Zechariah 13:7

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,.... Not Judas Maccabeus, slain in battle by Bacchis (w), as Grotius fancies; but Christ, Jehovah's Shepherd; for these are the words of Jehovah the Father,

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of

Many words are spent by interpreters to show what they think to be the connexion of the words; it is easier to say what are the contents and design of them. It is possible they are subjoined to the former to vindicate Christ from the suspicion of an impostor, though he was wounded, for this his Father did foretell by Zechariah four hundred and ninety years, more or less, beforehand, so that these wounds are not marks of an impostor, but testimonies of his truth, and that he is the Messiah. Awake: it is God commission, or rather prediction, the imperative put for the future. O sword; i.e. afflictions, persecutions, and the cross. Against my shepherd; who is my faithful Shepherd, and will lay down his life for my sheep; who became man, that he might be my servant and die. My fellow, or my equal, who was ever with me, and my delights, . Man my fellow speaks Christ man with us and God with his Father, God-man in one person. Smite the shepherd; this great and good Shepherd shall be smitten, i.e. die for my sheep, and before he dieth shall suffer much for them. The sheep shall be scattered; as affrighted, destitute of one to look after them, and which must be partakers in sufferings with their Shepherd. I will turn mine hand: God will, say some, turn his hand against the little ones, smite them too; but others say this turning the hand is in favour, and for protection; it is a hand turned over them, as if he would keep the blow off them, while others, fitter to bear it, do suffer. Upon the little ones; new, and therefore weak converts and disciples.

Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man [that is] my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.Ver. 7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd] A powerful expression, containing a commission given out to the sword by way of apostrophe. Awake] Or, up, as the Septuagint; up and about, thou that hast long lain locked up in the scabbard. Thus the sword is of God’ s sending; it is "bathed in heaven," Isaiah 34:5 Ezekiel 14:17 Jeremiah 47:6-7. It is he that awakes it and sets it on work; he commands it, Amos 9:4, and ordereth it, Jeremiah 50:25. Let this patient us under it, as it did Job, Job 1:15; Job 1:17; Job 1:21. Among philosophies the most noted sect for patience was that of the Stoics, who ascribed all to destiny. O sword] Framea, which seems to come of ρομφαια (the Septuagint’ s word here), by putting φ before ρ; or Gladie, which comes a clade, from destruction; like as the Hebrew word Chereb, from desolating and laying waste. Hence the sword is said to "contemn the rod," Ezekiel 21:10; Ezekiel 21:13, that is, all lighter and lesser judgments, which are but its forerunners, and whereof it seems to say, What does this silly rod do here? Will not men stoop? Let me come: I will make them either bend or break; either yield, or I will have their blood. Against my shepherd] i.e. Saith Calvin, against magistrates and ministers, God’ s under shepherds and associates in feeding the flock, labourers together with him, 1 Corinthians 3:9. But because Christ is the great Shepherd, Hebrews 13:20, and "the good Shepherd," John 10:11, Optimus maximus, that is, God’ s fellow companion, and yet, suspending his glory, became a man, to seek him out a flock in the wilderness; and afterwards laid down his life for his sheep, John 10:11, underwent the deadly dint of God’ s devouring sword put into the hands of those men of God’ s hand, Psalms 17:13, who put him to many a little death all his life long, and at length to that cursed and cruel death of the cross: at which time the Shepherd was smitten and the sheep scattered, as this text is most fitly applied, Matthew 26:31; therefore I understand it chiefly of Christ, the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, who "was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities," &c., Isaiah 53:5.

(7-9) It has been objected that “The mention of the ‘house of David’ (Zechariah 12:7; Zechariah 13:1) is inconsistent with the supposition of the authorship of Zechariah.” The answer is obvious, viz., that the house of David had not ceased with the captivity; on the contrary, Zerubbabel was its representative on the return. There is, too (not to mention cases more generally known), a family living to this day at Aleppo, the members of which, on account of its claim to be descended from the “house of David,” are, in accordance with Genesis 49:10, always allowed to take precedence of all others in exercising the functions of dayyânîm, “judges”; the famous Abarbanel also laid claim to be a descendant of David. Moreover, the thought expressed by the prophet in Zechariah 12:7, that the glory of the house of David, and that of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, should not magnify itself over Judah, is one which could never have entered into the conceptions of a prophet writing before the exile.

Verse 7. Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd] This is generally understood of Jesus Christ. The sword is that of Divine justice, which seemed to have been long asleep, and should long ago have struck either MAN, or his SUBSTITUTE, the Messiah. Jesus is here called God's Shepherd, because he had appointed him to feed and govern, as well as to save, the whole lost world. This is a prosopopoeia, and the address to the sword is very poetic. There is a fine passage in AEschylus to the same effect: - Ξενοςδεκληροιςεπινωμᾳ, ΧαλυβοςΣκυθωναποικας, Κτεανωνχρηματοδαιτας Πικρος, ωμοφρωνσιδαρος, Χθοναναιεινδιαπηλας Ὁποσανανκαιφθιμενοισικατεχειν, Τωνμεγαλωνπεδιωναμοιροις, AESCHYL. Sept. cont. Theb. 733. "The rude barbarian, from the mines Of Scythia, o'er the lots presides; Ruthless to each his share assigns, And the contested realm divides: To each allots no wider a domain Than, on the cold earth as they lie, Their breathless bodies occupy, Regardless of an ampler reign: Such narrow compass does the sword-- A cruel umpire-their high claims afford." POTTER. The man that is my Fellow] ועל גבר עמיתי veal geber amithi, "upon the strong man," or "the hero that is with ME;" my neighbour. "The WORD was God, and the WORD was WITH God;" John 1:1. "I and my Father are ONE;" John 10:30. Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered] This is quoted by our Lord, Matthew 26:31, in relation to his disciples, who should be scattered on his crucifixion: and they were so; for every one, giving up all for lost, went to his own house. And I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.] I will take care of the little flock, and preserve them from Jewish malice and Gentile persecution. And so this little flock was most wondrously preserved, and has been increasing from year to year from that time to the present day.

The Second Section. Zechariah 13:7 to Zechariah 14:21 The purification and final glory of Israel This Second Section of the Second Burden and conclusion of the whole Book describes the purifying chastisement that shall come upon the people, Zechariah 13:7-9; the great final conflict and deliverance of Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:1-7; the prosperity of the transformed and renovated city and land, Jehovah being King, 8–11; the destruction of the hostile nations, 12–15, and homage of the residue, 16–19; and the perfect holiness of Jerusalem, as the crown of all, 20, 21.

Awake, O sword - So Jeremiah apostrophises the sword, “O thou sword of the Lord, when wilt thou be quiet?” Jeremiah 47:6.

7. Jehovah is the speaker, who summons the sword (Zechariah 11:17) to awake and smite the foolish shepherd (Zechariah 11:15).