Zechariah 9

The Burdens of the Word of the Lord. Chaps. 9–14 Abruptly and with no preface beyond the title, The Burden of the Word of the Lord, prefixed to each of them (Zechariah 9:1; Zechariah 12:1), the later prophecies of Zechariah are introduced. Each of the two groups into which they are collected occupies three chapters, and each appears to fall into two principal sections. The First Burden, chaps. 9–11, is principally concerned with the history of the chosen people up to and including the first coming of Christ. Christ on earth is the central figure of each of its two sections. The coming of her King to Zion is the proper subject of the first section, chap. Zechariah 9:10, as His rejection by her, under the title of “Shepherd”, is of the second, chap. 11

Zechariah 9:1-8

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).

Zechariah 9:2

2. shall border thereby] i.e. as it is near Damascus in situation and like it in character, so shall it be the neighbour or companion of Damascus in the calamities which shall come upon it. The clause may, however, be rendered, And also Hamath, which borders by it (Damascus), shall be its rest, i.e. the rest of the burden of the Lord, as Damascus was said to be in the former verse. Which bordereth thereon, R. V. though it be very wise] Or, because she is, R. V. This is best referred to Tyre, the words, “and Zidon,” being almost parenthetical, “Tyre with Zidon.” Though Sidon was the mother city it had long been eclipsed by Tyre, to which in the predictions of other prophets (Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 27:28), as here (Zechariah 9:3-4), the chief place is assigned. The “wisdom” of Tyre is specially mentioned by Ezekiel, “Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel” (Ezekiel 28:3), and as here (Zechariah 9:3) its practical application to the amassing of wealth is noted (Zechariah 9:4-5), and this is made the cause of the judgment that comes upon her (Zechariah 9:6-7).

Zechariah 9:3

3. a strong hold] There is a paronomasia, or play on the words ‘Tyre’ and ‘stronghold,’ in the Hebrew. The reference is to the strongly fortified position of Tyre, which when Alexander attacked it “was situated on an island, nearly half a mile from the mainland. It was completely surrounded by prodigious walls, the loftiest portion of which on the side fronting the mainland reached a height not less than 150 feet; and notwithstanding his persevering efforts he could not have succeeded in his attempt, if the harbour of Tyre to the north had not been blockaded by the Cyprians, and that to the south by the Phœnicians, thus affording an opportunity to Alexander for uniting the island to the mainland by an enormous artificial mole.” Dict. of Bible, Art. Tyre. “Plurimum fiduciæ Tyro munitionibus insulæ et præparatis rerum copiis.” Diod. Sic. xvii. 40. as the dust] Comp. Job 27:16; 2 Chronicles 9:27.

Zechariah 9:4

4. cast her out] Or, dispossess her, R. V. Lit. take possession of her, i.e. by ejecting her and coming into her place. Comp. Exodus 34:24. Ewald renders less satisfactorily will impoverish her. her power in the sea] The order of the Hebrew words is, shall smite in the sea her power; where “power” does not mean only, though it may possibly include, her bastions and fortifications (Psalms 48:14; Psalms 122:7), but is to be taken in its widest sense. “The scene of her pride was to be that of her overthrow; the waves which girt her round should bury her ruins and wash over her site. Even in the sea the hand of God should find her and smite her in it and into it, and so that she should abide in it.” Pusey. devoured with fire] “Proudly confident in the strength of their island fortress, the Tyrians mocked the attempts of Alexander to reduce their city. Every engine of war suited for defence had been stored up in their bulwarks, and every device which their skilful engineers could suggest was had recourse to, and for a time with marked success. ‘Ye despise this land army through confidence in the place that ye dwell in as an island, but I will show you that ye dwell on a continent,’ was the language of Alexander (Q. Curtius, de reb. gest. Alex. Magn. iv. 2). The shallow channel between the mainland and the island was at last bridged over by a huge dam of earth erected after repeated failures, and the city which had stood a five years’ siege from the Assyrians, a thirteen years’ siege from the Chaldæans, was taken after a short siege of seven months by Alexander.

Ten thousand of its brave defenders were either massacred or crucified” (2,000 were crucified, from 6,000 to 8,000 are said to have been massacred), “the rest were sold into slavery, none escaped save those who were concealed by the Sidonians in the ships. Q. Curtius adds distinctly (Zechariah 4:4) that ‘Alexander having slain all, save those who fled to the temples, ordered the houses to be set on fire.’ ” Rev. C. H. H.

Wright.

Zechariah 9:5

5. her expectation] The cities of Philistia, to which (Zechariah 9:5-7) after the subjugation of Syria (Zechariah 9:1-2) and Phœnicia (Zechariah 9:3-4), the scourge passed, had naturally looked to Tyre to check the course of the invader and so save them from his onslaught. the king shall perish from Gaza] Rather, a king. The prediction is, not that the then reigning monarch should perish, but that monarchical government should cease. No argument can be drawn from this in favour of the ante-captivity date of this prophecy. It had been the policy of the Assyrians, Chaldæans and Persians to leave tributary kings in the countries which they subdued. Hence their own monarchs assumed the title of “king of kings” (Ezra 7:12; Ezekiel 26:7; Daniel 2:37), and as Herodotus states it was the custom of the Persians to put honour upon the sons of the kings whom they had deposed and promote them to the sovereignty of their fathers (iii. 15). Alexander on the contrary pursued an entirely different plan and aimed at a consolidated empire.

Such tributary monarchies were therefore abolished by him. Hegesias, a writer contemporary with Alexander, states that the king of Gaza was brought alive to the conqueror after the capture of the city, which in spite of the fate of Tyre had held out for five months. There is considerable difficulty in reconciling the statements of different writers on this point, but there seems no reason to doubt that the ruler of Gaza bore the title of “king” at that time.

Zechariah 9:6

6. a bastard] The word only occurs here and in Deuteronomy 23:2 (3, Heb.). There it is probably used of one born of incest or adultery. (Speaker’s Commentary, Vol. I. pt. ii. p. 884.) Here perhaps it is employed rather as a term of contempt, “a mixed and ignoble race” (a bastard race, R. V. margin), than in its strictly literal sense. The LXX. who render ἐκπορνῆς in Deut. have here ἀλλογενής.

Zechariah 9:7

7. his blood out of his mouth, &c.] Lit., bloods, i.e. blood as shed (comp. Genesis 4:10). According to Calvin the Philistine, the nation personified, is here compared to a wild beast from whose jaws the prey which he is devouring is torn. “Abominationes enim intelligit quicquid injusta violentia ad se traxerant. Et comparat eos feris bestiis, quζ non modum carnem devorant, sed etiam hauriunt sanguinem ipsum, et lacerant crudas carnes.” The objection to this interpretation is that the word rendered “abominations” can hardly refer to the victims or the spoils of the cruelty or rapacity of the Philistine. It is a word of frequent occurrence in the O. T. and is used almost always (Nahum 3:6, “abominable filth,” is an exception) of “idols in that they were abominations.” (Comp. 1 Kings 11:5; 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:13; and Daniel 11:31 with Matthew 24:15, τὸβδέλυγματῆςἐρημώσεως).

It is probably best therefore, with the majority of modern commentators, to understand the reference to be to idolatrous sacrifices eaten by the worshippers with the blood. From these pollutions the survivors of the Philistines should be cleansed and so prepared for that incorporation into the commonwealth of Israel, which the remainder of the verse predicts. but he that remaineth] Rather, and he too shall remain (or, be a remnant, R. V.) for our God. “Of the Philistines too, as of Israel” (but may it not be, as of the other nations mentioned in these verses?), “a remnant shall be saved. After this visitation their idolatry should cease; God speaks of the Philistine nation as one man; He would wring his idol-sacrifices and idol-enjoyments from him; he should exist as a nation, but as God’s.” Pusey. as a governor] Lit., the head over a thousand, a chiliarch. A chieftain, R. V. The tribes of Israel both during the Exodus (Numbers 1:16; Numbers 10:4), and after their settlement in Canaan (Joshua 22:21; Joshua 22:30; 1 Samuel 10:19; Micah 5:1) were divided into thousands. The word here used for the chief of such a division is used again for a Jewish chief in this Book (Zechariah 12:5-6). Elsewhere it is commonly used of the chiefs of Edom (Genesis 36:15 seq.; 1 Chronicles 1:51-54). The meaning is that the Philistine, the nation personified as before, shall take his place, ruler and people, as one of the divisions of the Jewish nation. Ekron as a Jebusite] The Jebusites had held their own in the midst of the chosen people, possessors of the stronghold of Sion up to the time of David (Joshua 15:63); but at last had been merged and lost in Israel. So should it be with the Philistines, who are here intended by Ekron. They too shall be absorbed into the Jewish church and nation, when the ultimate goal of the prophecy is reached.

Zechariah 9:8

8. about mine house] Rather, for my house. It is a kind of dativus commodi. I will pitch my camp for (the sake of, the protection of) my house, i.e. either of the Temple, or of the people. Comp. Zechariah 3:7, note. because of] Lit. from, which may mean, so as to defend it from the army, from him that passeth by, &c. The R. V. renders, against the army, that none pass through or return. that passeth by, and … that returneth] This is referred by Pusey to “Alexander, who passed by with his army on his way to Egypt, and returned having founded Alexandria.” But the use of the phrase in the more general sense of “going backward and forward,” both in this Book (Zechariah 7:14, note) and in the only other places where it occurs in the O. T. (Exodus 32:27; Ezekiel 35:7), shews that the reference is more general, to the overrunning of the land by an invading army. The fact that of the four places in which alone this phrase occurs two are in this Book and one in each division of the Book, is in favour, so far as it goes, of a single authorship. now have I seen with mine eyes] God is said to “see,” when He so takes notice of the actions of men as to interpose, as He here promises to do, for the deliverance of His people and the destruction of their enemies. Exodus 2:25; Exodus 3:7; Exodus 3:9. Comp. Zechariah 9:1 supra. “Nihil aliud exprimere verba possunt, quam velle Jovam in populum suum ejusque hostes jamjam intentos habere oculos, ut illum servet, hos perdat.” Maurer. The story of Alexander’s visit to Jerusalem, as it is gathered from Josephus (Ant. Bk. xi. c. 8) and from the Talmud is thus related by Dean Stanley. After the conquest of Tyre and Gaza, Alexander had approached Jerusalem, when “suddenly from the city emerged a long procession, the whole population streamed out, dressed in white. The priestly tribe, in their white robes; the High Priest, apparently the chief authority in the place, in his purple and gold attire, his turban on his head, bearing the golden plate on which was inscribed the ineffable name of Jehovah … It was at the sunrise of a winter morning, long afterwards observed as a joyous festival, when they stood before the king. To the astonishment of the surrounding chiefs Alexander descended from his chariot and bowed to the earth before the Jewish leader. None ventured to ask the meaning of this seeming frenzy, save Parmenio alone. ‘Why should he, whom all men worship, worship the High Priest of the Jews?’ ‘Not him,’ replied the king, ‘but the God whose High Priest he is I worship.

Long ago, when at Dium in Macedonia, I saw in my dreams such an one in such an attire as this, who urged me to undertake the conquest of Persia and succeed’ … Hand in hand with the High Priest, and with the priestly tribe running by his side, he entered the sacred inclosure, and offered the usual sacrifice, saw with pleasure the indication of the rise of the Grecian power in the prophetic books, granted free use of their ancestral laws, and specially of the year of jubilee inaugurated so solemnly a hundred years before under Nehemiah, promised to befriend the Jewish settlements of Babylonia and Media, and invited any who were disposed to serve in his army with the preservation of their sacred customs.” Jewish Church, Vol. iii., Lect. xlvii. Without denying that the story is in a legendary dress, we may admit the “probability” of Alexander’s visit to Jerusalem, and the certainty that the city was spared, and the people favoured by him, in accordance with the terms of Zechariah’s prophecy.

Zechariah 9:9-17

9–17. The Coming of the King The great event for which all that had been foretold in the preceding verses of the chapter, and indeed all the preceding history of Israel and of the world, had been a preparation, and in which as purposed and promised by God was the pledge of Israel’s preservation for its accomplishment, is now announced and its consequences are unfolded. Sion is called upon to welcome with exultation her just and lowly King, who comes to her in humble state (Zechariah 9:9), whose kingdom of peace shall cover all the land and embrace all nations (Zechariah 9:10), and who, mindful of His covenant with her, shall give deliverance to the captives of Israel (Zechariah 9:11-12). Using them, now once more an united nation, as the instruments of His warfare (Zechariah 9:13), Himself fighting for them and manifesting Himself as their Protector (Zechariah 9:14), He will make them victorious over all their enemies (Zechariah 9:15), and will promote them to safety and honour (Zechariah 9:16), magnifying His “goodness” and His “beauty” in the prosperity with which He crowns them (Zechariah 9:17).

Zechariah 9:10

10. I will cut off] Like Himself and His advent shall the character of His kingdom be. Not by weapons of earthly warfare shall it be established. As a kingdom of peace it shall cover the widest extent of the promised land, and thence extend over all the heathen nations of the world. Compare Isaiah’s prophecy (Zechariah 9:4-6): “for every greave of the warrior tramping with noise, and every (military) cloak rolled in blood shall be consigned to burning as fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born … and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called … the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end.” from Ephraim] The use of this name to denote the ten tribes (comp. Zechariah 9:13 and Zechariah 10:7) is not, as has been alleged, conclusive as to the ante-captivity date of this part of this Book. It is true that the name is not so used in “acknowledged post-captivity writings,” but it does not follow that because a writer so uses it, he is not a post-captivity writer. In chap. Zechariah 8:13 of this Book, which is confessedly written after the captivity, the “house of Judah” and the “house of Israel” are distinguished. And in a prophecy during the captivity, and why not therefore in one after it? the ten tribes are distinguished from the two by this very name of Ephraim. Ezekiel 37:15-28. from sea even to sea, &c.] Identical with Psalms 72:8, where Dean Perowne quotes Pusey (Daniel, p. 480), “From the Mediterranean, their Western boundary, to the encircling sea beyond Asia’s utmost verge; and from their Eastern boundary, the river, the Euphrates, unto the ends of the earth,” and adds, “But perhaps we have only a poetical expression, not to be construed into the prose of geography, or to be explained (as by Rashi and others) as indicating the extent of territory laid down in Exodus 23:31.”

Zechariah 9:11

11. As for thee also] Lit. also thou, i.e. as regards thee (O daughter of Sion), I will also (in addition to all that has been promised, Zechariah 9:9-10) liberate thy captives.” So Maurer: “Gaude, Sionia! veniet rex tuus tibi, justus cet.; removebuntur instrumenta belli, alta pax erit; auctum erit imperium tuum mirum in modum; etiam captivos tuos, qui in terris exteris detinentur, tibi restituam memor f�deris facti cum majoribus.” by the blood of thy covenant] because of, &c. R. V., i.e. the covenant which I have made with thee. Exodus 24:5-8. Comp. for the higher reference, Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:15. the pit wherein is no water] The “pit,” Genesis 40:15, or “house of the pit,” Exodus 12:29; Jeremiah 37:16, as denoting the nature of its dungeons, which may in some cases have been actually empty wells (comp. Genesis 37:24), is a common name for a prison in the O. T. The expression, “wherein is no water,” is probably added to emphasize the horrors of such a dungeon. “The prisoner in the land of his enemies was left to perish in the pit (Zechariah 9:11). The greatest of all deliverances is that the captive exile is released from the slow death of starvation in it (Isaiah 51:14). The history of Jeremiah, cast into the dungeon or pit (Jeremiah 38:6; Jeremiah 38:9), let down into its depths with cords, sinking into the filth at the bottom (here also there is no water), with death by hunger staring him in the face, shews how terrible an instrument of punishment was such a pit. The condition of the Athenian prisoners in the stone-quarries of Syracuse (Thuc. vii. 87), the Persian punishment of the σπόδος (Ctesias, Pers. 48), the oubliettes of mediζval prisons present instances of cruelty more or less analogous.” Bible Dict., Art. “Pit.”

Zechariah 9:12

12. This verse coheres closely with the verse which precedes it, and a full stop should be printed at the end of it, as in R. V. There is a sharp contrast between the stronghold here and the pit there. And the prisoners of hope in this verse are the prisoners to whom, while yet in the pit, the promise and hope of deliverance had been given in that verse. strong hold] There may be a reference to the hill of Zion, or to the rocky fastnesses of Palestine, to which the exiles who had escaped from the pit or dungeon in Babylon were to turn, or return; but it may be merely a figurative expression (comp. Psalms 40:2), and certainly is so in its higher spiritual and Christian application (Luke 4:18-21). prisoners of hope] Comp. ἡκτίσιςὑπετάγηἐπʼ ? ἐλπίδι, κ. τ. λ., Romans 8:20-21. double] Comp. Isaiah 61:7. From Exodus 16:22, Job 42:10, it would appear that this means a very large and full measure (lit. twice as much as before) of blessing and prosperity.

Zechariah 9:13-17

13–17. The prophecy now moves forward, and takes for its groundwork a later epoch in the future history of the Jews. As their deliverance from their enemies without fighting, in the times of Alexander (Zechariah 9:1-8), was foretold as the pledge and type of Messiah’s kingdom of peace (Zechariah 9:9-12), so their victories over the Seleucidæ, in the times of the Maccabees, are in these verses foretold as the pledge and type of Messiah’s victories over all His enemies.

Zechariah 9:14

14. whirlwinds of the south] which were the most vehement and destructive. Isaiah 21:1; Job 37:9.

Zechariah 9:15

15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them] See, for examples of the first fulfilment, 1Ma 3:16-24; 1Ma 4:6-16; 1Ma 7:40-50. devour] It is not said what they shall devour. Calvin takes this and what follows literally of eating and drinking, i.e. of enjoying plenty: “Adjungit etiam fore illis copiam panis et vini, ut saturentur.” Others, as Pusey, supply “their enemies” after “devour” and take it as an image of “destruction or absorption only, as in that, thou shall consume [lit. eat] all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee, Deuteronomy 7:16.” Comp. Numbers 14:9. But then no adequate sense is given to the following clauses, Thou shalt drink, &c. It seems best to regard the whole as a figurative description of a wild beast devouring its prey: they shall devour (the flesh of their enemies, comp. Numbers 23:24); they shall tread on (them, as on) sling stones; they shall drink (their blood) and make a noise as through wine; they shall be filled (with it) like bowls (which hold the blood of the sacrifices), like the corners of the altar (round which it is copiously poured). See Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 4:18; Leviticus 4:30. sling stones] Comp. Job 41:28-29. The comparison of the Israelites to the precious “stones of a crown” in the next verse favours the view that their enemies themselves, and not the weapons which they hurl at them, are here compared to the “stones of a sling.” “Their enemies shall fall under them, as harmless and as of little account, as the sling-stones which have missed their aim (or spent their force), and lie as the road to be passed over.” Pusey.

Zechariah 9:16

16. lifted up as an ensign upon] Rather, raised aloft over, or perhaps, shining, or glittering. So R. V. lifted on high over. Margin, glittering upon.

Zechariah 9:17

17. his goodness … his beauty] i.e. either Israel’s (their prosperity, R. V. margin), as thus delivered and honoured by God (comp. Hosea 14:6), or God’s, the exclamation being drawn from the prophet by the consideration of the great things he had been commissioned to make known. “The goodness and the beauty are the goodness and beauty of God, whose great doings had been his theme before.” Pusey, who quotes Osirius: “The prophet, borne out of himself by the consideration of the Divine goodness, stands amazed while he contemplates the beauty and Deity of Christ: he bursts out with unwonted admiration! How great is His goodness, who to guard His flock shall come down on earth to lay down His life for the salvation of His sheep! How great His beauty, who is the brightness of the glory and the Image of the Father, and comprises in His Godhead the measure of all order and beauty!”