The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 2: Commonly Called the MinorSmith, George Adam
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 2: Commonly Called the Minor
Smith, George Adam
Bible. Minor Prophets -- Commentaries
else in that month of vision Darius had quelled one of the rebellions
against him, and for the moment there was quiet in the world.
_By night I had a vision, and behold! a man riding a brown horse,[801]
and he was standing between the myrtles that are in the Glen;[802] and
behind him horses brown, bay[803] and white. And I said, What are
these, my lord? And the angel who talked with me said, I will show you
what these are. And the man who was standing among the myrtles answered
and said, These are they whom Jehovah hath sent to go to and fro
through the earth. And they answered the angel of Jehovah who stood
among the myrtles,[804] and said, We have gone up and down through the
earth, and lo! the whole earth is still and at peace.[805] And the
angel of Jehovah answered and said, Jehovah of Hosts, how long hast
Thou no pity for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which[806]
Thou hast been wroth these seventy years? And Jehovah answered the
angel who talked with me,[807] kind words and comforting. And the angel
who talked with me said to me, Proclaim now as follows: Thus saith
Jehovah of Hosts, I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion, with a great
zeal; but with great wrath am I wroth against the arrogant Gentiles.
For I was but a little angry_ with Israel, _but they aggravated the
evil.[808] Therefore thus saith Jehovah, I am returned to Jerusalem
with mercies. My house shall be built in her—oracle of Jehovah of
Hosts—and the measuring line shall be drawn over Jerusalem. Proclaim
yet again, saying: Thus saith Jehovah of Hosts, My cities shall yet
overflow with prosperity, and Jehovah shall again comfort Zion, and
again make choice of Jerusalem._.
Two things are to be noted in this oracle. No political movement is
indicated as the means of Jerusalem’s restoration: this is to be the
effect of God’s free grace in returning to dwell in Jerusalem, which is
the reward of the building of the Temple. And there is an interesting
explanation of the motive for God’s new grace: in executing His
sentence upon Israel, the heathen had far exceeded their commission,
and now themselves deserved punishment. That is to say, the restoration
of Jerusalem and the resumption of the worship are not enough for the
future of Israel. The heathen must be chastised. But Zechariah does not
predict any overthrow of the world’s power, either by earthly or by
heavenly forces. This is entirely in harmony with the insistence upon
peace which distinguishes him from other prophets.
THE SECOND VISION: THE FOUR HORNS AND THE
FOUR SMITHS (ii. 1-4 Heb., i. 18-21 Eng.).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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