Zechariah 2:9

For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them,.... The nations; either the Babylonian, or the antichristian states; meaning, that he would exert his power, and inflict punishment on them, and utterly

For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them.

I will shake, or lift up, mine hand, my power and strength, upon them; against the nation and kingdom that doth violence to the people who are my glory, and I am theirs, saith the Lord. They, those people who comply not with him whom God sendeth, shall be a spoil, shall be overthrown and spoiled, and become a prey, unto their servants; the Jews, who were first spoiled by and then made servants to the nations who conquered, captivated, and hardly used the Jews; and indeed this was fulfilled in Esther’ s days, and in the Maccabees’ times. And ye, either Jews, or heathen, or both, shall know, be convinced and own it, that the Lord of hosts, the great and faithful God, hath sent me, hath commissioned Christ to inform them, who are to make their choice what to do herein. I will shake, or lift up, mine hand, my power and strength, upon them; against the nation and kingdom that doth violence to the people who are my glory, and I am theirs, saith the Lord. hath sent me, hath commissioned Christ to inform them, who are to make their choice what to do herein.

Zechariah 2:9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.Ver. 9. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them] Kings, they say, have long hands; and can easily reach those that are far distant. This is much more true of the King immortal; who can quickly crumble to crackle the mightiest monarchs; he cuts off the spirit of princes, Psalms 76:12, he slips them off (so the Hebrew there imports), as one would slip off a flower between one’ s fingers, or as one should slip off a bunch of grapes. If the Lord do no more but arise, his enemies shall be scattered, Psalms 68:1. If he do but show himself in the field (as Xerxes used to pitch his tent on high, and stand looking on his army when in fight), the Philistines will be heard to cry out, "God is come into the camp. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty Gods?" 1 Samuel 4:8. But if he once shake his hand (that mighty hand, as St James calleth it, that spanneth the heavens and shaketh the foundations of the earth), how much more if he smite with the hand and stamp with the foot (as the prophet in another case, Ezekiel 6:11; and as Pompey vainly vaunted, that with a stamp on the ground of Italy he could raise an army), the sinners against Zion are soon afraid; fearfulness surpriseth the hypocrites. Woe unto us, say they, for we are spoiled, Isaiah 33:14 Jeremiah 4:13. The very shaking of his hand at them shall make their hearts ache, shake, and fall asunder in their bosoms, as drops of water. And they shall be a spoil to their servants] i.e. To the Jews, whom they lately spoiled and enslaved. This was fulfilled in Esther’ s days; and afterwards in the time of the Maccabees. Besides what is yet expected to be done by the nation of the Jews; when, at their glorious conversion, Christ shall dwell among them, Zechariah 2:10, and the multitude of nations shall join themselves to Christ, Zechariah 2:11, the Jews inhabiting in their own land, Zechariah 2:12, to the silencing, amusing, and amazing of all flesh, Zechariah 2:13; while the enemies of the Church by them subdued, Zechariah 10:11, and possessed, Isaiah 14:2 Obadiah 1:17; Obadiah 1:19, shall willingly, or perforce, come under Christ’ s obedience.

(9) The troubles which overtook Babylon shortly after this time are sufficiently borne witness to by the inscription executed by Darius in the fifth year of his reign (Sir W. Rawlinson) on the great rock of Behistun, near the western frontier of Media. Thereon are recorded two great insurrections in Babylonia, and that Babylon itself was twice taken, once by Darius in person, and again by his general, Intaphres (Records of the Past, Vol. I., pp. 118-125). On the latter occasion, “says Darius the king, I made a decree that Arakha and his principal followers should be put to death in Babylon.”

Verse 9. I will shake mine hand upon them] I will threaten first, and then stretch out my hand of judgment against them. A spoil to their servants] To those whom they had formerly subjected to their sway. As the Babylonians to the Medes and Persians; and so of the rest in the subversion of empires.

9. shake mine hand] Job 31:21; Isaiah 19:16. a spoil to their servants] They “which spoiled you,” Zechariah 2:8, shall be themselves “a spoil,” and that to those whom they held in servitude, those that served them R. V. hath sent me] The divine mission of the angel who foretells these things shall be attested by the event. Comp. Zechariah 2:11, Zechariah 4:9, Zechariah 6:15.

For behold I will shake My hand against them - As God promised of old against the enemies of His people , and they shall be a spoil to those who served them habitually.

6. Ho, ho — The Hebrew word is translated also “woe” or “alas”; it is more than a call to attention; it always expresses a feeling of pain on the part of the speaker, arising from compassion with