, i.e., observes, and therefore judges, all men, as well as the ten tribes of Israel: and this is the view taken by Grotius, Piscator, Marckius, Dathius, and Newcome. The version of the last is, —
For the eye of Jehovah over man, And over all the tribes of Israel.
Literally it is,
For to Jehovah (belongs) the eye ( i.e. the seeing) of man And of all the tribes of Israel.
The “eye” here is supposed to be put for the capacity of seeing, and is rendered by some “spectator — the beholder,” or judge,—”For it belongs to Jehovah to be the beholder or the eyer of man,” or of mankind, “and of all the tribes of Israel.”
But Kimchi, Blayney, and Henderson agree in the view of Calvin and of our version. The former meaning seems most suitable to the context, as a reason is given for God’s judgments on the surrounding Gentiles, for he observes the conduct of man in general as well as of the tribes of Israel: it is a declaration that his providence extends over all mankind. The paraphrase of Dathius is, “For Jehovah by his providence governs all men as well as the tribes of Israel.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
FASTING CAPTIVES TURNED INTO FEASTING CONQUERORS
Zec 7:1 to Zec 10:12.
IN the fourth year of king Darius * * in the fourth day of the ninth month * * Zechariah received another Word from the Lord. It was in consequence of a visit of representative men from the captivity. Sherezer, prefect of the treasury, and Regemmelech, the kings official, and associates, came to pray before the Lord, and to speak unto the priests which were in the House of the Lord of Hosts, and to the Prophets, saying, (for Israel) Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?
You will remember that back in Deu 17:9 it is made the business of the priests and Levites to determine matters of law,the sentence being
And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall he in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:
And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee (Deu 17:9-10).
The letter of the Law was known to these men, and proceeding according to its suggestion they raised this question of the fasts.
The tenth day of the fifth month was kept a fast in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah says,
Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadneezar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
And burned the House of the Lord, and the kings house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:
And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.
Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude (Jer 32:12-15).
But the Temple is now being restored. In view of this blessing from above, they wonder whether the fast which had commemorated the sad event should be continued. The greater portion of the seventh and eighth chapters of Zechariah are in answer to this question.
But let me speak a word before giving ourselves to further study. Be it understood that there are fasts and fasts: fasts that are meaningless; and fasts that are full of meaning: fasts that deny the body but infill the Spirit; and fasts that profit neither body nor spirit. If one is to take a large view of the subject of fasts, he must collate the Scriptures relating to it, and then he will find that there is a fast appointed of God, associated with prayer, and from which blessing always comes; from the experience of which men have always received power. Jesus fasted and prayed. Jesus declared with reference to the disposition of the boy at the foot of the mount of transfiguration, that His disciples had failed because they were not living in the atmosphere of fasting and prayer,the atmosphere of power. Days set apart by direction of a ruler for fasting and prayer, or days that came in commemoration of some sad event, are almost sure, in the process of time, to descend into a mere ceremony. But when the individual is led by the Spirit of God to do the same, or when the Church finds itself ready for ten days in the upper room; or a nation, realizing its doom, sits in sackcloth and ashes, as did Nineveh, then God will visit that man, the Holy Spirit will descend upon that church, and the Eternal One will repent the evil He thought to do that nation, and judgment will give place to mercy.
But the question of this committee involves
THE FORMAL FAST
Hear what God has to say concerning it. First of all He affirms:
It was selfishly rendered!
Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me?
And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? (Zec 7:5-6).
One can hardly read these words of Zechariah without being reminded of the way Lenten season is kept by certain of our own country. Church members, who are also society leaders, are often heard to express their pleasure in its near approach. It will give them a chance to rest awhile from the dance, the theater, the card-table, and so far recuperate themselves, body and mind, that when the season is over they can enter upon it all again with increased zest; and yet they call their Lenten-behavior Christianity.
Dr. Herrick, in his volume Some Heretics of Yesterday speaks of Savonarolas time as a period in which Art achieved its more brilliant triumphs and religion fell into its dreariest formalisms. But as to the formalism, the fifteenth century-professors of religion find kith and kin in twentieth century ceremonialists.
This fast was also associated with commercial sins. Evidently from verses nine and ten they had come to regard fast-keeping as in lieu of true judgment, kindness, compassion. As far back as Isaiahs time God had found this to be true, and by the mouth of that Prophet He makes His apostate people to say,
Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and Thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down His head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and cm acceptable day to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity:
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
And the Lord shall guide thee continually (Isa 58:3-11).
Recently one of our religious newspapers reported an instance of a well-to-do deacon in Connecticut, whose pastor said, Poor widow Greens wood is out; can you take her a cord? Yes, answered the deacon, but who will pay me for it? I will pay you for it, said the pastor, on condition you will read the first three verses of the forty-first Psalm before you retire tonight.
The deacon consented, delivered the wood, and at night opened the Word of God and read,
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness? (Psa 41:1-3).
When, afterwards, the pastor asked him for his bill, the deacon replied, No bill for you. I cant afford to part with those promises. I didnt know they were there.
So it would seem the people of Zechariahs time had forgotten the promises God had associated with true judgment, kindness, compassion, and had also forgotten the curse against them that oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, the poor, or devise evil in the heart against ones brother.
Their fasts did not save them from unfaithfulness.
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
Yea, they made their Hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the Law, and the Words which the Lord of Hosts hath sent in His Spirit by the former Prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of Hosts (Zec 7:11-12).
A dull ear, a shrinking shoulder, a heart of stone; what a picture of apostasy! You will remember that when Stephen had addressed the Jews concerning Jesus they were cut to the heart. They cried out, with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord. Their fathers before them had stopped their ears and, with one accord, rushed away from God. They had withdrawn their shoulders from His service as the untamed ox draws away from yoke and bow. They had made their hearts as hard as the stones with which their successors slew Stephen.
A dull ear, an unwilling shoulder, a hard heart; how often these go together! How surely up-to-date is this description! How shall we be saved from this awful estate? A dull ear, an unwilling shoulder, a hard heart; who of us has not found himself cursed with one, or all of these? How shall he correct it?
Mark Guy Pearse found a man who talked to him on the subject of holiness, saying, I do wish I could find it. Find it! Pearse replied. You mean find Him. When you have Jesus you will have holiness. Ah, yes, and when we find Him we find our hearing. When we find Him we find willing shoulders. When we find Him we find hearts of flesh! If we are to overcome we must open the heart and let the King come in, that He may convert the barren place into a paradise, beautiful and fruitful.
THE FINISHED TEMPLE
The Prophet passes from the subject of Fasts to the finishing of the Temple. God declares His jealousy for Zion; His purpose to return unto her and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
The Temple is Gods dwelling-place. In Solomons day the Lord said of the Temple built with hands, I have hallowed this House, which thou hast built, to put My Name there for ever; and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually (1Ki 9:3). And when Jesus came and preached the great truth that God was to be worshiped wherever man sought Him in spirit, He did not abolish temple-residence; for now believers are the temple of the Most High. When God came into that ancient Temple made with hands His presence was manifested, and it was a glorious day for Israel when the Shekinah glory was seen above the Ark of the Covenant. When that Presence was taken from them, Zion was desolate indeed. It is impossible for the Gentile convert to know what it means to hear the promise, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And yet, it meant much the same to Israel that the re-visitation of Gods Spirit is to a soul which has long been out of communion, or to a Church, long barren.
We have prayed the prayer of David,Restore unto [us] the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold [us] with Thy free spirit, and watched with eagerness for Gods answer, but not more eagerly than these ancient people watched for the re-appearance of the Shekinah glory. To get their House erected and have Jehovah come into it, that indeed was among their highest hopes. Should it not be so with us? Jesus went into one house where a sick woman lay and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and in health she entered upon service. Jesus went into another house where one was palsied, and lo, at His word, the powers came again. Jesus went into the house of Jairus, and a little daughter lay dead, but when Jesus came she revived, and bereavement took wings. Oh, beloved, our palaces, and our peasant cottages, alike, are finished temples when there the Divine Presence is revealed, and God,our Goddwells in the midst!
It is a pledge of a contented people also.
Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof (Zec 8:4-5).
What a picture that! To the Jew, long captive and oppressed, it seemed impossible of realization. It sounded like idealization. The first commandment, with promise, was Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee (Exo 20:12).
How much they appreciated that promise is shown by their punctilious keeping of the command. No people ever regarded the multiplication of merry children as did this ancient folk. In the days of their captivity oppression had cut them short in the midst of their years, and so far discouraged marriage that children seemed few, and the very loneliness of their national life was strikingly presented in that fact. When their city had been over-run by the hordes from Babylon they had seen the sucklings slain in the streets and those of better growth go to untimely graves. And in the memory of it was both barrenness and anguish.
Pusey tells us,In the dreadful Irish famine of 1847, the absence of the children from the streets of Galway was one of its dreariest features. And yet the Irish never loved their children as deeply as did the Jew, nor lost them so completely. No wonder they thought it too marvelous to be true when Gods Prophet drew for them a picture of old men, in very multitudes, leaning upon their staffs, and little children in crowds making the streets to ring with merry laughter. And they could not understand it until God promised,I will save My people from the east country, and from the west country; and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
Truly, as George Adam Smith said, That oracle had its motive in Zechariahs day. But what an oracle for these times of ours! Whether in the large cities of the Old World where so few of the workers may hope for a quiet old age, sitting in the sun, and the childrens days of play are shortened by a premature toil and knowledge of evil; or in the newest fringes of the Western World where mens hardness and coarseness are, in the struggle for gold, unawed by reverence for age, and unsoftened by the fellowship of childhood,Zechariahs great promise is equally needed. Even there shall it be fulfilled if men will remember the conditions, that truth and whole-hearted justice abound in the gates, with love and loyalty in every heart towards every other.
Again, this finished Temple was
A promise of prosperity. According to Zechariah, when there was no Temple, There was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour (Zec 8:10).
That is what it is to be without a Temple. Show me a people who have no temple of worship, no altar at which the family bows, no house in which the church gathers, to worship Jehovah, and I will show you a people stricken with poverty, as in China; oppressed by the adversary, as in India; and set every one against his neighbor, as in Africa; but when the temple comes, how changed! For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew (Zec 8:12).
Christianity has accentuated commerce and increased riches as no other force ever could have accomplished these things. Wherever the Temple of God has gone there the vine has yielded its fruit and the ground its increase; Godliness is profitable * * [for] the life that now is.
Poor Silverberg, the accomplished Minneapolis crook, who has robbed, gambled and stolen fortune upon fortune, confesses now, as he lies on his hard couch in prison cell, had he behaved himself righteously and worked as hard to build up the business his father left him as he has in devising new methods of rascality he would be worth millions. No one doubts it! Put this over against his pitiful plea for the small amount of money that would release him from the cell and remember that he pleads for this small sum in vain, and learn that godliness is profitable in the individual life.
Yes, and the nation finds the same to be true. Why is it that America is so blessed? Fifty years ago we had but seven billion dollars in this country; today we are worth conservatively, a few hundred billion; then our per capita wealth was $307.00; in 1900 it was $1235.00;more than four times as much. Now, in spite of the depression, it is larger still. If you ask me What is the secret of this? I cannot agree with him who says, The stretch of our territory and the richness of our soil. The Temple of God answers this question. Take Christianity out of America and you will pauperize her. The continent does not exist that is wide enough, the soil has not yet been discovered upon which an apostate, and utterly wicked population, can prosper. Give your temples such prominence that the Blind Pig and its accursed associates in sin,the low theater, the brothel, the gambling den, the corporate devices for fortune-stealing and fortune-destruction are abolished, and you will bring in a period of such material prosperity as Isaiah describes in Isa 35:1The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Ah, men; let us never begrudge what we give to the erection and maintenance of the temple of God; for, as we give to it there shall be given unto us, good measure shaken together, heaped up, running over.
THE FATHERS FEASTS
There remains, however, another portion of this Scripture which completes the subject suggested by this study, namely, The Captives Fast Changed to the Conquerors Feasts.
Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the Seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the House of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace (Zec 8:19).
In other words, the anniversary of the taking of Jerusalem, the anniversary of the burning of the Temple, the anniversary of the murder of Gedeliah and his friends; all these dark hours of their past were to become, through the touch of God, shining stars by which to direct their feet.
He, by His own presence, would convert the fasts into feasts. Why did the siege against Jerusalem succeed? Why did the walls of Jerusalem fall? Why was the Temple in Jerusalem burned? Why were Gods people carried away captive? Because they had put God away from them; and when their day of battle came they were without Him who had always been their defense. They understood all of this. It was to symbolize it all that they kept their fasts; and now, if He is to return, of course those fasts must become feasts!
Do you not recall how, when Jesus was asked,
Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but Thine eat and drink?
He answered,
Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the Bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days (Luk 5:33-35).
The time for fasting is when Gods face is hid; but when it is seen, what a feast is on! Then one will appreciate that his joy is greater because of the sorrow which he has endured; his strength is more mighty because of the weakness with which he contrasts it; his sky is clearer because of the awful darkness of the night now passed.
F. B. Meyer, commenting on this promise of the coming feast, born out of the sad fast, says, Dare to anticipate the far-off interest of tears; dare to live in the day which is after tomorrow; as Dante said, In Gods will is our peace, He loves us infinitely. No good thing will He withhold; He must lay deep in tears the foundation that shall upbear our eternal weight of glory.
Thus hath He done, and shall we not adore Him?This shall He do, and can we still despair?Come, let us quickly fling ourselves before HimCast at His feet the burden of our care.
The favor of such a Father will be sought by nations from afar.
Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts: I will go also.
Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord (Zec 8:20-22).
There is an earnest of the fulfillment of this prophecy in the New Testament Church. Gods people were never evangelists until Jesus ascended up on high, and the Holy Spirit descended upon His disciples; then, suddenly, within the short limits of a single century they swept the world in the Name of the Lord.
Within eighty years after Pentecost, Clement of Alexandria remarked concerning Christianity, The Word of our Teacher abode not in Judea alone, as philosophy in Greece, but was poured out throughout the whole world, persuading Greeks and Barbarians in their several nations and villages, and in every city whole houses, and each hearer individually; and having brought over to the truth no few, even of the very philosophers.
Tertullian, before the second century closes, writes, We are a people of yesterday, and yet we have filled every place belonging to you,cities, islands, castles, towns, assemblies, your very camp, your tribes, companies, palace, senate, forum; we leave you your temples only. We can count your armies; our numbers in a single province will be greater.
And yet, beloved, this prophecy is only partially fulfilled. There is a day coming when nations that knew not God shall run unto Him because of the Holy One of Israel.
Then shall His favored people find popularity.
In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you (Zec 8:23).
The tenth chapter of this Book is a declaration of the same precious truth. Jehovah has promised rain for the latter times. When once His people have been won back from the teraphim, the false diviners and dreamers, and their evil shepherds have been punished, then we read in Zec 10:3-4:
For the Lord of Hosts hath visited His flock the House of Judah, and hath made them as His goodly horse in the battle.
Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
That corner stone is Christ, to be born in Judahs line; He is also the nail in the sure place, Conqueror and Ruler. The people of whom He is born shall be as mighty men, treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets because Jehovah is with them. His promise is,
And I will strengthen the Home of Judah, and I will save the House of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them.
And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their Heart shall rejoice in the Lord (Zec 10:6-7).
The world is full of Jew-baiting now; the world will be full of Jew-bidding then. God had a plan of the ages! He has not made the Jew a perpetual miracle without occasion. He has not preserved this nation intact for forty centuries for nothing. He has not scattered them among all people without a final purpose.
Some writer has said, Empires are cast away as a shadow, leaving behind them only their names. They have perished and their places know them no more. But the Jews are still there, standing apart from all other races, as in the days of Jesus Christ, one distinct and unique family, in the midst of the confusion of all others,rich, though a thousand times despoiled; increasing in numbers, and more united than ever, though scattered by a tempest of eighteen centuries.
The Jew is everywhere! He is all over China; he is all over India; he is in the heart of Africa; he is in the far south-land of Abyssinia; he treads the cold snows of Siberia; not a city without his colonies; and scarce a village but knows the individual. What does God mean? He tells us,
I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember Me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them (Zec 10:8-10).
Zechariah beholds the day when these people, who once rejected Jesus, shall learn their mistake and shall look on Him whom they have pierced, and shall mourn because of Him. And Zechariah beholds the day when they, being saved by turning to their Messiah, shall flash forth as Evangelists of the Gospel of the Son of God. Then the world will receive ten thousand times ten thousand such men as were Peterthe Jew, Johnthe Jew, and Paul the Jew, as preachers of the Gospel of the Son of God. These Evangelists will, every man of them bring up his tens from the ends of the earth to the acknowledgment of Christ the King, for they will be strengthened in Jehovah and will walk up and down in His Name.
O then that I
Might live, and see the olive bear
Her proper branches, which now lie
Scattered each were,
And without root and sap decay,
Cast by the husbandman away,
And sure it is not far!
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
PROMISES TO THE PRISONERS OF HOPE
Zec 9:1-17.
THE student of Zechariah finds a break at the end of the eighth chapter, which, in the judgment of critics marks the introduction of a new Prophet; but which, according to Conservatives, indicates a long period of time between the close of Zechariahs early utterances in chapters one to eight, and his later prophecies in chapters nine to fourteen.
From the day of Joseph Mede, the Cambridge theologian, in 1632, to Driver, Kirpatrick, and others of our own times, our critics have occupied some common ground in assigning Zechariah, nine to fourteen,to post-exilic times; and to another and an unknown author. One might be impressed with such an array of names as Mede, Hammond, Kidder, Whiston, Bertholdt, Hitzig, Ewald, Kuenen, Eichhorn, Stade, Cheyne, Zeydner, and others, but for two facts. First of all there is no agreement, in detail, as between any considerable number of them; and the utter absurdity of their opinions appears before they have finished these same chapters, for after having separated chapters nine to fourteen from one to eight, and assigned them to another author, they proceed to dissect the latter part of the Book and pick out chapters and, in some instances, even single verses, which probably were never written either by Zechariah or this unknown and unknowable individual.
There may be a show of learning in the very pretention of ability to tell just what one man wrote and just where another introduced a sentence, a word, or a dot, but the appeal to the credulity of the people is sufficient to discredit all such speculators.
The traveler in Ireland may be willing to have the Gaelic guardian of the sacred relics show him the skull of St. Patrick, but when once he has been convinced that he has handled the cranium,the very craniumwhich held the brain of the great and good man, it is a little dangerous to appear with a smaller skull and insist, This, your Honor, is the skull of St. Patrick when he was a boy.
We may be pardoned, therefore, if we believe as the ancient Jews did, as did Ezra and those who aided him in gathering the Sacred Canon, and as do the more conservative students of modern times, that Zechariahthe Prophetis the author of both the earlier and latter portions of the Book which wears his name.
The break, then, is accounted for by believing that a period of time intervened between the eight chapters with which the Book opens, and the six with which it closes, since the strong external testimonies for the unity of the entire volume are all thereby conserved.
The burden of the Word of the Lord, is a phrase new to the lips of His Prophet. And yet, when one remembers the changes which had come over Jerusalem and vicinity in the Prophets day, he can readily understand why he should no longer speak of the Word of the Lord of Hosts but rather of the burden of the Word of the Lord.
In the early part of the Book the Temple was being re-erected, the city re-built, and the state reestablished. But, in the later life of the Prophet, Tyre, Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron had hemmed in the Holy City, and revealed toward her a hostile spirit, and the prospects of her doom were such as to warrant the phrase, the burden of the Word of the Lord.
When we turn to the fuller expression of the Word of the Lord we have set in order before us the very subjects with which this chapter is concerned:The Judgment against Syria; Jerusalems Safety and Her Savior; and The Promises to the Prisoners of Hope.
THE JUDGMENT AGAINST SYRIA
The burden of the Word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of mm, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord.
And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wife.
And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and He will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
And a bastard shalt dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but He that remaineth, even He, shall be for our God, and He shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite (Zec 9:1-7).
It was to be an extensive judgment. Damascus and Zidon formed the far northern boundary, while the progress southward from Ashdod to Ashkelon, and from Ashkelon to Gaza came again near the utmost limits of the land. When God begins a work of judgment He knows just where to lay out His lines that He may inclose the last offender.
It was to be an intensive judgment. Even the stronghold of Tyre the Lord will dispossess, and He will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
These are terrible words,disposses; smite; devour; sorrowful; shall be ashamed; perish; cut off! They are Gods words! And when we remember that God never utters a threat but He executes every sentence they become more significant still.
Go back into history and see whether God made good this prophecy. Who does not know that Alexander the Great besieged and captured Damascus, swept on to Zidon, and took that, and even Tyrestanding at sea as she did, famed for her wise men, walled in with what seemed to be an impregnable strongholdheld out only seven months, and was then burned to the ground. And when, with his armies he marched into the south land, Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod met the same fate. The last letter of this prophecy was converted into history.
Such an One is God! Why should not men learn to fear Him? It was He who sent His angel through Egypt when the hand of Pharaoh was heavy upon His people, and left the first-born dead in every Egyptian house. It was He who laid His finger upon the walls of Jericho and with a single touch leveled them with the earth, and threw that people into such consternation that Joshua and his hosts could smite the last man! It was He who went with Jonathan and his armor-bearer to put an army of Philistines to flight,and easily accomplished it! It was He who looked upon Belshazzars profane feast, and appointed that very night for the death of the king and the scattering of his forces.
How can one read the Old Testament history, and yet doubt the power of Jehovah to perfect every word which He has indicted at the mouth of His Prophets? The New Testament truthWith God all things are possible is illustrated ten thousand times by the Old Testament history.
It was a judgment by the Lord. He does not hesitate to say, Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and He will smite, nor to affirm, I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth.
It is a fact that Alexander the Great is the one who overran Hadrach, Damascus and Hamath, Tyre and Zidon, Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron, and broke the might of the Philistines; but it is an equal truth that Alexander was only an instrument in the hand of God. Long before Alexander was born, God had His plans for him. Daniel, in his prophecy, described Alexanders character, told the country from which he should come and the mighty work of conquest which he should accomplish, under the figure of the he-goat, coming from the West over the face of the whole earth.
It is not to be supposed that the God who numbers the very hairs of our head, and without whom not a sparrow falls to the ground, is absent when we are formed, and the powers and purposes of our lives are appointed. It is not to be supposed that the God who proposes to assemble, eventually, all nations to judgment, leaves them to play their representative parts in the world without His supervision and administration.
Joseph Parker has truly said, The nations are in the hands of God. From His throne He notes every relationship conceived by human wisdom and sealed by human covenant. We cannot build out God. He can summon other nations, and put this war-cry into their mouth, Arise ye, and let us go up against her in battle. In the shoutings of these Biblical battles, we often hear but the echoes of the Eternal voice. God sometimes argued with words of wisdom and persuasive entreaty, and sometimes with sword and spear and bow; but whether in this way or in that, the sublime truth written on the fronts of history is,that underlying everything there is a Divine hand, and far above everything is an unslumbering eye. God is the only true defense of nations. If He has set His purpose on our ruin, He can put force enough into the spoilers muscle to crumple up our navy, and show the spoiler how to melt our piled iron that it may be poured out like water!
Kipling must have keenly appreciated these truths when he wrote:
Far-called our navies melt awayOn dune and headland sinks the fireLo, all our pomp of yesterdayIs one with Nineveh and Tyre!Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,Lest we forgetlest we forget!
JERUSALEMS SAFETY AND HER SAVIOR
And I will encamp about Mine House because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with Mine eyes.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth (Zec 9:8-10).
Jerusalem was to be kept by Jehovah! As the Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him so the Lord Himself proposes to encamp about His own House against the army that none pass through or return. One of the sweetest lessons to be learned by the Christian is this of the keeping power of God. To believe it because it is written into the Book is the highest faith; but to take note of special occasions when God has given proof of His prophecy is to love Him with increasing gratitude, and to esteem His power with rising inflection.
There is a passage in the Life of Adoniram Judson that marvelously illustrates this truth. When his fellow-laborers,the Boardmans,had been in their new home in Maulmain but four days, the robbers came one night and looted it of every valuable thing. When Mrs. Boardman was awakened by the stirring of her infant, she saw in the dim light that the house had been rifled. But a moment more, and her eyes rested upon a scene which made her utterly indifferent to the lost goods. Two long gashes, one at the head and the other at the foot of the curtain partitioning off her husbands room had been cut; and there the desperate villains had stood watching the unconscious man with the sharp knife or spear drawn for its deadly work in the instance of waking on the part of any one while they were about their looting. But, says the son, Not one long-drawn breath startled the cowardice of guilt. The rounded limbs of the little infant lay motionless as their marble counterfeit, for if the rosy lips had moved but to the slightest murmur, or the tiny hand crept closer to the loved bosom, the chord in the mothers breast must have answered, and the death-stroke followed. But the mother held her treasure to her heart and slept on. The husband and father slept. But there was one Eye open,the Eye that never slumbers; a protecting wing over them, and a soft, invisible hand pressed down their sleeping lids.
What an interpretation of this text, And I will encamp about Mine House because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with Mine eyes? (Zec 9:8).
But what God, by His guardian angel, did for them, God, by the right hand of His power, is accomplishing for homes, cities and states in which His saints dwell. It would be a blessed thing if ancient history could be re-written in the light of prophecy. Men would find many historical incidents alive with new interest if they but saw how it became a part of that plan which was with God from the beginning.
When at school giving ourselves to daily lessons, in Josephus we read these words, After the destruction of Tyre, the conqueror marched against Gaza, which was razed to the ground. While Alexander was at the siege of Tyre, he sent to demand the surrender of Jerusalem. The High Priest sent an answer in which he stated that Jerusalem had entered into an alliance with the Persian monarch. After taking Gaza, Alexander advanced suddenly against Jerusalem. Jaddua, the High Priest, and the entire city were much frightened. But in a vision God told the High Priest to be of good cheer, to decorate the city and open the gates wide, and to go forth in his priestly robes with all the priests in his train, and the people of the city clad in white garments. Jaddua obeyed and the doors were opened, and the astonished enemy beheld a startling spectacle. No sooner had Alexander seen the High Priest in his gold embroidered robes, with the holy Name engraved on the turban, than he fell upon his face and worshiped. His attendants were greatly astonished. The Syrian kings who stood around feared that Alexander had lost his reason. One, at length, asked why he, whom all the world worshiped, should do homage to the High Priest of the Jews. Alexander replied that he did not worship the High Priest, but his God. In a vision in Macedonia that figure in that very dress appeared to me. He exhorted me to conquer Persia.
Alexander entered with the priest into the city to offer sacrifices. The High Priest then acquainted him with the prophecies of Daniel, showing that a Greek was to overthrow the Persian Empire.
How few of us understood that that was a literal fulfillment of Zec 9:8. And yet no man could make himself familiar with Daniels prophecy and with the words of this prophecy without appreciating such to be true. So clearly here was prophecy become the mold of history that Conservative and Critic alike have agreed in saying that God shielded Jerusalem from any onslaught on the part of Alexander, and so fulfilled to the letter the language of Zechariah.
Who of us dwells in a city, or takes pride in his country, can afford to forget that the safety of both exists only in the encamping Jehovah?
Gods Son was to become Jerusalems KING
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He shalt speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth (Zec 9:9-10).
The student of prophecy counts himself upon sure ground when he finds the writer of the New Testament quoting and interpreting passages from the Old. That this reference was to the Messiah is not only argued from the language of Zechariah, but confirmed by each of the four Gospels. In the very nature of the case it would seem impossible to apply this description to any one else than to Jesus of Nazareth. He was the King to come; the Just One; the One having salvation. But when Zechariah goes so far as to speak of him as lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass all men marvel that a prophecy spoken some hundreds of years in advance of the event should descend to such minutia, and yet see all fulfilled!
We know from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that when He was ready to make His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus sent two disciples, saying unto them,
Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto Me (Mat 21:2).
All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying,
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,
And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon.
And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest (Mat 21:4-9).
This was truly the beginning of the fulfillment of Zechariahs prophecy. The utter completion that day will witness when He comes again without sin unto salvation, to sit upon the throne in that city and sway the scepter of universal power.
Paul speaks of that larger hour, preceding which
That blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sin. (Rom 11:25-27).
The glory of Jerusalem is yet to come. The throne of Gods Son is yet to be set up there. His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth is yet to be seen.
In 1904 ship-loads of Christian men and women journeyed to Jerusalem, and bitter disappointment was the common experience when they looked upon the far-famed city, for its former glory had passed away and its coming glory had not yet begun. The Worlds Sunday School Convention sat in a sorry city, save for hallowed associations.
Yesterday travelers to Jerusalem found it a place of little commerce, few manufacturers, poor buildings, and poorer people. Its inhabitants were a mixture of Jew, Moslem and Christian, at eternal enmity one with another; while its narrow streets were filthy and insufficiently lighted; gloomy by day and dangerous by night. Such was the Jerusalem of yesterday.
But who shall sing of the Jerusalem tomorrow, when her King sits there to speak peace unto the nations. We sing of Jerusalem the Golden referring to the Eternal City, not made with hands but our words will not over-match Judahs capitol when her King shall come.
Jerusalem, the golden,
With milk and honey blest!
Beneath thy contemplation
Sing heart and voice oppressed;
I know not, O, I know not
What joys await me there;
What radiancy of glory,
What bliss beyond compare.
They stand, those halls of Zion
All jubilant with song,
And bright with many an angel,
And all the martyr throng;
The Prince is ever in them,
The daylight is serene;
The pastures of the blessed
Are decked in glorious sheen.
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall I eer see thy face?
O sweet and blessed country,
Shall I eer win thy grace?
Exult, O dust and ashes!
The Lord shall be thy part
His only, His forever
Thou shalt be, and thou art!
PROMISES TO THE PRISONERS OF HOPE
As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
When I have bent Judah for Me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons,
O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
And the Lord shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
The Lord of Hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land.
For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids (Zec 9:11-17).
Their release was promised. The Jerusalem of Zechariahs day was shut in by the line of enemies thrown about her. At the hour when she could see no way of escape, God boldly announced by His Prophet that escape was as sure as the Covenant of Blood was binding. Notwithstanding the state of her subjects, like to prisoners in a pit, whither they had run for safety, or been cast by the oppressors hand, they were not to sorrow as others who had no hope, but to endure in the full confidence of deliverance. They were not to be prisoners of despair, but prisoners with a prospect.
Do you remember in William Beckfords Vathek how the Giaour, after having conducted Vathek into that awful dungeon where the condemned souls of kings and prophets suffered their torment, makes the Prophet Soliman to speak of his torment there, but adds, However, I do not remain like other inhabitants, totally destitute of hope, for an angel of light hath revealed that, in consideration of the piety of my early youth, my woes shall come to an end when this cataract shall forever cease to flow. He was a prisoner of hope, long-deferred. And yet, hope deferred is better than despair: and hope nigh at hand, who can tell what is its inspiration?
Maud Ballington Booth, in her volume, After Prison What? speaking of the men who have been incarcerated for crimes, says, There is a weird cry that breaks out sometimes amid the midnight stillness of the prison cell house; the venting of a hearts repressed longing, Roll around 1912 and from other cells other voices echo, each putting in the year of his liberty.
Prisoners of Hope! The Judge hath appointed the time when they shall be free again, and they wait for it. Ah, my auditors, the greater Judge has done the same for us every one. And the day is at hand when, if we will, we may walk at liberty. The deliverance of these Jews from their enemy is a type of Gods will for us. And,
We then as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
(For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2Co 6:1-2).
Their compensations were at hand.
Even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee!
They knew the meaning of that word double. They had endured double judgment; they were now to enjoy double blessing. Isaiah had said,
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sins (Isa 40:2).
And later, the same Prophet had added,
For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them (Isa 61:7).
Perhaps no man is so well prepared to appreciate his double blessing as the man who has endured a double curse. Dreyfus, the Jew, who on Devils Island endured the double curse, knew the sweets of liberty, and drank a double portion of the same when once he was recalled, as perhaps no other man of all France could.
Miss Stone and Madam Tsilka, for one hundred and seventy-one days prisoners in the hands of brigands, enduring all manner of hardships, dying daily, appreciated the grace of God and freedom from enemies when once they were back in the company of friends, as none of those who received them could.
It is only the Christian who suffers with Christ that can also reign with Him: only the individual who has endured hardships can sound the recesses and soar to the heights of human happiness.
Beloved, if today we know anything of the meaning of double blessing and double compensation it is because we have at some time experienced double hardships and double sorrow.
Their victory was divinely voiced.
When I hade bent Judah for Me, fitted the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
And the Lord shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
The Lord of Hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land (Zec 9:13-16).
The troubles of Jerusalem were not over when Alexander, impressed by his dream, passed them unharmed. Greece had other sons who under Antiochus Epiphanes were to come. This bloody successor of Alexander entered Jerusalem, slew forty thousand of her inhabitants, and sold as many more into slavery. He entered their Temple, carried away their sacred treasures, offered an unclean swine upon their holy altar of burnt offerings, and with its blood defiled the sacred place. And for a time it looked as though Zechariahs prophecy was to fail, and God had forgotten His own. But mans extremity is Gods opportunity and when all was apparently lost, Jehovah raised up Judas Maccabaeus and his brethren, who for twenty-five long years waged a resistless warfare against the Grecian enemy, until, by victories, clearly miraculous, Jerusalem was freed again, and the land dispossessed of the adversary.
How wonderful it was when the stripling David struck down the giant Goliath! But not so wonderful as when this feeble company, timid as the shepherds flock, were stirred up against Greece until they smote it as the sword of a mighty man; until they devoured and trod down the sling stones, and Jehovah, their God, saved them in that day as the flock of His people!
Why should not every saint sing with David,
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over (Psa 23:4-5).
The God who can not only put our enemies to flight, but provide for us a feast in their very presence, is a God of such marvelous might that Davids words were again justified when he said,
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident (Psa 27:1-3).
Their coming glory was assured.
For they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land (Zec 9:16).
In other words, they were to be lifted up as an
Ensign that all might flock to the Jewish church.
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the People; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious (Isa 11:10).
For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids (Zec 9:17).
What a picture this is of the strength and beauty which God proposes for His own in that day when He shall make up His jewels! Who, contemplating the promise, might not break forth in the language of Wesley:
Jesus, Thy robe of righteousness My beauty is, my glorious dress;Mid flaming worlds, in this arrayed,With joy shall I lift up my head.
When from the dust of earth I rise To claim my mansion in the skies,Een then shall this be all my pleaJesus hath lived and died for me.
This spotless robe the same appearsWhen ruined nature sinks in years;No age can change its glorious hue;The robe of Christ is ever new.
O let the dead now hear Thy voice;Now bid Thy banished ones rejoice;Their beauty this, their glorious dress,Jesus, the Lord, our Righteousness.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL NOTES.] Hadrach] Part of Syria, near Damascus. Rest] On which Gods wrath shall rest, and permanently abide. Eyes] of Israel, and of other people, would mark the providence of God; or, Jehovah has an eye upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel (cf. Jer. 32:20).
Zec. 9:2. Hamath] as adjoining Damascus partook in the burden. Tyre and Sidon lay directly in Alexanders march along the Syrian coast towards Egypt (see Isaiah 23). Wise] in building strong holds, and heaping up silver (Eze. 28:3-17).
Zec. 9:3.] A description of new Tyre, an island 700 paces from the shore.
Zec. 9:4. Cast] Heb. dispossess, drive out her inhabitants. Alexander captured Tyre after seven months siege; some few escaped; others put to death, or enslaved, and the city was burned.
HOMILETICS
JUDGMENTS UPON SYRIA AND PHNICIA.Zec. 9:1-4
Judgments are now threatened upon the lands of Syria, Phnicia, and Philistia. Nations from which Israel greatly suffered, typical of worldly powers exulting in their strength, and broken to pieces by the might of Jehovah.
I. Judgments upon the land of Syria. In the land of Hadrach.
1. Their nature. The burden of the word. The punishment of the land is burdensome; no light trifling matter. It is bitter and crushing.
2. Their centre. Damascus, the capital, shall be the rest thereof. On this city the burden was permanently to settle. Eminent places generally share in the guilt, and procure the punishment, of the land. After Alexanders victory over Darius in the battle of Issus, one of his generals was sent to the city, who took its immense wealth, treasured up by the Persian monarch, and carried away its satraps and princely families (cf. Jer. 49:23; Amo. 1:3-5).
3. Their extent. Hamath also, which borders thereon, did not escape. Near in situation, it shared in the burden of wrath resting upon Damascus. Contiguous in territory, they were alike in doom. The proverb of the Jews was realized, Woe to the wicked man, and woe to his neighbour.
II. Judgments upon the land of Phnicia. Tyre and Sidon, the two capitals of Phnicia, are next mentioned. Tyre was originally a colony of Sidon, but soon outgrew the mother city, and became the capital of all Phnicia. Hence Tyre is only spoken of here. But the fate of both places is interwoven (cf. Isa. 23:4-12; Eze. 28:21).
1. Tyre could not be saved by its worldly wisdom. Though it be very wise. Volney says, that it was a nursery of arts and science. Its wisdom consisted in building fortifications, multiplying riches, and trusting to them. It was worldly wisdom, the source of her pride and the means of her destruction.
2. Tyre could not be saved by its worldly wealth. Though silver was heaped up as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets, yet this availed not
3. Tyre could not be saved by its mighty strongholds. Tyrus did build herself a stronghold. She had the greatest confidence in herself, says a historian, owing to her insular position and fortifications, and the abundant stores she had prepared. She was the crowning city, rivalling the world in strength, beauty, and riches. Her fleet was sunk in the sea, her fortifications overturned, and she was devoured with the fire. The waves girt her round, buried her ruins, and now roll over her site. I will make her like the top of a rock; it shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it.
THREE ASPECTS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE.Zec. 9:1
When the eyes of man. Taking these words as they stand, they may mean that the events of Gods providence would be such as to constrain men to acknowledge Gods hand in them, or that the dangers would be so great to Israel that other nations would watch whether Jehovah, in whom they trusted, would be their protector. They are generally taken as indicating Gods providence over all mankind, to punish the ungodly, and defend his people. In this sense
I. Divine providence is universal. The Lord hath an eye to man, i.e. to all mankind, as well as to the tribes of Israel. He controls and disposes the conquests of armies, and the destinies of nations, for the advancement of his glory. The providence is the eye of God. His look is not careless and transient; but scrutinizing and constant. His eyes behold, without slumber or fatigue, the actions, words, and thoughts; his eyelids try the children of men, as one intently examining some objects to the exclusion of all others (Psa. 11:4). All things are naked, stripped of all covering and concealment, and opened before himlaid prostrate, and exposed before his eye (Heb. 4:13).
II. Divine providence is protective. As of all the tribes of Israel. He may chastise, but he will ever protect, his own. The victorious progress of Alexander terrified Israel, but Jerusalem escaped unhurt amid the storm. This captain of the Lords host (Jos. 5:15) kept at bay the otherwise irresistible foe [Lange].
III. Divine providence is retributive. It is a defence to Israel, and a punishment to others. Damascus was the rest; the region on which Gods anger settled. He who chastises his people will not fail to visit other mens sins. Love seems hidden at times, and it may be difficult to see on which side favour lies; but the disproportion will not continue long. A distinction, an eternal separation, will be made at length. Every eye shall see him then, and all reap their reward. A difference will be made between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
HOMILETIC HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Zec. 9:1. The eyes of man, &c.
1. Times of trouble sent to direct mens eyes to God.
2. As Gods providence is universal, those only can escape who trust him.
3. The punishment upon those who do not trust him will be heavy. Divine wrath is sure to hit its mark, and sink those on whom it rests.
Zec. 9:2-4. Vain confidences.
1. Reputed wisdom, which is not counsel against the Lord (Pro. 21:30).
2. Immense wealth, which profits not in the day of wrath (Pro. 11:4). Misery assails riches, as lightning does the highest towers [Burton].
3. Outward fortifications. High walls and deep seas, instruments of power, may be elements of destruction. God can destroy the wisest, the wealthiest, and the strongest nation. Tyre said in her pride, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas (Eze. 28:2); but she was devoured with fire. How art thou destroyed, which wast strong in the sea (Eze. 26:17).
Zec. 9:4. Mark the language. Who was to smite her power in the sea, burn her with fire, and cast her out? Alexander the Great, says history; Jehovah, says Divine revelation. Both are true. Only revelation keeps us in mind that men are Gods handa truth which profane history is too prone to overlook and forget; as indeed we ourselvesall of usnaturally are [Wardlaw].
ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 9
Zec. 9:1-6. The foreground of this prophecy is the course of the victories of Alexander, which circled round the Holy Land without hurting it, and ended in the overthrow of the Persian Empire. The surrender of Damascus followed first, immediately on his great victory at the Issus; then Sidon yielded itself and received its ruler from the conqueror. Tyre he utterly destroyed; Gaza, we know, perished; he passed harmless by Jerusalem. Samaria, on his return from Egypt, he chastised. History gives no other explanation of Zechariahs prophecy than this conquest by Alexander: that conquest agrees minutely with the prophecy. No other event in history does [cf. Puseys Lectures on Daniel].
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XXXVIII
THE TRIUMPH OF ZION THROUGH HER MESSIAH
JUDGEMENT AGAINST ISRAELS ENEMIES . . . Zec. 9:1-8 RV . . .
The burden of the word of Jehovah upon the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be its resting place (for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah); and Hamath, also, which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise. And Tyre did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be sore pained; and Ekron, for her expectation shall be put to shame; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also shall be a remnant for our God; and he shall be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp about my house against the army, that none pass through or return; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
LXX . . . The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Sedrach, and his sacrifice shall be in Damascus; for the Lord looks upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel. And in Emath, even in her coasts, are Tyre and Sidon, because they were very wise. And Tyrus built strongholds for herself, and heaped up silver as dust, and gathered gold as the mire of the ways. And therefore the Lord will take them for a possession, and will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be consumed with fire. Ascalon shall see, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be greatly pained, and Accaron; for she is ashamed at her trespass; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ascalon shall not be inhabited. And aliens shall dwell in Azotus, and I will bring down the pride of the Philistines. And I will take their blood out of their mouth, and their abominations from between their teeth; and these also shall be left to our God, and they shall be as a captain of a thousand in Juda, and Accaron as a Jebusite. And I will set up a defence for my house, that they may not pass through, nor turn back, neither shall there any more come upon them one to drive them away: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
COMMENTS
The theme of chapter nine is struck in verse nine. It is the coming of the Messianic King (Zec. 9:9-17). The judgement of God against Israels traditional enemies set forth in these opening verses are to be seen as preparation for that event. Not only Gods dealing with these nations as the enemies of His people, but all his dealings in history prior to Messiahs coming were in preparation for it.
(Zec. 9:1) The term burden (more accurately oracle) of the word of Jehovah is reminiscent of Malachi. It is calculated to place the stamp of divine origin on the second section of the book. The method of inspiration seems to differ from that of the first section in that the prophet does not claim here to have seen a vision. Nevertheless, what he is about to say is not a matter of his own subjective understanding of historic events. He is speaking from God as one moved by the Holy Spirit. (cp. 2Pe. 1:19-21, Heb. 1:1)
The first part of this oracle is concerned with the land of Hadrach, and its focal point is Damascus. (cp. Isa. 21:13) Hadrach is a symbolic name for Syria. The name itself was a little used one applying to a region of Syria also called Bikathanen. It is the western interior part of the country surrounded by hills. Hadrach takes its name from this surrounding. The word means literally enclosed.
The burden of Jehovah would focus on Damascus until that ancient enemy of Israel was utterly brought co its knees. History records the fulfillment of this prediction when Alexander the Great took the city, c. 344 B.C. It subsequently became Hellenized and is listed as the first of ten such cities which formed the Decapolis.
The parenthetical statement by which Zechariah explains this must not be overlooked if one would begin to understand the hand of Providence in the ebb and flow of history. The English text is misleading when it states, the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah. The marginal rendering in the Standard Edition is more to the point, Jehovah hath an eye upon men and upon the tribes of Israel. The point being that Gods covenant purpose to bless all the nations of the earth in Israels Seed is the all determining factor in every historic development, even the defeat of one pagan nation by another.
(Zec. 9:2-4) In rapid succession Zechariah deals with the future of the other enemies of Israel immediately adjacent to her. Tyre and Sidon were next in Alexanders plan to conquest. Sidon, as Damascus, surrendered peaceably, but Tyre was subdued only after a siege.
The city harbored a large squadron of mercenaries in the pay of the Persians. The resistance was so bitter that, when Tyre finally fell, Alexander departed from his usual policy of benevolence toward conquered cities and allowed his Macedonians to slaughter eight thousand Tyrians and sell thirty thousand into slavery.
(Zec. 9:5) Ashkelon, seeing the fate of Tyre, surrendered without resistance. Thus the ancient seaport of the Philistines became, in turn, a Greek city to plague Israel no more.
Gaza, on the other hand, chose to resist the Macedonian conqueror. Durant records, Gaza fought till every man in the city was dead and every woman raped.
Ekron, the southernmost of the Philistine cities, had hoped in vain that Alexander would be stopped by Tyre in his march through Palestine to Egypt. The hope was turned to disappointment as the Macedonian phalanx swept down the Mediterranean coast engulfing by either peaceful surrender or siege all who stood in its path.
The king of Gaza comes in for special attention by the prophet, as well he might, considering what lay in store for him. When Gaza fell, following a two month siege, and ten thousand of its inhabitants were killed while the rest were sold to the slave merchants who followed in the wake of Alexanders armies, special treatment was waking Betis, the Persian satrap. This puppet king found himself tied to Alexanders chariot by two thongs through the soles of his feet and dragged through the city in one of the young conquerors characteristic fits of revenge against one who resisted his forward march.
(Zec. 9:6-7) Ashdod shall be ruled by an alien race. (The rendering bastard here is misleading.) (The Septuagint is more accurate.) It is a clear prediction of the reign of the Greeks and Romans, beginning with Alexander.
The pride of the Philistines has to do with the peculiar form of idolatry practiced in Philistia which included the drinking of the blood of sacrificed animals. Hence, when the Philistines are conquered by Alexander, Hellenized by the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, and subsequently converted to Jehovah, the blood was taken out of his mouth.
The law made the drinking of blood an abomination (cf. Gen. 9:4, Lev. 7:26). When in Philistia the son of the stranger joined himself to the Lord (Isa. 56:3) the abomination would be taken from between his teeth, and the Philistine also became part of Jehovahs faithful remnant! Just as the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of Jerusalem had been incorporated into the people of Judah (2Sa. 24:16, etc.) in a subordinate position (1Ki. 9:20-21), so the Philistines, traditional enemies of Israel are to ultimately be assimilated as proselytes. Again history vindicates prophecy.
(Zec. 9:8) The prophet reassures his readers, who have worked to rebuild the temple, that when all this is taking place around them, they, and their work will be protected by the Lord. History records that Alexanders conquest of Jerusalem was by invitation, He did not oppress them, but rather afforded them privileges. No Jew was injured.
Chapter XXXVIIIQuestions
The Triumph of Zion Through Her Messiah
1.
The theme of chapter nine is struck in verse _________________.
2.
This theme is the coming of the _________________.
3.
The term burden of the word of Jehovah is calculated to _________________.
4.
The first part of the oracle is concerned with the land of _________________.
5.
Hadrach is the symbolic name for _________________.
6.
This prediction was fulfilled c. 344 B.C. by the invasion of _________________. by _________________.
7.
Gods purpose to _____________ is the all-determining factor in every historic development.
8.
List the traditional enemies of Israel mentioned in chapter nine, and give the symbolic name of each as given by Zechariah.
9.
____________ was the southern-most of the Philistine cities mentioned here.
10.
What world conqueror fulfilled this predictive passage?. (Zec. 9:1-8)
11.
The predictions of this section find their immediate fulfillment in what historic event?
12.
The ultimate fulfillment of this passage is found in the coming of _________________.
13.
Describe the events leading to the Maccabean revolt.
14.
To what three factors do historians attribute the failure of the Greeks to completely Hellenize the Jews?
15.
Following the death of Alexander, the land of Palestine became at first part of what empire?
16.
Antiochus IV was called Epiphanes meaning _________________.
17.
Who were the Chasidim?
18.
Whom did Antiochus Epiphanes blame for his defeat at the hand of the Egyptian Ptolemies?
19.
What, in Jewish history, is referred to as the abomination of desolation?
20.
Who was Mattathias?
21.
Who was called the hammer?
22.
Upon the death of Antiochus IV, Lysias offered the Jews complete religious freedom if they would lay down their arms. Why did they refuse?
23.
What caused the Jewish civil war following their victory under Judas Maccabee?
24.
What was the origin of the party of the Pharisees?
25.
What was the origin of the Sadducees?
26.
What finally ended the internal strife which followed the Maccabean revolt?
27.
In Zec. 9:11 -f the joyous coming of the Messiah is postponed by _________________.
28.
Why does Zechariah mingle the prediction of the coming of Christ with that of the Maccabean revolt?
29.
Show how the Jews in later rimes confused these two predictions.
30.
What was Jesus attitude toward the desire of the Jews for a military independence and a political kingdom?
31.
Contrast Antiochus IV with the Messiah King.
32.
What is the symbolism of the ass upon which the Messiah would ride?
33.
What New Testament event fulfills this prediction?
34.
Beyond the traditional boundaries of Israel, the Messiah will speak peace to _________________.
35.
The Jews understood such passages to indicate that _________________.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(1) In the land.Better, on the land.
Hadrach.Until lately this word has been an insuperable difficulty to commentators, but now it is known, from various Assyrian inscriptions, that Hadrach (Ha-ta-ri-ka) was the name of a town or district in the neighbourhood of Damascus and Hamath. (Records of the Past, Vol. V.)
The rest[ing place] thereof.viz., of the prophecy: i.e., the judgments of God should begin at that city. LXX., , his sacrifice, reading different vowels.
When the eyes . . . the Lord.Various renderings of these words have been proposed, but the best is, for to the Lord [will] the eye of man [be directed], and [that of] all the tribes of Israel: i.e., when Gods judgments are fulfilled against these districts, the eyes of all will be turned towards Him in wonder. LXX., , , , taking to as possessive, and man as the objective genitive, For to the Lord is an eye on man.
Instead of Adam, man, some propose to read Aram, Syria, the letters d and r being easily interchanged in the Asshurith (square Hebrew), and many other Oriental characters.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Judgment upon the surrounding nations; preservation of Jerusalem, 1-8.
A judgment, proceeding from the north or northeast, will fall in succession upon Syria, Phoenicia, and Philistia (Zec 9:1-7). While these nations are wiped out, Jerusalem will rest in safety (8).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1. Burden For the meaning of the word see on Nah 1:1. Its construction in the sentence is obscure. The English translation makes it a part of the title (compare Zec 12:1), “The burden of the word of Jehovah in [better, R.V., “upon”] the land of Hadrach”; the rest of the verse it takes as the beginning of the oracle itself. But even the English reader can see that the result is an exceedingly awkward sentence. It seems better to take “burden,” which is without article in Hebrew, by itself as the title, “A burden,” or “An oracle,” and to begin the oracle itself with “The word of Jehovah.” In 1b the translation of margin R.V. is to be preferred. With these changes Zec 9:1 will read, “An oracle: The word of Jehovah shall be upon the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be its resting place; for Jehovah hath an eye upon men and upon all the tribes of Israel.” The title may not be in its original form; with “burden” or “oracle” may have been connected originally the name of the author and, perhaps, of the subject of the prophecy; but these names had disappeared when the oracle fell into the hands of the compiler (p. 589).
The word of Jehovah See on Hos 1:1.
Hadrach In ancient and even more recent times, previously to the discoveries of archaeology, Hadrach received various interpretations; some took it as a name of the Messiah, some as the name of an otherwise unknown Syrian king, or of a deity; but archaeology has placed it beyond reasonable doubt that it is the name of a city called Hatarika in the Assyrian inscriptions, mentioned in connection with Damascus and other cities of Syria; hence it is quite likely that it should be located in the north. Well-hausen suggests the region around the later Antioch.
Damascus See on Amo 1:3. Its resting place (R.V.) Damascus is the goal of the divine word of judgment; there it will fall with destructive force.
The rest of the verse appears to be a parenthetical clause, stating the reason why the word has gone forth. As already indicated, the marginal translation is to be preferred. Jehovah hath an eye (margin R.V.) Nothing is hidden from the eyes of Jehovah, hence he knows what each individual nation deserves.
Man Israel His interest is world-wide, it is not confined to Israel (Amo 9:7; Jer 32:19-20). In this case he has seen the wrong done by men to Israel, therefore he will send judgment upon the evil doers, represented by Hadrach and Damascus. Though this interpretation is not impossible, the text of 1b is considered corrupt by many commentators, and various emendations have been suggested. Instead of man, Hebrews adham, many read Syria, Hebrews aram, which involves the interchange of two letters which are not infrequently confused in the Old Testament; for eyes many read cities or people, which again involves only a slight change. With these changes 1b would read, “For Jehovah’s are the cities (or people) of Syria as well as all the tribes of Israel.” These emendations would not alter the thought materially. Some go further; they omit “as well as all the tribes of Israel,” and join the remaining words of 1b closely with Zec 9:2: “For Jehovah’s are the cities of Syria, and Hamath also, which bordereth thereon”; which gives good sense. The present Hebrew text of Zec 9:1 sounds rather peculiar, and it may be corrupt, but, if so, it is not possible to speak with certainty concerning its original form. Marti reads Zec 9:1-2 as follows: “Burden of the word of Jehovah: Jehovah is in Hadrach, and Damascus is his resting place; for Jehovah’s are the cities of Syria, and Hamath also which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.”
If the present text is retained Zec 9:2 is the continuation of 1a. Hamath also shall be the resting place of the word of Jehovah.
Hamath See on Amo 6:2 (compare Eze 47:16).
Tyrus [“Tyre”] Zidon The two chief cities of Phoenicia (see on Joe 3:4; compare Amo 1:9; Eze 26:2; Eze 28:21).
Though it be very wise R.V., “because they are very wise.” The latter expresses the thought that the boast in their great wisdom (Eze 28:1 ff.) provokes the divine judgment; A.V., on the other hand, expresses the idea that all their wisdom will not be sufficient to save them. R.V. is more accurate and is favored by the context. The latter is undoubtedly right in applying wise to both cities (so LXX.), though the Hebrew text applies it only to Zidon.
Tyre was the more important of the two; during the greater part of Phoenician history it was the real capital and representative of Phoenicia (compare Amo 1:9), therefore it alone is spoken of in Zec 9:3-4. In Zec 9:3 is given an illustration of the wisdom of Tyre.
A stronghold According to ancient testimony Tyre was built originally on the mainland; later it was transferred to a neighboring rocky island (compare Eze 26:3-4), where it was strongly fortified, so that it became almost impregnable.
Silver fine gold Secure from hostile attacks, Tyre heaped up immense treasures (Eze 28:4-5). But her power and wealth will not continue.
Cast her out R.V., “dispossess her”; which is a threat that Jehovah will rob her of her wealth and make her poor (1Sa 2:7).
Power Not fortifications, but, as in Eze 28:4-5, equivalent to riches, and all the strength and influence derived from these
Devoured with fire The city herself, her palaces, storehouses, and magnificent buildings, will go up in flames (compare Amo 1:10). To secure a climax some translate the first verb “conquer,” as frequently in the Old Testament. This gives the order conquer, smite her riches, devour the city.
The divine executioner is evidently thought of as coming from the north or northeast. Syria, represented by Hadrach, Damascus, and Hamath, will be the first to suffer, then powerful Phoenicia; from there he will pass down the Maritime Plain and fall upon Philistia. With the strong Phoenician cities gone, nothing can prevent the further advance of the enemy; therefore Philistia may well tremble.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, Zec 9:1 to Zec 14:21.
With Zec 9:1, begins the second main division of the Book of Zechariah, which consists of various oracles, loosely connected, dealing for the most part with events leading up to the final triumph of the kingdom of God. It opens with an announcement of the overthrow of the nations surrounding Palestine (Zec 9:1-8), which will prepare the way for the advent of the Messianic king (9, 10) and the restoration and exaltation of the exiled Jews (11-17). This restoration is described more fully in Zec 10:1 -xi, 3. The promises are followed by an allegory which is intended to warn the people that the realization of the glorious promises depends upon their attitude toward Jehovah (Zec 11:4-17; +Zec 13:7-9). The remaining portion of the book naturally falls into two parts. The first (Zec 12:1 to Zec 13:6) opens with a picture of a marvelous deliverance of Judah and Jerusalem (Zec 12:1-9); but this triumph is only the preparation for the bestowing of rich spiritual gifts. In order to enjoy these fully, they must pass through a process of spiritual preparation (10-14). Then Jehovah will remove all spiritual uncleanness, and a life of intimate fellowship with Jehovah will ensue (Zec 13:1-6). In chapter xiv the prophet pictures a new conflict between Jerusalem and the nations. At first the latter will be successful, then Jehovah will interfere, save a remnant, and set up his kingdom upon earth (1-7). From Jerusalem he will dispense blessing and prosperity (8-11); the hostile nations will be smitten and their treasures will become the possession of the Jews (12-15). Those who escape will turn to Jehovah (16); any who fail to do him proper homage will be smitten with drought (17-19), but Judah and Jerusalem will be holy unto Jehovah (20, 21).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
God Declares Judgment on the Surrounding Nations and Security to His People ( Zec 9:1-8 ).
The section begins by indicating that all are watching for what YHWH will do, and that those who pride themselves over God’s people will be summarily dealt with, although we then receive the surprising news that the Philistines are not finally to be destroyed but to be converted. They are to become one with God’s people. And then God will stand guard over His people and they will dwell securely.
Zec 9:1
‘The burden (or oracle) of the word of YHWH on the land of Hadrach, and Damascus its resting place. For the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is towards YHWH.’
‘Burden’ – ‘massa’. A ‘heavy load’ or ‘a pronouncement’. The latter meaning is most relevant here. But the prophet did not find what he had to announce as easy to say and his oracle was also a burden.
‘The word of YHWH’. Here not just a prophetic word but an effective word. It is a word which will accomplish His purpose (Isa 55:11). YHWH Himself will act through His divine ‘word’ of power bringing about what He says.
Hadrach and Damascus were to the north of Palestine in Syria. Hadrach is mentioned in an Aramaic inscription of Zakur of Hamath, and is called Hatarikka in Assyrian inscriptions, and was once the seat of a district governor. Damascus was the capital of Syria. Thus both were important places. ‘Its resting place’ (or ‘its rest’) may signify the close relation between the two, and possibly includes the thought that Hadrach now relies on Damascus. Alternately we may read as ‘the word of YHWH is on Hadrach and it rests on Damascus’. Either way the thought is of God’s activity in judgment against these two places.
‘The eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is towards YHWH.’ The rest of the world, and especially the tribes of Israel, are, as it were, looking expectantly towards YHWH to see what He will do. The world waits on God with foreboding, His people with expectation.
‘The tribes of Israel.’ A phrase rare in the prophets except in Ezekiel where it looks to the future restoration. Zechariah can use ‘Israel’ (see Zec 12:1) or ‘Judah’ or both to signify God’s people. ‘Israel’ on its own is looking back towards the once united nation and seeing it as that again, Judah is stressing the present situation as the limited area to which the exiles have returned. But the people who have returned, and those they have joined up with in the land, include people from both Israel and Judah.
Zec 9:2-4
‘And Hamath also which borders on it. Tyre and Sidon though she be very wise. And Tyre built herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold Yahweh will dispossess her and he will smite her power in the sea and she will be devoured with fire.’
The catalogue of God’s judgments is described. Hamath, which borders on Damascus, will be included, as will Tyre and Sidon. Some of these were the nations that were making life very difficult for the returning exiles, and had often done so in the past for Israel and Judah. They now gloried in their position, and over the weakness of Judah. But it is their general behaviour that brings them into judgment as epitomised by God’s words against Tyre. For Tyre here is seen in a similar way to the way that Isaiah saw Babylon. They epitomised the pride of the ‘wise’ and the arrogant. Note the stress on the fact that Tyre was so ‘very wise’.
Tyre is vividly described. Difficult to get at by land it had long been a sea power and traded prosperously. It saw itself as self-sufficient and had great pride in itself and its own ability, building up great riches. No doubt they thought that they would last for ever. But God will bring judgment on Tyre, breaking her sea power and destroying her with fire by the hands of conquerors. Indeed every nation that exalts itself will fall.
Zec 9:5-6
“Ashkelon will see it and be afraid, Gaza also and will be sorely pained, and Ekron will be ashamed for her expectation, and the king will perish from Gaza and Ashkelon will not be inhabited, and a mongrel race will dwell in Ashdod and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.”
The Philistine cities in the coastal plains are now brought into view. As they see the fate of Tyre they will be filled with fear, and then their time will come. They too will be devastated, and replaced by ‘a mongrel race’, no longer of pure antecedents. Again pride and self satisfaction is one of their great sins and it is in that sphere that they will be punished. (For judgment on the Philistines see also Jer 25:20; Amo 1:6 on; Zep 2:4-7).
Zec 9:7
‘And I will take away his blood from his mouth, and his abomination from between his teeth. And he also shall be a remnant for our God, and he shall be as a chieftain (or ‘a clan’) in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.’
But for these there is hope as a result of their experience of being humbled. God will remove from them all that displeases Him. The eating of blood was forbidden in the Law. Philistia indulged both in this and the eating of unclean things. ‘Abomination’ regularly has reference to idolatry and we may thus see here also food sacrificed to idols with all its ramifications. But the Philistines will be delivered from these things. They are not without hope for God’s mercy is available.
‘He also shall be a remnant for our God.’ Once they have suffered they too will come to the Lord and will find acceptance by Him along with the remnant of Israel.
‘And he will be as a chieftain (or friend or clan) in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.’ The Jebusites were absorbed into ‘Israel’ when Jerusalem was captured by David. Thus the idea is of Philistia being absorbed into ‘Israel’. The unpointed Hebrew consonants for ‘chieftain’ could also mean ‘clan, family tribe’ which seems a preferable translation, but even with its present pointing it can mean ‘friend’ as well as ‘chieftain’. (‘Pointing’ refers to vowel sound marks introduced late into the Hebrew text long after the time of Christ. Originally Hebrew texts consisted almost solely of consonants). Thus just as Ekron is accepted into the confederation of Israel and Judah on friendly terms, like the Jebusites were earlier in the time of David, so also will all the Philistines be accepted. In other words they will be incorporated into the people of God. (From the time of the Maccabees ( 1Ma 3:41 ) the Philistines historically disappear from view, no doubt being absorbed into their neighbours).
The overall point behind these verses would seem to be that while those who are lifted up in their pride will come into judgment, (as they did as a result of the activities of Alexander the Great), those who humbled, even the most surprising of them, can find mercy.
Zec 9:8
“And I will encamp about my house against the army (or possibly ‘as a garrison’) that none pass through or return. And no oppressor will pass through them any more, for now I have seen with my eyes.”
Meanwhile God will surround His people with His protection so that they are safe from enemies. His eyes will be on them to save them from oppression. No enemies will pass through them. No returning armies will pillage them. Thus in the last days when all God purposes come to fruition the people of God, His house, will be safe in His hands. The basic idea is of the final security of the people of God.
‘About my house.’ Compare Hos 8:1 where ‘the house of YHWH’ is His people. It is not the Temple which will be preserved, but His people (see also on Zec 14:20).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Zec 9:5-7 Prophecies Against Philistia – Amos, Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Zechariah list only four of the five renowned Philistine cities in their prophecies: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Ekron. Stuart suggests the fifth leading city of Gath, the city farthest inland and renown as the home of Goliath, may not have been mentioned because of being weakened by the conquests of Hazael, king of Syria. He supports this statement by noting how Gath is omitted from later prophecies against Philistia, perhaps because it lost its independence (Amo 1:8, Jer 25:20, Zep 2:4, Zec 9:5-7). [11] However, it may be possible that King David contributed to the demise of Gath during his conquests mentioned in 2Sa 21:18-22 when the brothers of Goliath were killed. Uzziah later warred against Gath and other Philistine cities (2Ch 26:6). It appears Gath had been overthrown by the time of Amos, the earliest of these prophets (Amo 6:2).
[11] Douglas Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, in Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, vol. 31, eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), comments on Amos 1:6-8.
Amo 1:8, “And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon, and I will turn mine hand against Ekron: and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD.”
Jer 25:20, “And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,”
Zep 2:4, “For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.”
Zec 9:5-7, “Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.”
2Ch 26:6, “And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.”
Amo 6:2, “Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Judgment upon the Land of Hadrach
v. 1. The burden of the word, v. 2. And Hamath also shall border thereby, v. 3. And Tyrus did build herself a stronghold, v. 4. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, v. 5. Ashkelon shall see It, v. 6. And a bastard, v. 7. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, v. 8. And I will encamp about Mine house,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Verse 1-14:21
Part III. THE FUTURE OF THE POWERS OF THE WORLD AND OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Verse 1-11:17
A. THE FIRST BURDEN.
Zec 9:1-8
1. To prepare the land for Israel, and to prove God’s care for his people, the neighbouring heathen shall be chastised, while Israel shall dwell in safety and independence.
Zec 9:1
The burden (see note on Nah 1:1). (On the circumstances connected with this prophecy, see Introduction, I.) Destructive critics attribute ch. 9-11, to an anonymous prophet, whose utterances have been by mistake appended to the genuine work of Zechariah. We have given reasons for disputing this conclusion in the Introduction, II. In (upon) the land of Hadrach. This expression is found nowhere else, and has occasioned great trouble to the commentators. But Assyrian inscriptions have cleared away the difficulty, and shown that it was the name of a city and district near Damascus, called in the monuments Hatarakha or Hatarika. Expeditions against this place are mentioned as occurring in various years, e.g. B.C. 772. 765, 755. Damascus shall be the rest thereof. The “burden” shall light upon Damascus in wrath, and settle there (comp. Eze 5:13). This district should be the first to suffer. The LXX. has, , “In the land of Sedrach and Damascus is his sacrifice.” When the eyes of man, etc.; literally, for to Jehovah (is, or will be) the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel. This gives the reason why Hadrach and Damascus are thus united. Because Jehovah has his eye on men and on Israel. Septuagint, “because the Lord looketh upon men” (comp. Zec 4:10; and Zec 4:8 below). We may then translate, “For to Jehovah is an eye over man,” etc. He sees their evil doings and their oppression of Israel, and therefore the judgment falls upon them (comp. Jer 32:19). The Authorized Version intimates a conversion of the Gentiles, of which, however, the context says nothing: and there is no sense in saying that judgment shall fall upon a particular nation when, or because, the eyes of all men look to the Lord. Wright explains thus: When the wrath of God falls on Damascus, the eyes of the heathen, as well as those of Israel, will look to the Lord, and they will marvel at the judgment and the close fulfilment of the prediction. This would be a very sound and probable exposition of the passage if the expression, “the eye of man being towards Jehovah,” can mean that man marvels at his doings. All the tribes of Israel. God watches over them to guard them from evil (Deu 11:12; Ezr 5:5; Psa 33:18).
Zec 9:2
And Hamath also shall border thereby; Revised Version, and Hamath also which bordereth thereon. Hamath, which is near unto Damascus, shall share in the Divine judgment. The Authorized Version probably means that Hamath shall be the companion of Damascus in punishment. (For Hamath, see note on Amo 6:2.) These Syrian towns, as well as those below in Phoenicia and Philistia, shall be visited, because they were all once included in the territory promised to Israel. The judgment was inflicted by Alexander the Great after the battle of Issus, B.C. 333, when Damascus was betrayed into his hands and plundered of all its enormous treasures. Tyrus and Zidon. Tyre was taken after a siege of seven months, its walls were demolished, its houses burnt, ten thousand of its defenders were massacred, the women and children sold as slaves; and it never rose to greatness again. Zidon, originally the chief city of the country, had long been eclipsed by its daughter, Tyre: it submitted to Alexander without a struggle. Though it be very wise; or, because she is very wise. The pronoun refers to Tyre, the mention of Zidon being, as it were, parenthetical. In spite of, or because of, its boasted wisdom, Tyre should suffer heavy punishment. The wisdom of Tyre is spoken of in Eze 28:3, Eze 28:4. Wright, as the LXX; makes the clause refer to both cities, “though they be very wise.” Vulgate, Assum pserunt quippe sibi sapientiam valde.
Zec 9:3
Tyrus (Zor) did build herself a stronghold (mazor). Wright endeavours to imitate the parouomasia, “Tyre built for herself a tower.“ It was in her strong fortifications and her amassing of riches that Tyre showed her worldly wisdom. The city was built partly on the mainland, and partly on an island nearly half a mile distant, which rose abruptly out of the water in rocky precipices, and was surrounded with walls a hundred and fifty feet high. The insular portion of the town was that which so long mocked the Macedonian’s utmost efforts, which were only successful when he had united the island to the mainland by erecting an enormous mole between them. This causeway has now become an isthmus of some half mile in width, owing to accumulations of sand and debris. As the dust.
Zec 9:4
Will cast her out; will take possession of her; i.e. will conquer her by the hands of her enemies, as Jos 8:7; Jos 17:12. Septuagint, , “will inherit;” Vulgate, possidebit; Ewald and Hitzig render, “will impoverish her.” Will smite her power in the sea. “Power” here includes all that made Tyre proud and confidenther riches, her fleets, her trade, her fortifications. God declares that she shall be smitten there as she stood in the midst of the sea, which formed her bulwark, and which should soon dash over her ruins. The LXX. translates, “shall smite into the sea.” Zechariah seems here to have a reminiscence of Eze 27:32, “What city is like Tyres, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?” (comp. Eze 26:4). With fire (comp. Amo 1:10). The city was burned by Alexander (see note on Eze 27:2. The siege is narrated by Arrian, 2.15-24; Quint. Curt; 4.2, etc.; Diod. Sic; 17.46, etc.).
Zec 9:5
Ashkelon shall see it. The ruin of so mighty a city as Tyre naturally filled neighbouring people with dismay. The prophet directs his attention to Philistia, and threatens its chief cities. The cities are enumerated in the same order as in Jer 25:20. Gath is omitted, as in Amo 1:6-8 and Zep 2:4 :. It seems never to have recovered its destruction by Uzziah (2Ch 26:6). (For Ashkelon, Gaza, and Ekron, see note on Amo 1:6.) Her expectation shall be ashamed. The hope of aid from Tyre shall not be fulfilled. After the fall of Tyre, Alexander continued his march southwards towards Egypt, subduing the cities on his way. The siege of Gaze delayed him some months; and when it was taken, it shared the treatment of Tyre. Its governor, one Batis, a eunuch, was tied alive to the conqueror’s chariot, and dragged round the walls, in cruel imitation of the fate of Hector. The king shall perish from Gaza. No particular king is meant; but the prediction says that henceforward no king should reign in Gaze. In contrast with the Eastern policy of allowing conquered nations to retain their own rulers as tributary sovereigns, Alexander always deposed or slew reigning monarchs, and consolidated his empire by replacing them with governors of his own. The various chastisements are meted out by the prophet among the various cities, though they equally apply to all.
Zec 9:6
A Bastard. The word (mamzer) occurs in Deu 23:2 (3, Hebrew), where it may possibly mean “a stranger.” It is generally considered to signify one whose birth has a blemish in itone born of incest or adultery. In Deuteronomy the LXX. renders, , “one of harlot birth;” here, , “foreigner.” The Vulgate has separator, which is explained as meaning either the Lord, who as Judge divides the just from the unjust, or the Conqueror, who divides the spoil and assigns to captives their fate. Here it doubtless signifies “a bastard race”; a rabble of aliens shall inhabit Ashdod, which shall lose its own native population. The Targum explains it differently, considering that by the expression is meant that Ashdod shall be inhabited by Israelites, who are deemed “strangers” by the Philistines. Ashdod (see note on Amo 1:8). The pride. All in which they prided themselves. This sums up the prophecy against the several Philistine cities. Their very nationality shall be lost.
Zec 9:7
Personifying Philistia, the prophet declares that she shall cease to practise idolatry, and shall be incorporated in Israel. I will take away his blood out of his mouth. This refers to the practice of drinking the blood of sacrifices as an act of worship, or of eating the victims with the blooda practice strictly forbidden to the Israelites (see Le 3:17; 7:26; 17:10, 12; and comp. Gen 9:4). Abominations. Sacrifices offered to idols, and afterwards eaten. The two clauses intimate the entire abolition of idolatry. Many see in this prediction a reference to the doings of the Maccabees; how, e.g; Judas destroyed the altars and idols in Azotus (1 Macc. 5:68); Jonathan again took that city, and burned it and the neighbouring towns, and, besieging Ashkelon, was received with great honour by the inhabitants, and confirmed in the possession of this place and Ekron (1 Macc. 10:84, etc.); and Simon stormed Gaza (? Gazara, a place near Ashdod), cleansed the houses of idols, “put all uncleanness out of it, and placed such men there as would keep the Law” (1 Macc. 13:47, 48). But though such events partially fulfil the prophecy, the seer looks forward to a greater issue, and in these comparatively petty details beholds the working of the great principle that all nations shall be subdued to the faith. He that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God; better, he too shall be left (or, a remnant) for our God. The Philistine shall become a choice and elect remnant unto the God of the Israelites, and no longer regarded as alien and impure. As a governor; Septuagint, , “head over a thousand.” which the word alluph means (Zec 12:5, Zec 12:6). It is used of the chiefs of Edom in Gen 36:15, Gen 36:16, etc; where the Authorized Version gives “dukes.” The tribes of Israel were divided into thousands, consisting of families, each of which was held together by closer affinities than the mere tribal bond (see note on Mic 5:2). The meaning is that the Philistine shall be admitted into the commonwealth of Israel as one of her chiefs. Ekron as a Jebusite. “Ekron” is equivalent to “the Ekronite,” who again stands in the place of all the Philistines. The Jebusites were the ancient possessors of Zion, who held their position till the days of David, and, when at last conquered by him (2Sa 5:6, etc.), were incorporated into his nation, and, as we may infer from Araunah’s conduct, adopted his religion (2Sa 24:22; 1Ch 21:23). God promises here that the Philistines, like the Jebusites, shall be absorbed into the Jewish Church. Mr. Drake (‘Speaker’s Commentary,’ in loc.) curiously renders, “He shall be as Eleph (Jos 18:28) in Judah, and Ekron as Jebusi,” explaining that the cities of Philistia were to be incorporated into Judaea. The conquests of Alexander conduced to the conversion of the heathen and their reception into the Church of God; and the general principle enunciated by all the prophets was tiros abundantly confirmed. But it is rot easy to discover the exact historical fulfilment of the latter part of this prophecy, concerning the merging of the Philistines in the Jewish nation. Josephus (‘Ant.,’ 13.15. 4) tells us that, about B.C. 100, the Jews held most of their cities, destroying some whose inhabitants refused to become proselytes. In the time of our Lord, by reason of intermarriage and social intercourse, the Philistines had ceased to be regarded as a separate nation; and a little later Philistia, far from being considered as alien and hostile, under the form Palestine, gave its name to the whole country. Christianity, too, made rapid progress in this district, so that the psalmist’s words received herein a fulfilment, “Behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Gush; this one was born there” (Psa 87:4).
Zec 9:8
While the heathen world suffers the judgment of God, he protects his own people. I will encamp about (for the protection of) my house. God’s house, or family, is the kingdom and Church of Israel, as Hos 8:1. Septuagint, , “I will erect a fortification for my house.” Because of the army. It may also be translated “against,” or “from;” i.e. to defend it from the hostile army. Others, pointing differently, render, “as a garrison,” or “rampart.” Because of (against) him that passeth by, etc. Against all hostile attacks. The phrase, “him that passeth by and him that returneth,” is used of an enemy making incursions, or attacking at various points (see note on Zec 7:14). The Vulgate gives the whole clause thus: Circumdabo domum meam ex his, qui militant mihi euntes et revertentes, “I will defend my house with a guard chosen from those who serve me and do my will,” i.e. angels. But this seems far from the signification of the Hebrew. Pusey restricts the meaning to the proceedings of Alexander, who passed by Judaea on his way to Egypt, and returned by the same route, without doing any injury to Jerusalem. Here comes in the Talmudic story related by Josephus (‘Ant.,’ 11.8). The Jews “repaid the protection of Persia with a devoted loyalty, which prompted them to refuse the demand of submission made by Alexander during the siege of Tyre. He marched to chastise them after the fall of Gaza, and the beautiful city had already risen before his view on the hill of Zion, when he found the high priest Jaddua waiting his approach at the watch station of Sapha, clad in his robes of gold and purple, and followed by a train of priests and citizens in pure white. The conqueror bowed in reverence to the Holy Name upon the high priest’s frontlet; and, being asked by Parmenio the reason of his conduct, said that in a dream at Dium, he had seen the God of Jaddua, who encouraged him to pass over into Asia, and promised him success. Then entering Jerusalem, he offered sacrifice in the temple, heard the prophecy of Daniel about himself; and granted certain privileges to all the Jews throughout his empire. The desire to honour a shrine so celebrated as, the Jewish temple is quite in accordance with the conduct of Alexander at Ilium and Ephesus, Gordium and Tyre. The privileges he is said to have conferred upon the Jews were enjoyed under his successors, and some minor matters have been adduced in confirmation of the story. On the other hand, the classical writers are entirely silent on the subject, and the details of Josephus involve grave historical inconsistencies. It seems not an unreasonable conjecture that the story is an embellishment of some incident that occurred when the high priest came to Gaza to tender the submission of the Jews. But we must not dismiss it without a remark on the vast influence which the conquests of Alexander had in bringing the Jews into closer relations with the rest of Asia, and so preparing them to fulfil their ultimate destiny as Christians” (P. Smith, ‘History of the World,’ 1.60, etc). Oppressor. The word is used for “taskmaster” in Exo 3:7. Septuagint, , “one who drives away;” Vulgate, exactor. This latter rendering would imply that Israel would no longer have to pay tribute to foreign nations, but should henceforward be independent. For now have I seen with mine eyes. It is as though, during Israel’s calamities, God had not looked upon her; but now he notices her condition, and interposes for her succour (comp. Exo 2:25; Exo 3:7, Exo 3:9; Act 7:34). This is done by sending the personage mentioned in the following section.
Zec 9:9, Zec 9:10
2. Then shall the righteous King come to Zion in lowly fashion, and inaugurate a kingdom of peace.
Zec 9:9
The prophet invites Jerusalem to rejoice at the coming of the promised salvation in the Person of her King; no mighty earthly potentate and conqueror, like Alexander the Great, but one of different fashion (comp. Zep 3:14). Thy King cometh unto thee. St. Matthew (Mat 21:5) and St. John (Joh 12:15) see a fulfilment of this prophecy in Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the first day of the week in which he was crucified. All attempts to disprove the Messianic import of this passage have been unavailing. Even critics who refer this part of Zechariah (ch. 9-11.) to an unknown author writing in the time of Hezekiah, allow that it is replete with Messianic ideas, and can be applied to no hero of Jewish story or event of Jewish history. There is no other “King” of Israel to whom it can refer. Our blessed Lord himself, by his abnormal actions on Palm Sunday, plainly assumed the part of the predicted King, and meant the people to recognize in him the promised Messiah. Thy King. A king of thine own race, no stranger, but one predestined for thee. He who was foretold by all the prophets, who was to occupy the throne of David, and reign forever (Psa 2:6; Psa 45:1, Psa 45:6, Psa 45:7; Isa 32:1). Unto thee. For thy good, to bless thee (Isa 9:6). Just. Righteous in character and in practice, ruling in equity (Psa 72:1-4, Psa 72:7; Isa 11:2-4). Having salvation; Septuagint, , “saving.” Vulgate, salvator; so the Syriac and Chaldee. The genius of the language requires the participle to be taken passively, as it is in two other passages where it occurs (Deu 33:29; Psa 33:16). The context has seemed to some to demand that it be understood in an active sense, thus contrasting him who came to save with the haughty Grecian conqueror, whose progress was marked by bloodshed. But the usual meaning of the word affords a satisfactory sense. The King who comes is “saved,” endowed with salvation, either as being protected and upheld by God (Psa 18:50; Psa 110:1, Psa 110:2, Psa 110:5; Isa 42:1; Isa 49:8), or as being victorious and so able to aid his people. In this latter view, the active sense is included in the passive. His own deliverance is a sure sign of the deliverance of his people. Lowly; Septuagint, , “meek;” Vulgate, paupermeek and lowly, as Christ himself says (Mat 11:29),far removed from warlike pomp and worldly greatness. The word is also rendered “afflicted,” and would then be in accordance with the description in Isa 52:13-53:5; Psa 22:6. Riding upon an ass. In illustration of his poor or afflicted estate; it is this, and not merely the peace. fulness of his reign, that is meant by this symbolical action, as we see by the following clause, where the youthfulness of the animal is the point enforced. And (even, and that) upon a colt the foal of an ass; such as she asses bear, and one not trained; as the evangelist says, “whereon never man sat.” Christ sat upon the foal. In old times judges and men of distinction rode upon asses (Gen 22:3; Jdg 5:10; Jdg 10:4); but from Solomon’s days the horse had been used, not only in war, but on all state occasions (Jer 17:25); and the number of horses brought back on the return from Babylon is specially mentioned (Ezr 2:66). So to predicate of a King that he would come to his capital riding, not on a war horse, but on a young, unbroken ass, showed at once that he himself was not to be considered a victorious general or a worldly potentate, and that his kingdom was not to be won or maintained by carnal arms. This is signified more fully in the following verse, which describes the character and extent of Messiah’s kingdom.
Zec 9:10
I will cut off the chariot. All the apparatus of war will be removed, Messiah’s rule being not established by physical force, or maintained by military defences. The Jews seem to have used war chariots from the time of Solomon, who, we are told, had fourteen hundred of them (1Ki 10:26). Ephraim Jerusalem. The former term denotes the kingdom of the ten tribes; the latter, that of Judah; the two together comprising the whole Israelite nation. From the use of these terms here it cannot be concluded that the author wrote at a time when the two kingdoms existed side by side. In the first place, the description of the whole people is given poetically, and must not be taken to have more significance than is intended; and secondly, in Zec 8:13, which is confessedly post-exilian, the “house of Judah,” and the “house of Israel” are distinguished. Dr. Cheyne notes, too, that in Ezekiel (Eze 37:15-28), who prophesied during the Captivity, the ten tribes are distinguished by the name of Ephraim, and pertinently asks why such term may not be also used by one who wrote after the Captivity. The battle bow stands for all weapons of war. That Messiah’s kingdom should be peaceful and peace-bringing, see the prophecies (Psa 72:7; Isa 2:4; Isa 9:4-7; comp. Mic 5:10, Mic 5:11). He shall speak peace unto the heathen. He will extend this peace to all the world, teaching the heathen to receive his spiritual rule, to compose their differences, to lay aside their arms, and live as one united family (comp. Eph 2:17). From sea even to sea. Geographically, the phrase means from the Dead Sea on the east to the Mediterranean on the west, as in Exo 23:31 and Psa 72:8, from whence our passage is derived. Poetically, an Eastern sea, perhaps, is supposed to bound that side of the earth. From the river even to the ends of the earth. From the Enphrates unto the utmost limits of the world (see Amo 8:12; Mic 7:12). Both expressions obtain an unlimited significance, and show the universal extent of Messiah’s kingdom; for in him, according to the promise made to Abraham, all the families of the earth should be blessed.
Zec 9:11-17
3. All Israel, united into one people, shall wage successful war against adversaries, and attain to high glory, and increase largely in numbers.
Zec 9:11
As for thee also. The prophet addresses the daughter of Zion, the covenant people (comp. Zec 9:10, Zec 9:13). “Also” is inserted to intimate that this deliverance is given in addition to the blessings promised in the two preceding verses. All who are living far from their native Zion are invited to come to her and partake of her good things. By (because of) the blood of thy covenant. The covenant is that made at Sinai, sealed and ratified by blood (Exo 24:4-8), which still held good, and was the pledge to the nation of deliverance and help. This was a token of that everlasting covenant sealed with the blood of Christ, by which God’s people are delivered from the bondage of sin (comp. Mat 26:28; Heb 9:15; Heb 10:14-23; Heb 13:20). I have sent forth; I send forththe prophetic perfect. The Greek and Latin Versions render, “thou sentest forth,” not so correctly. Thy prisoners. Those members of the nation who were still oppressed or captives in foreign lands, as Babylon and Egypt (comp. Oba 1:20; Joe 3:6, etc.; Amo 1:6, Amo 1:9, etc.). The pit wherein is no water. “Pit,” or cistern, is a common name for a prison (Gen 40:15; Exo 12:29; Jer 37:16). The absence of water may be notified either to imply that the tortures of thirst were added to the horror of the situation, or to intimate that the prisoners were not hopelessly drowned therein. We Christians see in this paragraph a figure of the redemption of a lost world by the blood of Christ.
Zec 9:12
The prophet calls on the prisoners to avail themselves of the offered deliverance. Turn you to the stronghold. Return ye to Zion, the city defended by God (Zec 2:5), and able to afford you a safe asylum. (For the spiritual meaning, see Luk 4:18-21.) Ye prisoners of hope. Captives who have good hope of deliverance because they are still in covenant with God. Septuagint, , “prisoners of the synagogue.” Pusey remarks that “hope” here and nowhere else has the article, and that what is meant is “the Hope of Israel,” that of which St. Paul spoke (Act 26:6, Act 26:7 and Act 28:20). Even today. In spite of all contrary appearances. Septuagint, , “for one day of thy sojourning.” Double. A double measure of blessing in compensation for past suffering (Isa 40:2; Isa 61:7). There ought to be a full stop at the end of this verse, as in the Revised Version.
Zec 9:13
The Lord proceeds to explain the promised blessings in detail. First is signified the victorious resistance of the Maccabees against the Seleucidaea figure of Messiah’s victory over all the enemies of God. When (for) I have bent Judah for me. The verbs are in the prophetical perfect, and may be rendered future By a grand figure God is represented as a warrior armed for battle, who uses his people for the weapons of his warfare. The Hebrews speak of “treading” the bow, where we say “bend,” because they used the foot in bending it. In the present case Judah is God’s bow. Filled the bow with Ephraim. Ephraim is the arrow (comp. Psa 127:4, Psa 127:5). Judah and Ephraim, the united people, are God’s instruments, and fight against the world power in his strength. And raised up; better, and I will stir up; Septuagint, : Vulgate, suscitabo. Greece; Javan. Not a vague term for the tar west, whither some prisoners had been carried, but to be taken strictly as the appellation of Greece. Nothing but inspiration could have enabled Zechariah and Daniel to foresee the rise of the Macedonian dynasty, and the struggle between the Jews and the Syro-Grecian power in Maccabean times, which is here plainly announced. The earlier the date assigned to this part of Zechariah’s prophecy, the more incredible is it that any mere human sagacity or prescience should have enabled a man to fore. tell these events, or to see in Greece a power arrayed in conflict with the people of God. And made thee; rather, and I will make thee. God will make his people into a hero’s sword to execute vengeance on the enemy.
Zec 9:14
The Lord shall be seen over them. To encourage the chosen people in the contest, the Lord shall make iris presence manifest as their Leader. His arrow. God’s arrows are the judgments which he inflicts upon his enemies, which come forth suddenly as the lightning flash, and cannot be avoided (Psa 18:14; Hab 3:11). Shall blow the trumpet. As the signal of battle and calamity (Num 10:9; Jdg 7:19, Jdg 7:20; Eze 7:14; Amo 3:6; Zep 1:16). Whirlwinds of the south. He shall come upon the enemy and sweep them away with irresistible force. Storms from the south were the most violent, coming from the Arabian desert (Job 37:9; Isa 21:1; Hos 13:15). Septuagint, ,“ He shall go in the surge of his menace.”
Zec 9:15
Shall defend them; , “shall put his shield over them”. There are numerous examples, in the Books of Maccabees, of God’s special interposition in his people’s favour, and thus far and in part fulfilling this prophecy (see 1 Macc. 3:16-24; 4:6-16; 7:40-50; 2 Macc. 2:21, 22; 3:24, etc.; 5:2-4; 11:8; 12:11,15, 22, 28, 37; 15:7, etc.). They shall devour. The prophet seems to have had in view Num 23:24, where Israel is compared to a lion, eating of the prey and drinking the blood of the slain. So here he says they shall “devour,” i.e. the flesh of their enemies (comp. Mic 5:8). Subdue with sling stones. So the Vulgate, and virtually the Septuagint, taking the case of the noun as instrumental; but it is best to take it as accusative of the object, as in the margin of the Authorized Version, “They shall tread down the stones of the sling.” The “slingstones” are the enemies, as in the next verse “the stones of a crown” are the Jews; and the sentence means that the Jews shall tread their enemies underfoot like spent slingstones, which are of no account. Or it may signify simply and without metaphor that they shall despise the enemies’ missiles, which shall fall harmless among them (Job 41:28, Job 41:29). They shall drink the blood of the slain, like lions. Make a noise. As men exhilarated with wine. Vulgate, Bibentes inebriabuntur quasi a vino (Isa 49:26; Eze 39:17-19). Shall be filled like bowls. They shall be filled with blood like the sacrificial vessels in which the blood of victims was received (Zec 14:20). The corners of the altar. The blood was also sprinkled on the corners or sides of the altar (Le Num 1:5, Num 1:11; Num 3:2). There may be included the notion that the war against God’s enemies was a sacred war, and accepted by him as a sacrifice. In the Maccabean struggle the bloodshed was often very considerable (see 1 Macc. 7:32, 46; 11:47; 2 Macc. 8:30; 10:17, 23, 31, etc.).
Zec 9:16
Shall save them. He shall give them a positive blessing beyond mere deliverance from enemies. Keil, “Shall endow them with salvation.” As the flock of his people; so the Vulgate; literally, as a flock, his people; Septuagint, , . He will tend his people as a shepherd tends his flock (Psa 77:20; Psa 100:3; Jer 23:1; Eze 34:2, Eze 34:8, etc.), So Christ calls himself the “good Shepherd,” and his followers “little flock” (Joh 10:11; Luk 12:32). Stones of a crown. The valuable gems set in crowns and diadems, or in the high priest’s official dress. The people shall be in God’s sight as precious as these in the eyes of men, and shall be highly exalted. The Septuagint and Vulgate render, “sacred stones;” and Knabenbauer thinks that by the term is meant the temple of God, which shall arise or shine in the Holy Laud, as a reward for its faithful defence. But the sense given above is satisfactory and simpler. Lifted up as an ensign upon his land; better, as the Revised Version margin, glittering upon his land. “His” may refer to Jehovah, or Israel; probably the latter is meant. The “land” is the crown or diadem in which the precious stones, the redeemed people, are set. They shall be raised to the highest possible glory and honour. If the words be taken in the sense of “raised on high over his land,” they must be considered to indicate that the crown which contained the gems shall be raised aloft in victorious triumph.
Zec 9:17
His goodness. The goodness, i.e. the prosperity, of Israel or the land. Revised Version margin, “their prosperity.” If the affix “his” is referred to Jehovah, the nouns “goodness” and “beauty” must be taken, not as his attributes, but as gifts bestowed by him, the prosperity and beauty which he confers. But it is more suitable to the context to consider the reference to be to the people, who in the next clause are divided into young men and maidens, and to take the “goodness,” or goodliness, as appertaining more especially to the former, and the “beauty” to the latter. His beauty (comp. Eze 16:14). (For the Messianic interpretation, see Psa 45:2; Isa 33:17.) Corn new wine. This is an expression often found to denote great abundance and prosperity. The two are distributed poetically between the youths and maidens (Deu 33:28; Psa 72:16; Jer 31:12, Jer 31:13; Joe 2:18, Joe 2:19). Make cheerful; literally, make sprout. It probably refers to the increase of population occurring in times of plenty. This outward prosperity is a symbol of God’s favour and the uprightness of the people. In these things, too, we may see adumbrated the spiritual blessings of the gospel, which are, as corn and wine, to strengthen and refresh the soul.
HOMILETICS
Zec 9:1-6
A visitation of judgment.
“The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach,” etc. Whatever view is taken of the exact time of the fulfilment of the glorious promises with which the last chapter concludes, it was necessarily a time still future when those promises were uttered. Other things of a very different nature were first to occur. On some of these, accordingly, as constituting a kind of “burden” (Zec 9:1) on some of the lands and people contiguous to Israel, the tongue of the prophet, in the verses before us, next speakssomething, probably, after the fashion of Luk 19:11; 2Th 2:3. Most commentators believe that what he thus predicts was fulfilled in connection with the Syrian conquests of Alexander the Great. Certainly we shall find this predicted “visitation of judgment” to correspond very strikingly with the history of those conquests in three principal ways, viz. in regard
(1) to the circumstances it came in;
(2) to the path it followed; and
(3) to the marks it left.
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES IT CAME IN. It was a time when the “eyes of man,” and especially (so Pusey, in loc.) “of all the tribes of Israel,” should be “toward the Lord.” This seems to describe, first and generally, a condition of expectation and wonderperhaps also of fear (see Luk 21:26). Secondly, and more particularly, and it may be of the “tribes of Israel” especially, a spirit of trust and reverence (see Psa 5:3; 2Ch 20:12; Psa 145:15; Psa 123:2; Isa 17:7, Isa 17:8). If so, we may find that in the history supposed to be referred to which corresponds in both respects very exactly. How certainly great, for example, was the expectation and wondering fear of the inhabitants of the East at large, after the astounding victory of Alexander at Issus, when he first sent his general and turned his attention to Syria and Damascus! How exceedingly natural, also, that the marvellous speed and completeness of his triumph should remind “the tribes of Israel” of Dan 8:1-8, Dan 8:20, Dan 8:21, and so fix their eyes on their own Jehovah in adoration and trust! This almost certain, indeed, if we believe what Josephus tells us of the prophecies of Daniel being afterwards shown to Alexander.
II. THE PATH WHICH THIS VISITATION FOLLOWED. Three principal stages are mentioned in the prophecy.
1. Where the “visitation“ began; viz. (see verse 1) in the land of Damascus and Hadrach, a principal city, as only lately known (see Pusey), of Syria, towards the northeast.
2. Where it went next; viz. to Tyrus and Zidon (vote. 2 4), cities of Phoenicia, travelling west.
3. Where it went last; viz. to the cities of the Philistines (verses 5, 6), travelling south. Three corresponding stages are also traceable in the history referred to. So Pusey writes, “The selection of the places and of the whole line of country corresponds very exactly to the march of Alexander after the battle of Issue, when the capture of Damascus, which Darius had chosen as the strong depository of his wealth, etc; opened Coele-Syria; Zidon surrendered; Tyre was taken; Gaza resisted, was taken, and, it is said, plucked up.” Also Eichhorn, as there quoted, “All the chief places, which Alexander, after the battle of Issue, either took possession of or conquered, are named one by onethe land of Hadrach, Damascus and Hamath, Tyre and Zidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod.”
III. THE MARKS IT LEFT. Here, again, in the prediction, the description is threefold. In the country of Hadrach and Damascus and their neighbouring city Hamath (“Hamath, which bordereth thereby,” so some), the great mark was the abiding character of the visitation, or “burden.” There judgment was to come first, and them to remain. In the case of Tyrus (Zidon being only mentioned parenthetically), the result, notwithstanding all her wisdom (Eze 28:2, Eze 28:3), strength, wealth, and power, would be her total overthrow and destruction by fire. In the cities of Philistia the results would be fear, sorrow, disappointment; in one case, the loss of the ruler (verse 5); in another (verse 5), the loss of inhabitants; in all, the abasement of “pride.” More briefly still”subjugated,” “ruined,” “humbled”so would this visitation, according to this prediction, leave these three lands. According to the history, we read the same. “The Syrians, not as yet tamed by the losses of war, despised the new empire; but, swiftly subdued, they did obediently what they were commanded” (Q. Curtius, quoted by Pusey). Of Tyre we read, in the pages of history, as to her “stronghold” and her “power on the sea,” and wealth, that the inhabitants “determined to resist Alexander, trusting in the strength of the island, and the stores laid up,” as also that they “mocked at the king, as though he thought to prevail against Neptune.” As to her “wisdom,” we read of “unwearied inventiveness of defence,” etc. As to the result, that “Alexander, having slain all save those who fled to the temples, ordered the houses to be set on fire.” Of Gaza, which had had kings for fifteen hundred years, that Betis, its “king,” after a two months’ siege, was dragged to death at the chariot wheels of his conqueror (see further Pusey and Wardlaw, in loc.). This passage, thus interpreted, may seem to illustrate, in conclusion:
1. The imperfection of man‘s knowledge. This city, Hadrach, which turns out to have been most conspicuous and important for many generations, afterwards for many generations is so forgotten that its very name is a riddle. How much beside, therefore, has doubtless been so buried by time that all traces of it are gone!
2. The perfection of God‘s knowledge. He knows even the future infinitely better than we do the past. Doubtless, on this account, there are some touches in this prediction which we cannot appreciate, but which may, however, have been of peculiar interest to devout Jews at this time.
Zec 9:7, Zec 9:8
A visitation of mercy.
“And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth,” etc. The key to this passage seems to be in its very last words (comp. Exo 3:7 and end of Exo 3:6). In the preceding verses we saw how God “visited” the nations bordering on Israel with a “visitation of judgment.” Here we seem to read how he visits his own people with a “visitation of mercy,” He does so, apparently, in two principal ways, viz.
(1) indirectly, by converting their enemies; and
(2) directly, by defending themselves.
I. IN CONVERTING THEIR ENEMIES. (Comp. Pro 16:7.) Of this conversion, as described in Zec 9:7, three things should be noted.
1. Its completeness. This evidenced, partly, by the doing away of that especial outward token of religious distinction connected with “eating the blood” (see Le 17:10, 11; Psa 16:4; Eze 33:25); and partly, also, by the fact of this greatly prized heathen indulgence being given up when “between the teeth,” and so when most enticing and pleasant (comp. Jon 3:8, “the violence that is in their hands”).
2. Its extent. It would apply to all the Philistines that “remained;” and to all of them, also, in such a manner that every one of them individually (“he that remaineth, even he”) should be on the God of Israel’s side.
3. Its importance. Every individual so gained would he as great a source of strength as a “governor,” or captain of a thousand; and every band of them as great an advantage as when their originally indomitable enemy, the “Jebusite,” became, in the person of Ornan or Araunah, the king-like giver of the very site on which their temple was built (see Jos 15:60; Jdg 1:21; 1Ch 21:15; 2Sa 24:18; 1Ch 22:1). In supposed fulfilment of all this, some have noticed what Josephus relates as to the way in which the Philistines, many years afterwards, identified themselves with the Jews. But we are, perhaps, on safer ground if we notice, with a similar view, how completely, in New Testament times, the Philistines have disappeared from sight as enemies of the Jews; and how much, also, we read of the early triumphs of the gospel in their part of the land (see the mission of St. Peter as related in Act 9:32-43; Act 10:1-48.; Act 11:1-18). Was not Cornelius as important to the Gentile Church as Araunah to the Jewish temple?
II. IN DEFENDING THEMSELVES. Here also three features to be specially marked. Notice:
1. The completeness of this defence. In many ways there would be danger: in the mere existence of an “army” or hostile body; in its close proximity to them when in movement, and that, both when “passing by” and also when “returning;” perhaps, also, in the terrible character and exceptional might of that army’s commander, as signified by what is twice said here so emphatically about “him” in connection with its movements. From all these dangers defence is here promised.
2. Its secret. By God’s own hand: “I will encamp” (comp. Psa 20:7; Psa 34:7; 2Ki 6:17). For the sake of God’s own house, some expressly render the words, “about mine house” (comp. Psa 122:9; 1Ki 8:29).
3. Its results; viz. comparative freedom from oppression to God’s people till their then work should be accomplished. They might be visited; they might be attacked; but they would not, as before, be left to the oppressor’s mercy and will. In apparent fulfilment of this part of the prophecy, we may notice, in the pages of history, how Alexander, when engaged in besieging Tyre, demanded the assistance of the Jews; how the high priest, Jaddua, refused on account of his previous oath to Darius; how Alexander threatened Jerusalem in consequence; how, after destroying Gaza, he passed by them to subdue Egypt; how he returned thence, vowing vengeance; how Jaddua and the priests met him, and showed him the prophecies of Daniel; how Alexander is said to have recognized in Jaddua the same man as had long previously appeared to him in a dream; how, on all these accounts, he not only spared the Jews, but promoted them, and laid the foundation of a policy in regard to them which helped to preserve them till New Testament times (see Josephus and other authorities, as quoted by Wardlaw, and by Pusey in ‘Minor Prophets,’ and ‘Daniel the Prophet’).
Thus regarded, we seem taught for ourselves:
1. How God preserves those that are hishow variously; how wonderfully; how abundantly. Though unarmed themselves, they not only escape, they more than disarm, the vengeance of the conqueror of the world.
2. Why God preserves them, viz. because of their connection with his “temple”in other words, with his Son (comp. Joh 2:19-21; Col 2:9; 1Ti 2:5; Act 4:12; Act 10:43; Act 13:39, etc.).
Zec 9:9-12
A joyful kingdom.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem,” etc. How sudden, how loud, how urgent, is this call to rejoice! No wonder; for in the bare fact announced here there is ample cause to rejoice. “Thy King cometh”a King of thine own, not an alien king like him just spoken of. This possibly the connection of thought. Still greater the cause for rejoicing in what is said of this King; whether
(1) to Zion herself; or
(2) to her Gentile neighbours; or
(3) to mankind at large.
I. TO ZION HERSELF. Consider:
1. The purpose of his coming, viz.:
(1) To save his people, not to condemn them (Luk 9:56; Joh 3:17, etc.). This the more necessary to specify, because of the righteousness or justice so specially attributed to him in this place. Although “just,” he is coming to pardon.
(2) To save his people indeed. To save them not only from the guilt, but also from the practice and power of their sins; calling “sinners,” but calling them to “repentance.” Although coming to pardon, he is just (Rom 3:26).
2. The manner of his coming. How admirably this corresponds to his purpose! Being a King, he appears (for once at least) in befitting state, riding on an animal never employed before. Being also a Saviour, he comes in mercy and meekness, in the lowliest way a king could.
II. TO THE HEATHEN NEIGHBOURS OF ZION. As shown by the description given here:
1. Of the aspect of his kingdom towards them. “He shall Speak peace to the heathen” (Zec 9:10). The Jews themselves seem to have expected otherwise; as shown to some extent by such passages as Act 1:6; Mar 10:37; and specially by the extreme unwillingness of the Apostle Peter to treat any Gentile whatever (Act 10:4) as otherwise than common or unclean. This “enmity” (Eph 2:16) was to be so completely “taken away” that the very weapons of warfare were to be “cut off” and perish. A cause for rejoicing, indeed, when accomplished, both to believing Jews (Act 11:18) and to Gentiles (Act 13:48).
2. Of the extent of his kingdom among them. “From sea to sea,” etc. (Mar 10:10). The reference, apparently, is to Psa 72:8; also to the promise to Abraham in Gen 15:18; and ultimately to Psa 2:8. How this was fulfilled in gospel times we learn from such passages as Act 11:26 and Act 17:6; Rom 15:19; Col 1:6.
III. TO MANKIND AT LARGE. Whether we consider:
1. The kind of persons saved. These would appear (from Col 1:11) to be the worst cases of allpersons needing salvation the most. They are described as being persons in prison; as being in its lowest part, perhaps in its “pit;” as being there without means of subsistence; as having their life, in fact, like Joseph in Gen 37:24, Gen 37:27, only not gone.
2. The kind of salvation vouchsafed.
(1) Its certainty. A matter of “covenant” (Gen 37:12)of a covenant still binding, renewed “today;” a covenant made by the greatest of all beings, and in the most solemn of all methods, viz. by shedding of “blood” (see 1Pe 1:19, etc.).
(2) Its fulness. “I will render double unto thee.” Not merely as the offence” is this “free gift” (Rom 5:15), though that would be surprising enough. It is very “much more,” even “double” (comp. Isa 40:2; Isa 61:7).
CONCLUSION. How great cause, in all this, for us, too, to rejoice! If the prospect was good, the fulfilment is better (Mat 13:16, Mat 13:17; Heb 11:13, Heb 11:39, Heb 11:40; 1Pe 1:10-12). If the mere hope was so bright, how much better the harvest! How great cause, also, for taking warning! The fuller the salvation, the greater the peril of rejecting it (Heb 2:1-3; Heb 10:28, Heb 10:29). The more complete, also, its provisions, the more final. “There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin;” “Last of all he sent unto them his Son”
Zec 9:13-17
A successful campaign.
“When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim,” etc. It is clear, from the beginning of these verses, that we have to do here, in some sense, with battle and war. It is equally clear, from the fact that the persons here mentioned have been described in Zec 9:10 as specially separated from battle and war, that we have only to do here with such things in some more literal sense. It seems most probable, therefore, that the “peace” spoken of in the latter portion of the passage must be something equally peculiar in its way. Let us endeavour to find, in each case, where the peculiarity lies.
I. AS TO WAR. Under this head we may notice:
1. The description of the combatants. On the one hand, “Judah,” “Ephraim,” and “Zion,” representing probably the Jewish people at large, as specially identified with the worship of Jehovah, the true God (Psa 87:2). On the other hand, “Greece,” as probably representing the heathen at large (Zec 9:10), in connection with those mythological fictions and philosophical inquiries in which the “sons” of Greece took the lead. When did these combatants and these systems of thought come into conflict? Even when God raised up those Jewish apostles of Christ (so it has been answered), who, by the preaching of the cross, attacked and overcame the religion and wisdom of Greece (1Co 1:18-24). This was most truly a kind of “war,” which also spoke “peace” (Zec 9:10); a war, also, in which the “Word of the Lord out of Zion” (Isa 2:3) was as a “sword” (Eph 6:17) in God’s hand.
2. The description of the conflict. Was not the Lord truly “seen over,” or with these combatants for his truth (Mar 16:20; Heb 2:3, Heb 2:4)? Did not God’s Word also, as spoken by them, find its mark like an “arrow” (Act 2:37; 1Co 14:24, 1Co 14:25)? Did it not shake and overthrow many deeply rooted convictions, like the “trumpet” of Jericho, as though by its sound (Act 17:6)? And overcome apparently insuperable obstacles as though by a “whirlwind” (2Co 10:4, 2Co 10:5)? Did not God again specially “defend” these combatants when endangered (Act 5:23; Act 12:1-17; Act 14:20, Act 14:21; Act 16:26; Act 19:23-41; Act 21:32, etc.)? Did they not also, with their weapons of peace, “devour and subdue” those weapons of war, “the stones of the sling” (margin), spreading the gospel even when destroyed themselves (Act 11:19-21)? And altogether were they not like men carried along as though with a holy “wine” from the “altar,” in their fervour of zeal and success (Act 2:13; Act 26:24; 2Co 5:13)? In all these respects we seem to have here a faithful description of the earlier conquests of Christ’s cross.
II. AS TO PEACE. Corresponding to this singular and hallowed warfare shall be its hallowed results. The Church, or congregation of God’s believing people, shall be made thereby a new thing on the earth.
1. Externally; and that in three ways.
(1) As to members, Before “that day” the family of God was confined almost entirely to one little people and land. Now, those thus saved by him should be “as the flock of his people.”
(2) As to appreciation. Like “the stones of a crown,” like so many jewels, that is to say, not only most valuable in themselves, also most appreciatingly employed, shall his people then be. Compare the name of Peter, signifying “a Stone,” and such passages as 1Pe 2:5; Rev 2:17; Rev 3:12.
(3) As to effect. The Church becoming then, like a “standard” or “ensign,” something easily seen, readily recognized, and faithfully followed (comp. So Rev 6:10). So numerous, so illustrious, so conspicuous, was the New Testament Church, on the one hand, to become. Just so, on the other hand, with all its faults and corruptions, has it actually been!
2. Internally. And this, in turn, manifested in three different ways.
(1) In a special sense of God’s love. “How great is his goodness!” (comp. Joh 3:16; 1Jn 3:1; 1Jn 4:16, 1Jn 4:17; Rom 5:5; Eph 2:4-7).
(2) In a special sense of God’s perfections. “How great is his beauty!” (Compare such passages as Rom 3:25, Rom 3:26; Rom 11:33; 1Co 1:24, 1Co 1:25, 1Co 1:30.)
(3) In a special consequent sense of satisfaction and rest; and that amongst all. “Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.” Illustrated, perhaps, by such passages as Mat 11:28-30; Rom 5:1, Rom 5:2; Act 16:34; Rom 15:13; 1Co 3:21-23; and it may he also, if we look to the margin, by Act 2:16-18; Act 21:4, Act 21:9. Never have all these things been so deeply and so commonly felt in the “Israel of God,” as since the days when the apostles first went forth to preach Christ.
From the various predicted changes thus accomplished, we may see, in conclusion:
1. The supernatural origin of Christianity. Physically, the Roman conquered the world. Intellectually, the Greek conquered the Roman. Spiritually, the Jew has conquered them both. A little society, formed originally out of the most despised of the nations, and principally, if not exclusively, out of the most despised of its provinces (Act 2:7; Joh 7:52), has become the ruling society upon earth. Can we help saying as in Psa 118:23?
2. The supernatural value of Christianity. Is there any system to be compared with it as to the blessings it bestows? Can the statement of 1Ti 4:8 be made of any other religion as it can of this one? Can anything else also so completely satisfy all the cravings of our nature (see Joh 4:14)?
HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH
Zec 9:1-8
God’s judgments.
I. THE DARK SIDE. “Burden.” Word of ill omen to God’s enemies. God’s eye is on all. Storm gathering. Will soon burst in fury, just, universal, overwhelming. None so small as to be overlooked. None so great as to secure immunity. The wisdom of the wise, the resources of the rich, and the fame of ancient days will prove as vanity.
II. THE BRIGHT SIDE. Eye of kindness. Hand of gracious interposition. Incorporation of Jews and Gentiles in one glorious Church.
1. Divine protection. “Encamp,” etc.
2. Righteous freedom. No more taskmasters, as in Egypt.
3. Grateful service.F.
Zec 9:9
The ideal King.
I. BEAUTIFUL VISION. Poets in rapt moments have had glimpses of the highest (Psa 45:1-17 :72). The character, the life and work of a true King, have passed before them as things fair to see. But where is the reality? “Find me the true king or able man, and he has a Divine right over me” (Carlyle).
II. PASSIONATE LONGING. The heart yearns for what is best. The need presses. Circumstances now and again arise that intensify the feeling and the cry. There is so much to be doneevils to remove, wrongs to be redressed, rights and liberties to be secured. Oh for the coming of the true King! “What he tells us to do must be precisely wisest, fittest, that we can anywhere or anyhow learn, the thing which it will in all ways behove us, with right loyal thankfulness and nothing doubting, to do. Our doing and life were then, so far as government would regulate them, well regulated” (Carlyle).
III. IMMORTAL HOPE. There have been kings, good, bad, and indifferent. Some began well, but did little. The best have come far short of the highest standard. The true King “not yet.” Still hope. Faith in the possibilities of human nature; above all, faith in the promise of God.
“Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good….
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land.
Ring in the Christ that is to be.”
F.
Zec 9:9, Zec 9:10
The advent of the King.
The accession of a sovereign is a time of rejoicing (cf. Solomon, 1Ki 1:40). But there may be disappointment. The early promise may fail, and the first joys end in bitterness. Not so with Messiah. The better he is known, the more he is loved. The longer experience of his reign, the greater the satisfaction.
I. THE GREATNESS OF HIS NATURE. Son of man. Son of God. Dignity commanding the highest homage.
II. THE BEAUTY OF HIS CHARACTER. Everything in him that is true and fair and good. He is altogether lovely.
1. Just. Fulfils all righteousness.
2. Merciful. Stoops to the lowest. Kind to the poorest. Equitable to all.
3. Humble. Meek and lowly.
III. THE GLORY OF HIS REIGN.
1. Empire spiritual. His kingdom is “within.” He writes his Jaws upon the heart.
2. Based on the free convictions and love of the people. His subjects do not bow the knee in form, but in truth. They honour him not with mere lip service or state ceremonials, but with the homage of the heart.
3. Characterized by righteousness and peace. “Salvation” is brought by him to all. He not only pardons the rebel, but converts him into a loyal subject. He not only emancipates the slave, but binds him forever to himself in grateful devotion. He not only rescues the lost, but unites them with all the redeemed in one holy and loving brotherhood.
4. Destined to universality and immortality. Of his kingdom there shall be no end.F.
Zec 9:11, Zec 9:12
The sinner in three aspects.
I. SELF–RUINED. Joseph, Daniel, Jeremiah, were cast into “the pit” by wicked hands. The sinner has himself to blame. if there is gloom, chains, and misery, it is because of revolt from God. It is not the body but the soul that is “in prison,” and no soul can be imprisoned save by its own deed and consent.
II. GOD–PITIED. Though we have cast off God, he has not cast off us. He is long suffering and merciful. His voice to us is fall of pity and inspires hope. “Prisoners of hope.” Why? Specially:
1. As called of God.
2. Roused to a sense of danger.
3. Encouraged to seek deliverance.
III. CHRIST–RESCUED. Refuge is provided. “Stronghold.”
1. Near.
2. Open to all.
3. Ample for the reception and defence of all who come.
Hence the urgent and loving appeal, “Flee” Happy they who have responded, “who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the Hope set before us” (Heb 6:19)!F.
Zec 9:13
Victory through God.
I. THE MARSHALLING OF THE FORCES. The “trumpet” calls to arms. On one side are the armies of heaven, and on the other the hosts of darkness.
II. THE TERRIBLENESS OF THE STRUGGLE. Characterized by:
1. Might, as of a storm carrying havoc far and wide.
2. Fury, as of wild beasts raging and ravening.
3. Deadliness, as of arrows that strike quick, and with fatal effect.
III. THE SPLENDOUR OF THE VICTORY. Complete overthrow of God’s enemies. Establishment of his people as a flock, in unity and peace. Human agency, but Divine efficiency. Everything here to rouse ardour, to quicken flagging energies, and to nerve the soul to the highest endeavours, under the eye of the great Captain of our salvation.F.
HOMILIES BY D. THOMAS
Zec 9:1-8
The dark and the bright side of God’s revelation to mankind.
“The burden of the word of the Lord,” etc. This chapter begins that portion of the book whose genuineness, though denied by some, is accepted by most unbiassed expositors. As it is our main purpose, in preparing these sketches, to use the statements, whether prosaic or poetic, prophetic or historic, to illustrate truths of universal application, it comes not within our purpose to discuss the questions of genuineness, authenticity, and inspiration. In the preceding chapters the prophet had in vision seen and said much concerning many of the more remarkable events connected with the continued rule of the Persians; he advances now to foretell some of the more striking circumstances which would transpire under that of the Greeks, during the military expeditions of Alexander and his successors, so far as they had a bearing upon the affairs of the Jewish people. “He describes,” says Dr. Henderson, “in this chapter the conquest of Syria after the battle of Issus (Zec 9:1), and the progress of the army of Alexander along the coast of the Mediterranean, involving the capture of the principalities of the Phoenicians and Philistines, but leaving the Jews unmolested, through the protecting care of Jehovah (Zec 9:2-8). He then contrasts with the character and military achievements of that conqueror the qualities which should distinguish the Messiah and his kingdom, whom he expressly predicts (Zec 9:9, Zec 9:10). After which he resumes the thread of his historical discourse, and describes the wars of the Maccabees with Antiochus Epipbanes, and the victory and prosperity with which they were followed (Zec 9:11-17).” These verses may be taken to illustrate the dark and the bright side of God‘s revelation to mankind. Here are threatenings and promises. The Bible, in relation to humanity, is something like the mystic pillar in the wilderness, as it appeared on the Red Sea; it threw a radiance on the chosen tribes as they advanced, and a black cloud upon their pursuing foes, overwhelming them in confusion. Notice, then
I. THE DARK SIDE OF THE DIVINE WORD. Notice two things.
1. In this aspect it is here called a “burden.” The word “burden” is almost invariably used to represent a calamity. Thus we read of the burden of Babylon, the burden of Moab, the burden of Damascus, the burden of Tyre, the burden of Egypt, etc. The general meaning is a terrible sentence. God’s sentence of condemnation is indeed a terrible thundercloud.
2. In this aspect it bears upon wicked men. The doomed peoples are here mentioned. They are in “the land of Hadrach.“ Whether Hadrach here means the land of Syria or the common names of the kings of Syria, it scarcely matters; the people of the place of which Damascus was the capital were the doomed ones. Besides these, there are the men of “Hamath,” a country lying to the north of Damascus and joining the districts of Zobah and Rehub. And still more, there are “Tyrus” and “Zidon,” places about which we often read in the Bible, and with whose history most students of the Bible are acquainted. “Ashkelon,” “Gaza,” and “Ekron” are also mentioned. These were the chief cities of the Philistines, and the capitals of different districts. All these peoples were not only enemies of the chosen tribe, but enemies of the one true and living God. History tells us how, through the bloody conquests of Alexander and his successors, this “burden of the word of the Lord” fell with all its weight upon these people. Observe:
(1) That the Bible is heavy with black threatenings to the wicked. It has not one word of encouragement to such, but all menace; not one gleam of light, but a dark mass of cloud. (Quote passages.)
(2) That these black threatenings will inevitably be fulfilled. All the threatenings here against the land of Hadrach, Hamath, Tyrus, Zidon, Gaza, Ekron, Ashkelon, and the Philistines were fulfilled.
II. THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE DIVINE WORD. There is a beam of promise here. “And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.” The following is Dr. Keil’s translation of these verses: “And I shall take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth, and he will also remain to our God, and will be as a tribe prince in Judah, and Ekron like the Jebusite. I pitch a tent for my house against military power, against those who go to and fro, and no oppressor will pass over them any more; for now have I seen with my eyes.” The promise in these words seems to be twofold.
1. The deprivation of the Tower of the enemy to injure. “I will take away his blood from between his teeth,” etc. “The Philistines and other enemies of the Jews,” says Scott, “world be deprived of their power to waste them any more; and the spoils they had taken by violence and the most abominable rapine would be taken away from them as prey from a wild beast.” The Bible promises to the good man the subjection of all his foes. “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly;” “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
2. Divine protection from all their enemies. “I will encamp about mine house,” etc. “They were not to be injured,” says Henderson, “by the army of Alexander, on its march either to or from Egypta promise which was fulfilled to the letter, for while that monarch punished the Samaritans, he showed great favour to the Jews. Nor was any foreign oppressor to invade their land, as the Assyrians and Chaldeans had done, during the period that was to intervene before the advent of the Messiah. predicted in the verse immediately following. They were, indeed, subject to much suffering, both from the Egyptian and the Syrian kings, especially from Antiochus Epiphanes; but their nationality was not destroyed; and the evils to which they were exposed only paved the way for the Maccabean victories and for the establishment of the Asmonean dynasty. For this preservation they were indebted to the providence of God, which watched over them for good. This is emphatically expressed in the last clause of the verse.” The Bible promises eternal protection to the good. “God is our Refuge and Strength,” etc.D.T.
Zec 9:9, Zec 9:10
The ideal Monarch of the world.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion,” etc. “In the former part of this chapter,” says Dr. Wardlaw, “we found in the progressive conquests of Alexander the Great and the favour which, in the midst of them, he showed to Jerusalem, the execution of God’s vengeance, as here threatened, against the enemies and oppressors of his people, along with his protecting care over his people themselves. By the reference to these speedily coming events, and in them to the career of that mighty prince and warriorof whom it has been strongly said that, having conquered one world, he sat down and wept that he had not another to conquerthe prophet, under the impulse of inspiration, is rapt into times more distant; and fixing his eye on a King and a Conqueror of a very different description, invites his people, in terms of exulting transport, to hail his coming.” That these verses point to the advent of Christ is an opinion entertained both by Jewish and Christian expositors. The references in Mat 21:1-5 and Joh 12:12-16 contribute not a little to the confirmation of this opinion. Anyhow, the words depict a Monarch the like of whom has never appeared amongst all the monarchs of the earth, and the like of whom is not to be found on any throne in the world todaya Monarch, the ideal of whom is realized in him whom we call with emphasis the Son of man and the Son of God. There are five things here suggested concerning this Monarch.
I. HERE IS A MONARCH THE ADVENT OF WHOM IS A MATTER FOR RAPTUROUS JOY. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.” What sincere, thoughtful man, in any kingdom on the face of the earth, has any reason to look forward today with rapture to the successors of any of the monarchs of the earth? In most cases there are sad forebodings. Christ’s advent to the world was announced by the gladsome music of angelic choirs. “Glory to God in the highest,” etc. Why rejoice at his advent? Because he will
(1) promote all the rights of mankind;
(2) remove all the calamities of mankind.
II. HERE IS A MONARCH THE DIGNITY OF WHOM IS UNAPPROACHED. “Thy King cometh unto thee.” “Thy King.” Thou hast never yet had a true king, and there is no other true king for thee: this is thy King.
1. The King who alone has the absolute right to rule thee. Thou art hishis property. All thy force, vitality, faculty, belong to him.
2. The King who alone can remove thy evils and promote thy rights.
III. HERE IS A MONARCH THE CHARACTER OF WHOM IS EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD,
1. He is righteous. “He is just.” The little word “just” comprehends all virtues. He who is just to himself, just to his Maker, just to man, is the perfection of excellence, is all that Heaven requires. 2 He is humble. “Lowly, and riding upon an ass.” Where there is not genuine humility there is no true greatness; it is essential to true majesty. Pride is the offspring of littleness; it is the contemptible production of a contemptible mind. No man ever appeared in history whose humility approached the humility of Christ. “He was meek and lowly in heart;” he “made himself of no reputation.” How different is this righteous, humble character from that of human monarchs! How often have their moral characters been amongst the foulest abominations in the foulest chapter of human history!
IV. HERE IS A MONARCH WHOSE MISSION IS TRANSCENDENTLY BENEFICENT.
1. It is remedial. “Having salvation.” Salvation! What a comprehensive word! Deliverance from all evil, restoration to all good. Worldly monarchs often bring destruction. They have never the power, and seldom the will, to bring salvation to a people. Any one can destroy; God alone can restore.
2. It is specific. “And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall he cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen.” He will put an end to the “chariot,” the “horse,” the “battle bow,” of war, and “speak peace” to the nations. Peace! This is what the nations have always wanted. War has been and still is the great curse of the nations. Here is a King who speaks peace to the nations. His words one day shall be universally obeyed. “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,” etc. (Isa 11:6-9).
V. HERE IS A MONARCH THE REIGN OF WHOM IS TO BE UNIVERSAL. “And his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” The language here employed was universally understood by the Jews as embracing the whole world. He claims universal dominion; he deserves it, and will one day have it. “The kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ,” etc.
CONCLUSION. Learn:
1. The infinite goodness of God in offering to the world such a King. It is the world’s great warn.
2. The amazing folly and wickedness of mad in not accepting this Divine offer. Not one tenth of the human population have accepted him. What ingratitude is here! and what rebellion! Yes, and folly too. It is his characteristic and his glory as a King that he does not force his way to dominion. He submits himself to the choice of mankind. This monarchy is a moral monarchy, a monarchy over thought, feeling, volitions, purpose, mind.D.T.
Zec 9:11, Zec 9:12
Historical facts illustrations of spiritual realities.
“As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do declare that I will render double unto thee.” In these verses we have three subjects which demand and will repay thought.
I. HERE IS A STATE OF WRETCHEDNESS WHICH REMINDS US OF MAN‘S MISERABLE CONDITION AS A SINNER. “As for thee also”that is, as for thee, daughter of Zion and Jerusalem”by the blood of thy covenant”that is, according to the covenant vouchsafed to thee on Mount Sinai, and ratified by the blood of sacrifices (Exo 24:8)”I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.” The Jewish people are here represented as having been prisoners in a pit without water. “Dungeons were often pits without water, miry at the bottom, such as Jeremiah sank in when confined (Gen 37:24; Jer 38:6). This image is employed to represent the misery of the Jewish exiles in Egypt, Greece, etc, under the successors of Alexander, especially under Antiochus Epiphanes, who robbed and profaned the temple, slew thousands, and enslaved more. In Zechariah’s time, the time of the Persian rule, the practice was common to remove conquered peoples to distant lands, in order to prevent the liability to revolt in their own lands.” Very fairly may this be taken as an illustration of that miserable moral condition in which all unregenerate men are found. They are in a “pit” of ignorance and depravity, shut out from the true light, and destitute of true liberty. It is a “pit” in which the soul is. A man’s body may be in a “pit,” and yet he may possess light and liberty within. Men have sung in dungeons ere now. But when the soul is in “a pit,” the man himself is enthralled in darkness and bondage.
II. HERE IS AN ADMONITION WHICH REMINDS US OF MAN‘S DUTY AS A SINNER. “Turn yea to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope.” The prisoners here undoubtedly signify the Jewish exiles who were in bondage in Egypt and Greece and other countries, and whose restoration is here promised. Though they were prisoners, they were “prisoners of hope.” God was on their side, and had made to them the promise of redemption.
1. All sinners are “prisoners of hope.“ Though bound by the chains of guilt and corruption, there is “hope” for them; means of deliverance have been provided, and millions upon millions of prisoners have reached to the full enjoyment of that deliverance. There is hope; for
“While the lamp holds out to burn,
The vilest sinner may return.”
2. They are “prisoners of hope“ for whom a “stronghold“ has been provided. If these exiles would return to Jerusalem, they would be safe. Jehovah himself would be their Guard and Defence. Christ is the “Stronghold” of sinners; he is their “Refuge and Strength;” “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth;” “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!”
3. They are “prisoners of hope“ who should flee to the “Stronghold“ at once. “Even today.” When the prospect seems most gloomy, when the cloud of despair seems spreading over the heavens, and things are at the worst, “even today.” This is the “accepted time,” today is the “day of salvation.”
III. HERE IS A PROMISE THAT GIVES ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE SINNER. “I will render double unto thee.” As if Jehovah had said to the daughter of ZionGreat as has been thine adversity, thy prosperity shall be doubly greater (Isa 61:7). “Turn you to the Stronghold,” and you shall not only be saved, but more than saved. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.“
“God’s boundless mercy is to sinful man
Like to the ever-wealthy ocean;
Which, though it sends forth thousand streams, ’tis ne’er
Known, or else seen, to be the emptier:
And though it takes all in, ’tis yet no more
Full and filled full, than when full-filled before.”
(R. Herrick.)
D.T.
Zec 9:13-17
God works amongst the nations in the interests of his people.
“When I have bent Judah for me,” etc. “The double recompense which the Lord will make to his people will consist in the fact that he not only liberates them out of captivity and bondage, and makes them into an independent nation, but that he helps them to victory over the powers of the world, so that they will tread it down, i.e. completely subdue it. The first thought is not explained more fully because it is contained implicite in the promise of return to a strong place, the ‘double’ only is more distinctly defined, namely, the victory over Javan. The expression, ‘I stretch,’ etc; implies that the Lord will subdue the enemies by Judah and Ephraim, and therefore Israel will carry on this conflict in the power of its God” (Keil). Referring our readers for minute criticisms on this passage to such authors as Henderson, Hengstenberg, Pusey, and Keil we note the great facts which it contains.
I. THAT GOD WORKS AMONGST THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH. God is here represented as raising up Zion against. Greece. “And raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons. O Greece.” The literal reference, it may be, is to the help which he would render the Maccabees, as the heroic leaders of the Jews, to overcome the successors of the Grecian Alexander, Antiochus Epiphanes, and the other Grecian oppressors of Judah. He works with the Jew and the Greek, or Gentilethe two great divisions of mankind. He is in their conflicts and their battles. Three remarks are suggested concerning his work amongst men.
1. He works universally amongst men. He works with the “sons” of Zion and the “sons” of Greece. He operates with all, with the remote and the distant, with the little and the great, with the good and the bad; he is in all human history. All good he originates, all evil he overrules.
2. He works by human agency amongst men. “When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim.” Ephraim and Judah, which here represent the whole Jewish people, are, by a strong figure of speech, spoken of as the bows and arrows of Jehovah, the military weapons which he would employ in crushing the Grecians under Antiochus Epiphanes. God carries out his purposes with man by the agency of man; wicked kings are his tools, obscure saints are his ministers of state.
3. He works manifestly amongst men. “And the Lord shall be seen over them;” or, as Keil renders it, “Jehovah will appear above them.” What thoughtful student of human history has not felt disposed to exclaim, as he has passed from page to page, “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes”? We say, “thoughtful student;” for it is only manifest to the spiritually thoughtful. The hearts of others are so thickly veiled with depravity and wickedness that they see him not; they neither recognize ills hand nor hear his voice.
4. He works terribly amongst men. “And his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.” “Like the lightning will his arrow go forth, and the Lord Jehovah will blow the trumpets, and will pass along in storms of the south” (Keil). “Is there evil in the city, and the Lord hath not done it?” (Amo 3:6)done it by permission? He is in the crashings of conflagrating cities, in the booming thunders of contending armies, in the wild whirlwinds of battling kingdoms; with him there is “terrible majesty” as he proceeds on his march in human history.
II. GOD WORKS AMONGST THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH IN THE INTERESTS OF HIS PEOPLE.
1. He works for their defence. “The Lord of hosts shall defend them;” or, “shelter them.” He guards his saints; they are as the apple of his eye; he is their Shield and Defence.
2. He works for their victory. “They shall devour, and subdue with slingstones,” etc. “Jehovah of hosts shall protect them, and they shall devour and tread down the slingstones, they shall drink, they shall be noisy, as those who drink wine; they shall be full as the bowl, as the corners of the altar” (Henderson). The idea is their complete triumph over their enemies. Hengstenberg observes that there is not the least indication that a spiritual conflict is intended. Quite true, but a spiritual conflict it may illustrate, and its victory too. In such a conflict we are all engaged, and God has promised, if we are faithful, to make us more than conquerors.
3. He works for their salvation. “And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people.” They shall be restored to the fold and guarded by Jehovah as their Shepherd. God works for the entire salvation of his peoplesalvation from all evil, salvation to all good.
4. He works for their glory. “They shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land;” or, as Hengstenberg renders it, “For crowned jewels shall they be rising up upon his land.” There is true glory awaiting the good. There is a crown of glory laid up in heaven, etc.
5. He works for their perfection. “For how great is its goodness, and how great is its beauty! Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.” We accept the rendering of Keil here, which is not only faithful to the original, but in harmony with the context. The prophet is speaking of the high privileges of God’s people, and not of the excellences of the Supreme. It is an exclamation of admiration of the high privileges of the godly.
CONCLUSION. As much of the writings of this prophet admit of so many interpretations, and are perhaps impossible fully to understand, we have thought, not only the most useful, but the safest way of treatment to be the employment of statements and phrases to illustrate those spiritual realities which are important to man in all times and places. It is true that God works amongst men, and it is true that he works amongst men in the interests of those who love and serve him. May we be of that number, and thus realize in our experience the fact that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”!D.T.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Zec 9:1-2. The burden, &c. Houbigant renders these verses, The burden, &c. against the land of Hadrach, and against Damascus, which is opposite to it. For the Lord beholdeth all men, as well as the tribes of Israel; Zec 9:2. Hamath also, its neighbour, and Tyre and Zidon, because it is very wise. But Dr. Blayney translates the latter part of the first verse, When toward JEHOVAH shall be the eyes of men, observingI cannot conceive how the original word can be made out to signify “the eyes of Jehovah over man,” as represented by Houbigant and the ancient versions. The order of the words in the Hebrew, ki laiehovah ain adam, leads directly to our present English Translation, “when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward Jehovah.” And this plainly implies that a time would come, when men, and the tribes of Israel in particular, should turn their eyes toward Jehovah, and look up to him, either in hopes of deriving some blessing from him, or in gratitude for mercies received from him. See Blayney, to whom I acknowledge myself indebted for much assistance in my Commentary on Zechariah. This chapter begins a new prophesy against Syria and the Philistines, against Tyre and Sidon, which were to be subjected by Alexander the Great. The prophet afterwards speaks of the coming of the Messiah. Hadrach was some part of Syria, not far from Damascus.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1. JUDGMENT UPON THE LAND OF HADRACH
Zec 9:1-8
A. A destructive Visitation befalls Hadrach and Damascus (Zec 9:1). B. It destroys also Hamath, Tyre, and Sidon (Zec 9:2-4). C. The Philistine Cities suffer likewise, but a Remnant is saved (Zec 9:5-7). D. The Covenant People are protected from all Harm (Zec 9:8).
1The burden of the word of Jehovah upon the land of Hadrach,
And Damascus is its resting place;1
For Jehovah has an eye2 upon man,
And upon all the tribes of Israel
2 And Hamath also [which]3 borders thereon,
Tyre and Sidon, because4 it is very wise.
3 And Tyre built for herself a stronghold,5
And heaped up silver as dust,
And gold as the mire of the streets.
4 Behold the Lord will seize6 her,
And smite her bulwark in7 the sea,
And she herself shall be consumed by fire.
5 Ashkelon sees it and is afraid,
Gaza also, and trembles exceedingly,
And Ekron, for her hope is put to shame,8
And the king perishes from Gaza,
And Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6 And a mongrel9 dwells in Ashdod,
And I cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7 And I take away his blood out of his mouth
And his abominations from between his teeth;
And even he10 remains to our God,
And he becomes like a prince11 in Judah,
And Ekron like the Jebusite,
8 And I encamp for my house against12 an army,13
Against him that goeth hither and thither,14
And no oppressor shall come over them any more,
For now I see with mine eyes.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Zec 9:1. The burden of the word. The ancient interpretation of ,=divine declaration, oracle, or vision (LXX., Vulgate), has been adopted by most modern interpreters (Cocceius, Vitringa, Gesenius, Ewald, Frst); but the other,=minatory prophecy (Targum, Aquila, Peshito), has been accepted by Jerome, Luther, Calvin, Umbreit, Kliefoth, Pressel, and has especially been vindicated by Hengstenberg (Christology). Burden is the admitted meaning of the word in other connections; it is never joined with the name of God, or of any other person but the subject of the prophecy; and undeniably is in most instances prefixed to a threatening prediction. See Isa 22:1; Isa 14:28; Isa 15:1, etc., and especially Jer 23:33 ff. The phrase, burden of the word of Jehovah, is peculiar to the post-exile prophets (Zec 12:1, Mal 1:1). The land of Hadrach is a very obscure Pressel recounts no less than seventeen different explanations of it. They may be thus classified: (1.) It is the name of an ancient city or land (Theodoret Mops., Michaelis, Rosenmller, Pressel), but this has arisen from a confusion of the word with Edrei. (2.) An appellative noun denoting the South (Targum), or the surrounding region (Jun. and Tremellius), or the interior (Hitzig), or the depressed region=Cle-Syria (Maurer). (3.) A corruption of the text is assumed, for = (Ortenberg, Olshausen). (4.) The name of a Syrian king (Gesenius, Bleek, Vaihinger, Frst). (5.) The name of a Syrian god (Movers, Van Alphen). (6.) Id is a symbolical name, like Ariel (Isa 29:1), Rahab (Psa 87:4). This, the oldest interpretation (Jerome, Raschi, Kimchi), is sustained by the fact that the others are all purely conjectural. No such name as Hadrach is now or ever has been known. The translators of the LXX. and Vulgate were ignorant of it. All the other proper names in the passage are well understood; this one, the first, has resisted the efforts of the acutest scholars to give it any historical identification. We must, therefore, either say that it denotes a region now unknown, near Damascus, which is surely most unlikely in a country so long and thoroughly known as northern Syria; or else give it a figurative meaning. Assuming the latter, Hengstenberg, Kliefoth, Keil, after Calvin, explain it as a compound term denoting strong-weak or harsh-gentle,15 which the prophet employs as a mystical designation of the Persian Empire, which for prudential reasons he was unwilling to specify more distinctly, the epithet meaning, that the land now strong and mighty shall hereafter be humbled and laid low. The subsequent statements are then only enlargements or specifications of the general visitation directed against the great empire under which the Jews were now in subjection. Its resting-place. This clause commences the detail of the several parts of the whole designated as Hadrach. The burden is to abide permanently upon Damascus. Its native rule, which ceased on the Great Conquest, was never afterwards recovered. Has an eye, etc. Man, here, as in Jer 32:20, signifies the rest of mankind as contrasted with Israel. The latter half of the verse gives the reason of the former, namely, that Gods providence extends over the whole earth, and He therefore cannot allow the existing disproportion between his people and the heathen to continue permanently. Some (Kimchi, Calvin, Henderson) render the eye of man, gen. subj., as E. V., but this requires an unusual rendering of , and besides, does not suit the context.
Zec 9:2. And Hamath also. Hamath, the Greek Epiphania on the Orontes, shall also be a resting-place of the burden. Nearly all expositors concur in construing the last two words as a relative clause. Hamath and Damascus are closely connected as together representing Syria. Contiguous in territory, they were alike in doom. From them the prophet turns to Phoenicia. Tyre and Sidon is=Tyre with Sidon, as the following verb in the singular shows. Tyre was a colony of Sidon, but the daughter soon outstripped the mother, and as early as Isaiahs time the elder city was viewed as an appendage of the younger. Because it is. There is no need of giving to the conjunction, the rare and doubtful meaning, although (Calvin, Henderson, E. V.), since its normal sense suits perfectly. Tyre was very wise, as the world counts wisdom, multiplying wealth and strength, and trusting in them; but this very pride of earthly wisdom brought the divine retribution (Eze 28:2-6. Cf. 1Co 1:19; 1Co 1:27).
Zec 9:3. Describes the resources of the insular city. The stronghold doubtless refers to the immense double sea-wall which made the place apparently impregnable. For her vast accumulations of wealth, see Isaiah 23, Ezekiel 27. shining, is simply a poetical name of gold.
Zec 9:4. Jehovah will seize. An earthly conqueror may perform the work, but the ultimate agency is the Lord, who beholds and controls all things. Her bulwark. It is of little consequence whether be rendered rampart, or might, so long as in is not converted into into. The point of the clause is that the insular position, which apparently rendered the city invincible, should feel the weight of Jehovahs hand, and prove no protection. The prodigious power and wealth of the Tyrians, and their utter overthrow, are among the most familiar of historical truths.
Zec 9:5. The prophet turns to Philistia. Ashkelon sees, etc. A vivid description of the effect of the fall of Tyre upon the cities on the coast southward (cf. Isa 23:5). Only four of the Philistine capitals are mentioned, Gath being omitted, as in Amo 1:6-8, Jer 25:20, Zep 2:4. The omission seems due to the fact that Gath, after being dismantled by Uzziah (2Ch 26:6), sank into political insignificance. Sees is to be supplied after Gaza, and both sees and fears after Ekron. The king, in Hebrew, lacks the article, and the sense is not simply that the reigning king perishes, but that Gaza henceforth has no king. Of course, such monarchs as it had at this time, were only vassal kings. . Hengstenberg strenuously contends against the common passive rendering, but apparently without reason. He (with Ewald and Khler) renders, it shall sit or remain, in opposition to passing on or passing away. But compare Isa 13:20, where the verb is used as exactly parallel with . (J. A. Alexander in loc.)
Zec 9:6. And a mongrel dwells. . A word of uncertain origin, which occurs in only one other place in Scripture, namely, Deu 23:3, where it means bastard. The rendering in the version is from Frst (Dictionary), who deduces the verb from an assumed root, signifying to mix the sexes. It is used in the text to denote a person of blemished birth. Ashdod should lose its native population, and have their place supplied by a mongrel brood. The pride of the Philistines, i. e., all that constitutes their pride. This clause resumes what precedes in relation to the several cities, and applies it to the nation as a whole. In the next verse a further advance is made, and the conversion of the people is set forth.
Zec 9:7. And I take blood. The singular suffixes refer to the ideal unity in which the Philistines are conceived of as a single person. See a similar case in Zec 7:2-3. The blood mentioned is that of sacrifices, which the heathen sometimes drank, and the abominations=not idols, as if he were going to hold on to them mordicus (Hengstenberg), but idolatrous offerings. The whole clause strikingly depicts the abolition of idolatry. The rest of the verse sets forth what comes in its place. And even he, i. e., the nation of the Philistines regarded as a person. To our God=the God of Israel. They shall become his worshippers. Like a prince, a tribe prince. is a denominative from , and denotes the head of a thousand (cf. Mic 5:2). In the earlier books it is applied only to the tribe-princes of Edom, but is transferred by Zechariah to the tribal heads of Judah. The remnant of the Philistines is to become like a chiliarch in Judah. The statement is completed by the final clause. And Ekron. This is mentioned not in and for itself, but simply to individualize the declaration; any other city would have answered as well. Like the Jebusite, i. e., like the ancient inhabitants of Jebus, who became incorporated with the covenant people and shared all their privileges. See the case of Araunah, 2Sa 24:18.
Zec 9:8. Not only shall a judgment fall on the neighboring heathen and the remnant of them be converted, but the Lord will carefully protect his own people. And I encamp for my house. House, dat. comm., stands for people or family of God (Hos 8:1). An army is more precisely defined in the next clause as passing through and returning, i. e., marching to and fro. No oppressor, such as Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon. For now I see=am exercising my providential control. In the estimation of men of little faith, God sees only when He is actually interfering (Hengstenberg). But in fact He sees all the time.
There can be no doubt that we have here as graphic an account of the expedition of Alexander the Great as is consistent with the permanent distinction between prophecy and history. (Hengstenberg). The capture of Damascus, of Tyre, and of Gaza, are well-known historical facts; and these carry with them assurance that there was also a fulfillment of the prediction in reference to Hamath and the other cities of Philistia, of the fate of which we have no express account. This fulfillment, however, was manifestly only incipient, inasmuch as the incorporation of the Philistines with Israel did not take place until a later period. On the other hand, the attempt of the so-called later criticism to refer the passage to the conquests of Uzziah mentioned in 2Ch 26:6-7, completely fails; because Uzziah did not attack Damascus and Hamath nor Tyre, which are here mentioned, while he did subdue other neighboring heathen, Edomites, Arabians, Maonites, who are not mentioned. The rapid celerity of these conquests is most appropriate to the agency of the he-goat whom Daniel saw (Zec 8:5) coming from the west on the face of the whole earth, and he touched not the ground. All the great captains from Sesostris down yield to Alexander in the swiftness and extent of his conquests. Even Tyre, with all its immense advantages and resources, stayed his march for only what was comparatively a short period.
DOCTRINAL AND MORAL
1. The word of the Lord endureth forever. Here is a prediction of a heavy calamity, which falls in succession upon Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Zidon, and the sea-coast cities of Philistia; yet the people of God are safe, guarded not by any human power, but by the unseen presence of their God. Even so it came to pass. The Syrian conquests of Alexander the Great fulfilled the prophecy to the letter. After the battle of Issus, he captured Damascus, which Darius had chosen as the strong depository of his wealth, and this opened to him all Cle-Syria. Zidon soon surrendered. Tyre, strong in its position, its defenses, its wealth, and its wisdom, made a stubborn resistance, yet after a seven months siege was taken and devoured by fire. Gaza, too, although it was, as its name imports, the strong, was conquered after five months effort, and destroyed. The whole region fell a prey to the imperious conqueror, but the armies passed and repassed by Jerusalem without doing the least injury. Josephus accounts for this remarkable fact by the statement that when the conqueror drew near the city the high priest went forth to meet him, in his official robes, followed by a train of priests and citizens arrayed in white; and that Alexander was so impressed by the spectacle that he did reverence to the holy name on the high priests mitre; and when Parmenio expressed surprise at the act, he answered that he had seen in a vision at Dium in Macedon, the god whom Jaddua represented, who encouraged him to cross over into Asia and promised him success. Afterwards he entered the city, offered sacrifice, and heard a recital of the prophecies of Daniel which foretold his victory, in consequence of which he bestowed important privileges upon the Jews. (See Hengstenbreg, Genuineness of Daniel, 224233; Smiths Dictionary of the Bible, p. 60.) The truth of this narrative, although much questioned by Prideaux and others, has of late come to be considered extremely probable, on the ground of both its external evidence and its consistency with the character and policy of Alexander. But there is no doubt whatever of the main fact, that amid the storm of conquest which swept over the entire coterminous region, Jerusalem escaped unharmed. The holy city experienced what David said (Psa 34:7) The angel of the Lord encampeth around them that fear Him and delivereth them. This captian of Lords host (Jos 5:15) kept at bay the otherwise irresistible foe.
2. Bloodshed and carnage prepare the way for the Prince of Peace. The conquest of Alexauder had aims and results far beyond any contemplated by himself even in the most extensive of his farreaching views. He tore down that others might build up. The humiliation of the Syrian powers and provinces was preliminary to their conversion to the true faith. Their cruel and debasing worship disappeared, and the remnant became incorporated with the Christian Church. They exhibited on a small scale what the entire career of Alexander exhibited on the worlds broad stage,a secular preparation for the new and final form of the kingdom of God on earth. Well says Wordsworth, We speak of the connection of sacred and profane history; but what history can rightly be called profane? What history is there, rightly studied, which is not sacred? What history is there in which we may not trace the footsteps of Christ? A heathen historian (Arrian) said that Alexander, who was like no other man, could not have been given to the world without the special design of Providence. But what to Arrian was an inference from a narrow induction is to us a broad fact stamped upon the face of the worlds history, and confirmed by the concurrent testimonies of two divine seers, Daniel and Zechariah.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Wordsworth: Zec 9:1. Hadrach is the designation of the powers of this world generally (of which Persia was a specimen), strong for a while and proudly exulting in their strength, and opposing God and persecuting his Church, and in due time to be laid low and broken in pieces by Him. How many Hadrachs are now vaunting themselves as if they were all-powerful! how many are raging against Him, and how terrible will be their downfall!
Moore: Never has sin more proudly entrenched herself than in godless but magnificent Tyre. Yet all was swept like chaff before the whirlwind of the wrath of God, when the time for the fulfillment of his threatenings had come. Two hundred years passed away after these threatenings were uttered, and Tyre seemed stronger than ever; yet when the day of doom dawned, the galleys that had left her the queen of seas, when they returned found her but a bare and blackened rock, a lonely monument of the truth that our God is a consuming fire. God will not make Himself a liar to save man in his sins.
Jay: Ekron as the Jebusite. 1. It is a great thing to be a Jebusite. 2. Jebusites may be derived from Ekronites. Hence let none despair, either for themselves or for their fellows. God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
Footnotes:
[1]Zec 9:1.= resting-place, permanent abode.
[2]Zec 9:1. , gen. obj., an eve upon man. So LXX. and most critics.
[3]Zec 9:2. Before we must supply . The latter half of Zec 9:1 is parenthetical. Hamath also, i. e. as well as Damascus, is a resting-place of the burden.
[4]Zec 9:2. takes its usual sense, because. To render although is enfeebling as well as needless.
[5]Zec 9:3.The paronomasia in cannot be reproduced in English.
[6]Zec 9:4. is not will dispossess (Burg., Hend.), nor impoverish (Hitzig, Ewald), nor deliver up (Heng., Kliefoth), but seize, conquer, as in exactly similar connection, Jos 8:7; Jos 17:12 (Maurer, Kohler).
[7]Zec 9:4.. In, not into, as Henderson and Noyes render.
[8]Zec 9:5.. Here, as elsewhere (Jer 2:26), the Hiphil takes a passive sense: the subject of the verb is not Ekron (as some editions of the E. V. punctuate the clause), but .
[9]Zec 9:6.. Mongrel is a better, because more significant rendering than alien (Genevan, stranger), adopted by most critics, after the LXX. Dr. Van Dyck, in the Arabic Bible, gives =bastard.
[10]Zec 9:7. . The E. V., he that remaineth, is not warranted by grammar nor by the connection.
[11]Zec 9:7.prince, literally, tribe-prince or head of a thousand, a Pentateuch word.
[12]Zec 9:8., lit., because of, here is= against.
[13]Zec 9:8.. The keri undoubtedly given the true text, , nor is there any need of adopting the vowel changes proposed by Ortenberg and Ewald.
[14]Zec 9:8. , the same phrase that occurs in Zec 8:14, where however, the connection requires a variation in the rendering.
[15]Pressel derides this view, saying, Diese elymologischen Versucht sind in dtr That audi Bcides, gar zu scharf und gar zu zart, gat zu stark und gar zu schwach. But where all are groping in the dark, ridicule is scarcely in place.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
Here are more views, and very glorious ones, of Christ’s love to, and rejoicing over his Church; and the Church is called upon to rejoice in her God and Saviour.
(Zec 9:1 ) The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord.
If we connect the last verse of the preceding Chapter with the first verse of this, (and certainly though we divide the prophecy in Chapters the subject is but one,) the sense will be, that the word of the Lord shall rest in Damascus, as it was there said, we will go with you. I conceive the true sense of the word burden is to this amount; not a burden, or source of sorrow, but of joy. And what follows seems to confirm it; when the eyes of man, that is, the eyes of all the redeemed in Damascus, and elsewhere, shall be as much as Israel toward the Lord. Reader! pause over this verse, for according to my view, it is most blessed. In any way, and in every way, if we read the words with an eye to the rich mercies of God in Christ, we find them so. If we consider these expressions, the eyes of man, as in the first and highest sense of the words, the eyes of the God-man Christ Jesus toward Jehovah, as the glorious Head of his body the Church, beholding Him while carrying on the purposes and work of salvation, they are most blessed. And so in like manner all the redeemed looking to Christ, in this glorious work the Father gave him to do; and the Church, in the whole mass of believers, beholding Christ with such complacency and delight, as God the Father beholds his dear Son; think, Reader! what a blessed subject is here opened also in the view of Christ in this manner?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
XXIX
THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH (CONTINUED) PART III
Zec 9:1-11:17
We take up now the second part of the book of Zechariah, the more difficult part of the prophecy. It has many parallels with the Revelation of John, and has a great many difficulties, though perhaps, not as many as that book.
The date of these oracles is subsequent to 516 B.C., that is, sometime subsequent to the dedication of the Temple. It represents Zechariah’s inspired look into the far future. It contains the pictures which Zechariah drew of the great principles political, spiritual, and religious that were to operate in the future history of his people, Israel. He looks at them through the eye of the Jew, and from the Jewish standpoint, as all prophets did, and pictured those events from materials drawn from Jewish conceptions and Jewish life and ideals. He looked into the centuries and saw the spiritual conflicts which took place, and saw the final outcome, which was very similar to the final outcome portrayed by the other great prophets. As Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah had before them the Assyrian invasion, and as Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk, as well as Ezekiel, had upon the horizon of the world the Babylon invasion, so Zechariah has before him the Greek invasion and the great events which transpired in the history of Israel as a result thereof. It was the rise of these great powers which gave rise to the greatest of the prophecies that we have reserved to us. It requires great occasions to bring forth and develop great men, and when God brings great occasions or great emergencies upon the world, he prepares great men to meet them.
The principal ideas in these last six chapters of Zechanah, are the invasion of the Greeks and the spread of Greek philosophy, religion, literature, and civilization in western Asia. There is a picture of the messianic King, presented as coming like a king of peace, and as a shepherd to tend his sheep; a picture of the preservation of the people of Israel, particularly the preservation of the capital, Jerusalem) and the downfall of their enemies; a picture also of the restoration of the exiled, outcast and scattered people of Israel; a picture also of Israel’s greatest crime, the tragedy of her history, also of the final conversion of the Jews, of the consummation of all things and the glorious and blessed millennial age. Zechariah has in view the great principles that were fighting for supremacy in the history of the centuries and shows their outcome
Now we take up Zec 9 , the theme of which is The Coming of a King. The destruction of the nations through the advent of the Greeks is set forth in Zec 9:1-7 . These nations were those immediately north of Israel, in what is known as Syria. They were Damascus, Hadrach, Hamath) Tyre, Sidon, and then all the victorious Greeks swept down the coast of Philistia and its great cities. “The burden of the word of Jehovah,” which means an oracle concerning their destruction, an oracle which predicts a burden upon those nations, and means that these nations were to suffer beneath that burden. “Upon the land of Hadrach,” he says, “and Damascus, is this burden placed, for there shall it abide and it has abode upon the land of Hadrach ever since. “For the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah,” or “For to Jehovah is the eye of man and all the tribes of Israel.”
The idea is that these events which he is going to mention, are events ordered of God because he looks upon all those nations, and upon the tribes of Israel also, who shall have an important part in these events. “Hamath also which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.” Ezekiel says that Tyre was very wise, worldly wise, very shrewd, the most astute commercial people in the world at that time. And he says, “Tyre did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as dust, and fine gold as mire of the streets,” just as Solomon did in Jerusalem, as he gathered all the wealth of the nations into Jerusalem to himself, so Tyre gathered all the wealth she could gather from the nations unto herself and it was concentrated there.
He says in regard to Tyre, “Jehovah will dispossess her and will smite her power in the sea and she shall be devoured with fire.” That was done in 331 B.C. when Alexander the Great built a mole from the mainland across the strait to the island on which Tyre was situated. Upon Tyre he vented all his wrath: Two thousand of its best citizens were crucified, and six to eight thousand more were butchered, multitudes were sold into slavery, the city was burned with fire and ever since it has been a desolation,
Alexander the Great swept down the coast to Philistia. “Ashkelon,” one of the Philistine cities, “shall see it and fear,” and well they might fear. “Gaza also shall see it, and be sore pained, and Ekron, for her expectation shall be put to shame; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.” Probably her expectation was Tyre and Sidon, that they would form a bulwark or barrier against the conquering Greeks. “And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.” That was done, for Alexander swept them almost into oblivion. “And I will take away his blood out of his mouth,” that is, “I will stop his eating of blood in his sacrifices and religious ceremonials, and his abominations from between his teeth.” I will put a stop to all that eating of abominable flesh in his religious ceremonials. “And he alas shall be a servant for our God.” There is hope for a few.
What about Jerusalem? Shall Jerusalem fall under Alexander the Great? No, as Zec 9:8 says, “I will encamp about my house against the army, that none pass through or return; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more; for now have I seen with mine eyes.” And that is what happened. Alexander the Great passed down the coast of the Mediterranean, and according to Josephus was marching up to Jerusalem, when he met the high priest, Jadua, at the head of a procession of priests; they met him in their white robes, showed him the oracle, perhaps this very prophecy) which said he should not take Jerusalem. Alexander bowed before him, went into Jerusalem, offered sacrifice, and Jerusalem was saved exactly as it says here. Whether Josephus’ story is true or not, one thing is certain, he spared Jerusalem.
In Zec 9:9-10 we have a prophecy of peace among the nations by the advent of Israel’s king. Having thus predicted the destruction of those nations and the safety of Jerusalem, and having prepared the way for the king, he now paints his immortal picture of the coming king: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, even a colt the foal of an ass.” This is a picture of a king coming in peace, a contrast to what he had just been picturing. Now this is one of the passages that have been literally fulfilled, and we know the story of how Jesus sent his disciples to prepare the colt upon which he sat and rode into Jerusalem amidst the acclamation of the multitudes.
What is the result of his entrance upon the city? Zec 9:10 says that he will put an end to all strife and war and bloodshed: “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim,” the chariots which they employed for war, “and the horse from Jerusalem,” which Micah says was the cause of her sin and downfall, “and the battle now shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the nations; and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” That was not all literally fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem, but has its fulfilment in all the history of Christianity. It is a picture of the onward march of Jesus Christ, looked at from a standpoint of a king of peace.
Next he sees the inevitable conflict between the religion of the Jews and the religion of the Greeks (Zec 9:11-17 ). The history of the contact between the Greek and Hebrew cults is very voluminous and in every way full of interest. It may be noted without present comment that certain Jewish books attribute to a king of Sparta the curious statement based on alleged records, that the Spartans, with the Jews, “are of the stock of Abraham” (1 Maccabees 12:21). These Apocryphal books, 1 and 2 Maccabees, recount with thrilling interest the heroic struggles of the Jews against the Syrian subdivision of the Greek Empire.
As above mentioned, Josephus has a marvelous account of the march of Alexander, himself, against Jerusalem, and of the supernatural reasons which constrained that world conqueror not to forge his threatened vengeance against the Holy City, but to confer great privileges upon the Jewish people. He also tells us a stirring story of the continuation of Grecian favor accorded by the Ptolemies who subsequently ruled over the Egyptian part of Alexander’s divided empire, and particularly of the translation of the Hebrew Bible into the Greek language, thus giving to the world a royal patronage more helpful than that which later immortalized King James, the famous version of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, from which Jesus himself sometimes, and the New Testament writers more frequently quote. Indeed, Alexandria, established by Alexander himself at the mouth of the Nile, by the liberal policy toward this hated people, became a second Jerusalem, which evidenced for centuries in the religious and philosophical literature of its Jewish residents the modifying influence of Greek culture.
The book of Daniel forecasts much concerning the rise, extent, subdivisions, and influences of the coming Greek Empire, and its relation to the kingdom of the Messiah. The records of the New Testament are all preserved for us in the Greek language. Jesus himself, somewhat, and his apostles much more at a later date, came in personal contact with Greek people. And the simplicity of the gospel which they preached throughout the world, met, at every turn, the opposing forces of Greek culture, Greek philosophy and Greek idolatry.
Some of the most noted of Paul’s apostolic labors, sufferings, conflicts and triumphs were in Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and other famous Greek cities, and very much of the argument and exhortation of his letters was called forth for the solution of practical problems of Christian life arising from Greek environment.
The second largest ecclesiastical organization of the professing Christian world today is called the Greek Church whose religious primate is the patriarch of Constantinople and whose secular head and champion is the Czar of all the Russias. There exists also today a galvanized Greek government, kept upon its feet by the buttressing of foreign powers, but in no way fulfilling the ideal for which Marcos Bozzaris fought and Byron sang.
Far more significant than this weakling of a government rendered doubly ridiculous by its recent fiasco with Turkey, is a widespread and menacing revival of ancient Greek philosophy wrongfully supposed to lie hopelessly dead in the graves of Epicurus, Lucretius, and Demacritus. The tombs of the heathen Greeks have been robbed their philosophy exhumed and rehabilitated and now, like the soulless giant, Prometheus, that sprang from the brain of Godwin’s daughter, it stalks in colossal strides across affrighted continents or like Nebuchadnezzar’s huge and incongruous dream image, stands an imposing titan in the path of the rolling stone of the Messiah’s kingdom.
Following this comes an inquiry into the import of this passage for somewhere on historic ground must we find the time, place, and need for divine intervention in stirring up the sons of Zion against the sons of Greece in Zec 9:13 . From some points in historical background must flash the light that illumines this passage and reveals the fulfilment of this prophecy.
The difficulty here is not one of the exegesis but of interpretation, the grammatical construction is simple, and every term of the prophecy easily defined. The question is, What does it mean? Are we to understand by “sons of Zion” Israel according to the flesh, or spiritual Israel? Are “Sons of Greece” limited to men of Greek nationality? Is the conflict to which God purposes and promises to incite the one against the other an ordinary war between nations, a strife for tribute, territory, or conquest? Unquestionably, the grammatical construction admits the natural and literal interpretation.
In such case, however, we must look far back into the past to find fulfilment of the prophecy, far beyond the birth of Christ for when Jesus came, the scepter had departed from Greece, and Rome ruled the world. The literal interpretation forces us back to a time when both Jews and Greeks had national existence and grounds of quarrel.
Therefore, to the question, When and by what events is the prophecy fulfilled, most commentators promptly answer: When the Maccabees waged heroic and triumphant war against Antiochus Epiphanes and his successors, a thrilling account of which struggle is recounted in Josephus and the Apocryphal books of the Maccabees. But to my mind, the objections to this limited and local interpretation are insurperable. Not merely because the course of Antiochus Epiphanes was the one exception to the otherwise uniform kind treatment of the Jews by Greek nations and is more than counterbalanced by the course of Alexander himself and of the Ptolemies simply because the Maccabean war is an insignificant and inconsequential climax to so great a prophecy nor even mainly because this war is manifestly irrelevant to the messianic features of the prophecy chiefly because the context, separately in all its parts, and altogether as a whole, absolutely forbids it, both as to time and events.
Let us look somewhat at this context. Immediately preceding the text, intimately and necessarily associated with it indeed its only proper introduction, is this unquestioned messianic prophecy: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt and foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the nations; and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for thee, also, because of the blood of thy covenant, I have set free thy prisoners from the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; even to-day do I declare that I will render double unto thee. For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim, and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and will make thee as the sword of a mighty man” (Zec 9:9-13 ).
This preceding context on the face of it, and in every particular excludes the literal interpretation under consideration. It expressly cuts off the use of the carnal weapons employed in the Maccabean war it proclaims peace and not war to the opposing heathen its captives are prisoners of hope to be saved by the blood of the covenant the dominion attained is too wide to fit the territory redeemed by the Maccabean victories. The inspiration of the New Testament expressly interprets the coming of the king described in it to mean Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem (See Mat 21:1-11 ). The bending of Judah as a bow and the fitting of Ephraim to it as a narrow, prior to the stirring up of the sons of Zion, has no fulfilment in Maccabean times, but finds plausible interpretation in the apostles who, except Judas that perished, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim rather than of Judah but who proclaimed the word of the law from Jerusalem, when the ascended Jesus, the great archer, shot them forth as arrows to the ends of the earth. They were his spiritual children, “an heritage of the Lord,” who became “as arrows in the hand of a mighty man.”
As the preceding, so the succeeding but more remote context. It is all messianic. There we behold “the wounds in his hands received in the house of his friends.” There we see the “weighing out of the thirty pieces of silver as his price.” There we hear the divine apostrophe: “Awake, O Sword, against the Shepherd,” and there we foresee “the pouring out on the house of David and the city of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and of mourning when they look on him whom they had pierced,” and there the consequent “opening of a fountain for sin and uncleanness in the city of David.”
Indeed, not one circumstance not one detail of time nor event in all the context can be applied without gross violence to the times of Antiochus and the Maccabees. Moreover, Zechariah must line up with Daniel when he also forecasts the same messianic kingdom and its foes. In the great and luminous image of Nebuchadnezzar and in the four beasts of his vision Daniel is made to see four successive world empires three of them naturally defunct in the beginning of fulfilment but all of them alive in their characteristic spirit and genius, and all of them in this genius and spirit to be opposed and overturned by the universal kingdom set up by the God of heaven. The Assyria the Persia the Greece as well as the Rome which Daniel saw, were to be equally alive at one and the same time and constituted one colossal image of opposition to the messianic kingdom.
When God stirs up the sons of Zion against the sons of Greece, he does not array an ancient Jewish army against the Macedonian phalanx, nor a modern Jewish army against the lean, springing battalions of the poor little make-believe government now at Athens cowering under Turkish sovereignty. The question then recurs: What events fulfil this prophecy?
Is it merely a coincidence that just after John’s vivid description of the fulfilment of the first part of this prophecy, he strangely interjects the story of the coming of certain Greeks to see Jesus and how Jesus more strangely replies: “The hour has come, that the Son of man should be glorified . . . now is the (crisis) of this world” (Joh 12:12-22 )?
At any rate, Paul’s dispute at Athens with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers was no mere coincidence. And, singularly enough, the New Testament record of that conflict verbally fulfilled the prophecy: “I will stir up thy sons, O Zion,” says this passage, and “while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him,” says the New Testament record. Under that stirring up of his spirit he smote the Grecian philosophy which affirms the eternity of matter which denied immortality to man which enthroned chance or fate which declares all existing forms to be the result of a fortuitous concourse of atoms which claims that the highest and most complex of living organisms, including man, were evolved in long processes of time from the lowest forms.
Let us re-examine the teaching of Epicurus as embodied in Lucretius’ song, “De Rerum Nature,” or read that Epicurean and Stoic composite by Democritus and ask ourselves, “What essentially new and fundamental thought has been added in our day to the ancient Grecian theory of evolution, by Darwin, Haeckel, Huxley, Tyndall, or Spencer? And then let us note how Paul, the son of Zion, when divinely stirred in spirit, smote the whole business, hip and thigh, by that grandest of all compound propositions, commencing, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is the Lord of heaven and earth.”
Here, indeed, was a coming controversy between the sons of Zion and the sons of Greece, huge enough to cast its shadow before upon the prophetic eye. Beside this heaven-covering and earth-darkening cloud the Maccabean war was merely a minute speck in the sky of the future. That controversy with Antiochua Epiphanes ended long ago and was soon swallowed up from human sight by far grander and more momentous events. But this Grecian war is still on, and this mightier Antiochus, does now in moments of temporary victory set up a “real abomination of desolation in the holy place.”
Paul again states the case as he found it in Corinth, another Greek city: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent will I reject. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling block and unto Gentiles foolishness, but unto them that are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Co 1:10-25 ).
Yes, even now, as of old, the Greeks seek after wisdom. By their own wisdom they propose to solve all of life’s problems. And now, as then, their wisdom leads to the same God-denying and man-dishonoring conclusion: Man is only a developed beast. He is soulless. Death ends him. There is no God, no judgment no heaven no hell. Pleasure is man’s chief good.
The Grecian philosophers at Athens mocked when Paul spake of the resurrection. And they are right as to the chief good if Paul is wrong. So he himself argued: “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die” (1Co 15:32 ).
In the Christians of today we find the “Sons of Zion,” and in modern evolutionists and materialists we find the “Sons of Greece.” And now, as much as in Paul’s time, the sons of Zion need to be stirred up against the sons of Greece.
In Zec 10 we have the true shepherd punishing all evil shepherds and gathering together his flock. The true shepherd, Jehovah, is spoken of first, and then the foreign rulers. The word “shepherd” as used by Jeremiah and Ezekiel means the political and religious leaders. Jehovah here calls attention to himself as the true shepherd: “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain, even of Jehovah that maketh lightnings ; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” But they will not ask Jehovah nor look to Jehovah, because Greek philosophy, Greek religion, and Greek civilization premeated the nation’s life and almost swept it away into Greek thought and life and religion.
He had in mind, perhaps, the Greek religion that threatened to sweep away Judaism. “For the teraphim [the household gods] have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams, they comfort in vain: therefore they go their way like sheep.” Under these leaders, the Hellenists, Egyptians, and others, they have been led astray, as multitudes of the Jews did become corrupted. They were afflicted because there was no shepherd, and they had no true religious leader, and had not had for a long period. Now Jehovah speaks against those shepherds: “Mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats.” These were undershepherds having a charge of a certain number of goats or sheep, under a shepherd. So he speaks about the political leaders and the religious leaders under them, “For Jehovah of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his goodly horse in the battle.” Judah shall be safe, for “From him shall come the corner-stone, from him the nail,” the sure peg in the wall that will hold the burden upon it, “from him the battle bow; from him every ruler together.” The leaders of Israel did come from Judah; for, during one hundred years or more, God raised them up to be the leaders of the shepherds of Israel and they saved the nation.
From Zec 10:8 on he says, he is going to call all the scattered, wandering people of the Jews home, and they are going to find their land again: “I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased. And I will sow them among the peoples; and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and shall return.” One would think he was reading the prophecies of the three exile prophets, predicting the return of the exiles form Babylonia. At this time there were thousands upon thousands of Jews in Egypt, Babylonia, Syria, Assyria, Asia Minor, and almost all the world. He says, “I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.” In Zec 10:11 we have a remarkable expression: “And he will pass through the sea of affliction, and will smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart.” The figure of passing through the sea is taken from passing through the Red Sea when Israel escaped from Egypt, but God is going to make them pass through the sea of affliction, and save them out of that as he saved them in the sea of Egypt. The sea of affliction! What a suggestive expression! “The depths of the Nile shall dry up, the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart. And I will strengthen them in Jehovah; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith Jehovah.” All this finds fulfilment in the return of the Jews just before the millennium.
In Zec 11 , Zechariah goes back and takes a look at those foreigners, especially those north of Judah, the tyrants that were at Antioch: the Seleucidae, among whom were Demetrius, Antigonus, Antiochus Epiphanes, and others. In poetic imagery he speaks about the destruction that was to come upon them: “Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen.” The cedar was the greatest of all the forest trees, and if the cedar goes down, the cypress may well be afraid. “Wail, O ye oaks of Basilin, for the strong forest is come down.” This is a terrible picture of the affliction that shall come upon the nation by the Parthians and Romans who crushed them to the earth. The effect is given in Zec 11:3 : “A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! for the pride of the Jordan is laid waste.” The fulfilment of that took place in those terrible invasions of the Parthians and Romans who swept over that part of the world and destroyed it.
Then comes the allegory of the shepherd and his flock, one of the most important messianic prophecies of Zechariah. It is the story of the shepherd sent to tend Israel, and the fate he met with in his work. The shepherd is Jehovah, but the view changes and at last it becomes Jesus himself. It is given to us in the form of a monologue. It pictures to us the greatest spiritual tragedy of Israel’s history. The tragedy of the ages (Zec 11:4-14 ).
We have here a picture of the false shepherds devouring the flock, the work and rejection of the good shepherd, the breaking of the two staves “Beauty” and “Bands” and the selling of the good shepherd. Here is a remarkable expression, “The flock of slaughter,” and yet it is true to their history. If we read the history of Israel in the second and third centuries before Christ and afterward, we see how that was literally fulfilled, for they were as a flock of slaughter. Syria from the north, Egypt from the south, internal strife among the people themselves; there were war, turmoil, and bloodshed, and death for two centuries.
It was the flock of slaughter indeed. “Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty; and they that sell them say, Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich; and their own shepherds pity them not.” The expression “they that sell,” refers to selling them into slavery, which was carried on in wholesale fashion during this period. The slave dealer says, “Blessed be Jehovah, for I am rich.” That is how they treated Israel, they thanked God that he had given them an opportunity to rob them. “Their own shepherds pitty them not” ie. their own shepherds were not shepherds of tenderness, and the people of Israel were not faithful to their Great Shepherd, for here he portrays one of the most pitiable situations in the life of Israel: she failed in fidelity to her religion. He says in Zec 11:6 , “I will deliver the men every one into his neighbor’s hand, and into the hand of his king; and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them.” For a century or two he seemed to have left them almost to their enemies.
Then follows Jehovah performing his duty as a shepherd through persons we know not, possibly the Maccabean family or the Asmonean dynasty, who under God acted as the shepherd for the people of Israel for a hundred years. Jehovah is above it all and he is the real shepherd. He thus pictures it: “So I fed the flock of slaughter, verily the poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves,” as every shepherd in Palestine had, one with a hook to control, and the other a club to fight the enemies. “Thy rod and thy staff,” as the psalmist says.
“I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. . . . And I took my staff, Beauty, a symbol of Jehovah’s grace toward Ephraim and Judah, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. And it was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that gave heed unto me knew that it was the word of Jehovah. And I said unto them, If ye think good) give me my hire. . . . so they weighed for my hire thirty pieces of silver,” the price of a common slave. That was a fine salary to pay a first class shepherd of a nation for years! They gave Jehovah, the shepherd of Israel, as his hire, only thirty pieces of silver. “And Jehovah said unto me, Cast unto the potter the goodly price that I was prized at by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them unto the potter, in the house of Jehovah.” According to the Lord’s commandment, they were thrown unto the potter. “Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands,” a symbol of the love of Ephraim and Judah, “that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.”
We note the order here: Bands, the brotherhood, cannot be broken till Beauty, the grace of God, has first been broken. Brotherhood is truly based open grace. The fulfilment of this passage was literal. Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, and when he flung it down at their feet after seeing what he had done, they would not receive it, but used it to buy a potter’s field. The symbolic action here is impressive. The breaking of these staves symbolized the withdrawal of God’s grace from and the disunion of Judah and Israel because of their rejection of the shepherd. They are left to confusion and capture by the Romans, which took place in A.D. 70.
Here arises a question of textual criticism. How harmonize Mat 27:9 with Zec 11:12-13 ? To this question there are four possible answers, either of which satisfies the conditions. These are as follows: (1) The copyist by error changed Zechariah to Jeremiah; (2) Matthew did not give the name of the prophet but the copyist wrote it in the margin of the manuscript and from that it thus crept into the text of Matthew’s Gospel; (3) Jeremiah was at the head of the prophetic list with the Jews, and the word “Jeremiah” refers to a collection of Old Testament prophecies including Zechariah; (4) Jeremiah discusses the potter’s field (Zec 12:1-9 ); Zechariah discusses the price of the field, and Matthew runs the two together, mentioning the first author only, but not discussing anything said by the second. This is my own personal view.
In Zec 11:15-17 we have symbolic action of the foolish shepherd prescribed for the prophet. Because of this rejection of the good shepherd Jehovah says, “Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheer, and will tear their hoofs in pieces,” as a beast devours even to the hoof. Such was the fate of Israel under such a shepherd when they cast off the true shepherd, and it came true, for Rome did that very thing to her. But the curse that goes against this false shepherd is added, Zec 11:17 : “Woe unto the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” The Lord may give an evil shepherd, but woe to the shepherd that is thus evil. So Rome in turn received her just recompense of reward.
QUESTIONS
1. What was the problem with reference to Zec 9:9-14 , who was the author and what was the date of this prophecy?
2. In general, what was the principal predictions in these last six chapters of Zechariah?
3. What were the predictions of Zec 9:1-7 and what of their fulfilment?
4. What special prophecy of Zec 9:8 and what of its fulfilment?
5. What was the vision of Zec 9:10 and what of its fulfilment?
6. What prophecies of Zec 9:11-17 , what covenant referred to, what is the meaning of “render double unto thee,” and what is the meaning of bending Judah as a bow and filling the bow with Ephraim?
7. What of the stirring up of the Sons of Zion against the sons of Greece and what were the far-reaching results which followed?
8. How is Zec 10 introduced and what was the contrast of Zec 10:1-2 ?
9. Who were the shepherds referred to in Zec 10:3 , what the prediction concerning Judah and Ephraim, and where do we find the fulfilment?
10. What was the prophecy of Zec 10:8-12 and what the fulfilment?
11. What the apostrophes of Zec 9:1-3 and what is the application of this paragraph ?
12. Describe the scenes of Zec 9:4-14 , who was the shepherd here, what was the shepherd’s two staves and what was their meaning?
13. What was the symbolic act of the shepherd and what was the farreaching meaning and fulfilment?
14. How do you harmonize Mat 27:9 with Zec 11:12-17
15. What was the symbolic action prescribed for the prophet in Zec 11:15-17 and what was the application?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Zec 9:1 The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus [shall be] the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall be] toward the LORD.
Ver. 1. The burden ] i.e. The bitter and burdensome prophecy. See Trapp on “ Mal 1:1 “
In the land of Hadrach
And Damacus
Shall be the rest thereof
When the eyes of man, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Zec 9:1-10
1The burden of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD),
2And Hamath also, which borders on it;
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise.
3For Tyre built herself a fortress
And piled up silver like dust,
And gold like the mire of the streets.
4Behold, the LORD will dispossess her
And cast her wealth into the sea;
And she will be consumed with fire.
5Ashkelon will see it and be afraid.
Gaza too will writhe in great pain;
Also Ekron, for her expectation has been confounded.
Moreover, the king will perish from Gaza,
And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
6And a mongrel race will dwell in Ashdod,
And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
7And I will remove their blood from their mouth
And their detestable things from between their teeth.
Then they also will be a remnant for our God,
And be like a clan in Judah,
And Ekron like a Jebusite.
8But I will camp around My house because of an army,
Because of him who passes by and returns;
And no oppressor will pass over them anymore,
For now I have seen with My eyes.
9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
And the bow of war will be cut off.
And He will speak peace to the nations;
And His dominion will be from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Zec 9:1
NASB, NKJVThe burden
NRSVAn Oracle
TEVmessage
NJBa proclamation
This Hebrew term (BDB 672) is used in several senses.
1. a load or burden carried by a donkey or camel (e.g., Isa 46:1-2), metaphorical for people (e.g,. Num 11:11; Num 11:17; Deu 1:12)
2. Levites carrying the tabernacle (e.g., Num 4:15; Num 4:19; Num 4:24; Num 4:27; Num 4:49) and, in worship, possibly Levitical singers lifting their voices
3. a prophetic utterance (e.g., Isa 14:28; Jer 23:33-34; Jer 23:38; Eze 12:10; Zec 9:2; Zec 12:1; Mal 1:1)
Zechariah had a message from God he had to deliver. There was a sense of urgency.
against This is one of the meanings of this Hebrew PREPOSITION (BDB II 89, e.g., Gen 16:12; 1Sa 3:9). The negative connotation to Zec 9:1-2 is supported by Zec 9:3-7. However, it is not the most common usage and probably if this was the author’s intent, another Hebrew PREPOSITION would have been used (cf. USB, Handbook, pp. 229-230). Zechairah Zec 9:1-2 seem very positive. YHWH’s message was not only to Judah, but also to the surrounding nations. It was a message of hope and forgiveness (cf.Zech. Zec 9:2; Zec 9:10).
Hadrach Zechairah Zec 9:1-4 deals with the northernmost geographical areas of the Promised Land (cf. Num 34:1-12). This chapter depicts a spiritual invasion by YHWH beginning in the north and moving south. This first term, Hadrach, appears only here in the OT. It referred to: (1) a district near Damascus or (2) a city in North Syria mentioned in the Assyrian documents.
Damascus This was the capital of Syria, Israel’s traditional northern enemy (cf. Jer 49:23-27).
as its resting place This Hebrew term (BDB 629) could mean that (1) YHWH’s word is focused on His people’s enemies or (2) YHWH’s word was resting or abiding in Damascus.
The term does not have a negative connotation (e.g., 2Sa 14:17; Isa 32:18). It is even used of God’s resting place in 2Ch 6:41 and Psa 132:8. It is also used in connection with the nations coming to YHWH in Isa 11:10.
NASB, NKJV,
NIVfor the eyes of men
NRSV, REBthe capital of Aram
TEVthe capital of Syria
NJBfor the source of Aram
NABfor the cities of Aram
JPSOAfor all men’s eyes
This phrase is literally the eye of man (Adam, BDB 9). The focus and attention of (1) all human creation will be on the covenant-making God, as well as His covenant people (cf. Zec 8:20-23); (2) YHWH’s care and desire for all humans to know Him and serve Him (cf. Zec 9:10); or (3) the inhabitants of the Ancient Near East, especially Palestine, are on Alexander the Great’s conquest, as he was an instrument in the hand of God (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 7, pp. 657-658).
The NRSV and TEV translations require textual changes to arrive at their wording (Adam to Aram with the addition of the capital of).
Zec 9:2 The NKJV adds the word against from Zec 9:1 here (twice) assuming the context refers to punishment, but TEV links this verse with the phrase belong to the Lord (cf. NJB, Zec 9:1) and thereby turns it into an affirmation of YHWH’s love for the nations. The context, especially Zec 9:4, favors NKJV’s understanding.
Hamath This is a city in the northern part of the Promised Land, which is mentioned in 2Ki 14:28. It is often depicted as the northern-most limit of God’s geographical covenant with Abraham (cf. Num 13:21; Num 34:1-12; Jos 13:5; Jdg 3:3).
Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise This refers to the Phoenician coastal cities mentioned in Eze 28:3-5; Eze 28:7 as being proverbially wise. However, judgment came on them because of their pride (cf. Eze 28:2; Eze 28:5-6) and arrogance (cf. Eze 28:2; Eze 28:6; Eze 28:9).
Now, the contextual question returns, is this context positive (the nations turn to YHWH) or negative (YHWH judges the nations)? The Hebrew CONJUNCTION (BDB 453-455) in Zec 9:2 b has many possible meanings. The TEV has with; REB has for, not though. Phoenicia was the source of artisans who designed and built Solomon’s temple (cf. 1Ki 7:13-14; 2 Chronicles 2). This could be the intent of the phrase they are very wise.
When we look at the following context the same paradox of blessing and cursing repeats itself. It is obvious that Zec 9:3-6 are negative, but look at Zec 9:7-10!
Zec 9:3 Tyre. . .fortress There is a play on the Hebrew word for Tyre, which is sor (BDB 862), and the Hebrew word for fortress, masor (rampart or siege work BDB 848). There was an old city of Tyre and a new Tyre. New Tyre was an island fortress about a half-mile off the coast, with walls over 150 feet high. It was besieged by several Assyrian kings and finally fell to Shelmanezzar V after a five-year siege. It was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar II, but after thirteen years without it falling, Eze 29:18, implies that he gave up. It fell to Alexander the Great in 322 B.C. in a seven-month siege. Many commentators speculate that this chapter reflects Alexander the Great’s conquest of Palestine in the 330’s B.C. as he moved toward Egypt because:
1. he destroyed the old Tyre and used the rubble to build a causeway to the island fortress (cf. Zec 9:4 b)
2. he destroyed the island fortress with fire (cf. Zec 9:4 c).
And piled up silver like dust and gold like the mire of the streets These are metaphors reflecting the commercial power of the city of Tyre from their extensive maritime activities (cf. Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 27).
Zec 9:4
NASBthe LORD will dispossess her
NKJVthe LORD will cast her out
NRSVthe LORD will strip it of its possessions
TEVthe Lord will take away everything she has
NJBthe Lord is going to dispossess her
There is irony here. The Hebrew term (BDB 439, KB 441) means to inherit, but in certain contexts in the Hiphil form can mean dispossess or disinherit (e.g., Num 14:12). YHWH wants to include the nations into His family and give them an inheritance, but they must turn from idolatry and materialism and trust in Him.
Also notice that NASB, NKJV and NRSV have LORD in all capitals which denotes YHWH, but the term here is Adon, as in TEV and NJB.
NASBcast her wealth into the sea
NKJVwill destroy her power in the sea
NRSVhurl its wealth into the sea
TEVwill throw her wealth into the sea
NJBat sea he will break her power
NETshove her fortifications into the sea
The question is over the OBJECT of the VERB.
1. wealth (BDB 298 #3, cf. Zec 14:14)
2. power (BDB 298 #1)
3. fortifications
The NET Bible (p. 1672) asserts that the form can reflect the word fortress and that the chiastic structure supports this root. Alexander the Great used the rubble of the old city of Tyre to reach the island fortress and then threw (BDB 645, KB 697, Hiplil PERFECT, hurl) its walls into the ocean (332 B.C.).
However, as the UBS Handbook notes (p. 234) the Hebrew term can refer to sea power (cf. NKJV, NAB, REB, NIV). Sea power was the source of Phoenicia’s wealth and power.
she will be consumed with fire This VERB (BDB 37, Niphal IMPERFECT) means devoured. This was predicted in Amo 1:9-10 (cf. Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 26) and fulfilled by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.
Zec 9:5 Askelon. . .Gaza. . .Ekron. . .Ashdod These are four of the five city states of the Philistines in the Promised Land (Gath was earlier destroyed by the Assyrians). The Philistines invaded Egypt around the 1200’s, but were defeated and then settled in the southern coastal areas of Palestine. They were apparently of the same racial stock as the Phoenicians, possibly from Cypress or the Aegean Islands. They are the only uncircumcized people in Canaan and were traditional enemies of the people of God (cf. Judges, 1 Samuel). Because of Zec 9:5-7 b, although they are going to be judged, they are also going to be included in the covenant people (cf. Zec 9:7 -d). What a surprising message of grace!
NASB, NRSVwill see it and be afraid
NKJVshall see it and fear
TEVwill see this and be afraid
NJBseeing this. . .will be terrified
The NASB has it italicized, which means that the word does not appear in the Hebrew text. From the immediate context, it must refer to the siege and utter destruction of the powerful city of Tyre.
Zec 9:5 may be an allusion to the prophecy of destruction in Amo 1:6-8 (esp. Zec 9:8).
will writhe in great pain This Hebrew term (BDB 296, KB 297, Qal IMPERFECT) is used of childbirth (e.g., Isa 26:12; Isa 45:10) and became an idiom for judgment (cf. Isa 13:8; Jer 30:7; Mic 4:9-10; Mat 24:8; Mar 13:8; Act 2:24; 1Th 5:3). This fear and pain was brought on by the destruction of Tyre, Philistia’s northern ally. With Phoenicia conquered by Greece, Philistia was next!
Ekron We learn from Jos 15:45-47, that Ekron, Ashdod, and Gaza were considered to be in the tribal allocation of Judah and were its traditional enemy!
NASBher expectation has been confounded
NKJVHe dried up her expectation
NRSVits hopes are withered
TEVher hopes will be shattered
NJBat the ruin of her prospects
JPSOAat the collapse of her hopes
There is confusion of whether this Hiphil VERB is be ashamed (BDB 101, KB 116, cf. Zec 10:5) or be dried up (BDB 386). The second one is found in Zec 10:11 (Hiphil) and Zec 11:17 (Qal). However, Joel, which I think is early post-exilic, also has four places where these same two roots are confused (Joe 1:10; Joe 1:12[twice] and 17).
If be ashamed is adopted then the idiom reflects defeat in battle (cf. Zec 10:5; 2Ki 19:26; Isa 37:27; Isa 41:11; Jer 46:24; Jer 48:20; Jer 50:11-16; Jer 51:45-58; Eze 32:30; Mic 7:16), which fits this context.
Zec 9:6 a mongrel race This seems to refer to the Assyrian exile of the Jewish people from Israel (722 B.C.) and the import of pagan people from Media; therefore, this area was populated by people of mixed national origins. The rabbis later use this term (BDB 561, an Aramaic word for incest) to describe a child of the union between a Jew and a pagan (cf. Deu 23:2-3) or to a child born of rape or incest.
I will cut off the pride of the Philistines In this VERB (BDB 503, KB 500, Hiphil PERFECT) there is a change from the THIRD PERSON to the FIRST PERSON. This is common in prophecy as God begins to speak for Himself through the prophet.
As YHWH overthrew Phoenicia (Tyre and Sidon) because of their pride (cf. Zec 9:2-4; Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 27-28), so too, Philistia and also Egypt (cf. Eze 30:18; Eze 32:12) and Assyria (cf. Zec 10:11).
Zec 9:7 I will remove their blood from their mouth This may mean that the Philistines will keep the Jewish food laws (cf. Leviticus 11; Lev 17:10-16; Deuteronomy 14) and, thereby be God’s people. Even God’s people were accused of eating forbidden, bloody meat (cf. Eze 33:25), which violated the Levitical laws. They were destroyed (cf. Eze 33:27-28), but these uncircumcized pagans will be saved.
then they also will be a remnant for our God The concept of remnant (BDB 983) is a very important historical and theological concept. The multiple uses can be seen in the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 4, p. 15.
1. those who survived a divine catastrophe (e.g., Philistines, cf. Amo 1:8; Jer 47:4 and Jews, cf. Isa 37:4; Isa 37:31-32; Isa 40:11; Isa 42:2; Jer 25:20)
2. those who remain faithful and obedient to YHWH (e.g., Isa 10:20-22; Amo 5:15; Mic 5:3; Mic 5:7-8)
3. those who form the eschatological people of God (e.g., Amo 9:12; Jer 23:3; Jer 31:7; Isa 11:11; Isa 11:16)
This is a very strong statement for the inclusion of these hated Philistine enemies. Some see this prophecy fulfilled in the ministry of Philip in Act 8:26-40.
NASB, NRSV,
TEV, NJBAnd be like a clan in Judah
NKJVshall be like a leader of Judah
The Hebrew term (BDB 48-49) is literally thousands. It is used in several senses.
1. literally (e.g., Gen 20:16; Exo 32:28)
2. family units or leaders (e.g., Jos 22:14; Jdg 6:15; 1 Samuel 23; Zec 9:7)
3. military units or leaders (e.g., Exo 18:21; Exo 18:25; Deu 1:15)
4. symbolically (e.g., Gen 24:60; Exo 20:6; Exo 34:7; Deu 7:9; Jer 32:18)
The difference between NKJV and the others is over vocalization. The ancient versions (Septuagint and Vulgate) translated it as leader, but most modern English translations have clan (cf. Zec 12:5-6). The contextual issue is not leadership, but covenant inclusion. This inclusion is all the more shocking when the traditional area enemy of Judah becomes part of Judah!
Ekron like a Jebusite The Jebusites were the original Canaanite inhabitants of the city of Jebus, also called Salem (cf. Genesis 14), and later called Jerusalem. When David finally defeated their stronghold (cf. 2Sa 5:6-10; 1Ch 11:45-47) he did not relegate them to the sword, but allowed them to live (cf. Jos 15:63; Jdg 1:21; 1Ki 9:20-21). This Philistine city is now included into the very heart of Judah Jerusalem.
Zec 9:8 But I will camp around My house The VERB (BDB 333, KB 332) is a Qal PERFECT. This may be an allusion to Zec 2:5 (cf. Psa 34:7-8), which speaks of God’s protecting His people (cf. Isa 60:15-22) in a military sense. The Promised Land had been invaded again and again because of its strategic location, but there will come a day when God will personally indwell and protect the Promised Land.
NASBbecause of an army
NKJVbecause of the army
NRSVas a guard
TEVI will guard my land and keep armies from passing through it
NJBto defend it against all comers
The BDB Lexicon (663) speculates that this form, which is found only here, is from one of two roots, to stand guard or to garrison (BDB 662, cf. NRSV and TEV). However, it also mentions that the MT notes suggest that it may come from another term, because of a host or because of an army (NASB, NKJV).
For now I have seen with My eyes There will be no more invasions of the Promised Land because of God’s personal presence and power (cf. Deu 11:12). This idiom of God’s all-knowing presence possibly refers to Zec 4:10.
Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly This (BDB 162, KB 189, plus ADVERB 547) is a Qal IMPERATIVE (cf. Zec 2:10; Zep 3:14-15). This is a shout of joy over the military conquest by YHWH’s Messiah. This rejoicing includes both Jews and Gentiles (cf. Zec 2:10-13). This inclusion is so surprising and unexpected (cf. Zep 3:14-20).
O daughter of Zion This idiomatic phrase (see notes at Amo 5:2 and Jer 46:11) is often used in judgment passages, but here is an allusion to the love that God has for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Shout in triumph This (BDB 929, KB 1206) is a Hiphil IMPERATIVE. This phrase is parallel to rejoice greatly.
Behold, your king is coming to you The VERB (BDB 97, KB 112) is a Qal IMPERFECT. This is one of many quotes from this section of Zechariah. It is used in the Gospels for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (cf. Mat 21:5; Joh 12:15). For the concept of God and the Messiah as King see 1Sa 8:7; 1Sa 12:12. See Special Topic: The Kingdom of God .
NASBHe is just and endowed with salvation
NKJVHe is just and having salvation
NRSVtriumphant and victorious is he
TEVHe comes triumphant and victorious
NJBhe is vindicated and victorious
This first term just or righteous (BDB 841-843) seems to be used in several passages in the prophets to describe the ethical reign of the Messiah (cf. Isa 9:7; Isa 11:4-5; Isa 16:5; Isa 32:1; Jer 23:5-6). The Messiah is called the Righteous One in the Suffering Servant song of Isa 53:11. He is qualified to reign by lineage and actions.
The term salvation (BDB 446, KB 448) is a Niphal PARTICIPLE used in the sense of someone who is made victorious or someone who is delivered. Both of these terms are used together in Isa 45:8; Isa 46:13; Isa 51:4-5. See Special Topic: Salvation (OT Term) .
Humble This word (BDB 776) is used in several ways in Zechariah: (1) in the sense of afflicted (cf. Zec 11:7; Zec 11:11; Isa 14:32; Isa 49:13; Isa 51:21; Isa 54:11) or poor (cf. Zec 7:10; Isa 3:14-15; Isa 10:30; Isa 11:4; Isa 32:7; Isa 41:17; Isa 58:7; Isa 61:1). Afflicted describes the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, although Zec 9:2-3 use a different term. Isa 53:7 uses the same root (BDB 776 III) or (2) here it is the sense of lowly or meek (e.g., Pro 16:19).
and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt the foal of a donkey Donkeys were the royal mount of Israeli kings (cf. 2Sa 13:29; 2Sa 16:2; 2Sa 18:9;1Ki 1:33-34; 1Ki 1:38; 1Ki 1:44). They were a symbol of royalty, however, the colt of a donkey was used because only the king could ride on this donkey. Therefore, this would be the first time the colt had been ridden. This entire verse reflects Gen 49:8-12, which is a prophecy about the tribe of Judah, but is also a description of the coming Messiah. He will be (1) of the royal line of Judah (cf. 2 Samuel 7); (2) humble; and (3) a suffering servant (cf. Isaiah 53).
Zec 9:10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim Zec 9:9 speaks of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, while Zec 9:10 describes the Second Coming. Also notice YHWH speaks (cf. Zec 9:6; Zec 9:8) in Zec 9:10 -c, but the Messiah is spoken of in Zec 9:10 -f.
And he will speak peace to the nations This latter part of Zec 9:10 seems to reflect Psa 72:8-11, where the peace of Palestine is used in a universal sense of the reign of the Messiah (see Special Topic: Messiah ). However, it is significant that the Messiah will speak peace to all the nations as well as the Jews (e.g., Zec 8:20-23; Isa 2:2-4; Mic 4:1-3; Mic 5:4). This surprising, yet prophesied inclusion (cf. Gen 12:3; Gen 18:18; Gen 22:16; Exo 19:5), is the ultimate fulfillment of Gen 3:15, which relates to all humanity, not only the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!
The last two poetic lines of Zec 9:10 are parallel in the ideal limits of the Promised Land (cf. Exo 23:31; Num 34:1-12; 1Ki 4:21). The River refers to the head waters of the Euphrates.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
The use of a varied vocabulary is no proof of a different authorship. It is necessitated by the changes of subject.
burden = Divine declaration. Hebrew. massa’. Compare Isa 13:1. Nah 1:1.
of = that is to say. Genitive of Apposition. See App-17.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
in: or, on: i.e. resting on.
Hadrach. A country in the neighborhood of Damascus and Hamath (Zec 9:2) &c., mentioned in the Assyrian Inscriptions, with the ‘arka of Gen 10:17.
the rest thereof = its resting place: i.e. the burden will rest upon it.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 9
Now the burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, and all of the tribes of Israel shall be toward the LORD. And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise. Now Tyrus did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mud in the streets ( Zec 9:1-3 ).
When the city of Tyrus was under siege by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian army besieged Tyrus for thirteen years. But because they had a great port, and because the Phoenicians were ruling the seas, though Nebuchadnezzar had cut off their supplies from land, they were able to supply the city with their naval power. There is a marvelous spring right there in the city of Tyrus. So that they were able to survive a thirteen-year siege by Nebuchadnezzar. But when it looked like this pest was not going to go away, the people thought, “Well, why do we just coop ourselves up here, why not move to the island that is offshore?” So the city of Tyre was rebuilt during the thirteen years of siege, and was made an island fortress about a mile out in the Mediterranean. So that by the time the Babylonian army broke down the walls and entered into the city of Tyre, they had moved all of the wealth, and all of the riches, and all of their goods out to the island. So he received no spoil from the destruction of Tyre at all. It was sort of an empty city by the time he came in.
Now, because of their naval power, the Phoenicians became an extremely wealthy people. As Zechariah describes it here, “They heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold like mud in the streets.” Alexander the Great then came through the area. He demanded that the city of Tyre capitulate. They refused to do it, and so Alexander began a seven-month battle against the city of Tyre, in which, after seven months he finally took it. When he took the city of Tyre, down to the south, the area of the Philistines, they were so frightened, actually, by Alexander’s taking of Tyre, they thought, “If that powerful city fell to this man, surely we cannot stand.” Most of them just sort of surrendered to Alexander the Great, and he conquered all of the cities of the southern coastal plains of Israel.
Now Alexander the Great came to Jerusalem on several occasions, but he never did attack the city. In fact, he gave animals to the priests and said, “Offer them to your God for me.” Alexander the Great had a strange occultish, religious experience, but he did reverence other religions. He did reverence the Jewish faith and religion and did not attack Jerusalem at all. It would seem that this particular prophecy in the first part here of chapter 9 is a reference to the coming of Alexander the Great and conquering this territory. The territory of Syria, and then of Lebanon, and then on south into the coastal plains of Israel. So, “Tyrus did build herself a stronghold, heaped up the silver as dust, fine gold as the mud in the streets.”
Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; [Interesting, of course at this time they’d already built the island fortress.] and she shall be devoured with fire ( Zec 9:4 ).
Of course, Alexander the Great burned the city of Tyre to the ground after he conquered it, because of the fact that they dared to defy him.
Now the southern coastal cities:
Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines ( Zec 9:5-6 ).
So the Philistines were destroyed and cut off by Alexander the Great.
And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp about mine house because of the army ( Zec 9:7-8 ),
So God is saying, “I will more or less be the defense.”
because of him that passes by ( Zec 9:8 ),
That’s all Alexander the Great did, he passed by. He did not take Jerusalem.
and because of him that returneth [back and forth]: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes ( Zec 9:8 ).
Now the latter part of the prophecy goes out to the Kingdom Age.
Now in verse Zec 9:9 we have a remarkable prophecy concerning Jesus Christ that is quoted by Matthew. But it is interesting to notice how the Holy Spirit quotes this prophecy in Matthew. The significance is that which was left out.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, upon a colt the foal of an ass ( Zec 9:9 ).
So here is the prophecy of the coming King. He is lowly; He is riding on an ass, upon the colt, the foal of an ass. This was fulfilled, of course, in what we call the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem when He came down the Mount of Olives, riding on this colt upon which no man had ever ridden before. The disciples took their coats and placed them in their path, and they waved palm branches, crying, “Hosanna, hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Psa 118:1-29 , the Messianic Psalm.
Now, Matthew says, “This was done in order that the scripture might be fulfilled saying, ‘Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee.'” But Matthew did not quote this next part. “He is just, and having salvation,” but he jumped that phrase, and quoted, “He is lowly, riding upon an ass, upon the colt the foal of an ass.” Why didn’t Matthew quote, “He is just, and having salvation”? Because in the first coming, Jesus did not establish the kingdom.
When Jesus comes again, He is coming, first of all, in righteousness to judge the earth. “He is just.” The coming to judge is yet future. So that is why it is not quoted by Matthew in the first coming of Jesus. That awaits the second coming when Jesus establishes His throne and gathers together the nations of the earth for judgment. It is then when the promise of salvation will be to the Jews and to the world. So, “He is just and having salvation,” that day is not yet come. Matthew significantly does not quote that part of this prophecy. But Jesus did come even as Zechariah described, riding upon the colt.
The Lord declares:
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, the horse from Jerusalem, the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the eaRuth ( Zec 9:10 ).
There are many promises in the Old Testament concerning the reign, the coming reign of Jesus Christ. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. The government shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. And of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David to order it, and to establish it in righteousness and in judgment henceforth, even for ever. For the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this” ( Isa 9:6-7 ). This is that time when the Rock not cut with hands smites the great image of man’s government and brings an end to man’s futile efforts to govern man. And the Rock grows into a mountain that covers the earth, the glorious coming kingdom of Jesus Christ that will cover the earth. And then shall be fulfilled Psa 2:1-12 , “Ask of Me, and I will give to Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.” His kingdom shall be from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the world. Oh, I can hardly wait as I look at the poor governments of the world today struggling. Getting more expensive all the time, and failing to bring real peace, real justice, real hope for man. Oh, Jesus, come quickly. Establish Your righteous kingdom.
As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope ( Zec 9:11-12 ):
Interesting that He speaks of the blood of His covenant. Of course, that’s what Jesus established through His death, the blood of thy covenant. These prisoners who were in the pit, in the abusso, were freed, or they were actually in Gehenna.
Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee; When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, raised up the bows O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the whirlwinds of the south. And the LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with the sling stones, and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as the ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, new wine the maids ( Zec 9:12-17 ).
God’s glorious Kingdom Age, and as we see the Lord reigning it will be declared, “How great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty!” “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
As we read these ancient prophecies, we will not only notice how exactly they have been fulfilled, but we will also try to learn the lesson that they are intended to teach us.
Zec 9:1-4. The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD. And Hamath also shall border thereby, Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise. And Tyrus did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
Alexander the Great besieged Tyre, and utterly overthrew it. The citizens thought that their strong hold was impregnable, but they had at last to surrender to the mighty monarch whose attacks they had so long resisted. All the mercenaries whom they could procure with their heaped-up silver and gold could not avert the doom which the Lord had foretold, and which, through the instrumentality of Alexander, he accomplished: The Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea.
Zec 9:5-8. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdad, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
When Phoenicia had fallen into the hands of the conqueror, there was no power able to avert the overthrow of Philistia; and Jerusalem would also have come beneath his away had not the Lord miraculously interposed for its preservation. Alexander was restrained by a power which perhaps he did not understand, but which he could not resist, so he passed by the holy city of which the temple of the Lord was the glory in the midst. They who are divinely protected are in absolute safety even in the most perilous times. The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Zec 9:9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
You know how exactly this prophecy was fulfilled in our Lords triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the multitudes welcomed him with hosannas,-probably the same crowds that soon hoarsely shouted, Crucify him!
Crucify him!
Zec 9:10. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
He shall yet be acclaimed as the universal Monarch, King of kings, and Lord of lords, for of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.
Zec 9:11-12. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
This stronghold is very different from that of Tyre, which failed her in her hour of need; it is indeed that of which the prophet Nahum wrote The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Zec 9:13. When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
Note well that it is the Lord who is doing all these notable deeds, bending Judah like a bow, fitting Ephraim to the bow as the archer presses his arrow to the string, and raising up the despised sons of Zion so that they may be able to overcome the proud sons of Greece. The sword of a mighty man owes its strength to the hand that wields it, and the sons of Zion are only mighty when the Lord holds them in his almighty hand, and uses them as seems good in his sight.
Zec 9:14. And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
Then, how safe must the Lords people be, and what terror must spread among their enemies!
Zec 9:15. The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
There seems to be a hint here of the strange scene that was witnessed in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, when the unbelieving mockers said of the Spirit-filled disciples, These men are full of new wine; but Peter repudiated the slander, and declared that the wonder which the people could not comprehend was really the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy, It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.
Zec 9:16. And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
See how many metaphors the prophet was inspired to use in a single verse in describing the Lords chosen ones: as the flock of his people; as, the stones of a crown, …. as an ensign upon his land. No human language can fully set forth all that their Lord thinks of them, and all that they are in his esteem.
Zec 9:17. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.
This exposition consisted of readings from Zechariah 9, , 10.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Zec 9:1-8
THE TRIUMPH OF ZION THROUGH HER MESSIAH
JUDGEMENT AGAINST ISRAELS ENEMIES Zec 9:1-8
The theme of chapter nine is struck in verse nine. It is the coming of the Messianic King (Zec 9:9-17). The judgement of God against Israels traditional enemies set forth in these opening verses are to be seen as preparation for that event. Not only Gods dealing with these nations as the enemies of His people, but all his dealings in history prior to Messiahs coming were in preparation for it.
(Zec 9:1) The term burden (more accurately oracle) of the word of Jehovah is reminiscent of Malachi. It is calculated to place the stamp of divine origin on the second section of the book. The method of inspiration seems to differ from that of the first section in that the prophet does not claim here to have seen a vision. Nevertheless, what he is about to say is not a matter of his own subjective understanding of historic events. He is speaking from God as one moved by the Holy Spirit. (cp. 2Pe 1:19-21, Heb 1:1)
Zerr: Burden (Zec 9:1) means that the Lord has something to say about certain places and it is recorded here. Hadrach refers to Assyria and Damascus the capital of ancient Syria. The prediction pertains to the fact that the eyes of mankind will be toward the Lord. This situation will be the result of God’s triumph for his people over all other nations.
The first part of this oracle is concerned with the land of Hadrach, and its focal point is Damascus. (cp. Isa 21:13) Hadrach is a symbolic name for Syria. The name itself was a little used one applying to a region of Syria also called Bikathanen. It is the western interior part of the country surrounded by hills. Hadrach takes its name from this surrounding. The word means literally enclosed.
The burden of Jehovah would focus on Damascus until that ancient enemy of Israel was utterly brought co its knees. History records the fulfillment of this prediction when Alexander the Great took the city, c. 344 B.C. It subsequently became Hellenized and is listed as the first of ten such cities which formed the Decapolis.
The parenthetical statement by which Zechariah explains this must not be overlooked if one would begin to understand the hand of Providence in the ebb and flow of history. The English text is misleading when it states, the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah. The marginal rendering in the Standard Edition is more to the point, Jehovah hath an eye upon men and upon the tribes of Israel. The point being that Gods covenant purpose to bless all the nations of the earth in Israels Seed is the all determining factor in every historic development, even the defeat of one pagan nation by another.
(Zec 9:2-4) In rapid succession Zechariah deals with the future of the other enemies of Israel immediately adjacent to her. Tyre and Sidon were next in Alexanders plan to conquest. Sidon, as Damascus, surrendered peaceably, but Tyre was subdued only after a siege. The city harbored a large squadron of mercenaries in the pay of the Persians. The resistance was so bitter that, when Tyre finally fell, Alexander departed from his usual policy of benevolence toward conquered cities and allowed his Macedonians to slaughter eight thousand Tyrians and sell thirty thousand into slavery.
Zerr: Hamath (Zec 9:2) was an important city of Syria and Tyrm and Zidon were cities of the Phoenicians. All these places were destined to see and recognize the greatness of God’s people after he has rescued them from the effects of the captivity. Tyrus (Tyre) was a strong commercial city (Zec 9:3) which is signified by the words heaped up silver as the dust. But this proud city felt the sting of defeat. Power in the sea (Zec 9:4) refers to the traffic carried on by Tyre on the Mediterranean Sea because the city was situated on the coast of that body of water, and that gave her good shipping accommodations in connection with the principal ports of the world in which to exchange her manufactured products for raw materials.
(Zec 9:5) Ashkelon, seeing the fate of Tyre, surrendered without resistance. Thus the ancient seaport of the Philistines became, in turn, a Greek city to plague Israel no more. Gaza, on the other hand, chose to resist the Macedonian conqueror. Durant records, Gaza fought till every man in the city was dead and every woman raped. Ekron, the southernmost of the Philistine cities, had hoped in vain that Alexander would be stopped by Tyre in his march through Palestine to Egypt. The hope was turned to disappointment as the Macedonian phalanx swept down the Mediterranean coast engulfing by either peaceful surrender or siege all who stood in its path.
Zerr: All of the towns named in Zec 9:5 were in the land of the Philistines. They were destined to witness the defeat of heathen nations and the success of Israel.
The king of Gaza comes in for special attention by the prophet, as well he might, considering what lay in store for him. When Gaza fell, following a two month siege, and ten thousand of its inhabitants were killed while the rest were sold to the slave merchants who followed in the wake of Alexanders armies, special treatment was waking Betis, the Persian satrap. This puppet king found himself tied to Alexanders chariot by two thongs through the soles of his feet and dragged through the city in one of the young conquerors characteristic fits of revenge against one who resisted his forward march.
(Zec 9:6-7) Ashdod shall be ruled by an alien race. (The rendering bastard here is misleading.) (The Septuagint is more accurate.) It is a clear prediction of the reign of the Greeks and Romans, beginning with Alexander. The pride of the Philistines has to do with the peculiar form of idolatry practiced in Philistia which included the drinking of the blood of sacrificed animals. Hence, when the Philistines are conquered by Alexander, Hellenized by the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, and subsequently converted to Jehovah, the blood was taken out of his mouth.
Zerr: Bastard (Zec 9:6) is from MAMZOB which Strong defines, “From an unused root meaning to alienate: a mongrel i.e., born of a Jewish father and a heathen mother.” The verse means that the proud heathen city of Ashdod would have to tolerate the presence of a half-breed, one with Jewish blood in his veins which would be humiliating to the high minded heathen people. Even this half-breed will be reformed from his practice of bloodshed. He will not talk about such acts but will imitate the principles of the rulers in Judah (Zec 9:7). The people of Ekron (a Philistine city) will act as if they were citizens of Jerusalem which is meant by a Jebusite.
The law made the drinking of blood an abomination (cf. Gen 9:4, Lev 7:26). When in Philistia the son of the stranger joined himself to the Lord (Isa 56:3) the abomination would be taken from between his teeth, and the Philistine also became part of Jehovahs faithful remnant! Just as the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of Jerusalem had been incorporated into the people of Judah (2Sa 24:16, etc.) in a subordinate position (1Ki 9:20-21), so the Philistines, traditional enemies of Israel are to ultimately be assimilated as proselytes. Again history vindicates prophecy.
(Zec 9:8) The prophet reassures his readers, who have worked to rebuild the temple, that when all this is taking place around them, they, and their work will be protected by the Lord. History records that Alexanders conquest of Jerusalem was by invitation, He did not oppress them, but rather afforded them privileges. No Jew was injured.
Zerr: The gist of Zec 9:8 is that God would be a sure protection against any passing group that might seek to disturb His people.
Questions
The Triumph of Zion Through Her Messiah
1. The theme of chapter nine is struck in verse _________________.
2. This theme is the coming of the _________________.
3. The term burden of the word of Jehovah is calculated to _________________.
4. The first part of the oracle is concerned with the land of _________________.
5. Hadrach is the symbolic name for _________________.
6. This prediction was fulfilled c. 344 B.C. by the invasion of _________________. by _________________.
7. Gods purpose to _____________ is the all-determining factor in every historic development.
8. List the traditional enemies of Israel mentioned in chapter nine, and give the symbolic name of each as given by Zechariah.
9. ____________ was the southern-most of the Philistine cities mentioned here.
10. What world conqueror fulfilled this predictive passage?. (Zec 9:1-8)
11. The predictions of this section find their immediate fulfillment in what historic event?
12. The ultimate fulfillment of this passage is found in the coming of _________________.
13. Describe the events leading to the Maccabean revolt.
14. To what three factors do historians attribute the failure of the Greeks to completely Hellenize the Jews?
15. Following the death of Alexander, the land of Palestine became at first part of what empire?
16. Antiochus IV was called Epiphanes meaning _________________.
17. Who were the Chasidim?
18. Whom did Antiochus Epiphanes blame for his defeat at the hand of the Egyptian Ptolemies?
19. What, in Jewish history, is referred to as the abomination of desolation?
20. Who was Mattathias?
21. Who was called the hammer?
22. Upon the death of Antiochus IV, Lysias offered the Jews complete religious freedom if they would lay down their arms. Why did they refuse?
23. What caused the Jewish civil war following their victory under Judas Maccabee?
24. What was the origin of the party of the Pharisees?
25. What was the origin of the Sadducees?
26. What finally ended the internal strife which followed the Maccabean revolt?
27. In Zec 9:11 -f the joyous coming of the Messiah is postponed by _________________.
28. Why does Zechariah mingle the prediction of the coming of Christ with that of the Maccabean revolt?
29. Show how the Jews in later rimes confused these two predictions.
30. What was Jesus attitude toward the desire of the Jews for a military independence and a political kingdom?
31. Contrast Antiochus IV with the Messiah King.
32. What is the symbolism of the ass upon which the Messiah would ride?
33. What New Testament event fulfills this prediction?
34. Beyond the traditional boundaries of Israel, the Messiah will speak peace to _________________.
35. The Jews understood such passages to indicate that _________________.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Here begins the second division of the prophecy in which there are two messages. The first the prophet described as “the burden of the word of the Lord upon the land of Hadrach”; it deals with the rejection of the anointed King. In the first movement the prophet announced the coming of the King. He foretold the preservation of the city of Jerusalem in the days when Syria, Phoenicia, and Philistia would be overcome by the enemy, who, acting under Jehovah, would thus execute His judgments on them.
This prophecy was in large measure fulfilled by the coming of Alexander the Great. He captured Damascus and Sidon, and, after a siege of seven months, Tyre itself. He then marched against Gaza and razed it to the ground. In the course of this campaign he passed Jerusalem more than once, but never attacked it, Thus, according to the prophecy of Zechariah, the city was preserved for the coming of the true King. That coming he then foretold, calling on Zion and Jerusalem to rejoice, declaring the character of the King, and announcing His complete victory.
The prophet proceeded to describe the King’s program. He foretold Zion’s coming triumph against Greece under the direct guidance and by the might of Jehovah. This prophecy was fulfilled in the victory of Judas Maccabaeus over Antiochus Epiphanes.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
the Nations Will Seek the God of Israel
Zec 8:18-23; Zec 9:1-8
In his final answer the prophet gives a delightful picture of the future, which was on the eve of complete realization. So entirely would the memory of the past be obliterated that fateful anniversaries would soon fade from their minds. Indeed they would discover that their dark days had been the source and origin of their glad ones. In all subsequent ages, even when persecuting the Jews, the foremost nations have taken hold of their skirts, appropriating their sacred writings, venerating their lawgivers, prophets, and saints; and believing in the noblest representative of their race.
The prophet passes his eye over the surrounding nations, showing that his people need fear no more, because their oppressors had been effectually silenced.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Chapter 9
The Coming King
We have already pointed out that this book divides into two parts. The second division embraces chapters 7 to 14. Our study has shown us that, of these, chapters 7 and 8 stand together. A second section, or subdivision, begins with chapter 9, and goes on to the end of chapter 11, giving in a most instructive way the coming of Messiah, and His rejection by Judah. Chapters 12 to 14 follow with the inspired account of His second coming and His acceptance by the repentant remnant.
The refusal of Christ when He came in grace is morally connected with the state into which the people had fallen long before. The cross was but the culmination of a course of wilful hardening that had been going on from the days of the wilderness. Because of this were the various captivities and the many afflictions which had come upon them. When these resulted in exercise and repentance, the peaceable fruit of righteousness and repentance followed. To this the remnant had been called in chapters 7 and 8. Now the prophet points them on to the coming Saviour-King, that there might be heart-preparation for His reception. But the 11th chapter closes with the solemn prediction of the selling of the true Shepherd for thirty pieces of silver, and the consequent acceptance of the Idol-shepherd, the Antichrist.
The opening verses, 1 to 8, are occupied with the destruction of the Syrian power in the land of Hadrach, together with all Israels enemies bordering on the land of Palestine, preparatory to the extension of the promised kingdom; and evidently have a double application, setting forth, as they do, the past overthrow of the kingdoms ere the first coming of the Lord (which would have been final had He been received and owned as the Anointed of Jehovah), as well as the future doom of the powers which will be in those lands when comes the final triumph of the King of kings. In that day He will encamp about His house, becoming as a wall of fire for the protection of His own, and every foe shall be destroyed, so that no oppressor shall pass through them any more.
Through all these lands the victorious armies of Alexander passed, overthrowing all of the cities mentioned, in strict accordance with the prophetic Word. Damascus, Hamath, Tyre and Zidon, and the strongholds of the Philistines, were all alike subjugated, and some utterly ruined, to rise no more. Yet Judah and Jerusalem were spared, as if by direct divine intervention, and the Grecian armies became the protectors, in place of the destroyers, of the seed of Abraham. The temple and city were preserved that in them might be carried out all that the prophets had spoken concerning the coming of the Just One, who was to suffer and to die there.
So in verse 9 we have recorded the words which Mat 21:4, 5 and Joh 12:14, 15 tell us were directly fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem amid the welcoming cries of the disciples, the children, and of the people. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation: lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. Thus He came as the Prince of Peace, only to be eventually despised and set at naught. When He comes the second time, it will be as the Warrior-King on the white horse of victorious judgment (Rev. 19).
Between verse 9 and verse 10 this entire dispensation of grace comes in; for it is evident that the latter part of the chapter has never yet had its fulfilment. The King came, but was refused. His cross becomes the sign of salvation for all who trust Him; while He Himself has taken His seat on the Fathers throne in the heavens. Never for one hour has He occupied the throne of David which is yet to be His. That throne He will take when He descends from the heavens with power and great glory. Then He will cut off all the enemies of Jerusalem, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth (ver. 10). Only when He appears in person will these words come to pass. There can be no Millennium without Christ.
At His glorious revelation He will deliver Judahs prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water, through the blood of the covenant confirmed in His death, bringing salvation to these prisoners of hope, who will find in Him a stronghold and a defence from all their enemies-after He has rendered to Israel double for all their iniquities (Isa 40:2; 61:7). Then shall Judah be as a strong bow in His hand, and Ephraim as a polished shaft, before whom the nations shall bow, owning the excellency of the God of Jacob (vers. 11-13).
Again we have to notice a secondary application of a part of this prophecy. Verses 13 to 16 seem to refer in measure to the Maccabean contest with Antiochus Epiphanes, type of the Antichrist of the last days. Then Jehovah raised up the sons of Zion against the sons of Greece, and made the army of Judah as the sword of a mighty man. But undoubtedly the fuller interpretation is that which refers these words to the conflicts of the great tribulation, when, in their darkest hour of trial, the Lord shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth as the lightning, when He shall blow the trumpet for the defence of those who in their distress shall turn to Him with all their hearts.
He will save them in that day as the flock of His people, when they shall become the jewels of His crown, brilliantly shining upon Immanuels land (ver. 16). What a day of glory for the people so long hated and oppressed! They who have been accounted by many as the very off-scouring of the earth shall shine in unequaled brilliancy in the diadem of the Crucified, when they cry, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! No longer will He be to them without form or comeliness, and bereft of all beauty that would cause them to desire Him. On the contrary, as they gaze astonished upon His head once crowned with thorns and His visage once marred more than any man, they will cry, with rapturous amazement, How great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! Then shall He feed them with bountiful hand, providing them with every needful blessing, so that corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids (ver. 17). Fasting and sorrow will have ceased forever. The joy of an unending feast in the banqueting house will have begun with the banner of love waving over all.
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Zec 9:12
The prophet is speaking to those who are emphatically called “Christ’s prisoners,” those for whom, by His kingly power, He has gone up on high, and given to them repentance, that He might make them spiritual captives.
I. No words could be framed more appropriate, or expressive of souls under spiritual distress, than those which the prophet here uses: “prisoners of hope.” Why does the believer’s soul feel so fast bound and so miserable? He was not always so; but he has felt so ever since he began to hope, ever since a nobler and a loftier feeling came into his mind. From that hour, when the love of God first awoke in his soul, he has longed to go forth into a wider field than he can ever compass, and to expatiate on the image and the work and the glory of his God. Therefore, because his desires are so large, his soul feels so imprisoned. “Hope” has made this world feel so narrow, his body so cumbersome, those sins so heavy, and that nature such a great hindrance.
II. The prisoners of hope should “turn to the stronghold,” keep close to the Lord Jesus. Pass your waiting time inside the fortress of Jesus. Let Him be your tower for ever, and in that stronghold He will bury your fears and keep your joys.
III. God Himself has graciously added the reason of the confidence of those who have by His grace exchanged the prison for the stronghold. “Even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.” It appears evident that in these words God is continuing the address which He was making in the preceding verse, and that He speaks to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is part of the engagement which the Father has made to the Son. When Christ sees of the travail of His soul He is satisfied, as when one delights in a purchase, and thinks that the price was not to be compared with the value received.
J. Vaughan, Sermons, 10th series, p. 149.
Fear and hope have two things in common. (1) They are both prospective. They have to do with things future. (2) They regard that future as possible. With these two points of resemblance, hope and fear are in all else opposite and contradictory to each other. Fear is the apprehension of a future possible evil; hope is the anticipation of a future possible good.
I. What is the place of hope in the Gospel? We believe that Christ makes it everything. St. Paul even says, “We are saved by hope.” And if there could be stronger words than these, we find them in that brief and touching account of Christ’s own life below, “For the joy which was set before Him, He endured the Cross.” What is that but saying that the anticipation of a blessed future, which is the definition of hope, supported our Lord Jesus Christ in working our redemption?
II. Consider two of these future good things which God has promised, and which therefore the Christian hopes for. (1) One of these is growth, progress, at last perfection, in holiness. This is a hope peculiar to the Gospel. It is also a promise. If Christ be true, He offers us holiness. That is what makes His religion a Gospel. (2) I knit into one the hope of holiness and the hope of heaven. What is happiness, what is glory, but the being perfectly holy, like God, filled with the Spirit? The Holy Spirit is called “the earnest of our inheritance.” Why? Because the inheritance itself is the Spirit; the having the Spirit at last not by measure, the being satisfied with God’s likeness, the being made to drink abundantly of what the Psalmist calls “the river of His pleasures.” That is heaven. And so the one hope runs up into the other, and he who is athirst for holiness is on his way to heaven.
C. J. Vaughan, Last Words at Doncaster, p. 54.
References: Zec 9:12.-Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. xxii., p. 213; Homiletic Quarterly, vol. i., p. 101; G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 175. Zec 9:13.-Ibid., p. 333. Zec 9:16, Zec 9:17.-H. W. Beecher, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxvi., p. 388.
Zec 9:17
I. These visions of earthly blessing have their heavenly substance. They show us the joy and the feast of the old creation; God’s people rejoicing under His benign Fatherhood, eating the fruits of the earth with a holy gladness. But what are all these-the joy of God’s people in Jerusalem, the holy mountain, the cities of peace, the fair lands, the fruitful vineyards, the corn and the wine, the harvest and the vintage, the shouting and the feast of ingathering-what are they all but one great prophecy, a symbol and a sacrament, the old creation in its earthly festival witnessing and waiting for the new? The text is a luminous prophecy of the Word made flesh, revealed first by personal manifestation upon earth, and then by His Spirit through the Church. What is this goodness and this beauty but the perfect mystery of His Divine manhood? They are not so much two attributes as two aspects of His Person. Goodness is inward beauty; beauty is outward goodness. They are inseparable, and express to us the perfection of Him who is God and man; perfect alike in both; in majesty and meekness, in love and in humility, in His passion and in His power.
II. And as it is a prophecy of the incarnation, so it is also of the Holy Eucharist, the feast of the new creation. Consider the blessings which the Lord of the harvest pours out on those who come to this supper, where He is both the Master and the Feast. (1) The first grace He gives is rest. He gives rest from the burden of sin, assuring us of forgiveness. The consciousness of past guilt remains, but it is suspended in the consciousness of present rest. The holy communion also sets the heart and will free from the misery of inward faults. (2) When God gives rest, He gives also refreshment. He renews our strength for labours yet to come. The soul wastes faster than the body. Every night gives back to the body what every day takes from it; but with the soul, not so. The spiritual decays run on into to-morrow, and to-morrow begins with an inclination to a lower tone; its own temptations swell the evil; one day heaps its sin upon another, and our spiritual decline gains in speed as it gains in time. These decays are always advancing in every soul not supported by habitual communion with Christ. (3) In this great feast of joy He gives us the constant perception of His love. Love alone, by its own kindred perception, feels love. And this crowning grace the Master gives to His servants at this feast of rest. His love falls as a light of fire, making hearts that long for Him to burn.
H. E. Manning, Sermons, vol. iv., p. 228.
References: Zec 10:6.-Spurgeon, My Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes to Malachi, p. 374. Zec 10:12.-Ibid., p. 377; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxx., No. 1805. Zech 10-W. Lindsay Alexander, Homiletic Magazine, vol. viii., p. 356. Zec 11:1-8.-Ibid., vol. ix., p. 178.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
II. THE TWO PROPHETIC BURDENS–THE GREAT PROPHECIES OF THE FUTURE
I. The First Burden (9-11)
CHAPTER 9
1. The burden of the land of Hadrach (Zec 9:1-8)
2. Zions King of Peace (Zec 9:9-12)
3. The near-event of the invasion by Antiochus Ephiphanes (Zec 9:13-17; Zec 10:1)
Zec 9:1-8. The final section of Zechariah is of still greater interest. The Deliverer, King Messiah, is revealed in this section as suffering, rejected, pierced, slain. The great finale leads us up to the great conflict and final siege of Jerusalem. We do not enter into the inventions of criticism, which claim that these great prophecies are less authentic than the first part of Zechariah.
The land of Hadrach against which the first burden in chapter 9 commences cannot be correctly located. Its closer connection with Damascus and Hamath shows that the land of Hadrach must have been a province of the Syrian kingdom then in existence. The Phoenician Cities Tyre and Sidon are next, and then mention is made of four Philistine cities. Against these, Syria, Phoenicia and the cities of the Philistines a great calamity and overthrow is prophesied by Zechariah. They are conquered by the hosts of an enemy, and the rich treasures of Tyre are heaped together in the streets–silver as the dust and gold as the mire–the bulwarks are smitten, and she herself consumed by fire. From there the conquest goes on rapidly to the Philistinian cities, and the King of Gaza perishes. The question arises, What conquest and calamity is this? Is it accomplished or is it still future? History records one great conqueror who rapidly overthrew the countries and cities mentioned in this burden. Alexander the Great and his expedition so successfully carried on is undoubtedly meant here. All students of the prophetic Scriptures know how prominently he likewise stands out in the book of Daniel. The young monarch, after the battle of Issus, besieged and quickly captured Damascus. Sidon was easily taken, but Tyre resisted him some seven months and was burned to the ground. Gaza and the other cities came next. Thus the burden of the word of Jehovah as uttered here by Zechariah was literally fulfilled in the Syrian conquest of Alexander the Great. However, history tells us that the armies of the youthful monarch passed by Jerusalem a number of times without doing harm to the city. This is remarkable, and in accord with the prophecy of Zechariah, for we read in the eighth verse, And I will encamp against mine house, against the army, against him that passes through and returns, and no oppressor shall come over them any more, for now I have seen it with mine eyes.
But this prophetic burden leads us up also to the final days, for we read here the promise that no oppressor shall come over them any more. This brings it in connection with the final coming deliverance of Israel, and the final destructive visitation upon their enemies.
Zec 9:9-12. A great prophecy follows. The true King of Israel comes here before us in His humiliation, and coming exaltation.
Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion, Shout aloud, daughter of Jerusalem; Behold thy king cometh to thee, Just and having salvation; Meek and riding upon an ass, Even upon a colt, the she-asss foal; And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, And the horse from Jerusalem, And the battle bow shall be cut off, And He shall speak peace unto the nations, And His dominion shall be from sea to sea, And from the river to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, for the sake of thy covenant blood, I send forth thy prisoners from the waterless pit, Return to the stronghold–Prisoners of hope Even today I declare I will render double unto thee.
This stands in contrast to the Grecian conqueror, and it needs no proofs that the coming King whom Zechariah beholds is the King Messiah. The Jews acknowledge it as such. One of the greatest Jewish commentators (Rashi) says: It is impossible to interpret it of any other than King Messiah. An interesting fable is based upon this prophecy, and well known among orthodox Jews. Rabbi Eliezer says, commenting on the words lowly and riding upon an ass, This is the ass, the foal of that she-ass which was created in the twilight. This is the ass which Abraham our father saddled for the binding Of Isaac his son. This is the ass upon which Moses our teacher rode when He came to Egypt, as it is said, And he made them ride upon the ass Exo 4:20. This is the ass upon which the Son of David shall ride. Other interesting quotations could be given from Jewish writings, but this is sufficient to show that the Jews believe it to be a Messianic prophecy. And what blindness that they do not see Him who is the Messiah; but is not the so-called higher criticism existing today in Christendom being taught in churches and schools, and that there are no Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, much greater blindness? Alas! so it is, and the outcome can be nothing else in the end than the denial of the divinity of our Lord, or Unitarianism.
Every reader of the New Testament knows that this prophecy is quoted in the Gospels. In the Gospel of Matthew we read (Mat 21:5) : All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell the daughter of Sion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, upon a colt the foal of an ass. The context shows a great multitude crying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. But soon the cry is changed unto, This is Jesus the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee. Notice the Holy Spirit quoting from Zechariah leaves out the sentence, He is just, having salvation. This is not an error, but it is the divine right of the Spirit who gave the prophecies in olden times to apply them correctly in the New Testament. In the Gospel of Mark in the eleventh chapter there is likewise the description of Christs entry into Jerusalem, but Zechariah is not quoted. The same is true of the account given by Luke, chapter 19, and here He is mentioned as the King that cometh in the name of Jehovah, peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. In the fourth Gospel, Joh 12:15, the account of His coming to Jerusalem is much shorter than in the other Gospels. It says there, Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting upon an asss colt. We see from this that the four Gospels give each an account of the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem; two of them quote from Zechariah and the other two do not. The quotations themselves are different from the prophecy in Zec 9:1-17 in two respects. The first words, Rejoice greatly, are not at all used. In Matthew it is, Tell the daughter of Zion, and in John, Fear not, daughter of Zion. The sentence, He is just and having salvation, is left out in both.
A superficial exposition of the Word claims that Zechariahs prophecy was fulfilled in the event recorded by the Gospels. As far as His entry into Jerusalem is concerned, riding upon the colt the foal of an ass (and note in Matthew it is shown that both the colt and the ass are brought to Him. He could ride, of course, only upon one, but the she-ass had to go along in fulfillment of prophecy), and the way He came, meekly, in this respect the prophecy was fulfilled. This entry of the Son of Man into Jerusalem was His formal presentation to Jerusalem as its King, but, as stated above, the Messianic cry of welcome, Blessed is He, soon changed into, Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee, and that again in the final cry of rejection, Crucify Him, crucify Him! There was no salvation for Israel then, and no kingdom for Him, hence no rejoicing is mentioned in the quotations.
It is His second coming to Jerusalem as the Son of Man in His glory which will bring the fulfillment of Zec 9:9-11. True, the colt, the she asss foal, will not be the animal He rides, but He will come upon a white horse followed by the armies of heaven. He comes then truly for Jerusalem, fulfilling the prophecy, Just is He having salvation (marginal reading, victory). There will be again the welcome cry of the one hundred eighteenth Psalm, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of Jehovah, preceded by the plea, Hosanna, save now.
The tenth and eleventh verses (Zec 9:10-11) show clearly that the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled and can be only fulfilled in the coming of the Son of Man in His glory. One of the reasons why modern Judaism rejects Jesus of Nazareth, and does not believe Him to be the promised Redeemer, is in this prophecy. Rabbi F. De Sola Mendes, of New York, brings in a little book, A Hebrews Reply to the Missionaries, the following argument: We reject Jesus of Nazareth as our Messiah on account of His deeds. He says of Himself, Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth; I came not to send peace but a sword, etc. But we find that our prophets ascribed to the true Messiah quite different actions. Zechariah says (Zec 9:10), He shall speak peace to the nations. Jesus says He came to send the sword on the earth; whereas, Isaiah says of the true Messianic time, They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.
Of course the Jew is right in expecting the literal fulfillment of this prophecy, and it will be fulfilled when He comes again and the restoration of all things will follow, as spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets.
When He appears again, in like manner as He went into heaven, that is not for His saints but with His saints, there will be peace for Ephraim and for Jerusalem, and the kingdom is then restored to Israel, that is, to the house of Judah and the house of Israel. The chariot, the horse, and the battle-bow will be cut off. Not alone will He bring peace to the covenant people but to the nations. He will speak peace. And He shall stand, and shall feed His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah His God, and they shall abide; for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be our peace Mic 5:4-15. There will be abundance of peace Psa 72:7. His dominion will be from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth.
The prisoners of hope to be released, by the blood of the covenant, from the pit wherein there is no water, is the nation whose captivity is now ended. How strange that people should take a passage like this and interpret it as meaning the restitution of the wicked and the ungodly from the pit. There is nothing taught in the Word like that which some people term a larger hope. The restitution (restoration) of all things is not left to the fanciful interpretation of the human mind, but is clearly defined by the Word itself, as spoken by the prophets. In the vision of the dry bones in Eze 37:1-28, Israels complaint is, Our hope is lost. But when He is manifested, who is indeed the Hope of Israel, the prisoners (the captives), will be released and cleansed. Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears…. there is hope for thy latter end, saith the LORD, and thy children shall come again to their own border Jer 31:17. The exhortation to return to the stronghold follows. Israel will then sing, He brought me up out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings Psa 40:2. Double will be rendered unto them, as promised, Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of the LORDS hand double for all her sins Isa 40:22. For your shame ye shall have double, and for confusion they shall rejoice in that portion; therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them Isa 41:7.
Zec 9:13-17; Zec 10:1. The scene changes once more. One of Alexanders successors, Antiochus Epiphanes, and the Maccabean victory is the topic of these verses. On this invader see Dan 8:1-27, where he is predicted as the little horn and his abominable work there is fully described. He entered the pleasant land, the land of Israel. A bitter struggle commenced, for Antiochus tried to exterminate the Jews, and their religion as well. Every observance of the Jewish religion was forbidden, the Sabbath had to be profaned, and unclean food had to be eaten. Idols were set up in the temple. Instead of the Jewish feasts, the feasts of idols, with all their shocking abominations and immoralities, were introduced, and the Jews were forced to join in them. Thousands suffered martyrdom. But all at once a few people stood up against the abominations, the Maccabeans, and in a struggle lasting about twenty-five years, they fought successfully against the enemies.
This terrible visitation of the land and the wonderful victory of the Maccabeans are foretold by the prophet in the closing verses of the ninth chapter. We will quote the passage:
I bend for me Judah and fill the bow with Ephraim, And I will stir up thy sons, Zion, against thy sons, Greece, And make thee like the sword of a mighty man. Jehovah shall be seen over them, And His arrow shall go forth like lightning– And the Lord Jehovah shall blow the trumpet. He shall go with whirlwinds of the South. The LORD of Hosts shall cover them; They shall devour and tread down slingstones, And they drink and make a noise as from wine, And they shall be filled like bowls, as the corners of the altar. And Jehovah their God saves them in that day, as the flock of His people; For jewels of a crown shall they be, glittering over His land, For how great is His goodness and how great His beauty! Corn shall make the young men flourish, and new wine maidens.
But again we have to remark that this prophecy is only partially fulfilled. The terrible tribulation of the land of Judah when Antiochus Epiphanes invaded the land is but a type of the great tribulation, the time of Jacobs trouble. The remnant of Israel will then be victorious. Thus everything is seen in this chapter in a past fulfillment, but only partial, and in it a future fulfillment, which will be complete.
We cannot leave this chapter without calling attention to the blessed statement:
For jewels of a crown they shall be, glittering over His land.
The slain who suffered martyrdom are meant, and all those who fought for Jehovahs name and honor. May not the statement in Heb 11:1-40 refer to this time? Others had trials of mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins: being destitute, afflicted, evil entreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and in mountains and caves and the holes of the earth Heb 11:36-40.
And all will find a repetition during the coming tribulation. But the time for reward has not yet come. The throne of glory is not yet revealed, and the jewels, the saints made up in a crown, glittering over the land, are not yet seen. But the assurance is given, They shall be Mine, saith the LORD of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels Mal 3:17.
The first verse of the next chapter is misplaced; it belongs to the close of chapter 9. When the time of blessing comes, the latter rain will fall upon the land and produce the promised fruitfulness.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
burden
(See Scofield “Isa 13:1”), note 1.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Cir, am 3494, bc 510
burden: Isa 13:1, Jer 23:33-38, Mal 1:1
Damascus: Gen 14:15, Isa 17:1-3, Jer 49:23-27, Amo 1:3-5, Amo 3:12
the rest: Zec 5:4, Isa 9:8-21
when: Zec 8:21-23, 2Ch 20:12, Psa 25:15, Isa 17:7, Isa 17:8, Isa 45:20-22, Isa 52:10, Psa 145:15, Jer 16:19
Reciprocal: Deu 3:13 – which was called Jer 25:22 – isles which are beyond the sea Eze 26:3 – Behold Nah 1:1 – burden Zec 12:1 – burden Act 9:31 – the churches Rev 7:4 – all
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE WORD of the Lord that opens chapter 9 is spoken of as a ‘burden’, since it starts with solemn words of judgment on peoples that surrounded the land of Israel. Some of these judgments took place soon after the predictions were uttered; that upon Tyre, for instance, and upon the cities of the Philistines. Darby’s New Translation tells us that an alternate rendering to ‘bastard’, is one ‘of a foreign race’. But even so there will apparently be a remainder, or a remnant, who will be for God and belong to Him. Moreover, however powerful oppressors may appear to be, God will encamp about His house in protecting mercy. And how will this be brought to pass?
Verses Zec 9:9-10 answer this question, for in these two verses the two advents of the Lord Jesus are brought before us. The coming of the King will settle everything, but we can imagine how the reader of Zechariah’s day might pause at this ninth verse in amazement, feeling that in the presence of powerful outside foes, and the inward defection so plainly manifested amongst the Jews, some great and majestic and powerful Deliverer was needful, and the King is announced as lowly in His person and in His approach. True, He is to have salvation, but this was not the kind of King that was popularly expected.
The Spirit of God, who inspired this prophecy knew very well that there was a deeper question to be settled before there could be the intervention in power that was so ardently desired. First must come the bearing of the full penalty of human sin, and hence the Divinely reached settlement of that dreadful matter, and, that accomplished, there could be emancipation from sin’s power. This had been set forth typically in Exo 12:1-51 and Exo 14:1-31. First the blood of the lambs in Egypt, and then deliverance by the overthrow of Egypt. The latter is more spectacular, but the former a far deeper thing.
In the Gospels we see how the more spectacular filled the minds of the disciples. Even when they acted and played their part in the fulfilment of verse Zec 9:9, they did not realize they were doing it. This we are plainly told in Joh 12:16. Only when Jesus was glorified and the Holy Spirit was given did they realize the true significance of what they had done. Again, in Act 1:6, we see how the coming of the kingdom in power filled their thoughts before the Spirit was given. The coming of the King in lowly grace was but little understood or anticipated by the great majority.
But the Messiah will come in power and have dominion over all the earth, as verse Zec 9:10 declares. The way His widespread kingship is stated here agrees exactly with the inspired statement through David centuries before written in Psa 72:8. When David foresaw this by the Spirit, every desire of his heart was satisfied, and he had nothing left to pray for, as the last verse of the psalm tells us. What our prophet tells us is that the days of warfare will be over – chariot and battle bow cut off, and peace imposed upon the nations.
Verse Zec 9:11 appears to be a word specially addressed to the sons of Israel, for Ephraim is addressed in verse Zec 9:13, as well as Judah. They have all been like prisoners, entrapped in a waterless pit, waiting and hoping for deliverance. When Messiah comes in power deliverance will reach them but only through ‘the blood of thy covenant’. Here we see an allusion to that new covenant of grace, predicted in Jer 31:31, illuminated for us by the words of the Lord Jesus at the institution of His Supper, when He spoke of, ‘My blood of the new testament’ (Mat 26:28). On that basis only will the deliverance and the blessing be brought in and firmly established.
When Zechariah wrote these things, Greece, mentioned in verse Zec 9:13, was hardly a power to be reckoned with, though not long after, under Alexander the Great, it was destined to overthrow the Persian power. We may see therefore in the closing verses of this chapter predictions which had a partial fulfilment not long after the prophecy was given, though in their fulness they look on to the end of the age.
Fuente: F. B. Hole’s Old and New Testaments Commentary
Zec 9:1. Burden means that the Lord has something to say about certain places and it is recorded here. Hadrach refers to Assyria and Damnswas the capital of ancient Syria. The prediction pertains to the fact that the eyes of mankind will be toward the Lord. This situation will be the result of God’s triumph for his people over all other nations.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
END THE AGE, OPEN THE MILLENNIUM
It was stated that the first part of the book, chapters 1-8, referred chiefly, though not entirely, to the prophets own time. The basis of all the prophecies in that part had a historical relation to the period then present. They were uttered, to encourage the people in rebuilding the temple. And yet there is not one of them that did not take cognizance of the far future. The discourses of this, the second part, deal almost entirely with the future.
It will aid in the understanding of these chapters if we recall a few historical facts. At the date of this book the Medo-Persian was the world- power to which the Jews were subject.
It was followed by the Greeks, and the Greeks by the Romans. During the Roman regime our Lord was crucified and Jerusalem destroyed. The present (i.e., our own time), is an interregnum so far as Jewish national history is concerned, which will continue till Israel is once more in Jerusalem, in covenant with Antichrist and about to pass through the tribulation prior to her final deliverance and blessing. Here are three periods in Jewish history which we may call, the Grecian, the Roman and the final periods. Zechariah, it is believed, treats of each of these in the chapters following.
THE GRECIAN PERIOD (Zechariah 9-10)
You will recall from Daniel that this period begins with Alexander the Great, the notable horn between the eyes of the he-goat. When he crossed from Greece into Asia he swept down the Phoenician and Palestinian coast of the Mediterranean, besieging and capturing Damascus, Sidon, Tyre, Gaza and other cities in south Philistine country. But he passed Jerusalem more than once without harming it. The Jewish historian Josephus explains this by a dream the great monarch had, which was fulfilled by the appearance to him at Jerusalem of the high priest and his train. However this may be, Zec 9:1-7 give us the prophetic outline of his career at this time. For the deliverance of Jerusalem which occurred, read Zec 9:8.
But now we come to a further illustration of the law of double reference, for the verse which speaks of the deliverance of Jerusalem from Alexander, speaks evidently of another deliverance which can only find fulfillment in the latter times. What shows that this deliverance, thus foreshadowed, is connected with the coming of Christ (Zec 9:9)? When were these words fulfilled at least in part? (Mat 21:5). What shows that their complete fulfillment is reserved for the latter times, or Christs second coming (Zec 9:10-11)?
Zec 9:13-17 are obscure, but thought to refer to the period of the Maccabees who delivered their people for a while from the yoke of the tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes 170 B.C., or thereabouts, while the Grecians represented by him were still in power. However this may be, it is evident from what follows that, as in so many other instances, this deliverance foreshadowed a greater and final one to come.
THE ROMAN PERIOD (Zechariah 11)
Greek supremacy is at an end, and we have reached the Roman period culminating in the rejection by the Jews of the Son of God. The eleventh chapter opens with a scene of judgment (Zec 11:1-6). Then follows the cause of it (Zec 11:7-14). In Zec 11:4 the prophet is commanded to do a symbolic act, and in Zec 11:7 he is in the performance of it. What was this act? There will be little doubt after reading the context, that in this act he is the type of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Compare Mat 9:36, and John 10. What does the Shepherd carry with Him to guide and protect His flock? There is difficulty in the meaning of theses staves unless we adopt that hinted at in Zec 11:10 and Zec 11:14, where Beauty seems to refer to the divine covenant, and Bands to the union between the ten tribes and the two.
Who are cut off (Zec 11:8)? It is supposed that these three shepherds stand for the three classes of rulers that governed Israel, priests, prophets and lawyers (Jer 2:8; Mat 16:21). Our Lord pronounced woes against them (Matthew 23), and when the city was destroyed their rule came to an end. What portion of the flock paid attention to and were fed by the shepherd (Zec 11:11)? Compare Mat 5:3; Mat 11:25 and 1Co 1:26-29. How does Zec 11:12 point to the rejection of the Shepherd by the flock? What is foreshadowed in the next verse? Who is the prophet commanded to impersonate (Zec 11:15)? What person yet to come will answer the description in Zec 11:16-17. Can this be any other ultimately than the Antichrist? Read Joh 5:43.
THE FINAL PERIOD (Zechariah 12-14)
The prophecies in this section of the book are to be fulfilled at the end period frequently referred to. It is the time when Israel is once more in Jerusalem in the national sense, though at first in an unconverted condition.
We saw in Daniel that the Antichrist would at this time enter into covenant with Israel, and afterwards (in the middle of the last seven years), break that covenant. Then the time of Jacobs trouble begins, the nature of which will in part be the combination of the Gentile nations, i.e., the Roman world, against it. Antichrist will be at the head of this combination if we may judge from a comparison of Daniel with Revelation. It is at this point, when the nations are besieging the Holy City, that the burden of the Word of the Lord begins (Zec 12:1-2).
We cannot outline these chapters in detail, nor is it necessary for those who have perused the earlier prophets in connection with these lessons. A hint here and there will suffice. For example, in this siege Jerusalem will for the first time be victorious (Zec 12:2-3); the victory, however, will be of a supernatural character (Zec 12:4-8 RV); the conversion of the nation will accompany it (Zec 12:10), also Zec 13:1, and it will take place coincident with the great tribulation (Zec 13:8-9; Zec 14:1-3); Christ shall appear to them (Zec 14:4); the earth will rejoice (Zec 14:9); and especially Judah and Jerusalem (Zec 14:10-11); their enemies will be punished, and the millennium will have begun (Zec 14:16 if).
QUESTIONS
1. With what period chiefly, does this lesson deal?
2. Name the world powers of which these chapters treat.
3. Give the story of Zec 9:1-8.
4. What illustration of the law of double reference is here shown?
5. Who is suggested as a type of Christ in chapter 11?
6. For whom do the three shepherds stand?
7. To what time do chapters 12-14 refer?
8. Give an outline of their application.
Fuente: James Gray’s Concise Bible Commentary
Zec 9:1. The burden, &c. A heavy judgment appointed of God to be borne: or, a prophecy of a calamitous kind. See the note on Isa 13:1. The word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach Hadrach is not elsewhere mentioned as the name of a country; the context however shows it must have been some part of Syria, of which Damascus was the capital city. According to some Jewish rabbis it was a place near Damascus. The prophecy is thought to relate to Alexander the Great conquering Syria; Damascus being at the same time betrayed to him, and all Dariuss treasure, which was laid up there, delivered into his hands. And Damascus shall be the rest thereof Or, It shall rest upon Damascus; that is, the burden of the word of the Lord. Damascus shall in particular be afflicted with the judgment now threatened; when Or rather, for the eyes of man, as of all Israel, shall be toward the Lord For as all mens appeals, in case of wrong, are made to Heaven, so they who have been wronged by Syrian injustice shall look to Heaven for right, and the Lord will right them. The words however may be better translated: When the eyes of men, even of all the tribes of Israel, &c.; when the Jews saw the conqueror approach Jerusalem it was proper for them to look up to God, and to implore his protection. This, according to Josephus, (Antiq., lib. 11. cap. 8,) when Alexander was besieging Tyre, Jaddua the Jewish high-priest did, and was directed by a vision to meet the conqueror in his pontifical robes, by whom he was received very graciously. The clause however will admit of yet another translation, namely, For the eyes of the Lord are upon man, as well as upon all the tribes of Israel. That is, God is the ruler and judge of all the nations of the earth, as well as of the tribes of Israel, and will punish the heathen for their sins, as well as his professing people. This, considering the context, seems to be the most probable interpretation.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Zec 9:1. The burden of Hadrach and Damascus. Hadrach, the old name of Hazor, the Hebrews being accustomed to adhere to primitive names of cities and nations. Jdg 4:2. Jer 49:28. This kingdom lay east of Damascus, and north of the Ammonites, and extended to the banks of the Euphrates. Damascus was three days journey north-east of Jerusalem.
Zec 9:2. Hamath, a kingdom, extending from the pass of Lebanon to Antioch, having Emath for its capital.
Zec 9:6. A bastard, a foreigner, shall dwell in Ashdod. We have before spoken of the visitations of Tyre and of Philistia by Nebuchadnezzar, four years after the fall of Jerusalem, when Egypt also was overrun. Now, being a little recovered, fresh calamities overtook them by the wars of the Syrian kings, and by the invasion of Asia by Alexander.
Zec 9:9. Rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion. If God should send a king to comfort Zion in wars and woes, it is no way likely that he should be a bloody warrior, like a destructive inundation, to ravage the country he ought to nourish and protect. Beautiful and striking is the address. Rejoice greatly, shout for joy, oh daughter of Zion. This Messiah, thy long- expected king, comes at last; and unlike the bloody and cruel kings of Chaldea and of Syria, he comes for peace, and not for war; he comes with grace, and not for oppression.
But who is this King? To be certain here is the grand point. The later jews say, Zerubbabel. But he was already come, and was now aged. Besides, he was no king, either in title or in office. Others say, Maccabeus. But neither does he agree in title or character; we know him only in the storms of war and of blood.The elder, the unbiassed rabbins say, The king Messiah. Rabbi Eliezer, speaking of Abrahams ass, says, The ass shall be for king Messiah to ride, as Zechariah hath said. So the Talmud in Sanhedrim, cap. 11:98, 99. And Nachmanides in Midras on Genesis, cap. 99. And Midras on Koheleth, Ecc 1:9. Rabbi Saad, Gaon, Abarbinel, affirm in succession, that it is impossible to interpret this prophecy of any other than the Messiah, for in no other do we see it fulfilled. Vide Poli Synopsis. Tirinus, a learned jesuit, cites other rabbins in conjunction with these from Galatinus, whose commentary I have not.
The king here mentioned is said to be just. He was so in himself, and effectually so as Mediator. Lowly, riding upon an ass. Travellers in the east, in Spain, and in Swisserland, coincide in their testimonies, that the ass is preferred to the horse in ascending hills. Here the Messiahs humility is designated; he is meek, and averse to war, having salvation.
Zec 9:10. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim. The kingdom of the ten tribes were expert in war, and in the use of the war chariot, as appears from Jehus driving furiously for the destruction of the house of Ahab. The Lord would also cut, off the horse, or the cavalry from Jerusalem. The conquests of the Messiahs kingdom, which shall extend to the ends of the earth, shall not be effected by martial power nor by human might. The great conquerors have established their empires with fire and sword, and lost them again, after effeminacy of character, by a raction of the sword. But the spiritual temple, exalted above the hills, shall not be built with the might and power of arms, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. The king promised to Zion is therefore the Prince of peace. His servants, after the final wars of Gog and Magog, shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, to trim the vines.
Zec 9:11. By the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. In Biblia Polyglotta, and in the best critics, I find a dozen slight variations of reading, but none that affects the sense of the English. Some prefer the present tense or time, as Thou also art saved by the blood of thy covenant. Others prefer the future, I will save thee. Some jesuits read, accommodating their creed to the pious trade, I will send forth thy prisoners out of the dry pit, the ftid and horrible pit of purgatory, which they contrast with the elysian delights of Abrahams bosom. Some refer the sense to the emancipation from Egypt, by the blood of the paschal lamb, or to their return from Babylon; but both those countries were well watered. Certainly the words refer to our redemption by Christ, as the sequel proves. They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn. The true comment is given in the ninth of Hebrews, where our eternal redemption is ascribed to the blood of Christ, in having offered himself up once for all.
The pit in which there is no water, no resource, no hope, no help; the fallen and lost estate of man, the whole world lying in the grave of the wicked one. The figure is borrowed from ancient prisons and castles, which had dungeons for prisoners charged with high crimes and misdemeanours. Jeremiahs feet there sunk in the mire: Jer 38:6. The Bastile of Paris had an iron cage in the dungeon, in which was found the skeleton of a man. I once saw the dungeon in the old jail, in Wine Street, Bristol. It was in this gloomy den that the jail fever broke out, and destroyed both the prisoners and the citizens. This dungeon was noticed by the benevolent HOWARD, a martyr to humanity.
Zec 9:12. Turn ye to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope. Four or five of the versions vary the arrangement, and read, the strong hold of hope. Habakkuk sung in the day of trouble, He will make me to walk upon my high places. Christ, according to Paul, is that refuge, that strong consolation to the afflicted. Heb 6:18. If we follow those who make the church that refuge, as in Isa 28:16, the sense is still the same, for Christ and his church are one.
Zec 9:13. When I have bent the bow of Judah, strong as the bow of the Medes and the Ethiopians, and as the bow of Ephraim, referring, I presume, to the last wars of the church, when Gog, or the infidels of Asia, of Africa, and of Europe shall be destroyed; then shall the golden age of the Messiah open on the church, and in all the promised glory of the latter day.
Zec 9:16. His peopleas the stones of a crown. Eminent men shall be raised up in the church, like brilliant stones and costly gems that decorate the royal crown. These may denote prophets, apostles, and eminent saints. Isa 54:11. Rev 21:18-19. The word cannot mean stones of memorial; these have no connection with crowns, but are monuments for posterity.
REFLECTIONS.
While we see in this chapter, fresh denunciations against the cities on all the sea-coast of Syria, on Tyre, on Ashdod, and Gaza, we see Zion rise in the presence of her enemies, because the Lord loved the place of her stones. Jerusalem, joyful in her temple, once more became the mother city of Palestine; and her courts in peaceful intervals, became crowded with worshippers from distant lands.
But the glory of the earthly Zion was faint and transient, compared with the real glory of the heavenly Jerusalem, built on the tops of the mountains, and exalted above the hills. Other empires sink like the swells of a tempestuous ocean; their glory retires in silence to the dust; but the humble kingdom of our Messiah lives through all the revolutions of the earth, and flourishes amidst the four winds of heaven. How joyful was this advent of Christ to the believing remnant, as illustrated in the twenty first chapter of Matthews Gospel. There, oh there they saw him weep as a prophet, and heard him speak like a king. He rebuked crimes, he silenced disputers, he sentenced the temple to desolation, till the whole of Zions children should join the song, Blessed is the king that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Then hear, oh carnal and giddy world; turn to the strong hold, the refuge of hope. Zion shall yet bend the strong bow against her last enemies. The nation that will not serve her King shall be destroyed; yea, it shall be utterly denationalized. Isa 60:12. He will clothe the earth with golden harvests, crown the year with purple vintages, and people all the pastures with flocks and herds. The swains and the damsels shall reap the fields and tread the grapes; yea, he will publish peace to every heathen land, and call them to kneel and worship before the Lord their Maker.
These liberal and glorious words are proofs of divine revelation. Prophets, educated in all the narrow bigotry of their nation, are constrained by the plenitude of the Spirit to forego the long-boasted prerogatives of the synagogue, and open the full tide of evangelical glory on every gentile land. Assuredly this was the Spirit that spake within them, and that fills all our hearts with joy and gladness.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Zec 9:1-8. This paragraph, of which the beginning is mutilated and the text is otherwise corrupt, is written in verse, lines of three beats each, arranged in tristichs. This form of verse is unusual, the more common consisting of lines of six beatsfalling into two parallel members of three beats eacharranged in distichs. The burden of the word of the Lord is the editorial heading (cf. 12:1, Mal 1:1). The greater part of the first tristich is lost. It has been conjectured that it ran originally somewhat as follows:
The Lrd hath snt a wrd,
And it hath lghted on the lnd of Hdrach (cf. Isa 9:8)
And Damscus hath becme its rsting place.
The land of Hadrach (probably the place called Hazrach in an Aram, inscription c. 800) is mentioned on the Assyrian monuments in connexion with Damascus and Hamath. The survival of the old name as late as the second century B.C. is not unlikely. Thus Hamath is still known by its original name, and not by its Gr. name Epiphanea. The text of the second tristich (Zec 9:1 b, Zec 9:2) is corrupt and emendation is precarious. It is clear, however, that the prophet speaks of a Divine judgment resting on Hadrach, Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, and Sidon, with a description of the former wealth and prosperity of Tyre. The rendering, which bordereth thereon, is quite impossible; the word so rendered may be a corrupt form of the name Gebal (cf. Eze 27:9), i.e. Byblus on the Phnician coast. The text of the sixth tristich (Zec 9:5 b, Zec 9:6 a) is also corrupt. The parallelism suggests that shall be cut off from should be read for shall dwell in, the tristich running thus:
And the kng shall prish from Gza,
And Ahkelon shall (nver) be inhbited,
And the bstard-race shall be ct off from Ashdod.
This section may be paraphrased as follows: The judgment of the Lord is now coming upon the cities which have been strongholds of the rule of the Greek Syrian kings, and therefore antagonistic to Israel. Tyre, strong as she is, is doomed; Philistia also may tremble for her safety; Gaza will lose her king; the population of Ashkelon will be annihilated; the mongrel race, half Philistine, half Greek, will be driven out of Ashdod. Indeed the Philistine as such will no longer exist, for the Lord, acting through Israel, will enforce the observance of the law of Israel even in the Philistine towns. There will be no more eating with the blood, or other abominable food; for the Philistines will be incorporated with Israel in such a way that henceforth an inhabitant of Ekron will be regarded as a native of Jebus, i.e. Jerusalem (cf. Psalms 87). Moreover, as the result of this Judaizing of Philistiasince the Syro-Greek government has given up the hope of conquering EgyptJudah will no longer be menaced by the presence of vast armies on her flank. It will be as though the Lord Himself were encamped as a garrison to protect Jerusalem, and no exaction of tribute will trouble her any more. The prophecy is almost certainly later than Jonathans victorious campaign in Philistia (c. 148) and may be as late as 143142 when Demetrius granted the Jews full exemption from all taxes or tribute to the Syrian government.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Syria, Tyre and Philistia to Fall Under Judgment
(vv. 1-8)
Beginning with this chapter the book of Zechariah has a distinctly different character. No dates are mentioned as in the first section of the book (chapters 1 to 8), and no more visions are found. Zec 9:1 gives the emphasis of all the remaining chapters, “the burden of the Word of the Lord.” The word burden has the thought of a weight heavy to bear, for God is bringing His displeasure to bear on mankind, and He intends people to feel it.
The land of Hadrach is mentioned first, though it is the only occurrence of this name in Scripture. Hadrach was a city near Damascus, the capital of Syria. The land of Hadrach was to come under God’s displeasure, but Damascus was the place on which it was to rest. The best translation of the last part of verse 1 is found in JND’s version: “For Jehovah hath an eye upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel.” “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good (Pro 15:3). When judgment must fall, those eyes will be “like a flame of fire” (Rev 1:14). They scrutinize and discern everything as it is. This judgment against Damascus and the land adjoining it was carried out in measure not too long after the prophecy, when Alexander the Great invaded and conquered the land, but there is a longer range, yet future fulfillment. Syria, at the time of the end, will have an active part in the invasion by the King of the North into Israel, and will suffer God’s judgment for this. The King of the North is also called “the King of Assyria” (Dan 11:40; Isa 8:7-8). The Assyrian empire included Syria, Iraq and other surrounding nations. Hamath also (v. 2), a district bordering on Damascus, will suffer a like judgment. It was “at Riblah in the land of Hamath” that a large number of officials of Judah were executed by Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, when he took them captive from Jerusalem (2Ki 25:18-21). This cold blooded murder would be still in the memory of the people, and surely also in God’s memory. “Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise,” will not escape the judgment of God. These cities were in Phoenicia (present day Lebanon) south of Hamath. Tyre was famous for having built a stronghold that the nations were unable to conquer, not even Nebuchadnezzar who had besieged it for many years. This verse refers to what is called the new Tyre, built on an island and highly fortified, having a surrounding wall 150 feet or 46 meters high.
God observed Tyre, not only as building a secure stronghold, but making herself wealthy. In Jos 19:29 she is called “the fortified city of Tyre,” and in Isa 23:1-18 both Tyre and Sidon are seen as centers of trade and commerce (specially verse 8).
“Behold, the Lord will cast her out; He will destroy her power in the sea, and she will be devoured by fire” (v. 4). This devastating judgment was later carried out on Tyre by Alexander the Great. His armies besieged the city for seven months before finally taking it and massacring ten thousand inhabitants. However secure or wealthy people make themselves, God will break it down to nothing. There is no true security and no true wealth except in a genuine, dependent faith in the living God. Though these cities have in measure been built up again today, the future judgments of the tribulation will completely fulfill the prophecy of their destruction.
Somewhat further south, the land of the Philistines is next considered. Four of its chief cities are mentioned (Gath being omitted). “Ashkelon shall see it and fear; Gaza also shall be very sorrowful: and Ekron, for He dried up her expectation. The king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited” (v. 5). “A mixed race shall settle in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines” (v. 6). There have been partial fulfillments of these judgments too, but the complete fulfillment will be at the time of the end. The evils that descend on these cities will serve to cut off Philistine pride. When God does this, He also says He will take away the blood from his mouth (v. 7). The word his intimates that the Philistines are looked at as one person. It is the blood of his idolatrous sacrifices that is taken from his mouth. No longer will his mouth speak falsely. “Abominations” is another word for idols, and the Philistines will be no longer ingesting the evil teachings of idolatry. So there is good accomplished by God’s judgments. There will be a remnant of the Philistines who will be “for our God” and will be leaders in Judah, “and Ekron as a Jebusite.” At least some of the Jebusites (previous inhabitants of Jerusalem) were incorporated into Israel (2Sa 24:18-25). “Araunah the Jebusite” was one who wanted to give his property to David so that David could use it in sacrifice to God.
God would also camp about His house because of the army (v. 8). His house is the literal temple in Jerusalem, which He would protect by His sovereign power when the oppressing army invades the land. This was partially fulfilled when Alexander the Great came to Jerusalem, intending to destroy it. But, instead of fortifying the city to fight against him, the Jews (according to Josephus) prayed earnestly to God, then the high priest led a procession of robed priests out of the city to meet Alexander. He was so impressed by this action that he not only spared the city, but showed the Jews many favours. This most interesting history is found in “The Antiquities of the Jews,” Book XI, the latter part of Zec 8:1-23.
However, this verse has never been completely fulfilled, for it is added, “no oppressor shall pass through them any more.” The army of the King of the North at the time of the end shall “overwhelm them and pass through” (Dan 11:40). Only when this last oppressor has been judged will the prophecy receive its final fulfillment. Meanwhile, the Lord knows how to encamp around the site of the temple and to preserve His own interests among His people. “For,” He says, “now I have seen with my eyes” (v. 8). The same eyes of which verse 1 speaks have taken full cognizance of all that concerns Israel, including the opposition of its oppressors, and Israel may rest in the knowledge that the Lord sees all. This is a precious rest too for every believer today.
ISRAEL’S MESSIAH ANNOUNCED
(vv. 9-17)
Verse 9 is unique in its beauty, standing alone in contrast to all that has gone before and that which follows. It announces the first coming of the Lord Jesus, being presented to Israel in lowly humility and grace. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The daughter speaks of the godly remnant of Israel who have purified themselves from the general corruption of the land, being purified by faith in the Messiah of Israel. Zion being mentioned reminds us that the true blessing of this remnant awaits the sunshine of the glory of the Millennium, for Zion means sunny. Zion is also called the daughter of Jerusalem, for the two names are necessary to give adequate testimony to the character of the city. Jerusalem means the foundation of peace, for peace must have a righteous foundation.
“Behold your King is coming.” Though this was announced by Zechariah many years before the actual coming of the Lord Jesus into the world, yet Israel was not ready to receive Him when He came. He fulfilled the prophecy to the letter: “He is just.” His character on earth was beyond the slightest question. Even His enemies bore witness, “Teacher, we know that You are true (Mat 22:16). Far more than this, thank God, He gave himself in sacrifice for our sins to accomplish eternal salvation for mankind, though this was not understood at the time of His death.
Though justice is to be expected of a king, it is added that He is “lowly,” which is not a what people would expect in a king – a character indeed that was not appreciated by Israel when the blessed Lord Jesus was manifested on earth. Therefore they despised Him in spite of their own scriptures foretelling that this would be true of their Messiah. He would come to Jerusalem riding a colt of a donkey. There is no record of any king of Israel riding a donkey, for the donkey is the symbol of lowliness. Normally a king would ride a horse, the symbol of strength and conquest, as will be true of the Lord Jesus when He comes forth in majestic power as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19:11-16) in a future day. But when He was presented to Israel riding a donkey (Luk 19:25-40), He was not recognized by His own people in spite of this striking prophecy, and was openly resisted by the Pharisees (v. 39).
Another significant fact here is that it was the colt of a donkey. He rode a young animal, unbroken, as Luk 19:30 proves. In spite of never having been ridden before, it was fully submissive to the Lord Jesus. Israel ought to have learned from this, that they too should submit to the authority of the lowly Son of Man.
Verse 9 goes far beyond verse 8. There has now been an intervening length of time approaching 2000 years, for the dominion of the King of kings has not yet been established “from sea to sea.” God will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. Ephraim headed the ten tribes as separated from Judah and Benjamin, and of course Jerusalem was the center of Judah’s worship. Jehu, king over the ten tribes, was a fit man to display the power of the chariot in ruthless warfare (2Ki 9:20). In Jerusalem Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses and 12,000 horsemen. He also had chariots, but his horses, specially those brought from Egypt, are emphasized (2Ch 1:16). The battle bow shall be cut off. How wonderful will be the day when armaments are no more!
“He shall speak peace to the nations.” This is the King of verse 9. When His voice speaks, it will be as He spoke to the raging sea, “Peace, be still” (Mar 4:39), and immediately there was a great calm. His dominion will be “from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” Though He speaks peace to the Gentile nations, yet His dominion in the following words is seen to be specially over Israel. “From sea to sea” speaks of the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf, and the river is the Euphrates, bordering the northeast. To the ends of the earth would intimate what God said to Abraham, as far as the Nile, the river of Egypt (Gen 15:18). This defines the extent of Israel’s borders in the age to come, the Millennium.
It may be that verse 11 is addressed to the daughter of Zion (v. 9), unless God is addressing the King. “Because of the blood of your covenant” refers to the new covenant confirmed to Israel by the blood of Christ shed on Calvary. Jer 31:31-34 is a prophecy of that covenant, and in Mat 26:27-28 the Lord Jesus affirms the truth of “the blood of the new covenant” as connected with His own imminent death. That covenant made with Israel will become effective for them only when they recognize Christ as their Messiah, so this prophecy of Zechariah refers to that day when “you prisoners of hope” (the many Jews who have been in Gentile bondage) will be sent forth out of the pit wherein is no water. After years of such bondage, deprived of the refreshing water of the Word of God, what a relief this will be to the distressed remnant of Israel!
The prisoners of hope are therefore urged to return again to the stronghold (v. 12). They are not to think of themselves as prisoners hopeless in their captivity, but having reason for hope because of the promise of God. But that promise is vitally connected with “the stronghold,” the promised Messiah of Israel. They need Him! In fact a further promise is given them: “Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” This reminds us of Job, who, after he had passed through his dreadful affliction, was given double the wealth he had previously (Job 42:10). God’s thoughts toward us are always of grace, though He may allow trials that sometimes seem unbearable. For believers the end will be marvelously wonderful. Verse 13 speaks of Judah and Ephraim both being weapons in God’s hand, so this looks on to the time of the end when the tribes are united again, and Greece, though it had not yet risen, will be fully defeated after all of its oppression of Israel, as will all other Gentile oppressors.
“Then the Lord will be seen over them” (v. 14). He will visibly take His place as Commander of His armies, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. Judgment will be swift and decisive. The Lord God blowing the trumpet speaks of His declared testimony against evil that will be heard by all the world. His marching with whirlwinds from the south is interesting, for the south generally speaks of favorable circumstances, but out of such circumstances there can be sudden, unexpected trouble for men. When the south wind blew softly, the sailors in Act 27:13 supposed they had gained their purpose, but they soon encountered a violent storm. Thus, when people say, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come upon them (1Th 5:3), just as “whirlwinds from the south.”
Verse 14 said, “the Lord will be seen over them.” Now verse 15 adds, “The Lord of hosts will defend them,” that is, His people Israel. This is a figurative devouring of enemies on the part of Israel, and a trampling down of any opposition of the enemy. The drinking too is a picture of their shedding the blood of their enemies and making a noise of exultation, similar to the noise of one who has been drinking. Being filled like bowls speaks of their being fully satisfied with the results of the solemn judgment of God against their enemies. “Like the corners of the altar” reminds us of the blood of the sin offering on the four horns of the altar of burnt offering (Lev 4:25). This speaks of a relationship with God being established on the basis of the sacrifice and bloodshedding of Christ. The destruction of enemies is not only for Israel’s relief, but to make Israel realize more fully the value of Christ’s sacrifice on their account. We too should realize something of this. Since God must severely punish the ungodly for their persistent rebellion against His authority, and we ourselves are to witness the dreadful judgment of God carried out in perfect righteousness at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11-15), we shall be all the more impressed by, and thankful for, the one great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus by which we too are delivered from such judgment.
“The Lord their God will save them” (v. 16). He is seen over them (v. 14), He defends them (v. 15) and He saves them (v. 16). This will be a complete and permanent salvation, not like one of the many deliverances of Israel in their past history when they soon reverted back to a state of disobedience and self-will. They will then be a nation born of God, true to their character “as the flock of His people.” The flock speaks of their character of complete dependence upon their Shepherd, as well as the unity of their being gathered, rather than as individual sheep. How little Israel has known of that unity in all their past history! And sad to say, we, the Church of God, have lacked proper apprehension of the more vital, beautiful unity established in the Church, so that we have failed in practicing it as we ought. This is not just a unity of twelve tribes, but a unity of countless numbers of individuals from every nation under heaven redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.
Another symbol is added. Israel is said to be “like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over His land.” The crown will belong to the Lord Jesus, but the born-again children of Israel will be like jewels in that crown, glittering with the reflection of the pure light of God in His land, prepared by Him for their blessing and for His glory.
Verse 17 lifts our eyes above this great blessing for Israel, to contemplate the Blesser Himself! “For how great is His goodness and how great is His beauty!” His character of goodness is wonderful, but it draws fuller attention to the great beauty of His own person. The beauty is in Him, not in Israel, though Israel will reflect that beauty as jewels reflect the light. This is confirmed by Psa 90:17, “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.” It is His beauty that David desired to behold in the house of the Lord (Psa 27:4). But in having our eyes directed to the Lord’s goodness and beauty, we will in some measure reflect this in our own character.
When Israel recognizes the goodness and beauty of the Messiah, giving Him His place of rightful prominence, the prosperity of the nation will follow. The young men will flourish through abundance of grain, the maidens through new wine. Young men, previously conscripted for military service, not able to have their own homes, will prosper as never before. The young women too, often left without hope of eventual marriage because of mortality among men who were called to war, will be supplied with the new wine, which speaks of a new-found joy in a change of their entire situation. Everywhere today the strongest dissatisfaction with circumstances is seen among young men and women who rise up in protest against the government, many also suing their employers because of this discontent. When these find genuine satisfaction, then children and old people too will have no cause for complaint. Only in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus will this satisfaction be found.
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
9:1 The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of {a} Hadrach, and Damascus [shall be] the {b} rest of it: when the {c} eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall be] toward the LORD.
(a) By which he means Syria.
(b) God’s anger will remain upon their chief city, and not spare even as much as that.
(c) When the Jews will convert and repent, then God will destroy their enemies.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The destruction of nations and the preservation of Zion 9:1-8
The first four verses of this poem deal with the north and the last four with the south. The first two verses and the last two speak of salvation, and the middle four speak of judgment. The passage begins and ends with a reference to eyes, the eyes of men (Zec 9:1) and the eye of God (Zec 9:8).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The Lord sent a burden (Heb. massa’, heavy pronouncement; cf. 2Ki 9:25-26; Jer 23:33) to Zechariah that announced judgment and blessing. [Note: For an excursus on the meaning of this rarely used Hebrew word, see Baldwin, pp. 162-63. For a more thorough study, see P. A. H. de Boer, An Inquiry into the Meaning of the Term Massa’.] It concerned the lands of Hadrach (Hatarikka, near Hamath), [Note: See J. B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts, pp. 282-83.] Hamath on the Orontes River (a city farther south in Aramea, cf. Amo 6:2), Damascus (the capital of Aramea, still farther south), and Tyre and Sidon (Phoenician cities between Aramea and Israel, cf. Eze 26:3-14; Eze 28:20-24). The order of these cities in the text is from north to south. Earlier prophets had seen enemies invading Israel from the north (Isa 41:25; Jer 1:14-15; Eze 26:7), but now Yahweh would take the same route destroying Israel’s enemies as He came.
"Originally the Mediterranean coast had been designated Israel’s territory (Num 34:5-6) and yet it had never been possessed by Israel. Now at last the Lord will claim it." [Note: Baldwin, p. 157.]
This revelation concerned a time when all the people of the world, especially the Israelites, would be looking toward Yahweh. Some translators believed the text means that the Lord has His eye on all people as He does on the tribes of Israel. [Note: E.g., ibid., p. 159.] As history would show, this was when Alexander the Great was rapidly moving south toward Egypt after defeating the Persians at Issus in 333 B.C. The whole world was worried about what he would do next, especially the residents of the cities of Palestine that lay in his path. All these people would have their eyes on Alexander, but he was only the Lord’s instrument, so Zechariah could say that they were really looking to Yahweh. The nations would have done so unwittingly, but Israel would have looked to Him for protection.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
6. WAR UPON THE SYRIAN TYRANTS
Zec 9:1-3
This is taken by some with the previous chapter, by others with the passage following. Either connection seems precarious. No conclusion as to date can be drawn from the language. But the localities threatened were on the southward front of the Seleucid kingdom. “Open, Lebanon, thy doors” suits the Egyptian invasions of that kingdom. To which of these the passage refers cannot of course be determined. The shepherds are the rulers.
“Open, Lebanon, thy doors, that the fire may devour in thy cedars. Wail, O pine-tree, for the cedar is fallen; wail, O oaks of Bashan, for fallen is the impenetrable wood. Hark to the wailing of the shepherds! for their glory is destroyed. Hark how the lions roar! for blasted is the pride of Jordan.”