Zechariah 7:3

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the Lord of hosts,.... That ministered in the sanctuary, as the Targum explains it, who offered sacrifices, c.

And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

To speak unto, to consult with, the priests: they were to be the ordinary casuists, and ought to be able and ready to answer all cases of conscience, as . Which were in; had their residence in or about the temple. And to the prophets: these were extraordinary casuists, who, might be supposed able to satisfy the inquiry, if the priests could not. These prophets were Haggai and Zechariah. Should I weep, i.e. fast, of which weeping was a part, . In the fifth month; in sad remembrance of the burning of the temple on the 10th day of that month. Separating myself from worldly cares and designs, and afflicting myself. As I have done: this intimateth their former practice, and seems to include in it some little boasting of it. These so many years: it had been easy for them to have reckoned up the exact number of years, but they choose rather to express it thus, to greaten their performance.

Zechariah 7:3 [And] to speak unto the priests which [were] in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?Ver. 3. And to speak unto the priests] Whose office is to preserve knowledge, and present it too; to teach Jacob God’ s judgments, and to put incense before him, Deuteronomy 33:10, to sell oil, Matthew 25:9, to bring balm from Gilead, Jeremiah 8:22, to speak as the oracles of God, 1 Peter 4:11, which scarcely one of a thousand has the skill of, Job 33:23. And to the prophets] Who were extraordinarily raised up sometimes by God, to assist the priests in teaching the people, and to shame them for their backwardness to such businesses. Should I weep] That is, fast, which was ever with weeping, see Joe 2:15-17, and affliction of the soul, Leviticus 16:31; Leviticus 23:27; which indeed is the soul of a fast, and without the which it is but as a brainless head, or a lifeless carcase. What is a humble day (saith one) without a humble heart? not only an irreligious incongruity, but a high provocation; like Zimri’ s act when all the congregation were weeping before the door of the tabernacle? In the fifth month] Wherein the temple was consumed to ashes, Jeremiah 52:12. In a sad remembrance whereof the Jews took up that tenth day of the fifth month for a solemn fast every year, till now. Separating myself] Heb. Nazariting myself that is, abridging myself of meats, drinks, and delights. Hence a fasting day is called a day of restraint, Joe 2:15. Hence it hath its hand both in Hebrew and Greek, Tsom, Nηστειο Hence also it is spoken of as a foul fault, Isaiah 58:3 "Behold in the day of your fast ye find your pleasure." The Popish fast is a mere mock fast; for they separate themselves from some kind of meats only; it is not a total abstinence. And herein they come short of the very Turks, who upon their fasting days will not so much as taste a cup of water, or wash their mouths with water all the day long, before the stars appear in the sky; and then they make all the cheer and joy they can devise. Like as the Attic dames in their Thesmophoria (a feast of Ceres) prepared themselves with fasting, but after that laid the reins on the neck, and ran riot. As I have done these so many years?] Seventy at least. But they seem to reckon up upon so many as was scarce to be told; and that therefore God was deep in their debt. Is it not time now to give over, since the temple was almost rebuilt? This was the great case propounded by these Questionists. Hereunto an answer is made by the prophet in the two following chapters, and this answer is partly reprehensory, Zechariah 7:1-14, partly consolatory, Zechariah 8:1-23.

(3) In.—Better, belonging to. LXX., wrongly, ἐντῷοἴκῳ. In the fifth month.—On the tenth of the fifth month (Ab), Nebuzar-adan burnt the Temple and Jerusalem with fire (Jeremiah 52:12-13), but in 2 Kings 25:8-10, the seventh day of the fifth month is given as the date; perhaps it was in flames for three days. Now that the re-building was well in progress, they naturally desired to know whether the fast which had been kept in commemoration of the past calamity should be still held. Separating myself—viz., from meat and drink. LXX., for “shall I weep, separating myself?” give εἰσελήλυθενὧδε . . . τὸἁγίασμα, reading the same consonants, but different vowels (see my Student’s Commentary). Consequently, instead of “as I have done,” LXX. give καθότιἐποίησεν. 7:4-8:23. The prophet’s answer is contained in four sections (Zechariah 7:4-14; Zechariah 8:1-23), each of which is introduced by the words, “The word of the Lord of Hosts came,” &c., as a testimony that he spake not of himself.

3. unto the priests] See Haggai 2:11 and note. which were in] of R.V. and to the prophets] i.e. Haggai and Zechariah. Should I weep] Similarly the sing. num. is used of a community or nation, Numbers 20:18-19; Joshua 9:7, and elsewhere. in the fifth month] 2 Kings 25:8-9; Jeremiah 52:12-13, from a comparison of which passages it appears that “from the seventh to the tenth day (of the fifth month) Jerusalem was in flames” (Pusey). While the Temple lay in ruins the Jews had marked this time by an annual fast. Now that it was being rebuilt the question naturally arose, should the fast be continued? separating myself] Or, abstaining from meat and drink (Zechariah 7:5 with 6), and from all pleasure, Isaiah 58:5.

Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself? - “In the fifth month,” from the seventh to the tenth day, Jerusalem was in flames, fired by Nebuchadnezzar.

OF MORAL AND , Zechariah 7:1 to Zechariah 8:23.After a silence of nearly two years the voice of Zechariah was heard again.