PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah
William J. Deane [1853-1943] · 158,320 words · 170 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah — Section 1
TTIE PULPIT COMMEN'r ARY, J<:J)JTF.D BY rJUI: VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN OM' OLOUOltllTlCll; AND llY TIJE REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A. ZEOHA.RIAI-I. ~xpos{tion BY REV. W. J. DEANE, M.A., Rl!:OTOB OJ' ASHEN. ~omflrtfc!5 BY REV. W. S. LEWIS. M.A. ~omflfes b)l Watious ~utbors. REV. W. FORSYTH, D.D. …
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eighth (eh. vi. 1-8), discloses four chariots issuing from between two brazen mountains, which are sent as the messengers of God's wrath in the four quarters of the world, till his judgments are satisfied. The destruc- tion of the enemies of God's people is the inauguration of Messiah's king- dom; what glory is reserve…
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The name Zechariah was not uncommon among the Jews; more than twenty bore it in the Old Testament. It is interpreted, "The Lord remem- bers." The prophet calls himself (eh. i. 1) cc the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo," which words the LXX. translates, Za.xa.pla.v Tov Tau Bapaxtou, uiov 'A8ow Tov 7rpocf,frriv, as if …
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the book was not then suoh as it has reached our hands, and such as all the ver~ions make it to be. The care exhibited in assigning the other pro- phetical works to their rightful authors, even in the case of the brief propheoy of Obadiah, would surely not be wanting in the case of this long and important oraole. The u…
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later contains dark prophecies of the future, the date and p1ace of whfJse delivery were of no practical importance. The course of his predictions did not load the prophet to speak of Satan in the second part, and the omission of all mention of the evil spirit is equally a feature in the books of other prophets. 4. The…
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any other attack; and whatever explanation we give of the cutting off of the "three shophercls," nothing compels us to see in it the violent deaths of Shallum, Zeohariah, and a third (?) Menahem-a. suggestion which Dr. Pusey ea.Us "even absurd." So it is affirmed tha.t the statementR in i:h. xiii. 9 and xiv. 2 apply to…
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§ 2. (Ch. vii. 4-7.) In answer they are told that fasting is in itself an indifferent thing, but is to be judged by the conduct of those who observe it. § 3. (Ch. vii. 8-14.) 'l'hey are further reminded that they had been disobedient in old time, and had been punished by exile. § 4. (Ch. viii. 1-8.) The Lord promis…
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER I. (see note A in the appendix to Archdeacon Perowne's edition of this prophet). Its con- Ver. 1-ch. vi. 15.-Part I. A SERIES OF stant repetition, as in Haggai, gives a cer- EIGHT VISIONS, AND A 8YMBOLIOA.L ACTION, tain heaviness to the prophet's style. Tum (return) ye unto me. He calls tbe peop…
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110 ht'C'd to the ndrnonitions of the prophets? the night of the twenty-fourth day (ver. 7). HnYC> thcY not enffer('d dire calamities and Tbe visions were seen in this one night ,it p('rished rnisc'r1tbly? And the prophets, do short intervals. Thero is nothing to mnko they live for ever 1 They oan teaoh and one supp…
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horses mounted by riders (var. 11). Speckled, feetation of the Logos, the Second Person It is not clenr whot colour is meant by this of the Holy Trinity, assuming an angelio word. 'fhe Rovised Version gives sorrel; form or imparting bis immediate pre,ence Wright, "bay or chestnut;" LXX., ,f,apol to tho revealer of his …
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(1 Kings xii. 7); and these are oomfortable by returning immigrRnb!, but increasod in wordB (Isa. )vii. 18), n messe.ge ealculated extent and number by reason of the enlarged to bring comfort t-0 the people's deeponding population. So Josephus tells us that in h<"arts. What the mesBBge is is given in later times Jer…
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Do.niel'e, nnrl hie description of the powers seems most suitable here. LXX., -rlnova,; hostile to the Ohuroh of God rune on parallel Vulgate, fal,ros. They represent the human lines with thnt of hie predecessor. Whether agencies employed by God to overthrow the he refers to the ea.me four empires must be powers hostil…
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II. PAST EXPERIRNOE. (Seevers. 5, 6.) In these they are reminded: 1. That some things belonging to the past had indeed passed away, as it were. "Their fathers," e.g. who had recei"cd so many warnings, and despised them. Even "the prophets" l\lsu, who hnd delivered these warnings, and believed them, had fulfilled their …
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3. His plar,e; amongst the myrtle trees in the hollow; representing, it is thought, the people of God, humble yet pleasing to him, in their then low estate (see Isa. xii. 19: Iv. 13). 4. His apparent pwrpose; viz. to "visit" and save his people (Gen. 1. 24; Exod. iii. 1G; iv. 31; Luke i. 68). II. THE Knm's SERVANTS. O…
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xii. 1.) See also what this int.ercession 1·elies on, viz. on the one hand, God's cha.re.et-er, as delighting to exercise mercy (so to speak) as soon as he can; and, on the other hand, on God's faithfulness, as being sure to confine his indi!ma.tion strictly to the duration specified by him. "These three score and t…
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o.ncl hostility (Pe. lxxv. 4-7, 10; Jer. xlviii. 25; Deut. xxxiii. 17; 1 Kings xxii. 11) -suffice to prove this. However restrained at that morn en t, the ability and the dis- position to injure were still in existence. 2. ltB peculiar greatness. This (1) as to power. How much evil those same Gentile horns had already …
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Ver. 5.-.Are we better than our fathers~ I. "FATHERS" Il\lPLIES BUCOESSIVENESS. Changes are constant. Not a whole generation together, but men go, as they come, one by one. Seems common to all existences. Necessary also. If all lived on, there would not be room for the ever-increasing multitudes. Part of God's great pl…
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Ver. 5.-The tr=sitoriness of life. I. COMPARED WITH THE PERMANENCE OF THE EARTH, Objects of nature remain. There are changes, but they are not so great within the limit of our brief lives as to attract much notice. "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever" (Eccles. i. …
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Ver. 11.-The wonder of indijferenoe. "' At re~t;' i.e. secure, proud, and licentious, as if there were no God in heaven" (Wordsworth). May be ta.ken to illustrate a common state of mind as to religion. Indifference seems wonderful when we consider- I. Tm;; VA~T n,TERESTB AT STAKE. \Vhat questions so deep and urgent as…
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completeness. There will be sufficiency for God's purpose, and yet the number wi,I not be in excess of that on the other side, as if the victory were to be obtained by might and not by right. 2. Greater in authority. Law at their back. Ministers of justice. Power not usurped or wrongly used, but employed under the auth…
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Vers. 7-17.-Theforst t1ision: God's government of the world. "Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiali, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon…
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cendent mind. Most expositors regard the man on the red horse, and who stoo<I among the myrtle trees, a~ no less a personage than the Angel of the covenant, the great MosHiah. '£he subsequent verses sustain this idea.. '£his same man appeared to Abmham in the plains of Mamre, to Jacob before his meeting with Esau, to M…
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Yers. 18--21.-Second vision: four hO'Nl,S and four cat-penters. "Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. And I said unto the angel that to.lked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which ho.ve scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem," etc. This is the second vision that …
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identiflco.tion or the "young me.n" of veY. 4. she.II be a.a open villages in a ple.in c,:,untry. 'l'hoee who, as 'fheodoret, Hitzig, f3chegg, The word pe,-azoth isueed in Ezek. xxxviii.11, 'frochon, Wright, Perowne, eto., conei<ler meaning "nnwe.lle<I villRges," where men him to be tho me.n with the measuring-line cl …
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B1tbyloniR (comp..Ter. i. 14; iv. 6; xxiii. 8). The la.nguage is humrm. IsrRel is very We should hnYc called the Babylonie.ns an preoious to God; and they who vox and EMt<'rn peopk if we bad dwelt in PRleatine; harass him are RB they who hurt that but they Rlways invRded this lRnd from whioh God prizes inestimably, nnd…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-5.-.A msion of safety. "I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring-line in bis hand," etc. We have here another case of repetition and expansion, In the end of. eh. i. 16 we had a brief promise of the full restoration of Jerusalem o.s o. city-a place of dwellings wit…
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Vers. 6--9.-.A promise of triumph. "Ho, ho! come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord," etc. Soon after the time of the deliverance of this prophecy, Babylon suffered greatly at the hands of Darius. The primary reference of the verses before us is to this fact, in the judgment of some-ver's. 6,…
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comp. Dou t. x x xii. 10; also Exod. iv. 22 ; Acte ix. 4 ; Ma.tt. xxv. 40). 2. He w(YU/d as openly manifest himself a,qainst their enemies. "I will shake my hand over them," o.nd spoil tboso that spoil thee ( comp. vere, 9 and 8). This a. special proof of the presence of God with hie servants, a.nd of their mission to …
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l. MAN'S IDEA OF THE CHURCH AS CAPABLE OF STRICT DEFINITION AND MEASUDE· llENT. There has always been a disposition to fix and limit the boundaries of the Church. 1. Irrational. The visible Church may be defined, but not the invisible. Truth is not to be measured by our belief, or godliness by the piety of the party…
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Vers. l-5.-Third vision: an interesting future for the world. "I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and, behold, a man with a measuring-line in his hand. Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof," etc. Here is the …
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what matters it? Again, what is meant by "After the glory bath he sent me unto the naLions which spoiled you"? Some suppose the prophet to be the person who here speaks of himself as being sent. Others, the angel mentioned in ver. 4. Some read the words, "after the glory," "to win glory." And again, what is meant by "B…
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Vers. 10-13.-The joy of the millennial CJhurch. "Sing and rejoice, 0 daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord," etc. "The dau~hter 7.ion, or the Church of the Lord, delivered out of Babylon, is to rejoice with joy, because her glorification is commencing now. The Lord com…
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CHAPTER III. hood to trnin them in righteous ways, to oppose the attacks of the adversary, anJ to Vere, 1-10.---'-§ 6. The fozwth 1Jision: intercede for them effectually. The remove.I Joshua the high p1·iest uefore the angel. of their impurity is represented in the fourth vision. J'oshua the high priest (see note on…
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of Johovo,h to do hie pleBeure (eoe note on ing to him e.nd to the nation blessing and vor. I). TBke Bway the filthy gBrmenta. honour, and proceeding to prophesy of B Thie symbolized remission of sine 11nd re- great future. stomtion to fovour, ae the following words Ver. 7.-Wa.lk in my ways. God's ways explain. I w…
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their presence and fel!oWBhip. Here is incense. But it was more probl\b}y none RdumbrRted thRt aooe~s to God whioh the of these, but some rough, unhewod bloolr Christian enjoys in Christ (John xiv. 6; not yet polished or fittc,l into its place'. Eph. ii. 18). This is more fully revealed What doos it l'Opresent? l\la…
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xxxii. IG). I will out ond polish this rough entered in once for all U<t>&.,,.a.n into the stone to flt it for its place in the tomple. holy place, having obtained eternal redemp- The verb is used of the hold engraving and tion .... Now once at the end of the ages ornamentation of stone-work, tho finishing bath he been…
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urp-e~. Thesl' are: 1. The settled purpose of God in this matter. God had Jong ago "chosen JerusRlem." He must not now be asked to reject it. 2. 'l'he past action of God in this rnat.ter. Having already so far begun to deliver as to "pluck this brand from the burning," it w~uld be inconsistent of him now to go back …
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were but types e.nd figures of e. fe.r greater e.nd holier" Jesus "-a Priest who was somt de.y to be "brought forth." This Priest, while like these in some respects, was to differ from them in me.ny others. For example, besides being a Priest who wa.q to be "brought forth" and to supersede these, he was also to be: 1. …
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V ers. 6, 7.-" If" and "then;" or, the great things of Go!Es promises. I. THE GREAT IN C!lill.ACTER. How described. L Obedience. Life regulated by the Divine will. " Walk in my ways." 2. Fi,d,elity of se'fvice. Life devoted to God's glory. So Moses (Heb. iii 5). II. THE GREAT IN HONOUR. Not place, or outward distincti…
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who doeB not desire the progress of kindred spirits; e.nd whe.t is this but intercession? But thn1 which distinguish& the intercession on earth is the.t we have to remember the moral co1·roption of our race. In hee.ven there is no defilement. All there e.re cle.d either in the robes of pristine holiness or in ge.rmen…
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history of every pmying man? Ever as we attempt to approach the everlaRting Father in devout thought and worship, do we not find some opposing force like thiR Satan, or rather, this Satan himself, "standing" "at our right hand to resist" us? What is to be done? Are we to retire ?-cease all endeavour to commune with the…
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the branch of the Lord be bee.utiful," etc. And a.gain, "Behold, the dl\ys come, Bllith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch," etc. Indeed, the men who are here spoken of as those who "sit before" Joshua, '' men wondered at," are -typical men. This, indeed, is the meaning of the expression," men …
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EXPOSITION. is not the same as that in the second edifice OHAPTER IV. (comp. Josephus, 'Ant.,' xiv. 4. 4). The Vera. 1-14.-§ 7. The fifth 11iBion: the candelabrum in the vision differed from the golden candlesticle. original one in three particulars : it had e. central reservoir; it had also seven pipes; Ver. 1.-T…
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its "ppurtenRnces, ROOording t.o his notion of to the former pint of the clause, but tho the ,·ision. The Authorized Version seems accent is in favouroftbe Authorized Version. to give the correct idea of the passage, Thon shalt become a plain ; literally, into a whether we arrive at it by rejecting the p"lain ! A co…
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lia.bel .ha.cl commenced the rebuilding in the whose restoration and life the temple was second yenr of tho return, in the second the symbol and vehicle. One point was month (Ezm iii, 8); it hnd been hindered still obscure, and he asks, What are these by the opposition of the neighbouring two olive trees 1 (ver. 3). Tn…
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upholding t.he Churoh of God. That ataua ftl'Ound at all times, its Christian men are by the Lord of thl! whole earth; i.e. ready bidden to shine like lights in the world As his ministers to do him service. There (Matt. v. 16: Phil. ii. 15). The oil that is R reference to this passage in Rev. :d. 4, supplies the lamps …
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II. 'l'nrn COMPLETENESS OF THIS RESTORATION. In the seventh verse, 8.11 noted bofore, tho figuro is changed. The Church of the restored Captivity is before us now under the metaphor of a building inhabited by God himself, as often in God's Word (see Hob. iii. 6; 2 Cor. vi. 16; Eph. ii. 21, 22 ; 1 Tim. iii. 15 ; 1 Pet. …
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these wondl'rs? (See end of ver. 10, and the reference there to " those seven " eyes to be found on thRl" st-One; " also· Rev. v. 6; 2 Chron. xvi. 9; and compare end of ver. 6 in this chapter.) To secure that•• stone" is to secure that sevenfold blessing, nod all it involves. II. lTs t;EORET. A yet further point, in r…
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fruth. Law nnd gospel. The Spirit of (Jh,rist. (1 Kings xix. 11, 12; John xvi. 8-13; Rev. i. 10-20.) III. 'l'JIE GLORIOUS THINGS REVEALED TO THE AWAKENED SOUL. The question. Mark : 1. The tim~. ~hen the so_ul_ was ~wakened; not before (Isa. I. 4 ; Luke ix. 32). 2. The purpose. 'lo stimulate act1v1ty. 'I have looked." …
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Vere. 7-10.-Enco..vragement to <Jluri,stian wcwkers. I. TnouGn TRE WORK Dl!I DERIDED, IT rs Goo's WORK. Therefore we a.re sure it is right and good. We cau throw ourselves into it with a.11 our hee.rt. Patience. What is of God cannot fail, IJ. THOUGH THE DIFFICULTIES BE GREAT, THEY ARE CAPABLE OF BEING OVEROOIIIEe …
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may 1 I think, fairly represent the Bible, or God's special revelation to man : that is golden, that is lwminous, that is supe;rnatwrally Bupplied with the oil of inspiration. In fact, in the passage, the interpreting angel designates this candlestick, not as the Church, but as the "word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel." I…
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Ycrs. 11-14.-The olive trees and the candksticks: model reUgious teacJiers. "Then answered I, and said unto him," etc. This is not another vision, but an explanation of the one recorded in the preceding verses. The explanation is that the two branches of the olive tree which, by means of the two tubes of gold empty …
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EXPOSITION. sides. (For the curse or God npon gnilly CHAPTER V. nations, eomp. Isa. xxi v. 6; Dan. ix. 11.) Vera. J-4.-§ 8. 7'he sixth vision: the Earth ; land; for J udron. is meant. Tho ftyina roll. curse was ready to fall on all who might come under it by their transgressione. Thie Ver. 1.-Then I turned, and li…
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1 prec-eding vision denoted that sinners should It is possible, as some commentators aup- be extirpated, so the prel!ent vision shows r◊so, that the ephah into which wiolrndnese how iniquity itself, the very principle of 1s thrust represents the mcnsuro of iniquity evil, should be removed from the Holy which, being rea…
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olong so quiokly thot they seemed to be arrayed itself against God in the attempt at cnrrierl by the wind ; or the wind helped Babel. Septuagint, Iv yfj Ba/3vll.Cdva< (Gen. their flight. A atork; Beptno.gint, f,,,o,,, .., xi. 2, etc.). Shinar, equivalent to S11m,,,r "the hoopoe;" Vulgate, milvi. The Autho- in the Assyr…
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ll. lTR srEcJAI, cnARACTERISTTOS. These to be seen, if we mi,tnke not, somewhat remarkably: 1. In the special transg,·essions here denounced; being just those to whioh """ ban reMon to believe, from other sources, that the post-Captivity Israelites were espt>cially prone. Note, e.g., in the first table of the Law, w…
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lead," OB though never requiring to be opened again. See what our Lord long after- wards ea.id to the Jewe in Matt. xxiii. 32 (comp. Gen. xv. 16), with apparent reference to this vory prophecy, and, as some think (Matt. xxiii. 35), to this very prophet. Aleo compare what is said concerning the sin of" stealing," in …
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vers. 1-4.-The flying roll: Divine retribution. "Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, a flying roll. And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I a11swered. I see a flying roll: the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits," etc. This is the sixth vision of the s…
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Ye are cursed with the curse, even this whole nation" (Ma.I. iii. 8). This is the worst of all robberies. In fa.et, it embrnces all robberies, the applying to our own selfish purposes what belongs to God. (2) Perjwry and false swearing. Their sa.crilegious conduct nppenrs to have been sustained by false oaths, which i…
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to an Rngel's eye. The '[lrophet still looks, and what does he see? "Then lifted I up mine eyes, 11.ud looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wingF; for they had wings like the wings of a st:o'rk: and they lifted up the ••phRh between the eanh and the heaven." The meaning of this ne…
968 wordsSource & rights
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