Zechariah 9:1

The burden of the word of the Lord,.... A prophecy, as in Proverbs 31:1 which is sometimes of things sorrowful and distressing, as the destruction of people, as in Isaiah 31:1 and sometimes of things

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.

CHAPTER 9 Amidst the judgments of the neighbouring nations God will defend his church, . Zion is exhorted to rejoice for the coming of Christ, and his peaceable kingdom, . God’ s promises of victory and defence, . The burden, i.e. the heavy, sad, and grievous, the menacing prediction of future evils coming upon a people; so burden in prophetic style, 15:1 , signifieth. The word; in which from God’ s 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 Israel’ s enemies, and none can alter his purpose. In, or, on, against, Heb., the land of Hadrach; not Messiah’ s 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 God’ s people, Isaiah 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 men’ s 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.

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.Ver. 1. The burden] i.e. The bitter and burdensome prophecy. In the land of Hadrach] Better, on the land of Hadrach; because Messiah is chad, sharp, to the nations, but rach, gentle, to the Israelites; whereby is meant, not thy land, O Immanuel, or O Messiah (as Jerome, after Rabbi Benaiah), nor a country that is near or lying round about another country, as Junius and Danaeus expound the Syrian word; but either a province or a city of some note in Syria, not far from Damascus. Diodati maketh it to be an idol of the Syrians, which represented the sun; from which the country took its name, as Isaiah 8:8 Jeremiah 48:46 Hosea 10:5. And Damacus] The metropolis of Syria, built, say some, in the place where Cain slew Abel; and there hence called Damesech, or a bag of blood; a great scourge to Israel; chiefly famous for Saint Paul’ s conversion there, and his rapture into the third heaven, during that three days’ darkness, Acts 9:9 cf. 2 Corinthians 12:2. Shall be the rest thereof] sc. Of that bitter burden which shall here abide, and be set upon its own base, as Zechariah 5:11. See a like expression John 3:36, the wrath of God abideth upon an unbeliever, tanquam trabali clavo fixa; he can neither avert nor avoid it. When the eyes of man, &c.] That is, of other men, the Gentiles also, who as yet are carnal, and walk as men, shall be toward the Lord, lifted up in prayer and confident expectation of mercy. See Psalms 122:2.

(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., θυσίααὐτοῦ, “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 God’s judgments are fulfilled against these districts, the eyes of all will be turned towards Him in wonder. LXX., διότιΚύριοςἐϕορᾷἀνθρώπους, ἀνθρώπους, καὶπάσαςϕυλὰςτοῦἸσραήλ, 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.

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 Zechariah 11:12-13, is quoted Matthew 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, (Zechariah 9, Zechariah 10, Zechariah 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, Zechariah 9:9; Zechariah 11:12-13. See below.

Chap. Zechariah 9:1-8. The punishment of Israel’s enemies The first section opens with a prediction (Zechariah 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 (Zechariah 9:1), the Phœnicians, in spite of their resources and their wisdom (Zechariah 9:2-4), and the Philistines (Zechariah 9:5-6). This last nation shall be converted from idolatry and incorporated into the family of God (Zechariah 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 (Zechariah 9:8).

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

THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, Zechariah 9:1 to Zechariah 14:21.