Zechariah 6:8

Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying,.... That is, the Lord of the whole earth spoke to the prophet with a loud voice, and uttered the following words: Behold, these that go toward the

Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.

Then, when the prophet had been informed about the former vision, cried he; the Angel that talked with the prophet, i.e. the Lord Christ, spake aloud. and called to him. These that go, or are gone, for he speaks of what was already past; it is likely he meaneth the red horses. Toward the north country; into Babylon. Have quieted my spirit; either by doing what I appointed them against the cruel Chaldeans, in revenge of my people’ s injuries, or bringing my people back out of Babylon into Canaan.

Zechariah 6:8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.Ver. 8. Then cried he upon me] That I might the better observe it, since he spake it with such great vehemence. Have pacified my spirit] i.e. Perfecerunt voluntatem meam, as the Chaldee here hath it, they have done my work thoroughly, to my great contentment. When the Church’ s enemies are slaughtered God inviteth the birds and beasts to a feast, as it were for joy; and taketh as much delight in their just punishment as any man can do in a cup of generous wine; whence it is called the wine of God’ s wrath, Revelation 14:10; see Deuteronomy 28:63.

(8) Cried he upon me, means summoned me. (Comp. “Who calls on Hamlet?”—Shakespeare, Hamlet, Acts 5, scenes 2, 3.) Have quieted my spirit.—“Spirit” being used, as in Judges 8:3, in the sense of “wrath.” (For the phrase “to quiet wrath,” comp. Ezekiel 5:12; Ezekiel 16:42; Ezekiel 24:13. This is better than the interpretation, Have made my spirit to rest, i.e., caused my spirit of judgment (Isaiah 4:4) to fall upon. (Comp. Isaiah 56:1.) Many commentators have, without any warrant, drawn their interpretation of the colours of the horses in this vision from the Book of Revelation. According to them, “red” means war. “black” famine, “white” victory, “grisled” various chastisements. They identify the “grisled” with the “bay” of the English Version, or rather powerful ones (as they render the word in Zechariah 6:3; Zechariah 6:7), and say that the last mission was not received by the so-called “red horses,” but by the “powerful ones” (English Version, “bay,”) as the “grisled” are also called in Zechariah 6:3, to indicate that the manifold judgments symbolised by the grisled horses will pass over the whole earth in all their force. But it is better to consider that the horses are represented as of different colours merely in order to give greater distinctness to the vision. (Comp. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 5:9.) For the commentators fail to discover any ethical or historical reason for famine and victory being especially sent to the north, and various chastisements to the south, or why (according to the unamended Hebrew text) the “red” (English Version), i.e., “bay horses,” should not have been sent out at all. According to the amended text, “the bay horses” seek, and obtain, permission to go through all the earth, signifying possibly that Israel’s Protector would defend His people, not only against their ancient enemies, but also against any who should rise up against them from any quarter whatever. The difficulty with the colours of the horses is supposed by Hitzig to have arisen from the carelessness of the writer; but we agree rather with Maurer, who attributes it to a blunder of an early copyist.

Verse 8. Have quieted my spirit in the north country.] They have fulfilled my judgments on Assyria and Chaldea. Nabopolassar and Cyrus first, against the Assyrians and Chaldeans; and Alexander next, against the Persians. On this vision Abp. Newcome remarks:- The black horses seem to denote the Persian empire; which, by subduing the Chaldeans, and being about to inflict a second heavy chastisement on Babylon, quieted God's spirit with respect to Chaldea; a country always spoken of as lying to the north of the Jews. The white horses seem to be the Macedonian empire; which, like the Persian, overcame Chaldea. The spotted bay horses seem to be the Roman empire. This description suits it because it was governed by kings, consuls, dictators, and emperors. It penetrated southward to Egypt and Africa. The Roman empire is mentioned twice, Zechariah 6:6-7, under each epithet given it, Zechariah 6:3.

8. cried he upon me] The word is used of a royal proclamation cried aloud through the city. Jonah 3:7. Here the loud call of the Angel was probably intended to rouse the prophet’s attention to what was the chief point of the vision. quieted my spirit] Lit. have caused my spirit to rest, which was perturbed before with sore displeasure against my enemies (Zechariah 1:15), but is now at rest because the righteous retribution is completed. Others take “spirit” to be equivalent here, as it is elsewhere (Ecclesiastes 10:4; Proverbs 29:11, in which latter place, as here, the LXX have θυμός), to anger. “Have made my anger to rest on, i.e. have carried it thither and deposited it there, made it to rest upon them as its abode, as St John says of the unbelieving, ‘the wrath of God abideth on him.’ ” Pusey. See Ezekiel 5:13; Ezekiel 16:42. Symbolical Action. Crowning of the High-priest, Zechariah 6:9-15. In another of the “divers manners” (πολυτρόπως, Hebrews 1:1), which He was pleased to adopt, Almighty God now speaks by the prophet. The visions of the night give place to a literal transaction by day, which, however, repeats and confirms their message. Zechariah is directed to go to the house of Josiah in Jerusalem, and to take from certain Jews who were lodging there gold and silver, a portion of the offerings to the House of God, which they had brought from their brethren still in exile, Zechariah 6:9-10. Of this gold and silver he is to make a crown, and put it on the head of Joshua the High-priest, Zechariah 6:11. The significant action is to be accompanied by a prediction in the name of Jehovah, that in due time there shall “grow up the Branch,” who shall be the true builder of the temple of the Lord, who shall be both King and Priest, and in the exercise of those two offices the author and dispenser of peace, Zechariah 6:12-13. Meanwhile, in gracious remembrance both of those who have brought the offerings and of him who has received them into his house, the crown which has been placed on the High-priest’s head is to be hung up in the Temple at Jerusalem, Zechariah 6:14, where it will also be a silent prophecy of the day when not only Jewish exiles, but Gentiles also who are now “far off,” shall be builders in the spiritual temple. That event, when it comes to pass, will prove the divine mission of the prophet; but obedience on the part of those who hear the prophecy is the condition of their sharing in the blessings of its fulfilment, Zechariah 6:15.

Then God, or the Angel of the Lord - who speaks of what belonged to God alone, “called me” (probably “loudly” Judges 4:10, Judges 4:13; 2 Samuel 20:4-5), so as to command his attention to this which

8. The greatest enemy of the Jews were the Babylonians, or their successors, the Persians; while their power remained intact there was little hope for a complete restoration.