The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah — Section 80

began to improve dlrecUy they ehowe,1 in the land, anrl from thia r,ict the resnlta diligence and zoal. There was no hire for following should ensue. This afford• a very man, etc. Either tho ,yield was so Rmall good sense; but it is probably a metaphor thctt no labour ol' men or benete was needed quite unintended by the propl:et. The to g1Lther it in, or the genera,! poverty was Syriac reads differently," The seed shall he so great thnt labourers could not get their safe." The remnant (sec on ver. 11 ). To wages nor the oxen their well-earned shnre of possess; to inherit; Septuagint, Ka-ra.1<>-.71po• provender (Hag. i. 11; ii. 17, 18). Neither voµ1,(fld (Rev. xxi. 7). This promise recalls woe tbere any peaoe .. , beoause of the afflic- the blessings in the old Law (Lev. xxvi. 4, tion; rather, because of the adversary. They etc.; Deut. xxxiii. 28; Ps. lnii. 6). could not go about their usual occupations, Ver. 13.-As ye were a curse among the or pass in safety from place to place, on heathen. As your fate WI\B nsed as a account of the enemies that compassed them formula of imprecation among the heathen; about (Ezra iv. 4). The rendering of the e.g. "May your fate be that of the Jews" Authorized Version is supported by the Sep- (see examples of this, 2 Kings xxii. 19; tuagint and Vulgate, but the word (tsar) is Isa. lxv. 15; Jer. xxiv. 9; x:rix. 22). The often used for the concrete, " adversary." So other way of taking the expression as mean- the Syriac here. I set all men every one ing the object of curse (i.e. as the heathen against his neighbour. There were internal once used to curse you), is not so suitable. dissensions as well as outward opposition. J"udah . . . Israel. This expression in- God had allowed this for his own wise cludes the twelve tribes, of all of which some purposes. members had returned, ancl continued to Ver. 11.-But now I will not be. God's return, from the Captivity. They were attitude towards tbe people had already united now and formed one nation (see note changed in consequence of their diligeuce on eh. ix. 10). So will I save you. In as in the work of restoration. Perowne renders, open and significant a manner will I allow "Now I am not." The residue; the rem- tbat I am delivering and favoming you. nant; the returned Jews (ver. 12; Hag. i. Ye shall be a blessing. This must be taken 12). The former days. In the time of correspondingly to the former phrase, their· inactivity, when a curse rested upon being a " curse ; " ye shall be used as a them and upon their land. The curse was formula for blessing; e.g. "God make thee now removed, and a marked amelioration as Ephraim and as Manasseh" (Gen. xlviii. had set in (Hag. ii. 15-19). 20; comp. Ruth iv. 11, 12). Fear not Ver. 12.-The seed shall be prosperous ; (Zeph. iii. 16). "If God be for us, who can literally, (there shall be) the seed of peace. be against us?" (Rom. viii. 31; comp. Numb. '.rhe crops sown shall be crops of peace, safe xiv. 9). Let your hands be strong (,ee and secure, in contradistinction to the note on ver. 9). The LXX. takes the para- threat in Lev. xxvi. 16, that the seed graph differently and erroneously : "Ancl should be sown in vain, for it should be it shall be that in like manner as ye were a devoured by an enemy (Knabenbauer). Or, curse among the nations, 0 house of Juu h more generally, all forming laboms shall suc- and house o( Israel, so will I save you, ancl ceed and prosper. Jerorue's paraphrase is, ye shall be a blessing," i.e. a ca.nse of "There shall be universal peace and joy; " blessing, 7 HTe Ev ,ca-rcipq. . . . lcrea-fJe €v Septuagint, " But I will show forth peace." EVAO')'(a. Another way of understanding the words Ver.' 14.-'l'he ground oi the promise is which. has found much favour with modern the will of God, who cannot deceive. As I commentators is to take the clause in apposi- thought to punish yuu; as I purposed to do tion with the words immediately following; evil to you; i.e. to the nation whose con- thus: "Tile seed (i.e. growth) of peace, tile tinuity is thus intimated (comp. Hag. ii. 5: vine, shall give its fruit." But there is no 1md for a similar contrast of punishment and especial reason why the vine should be blessing, see J er. x.xxi. 28). I repented not. oalled " tile seed of peace." It is not God ce.rried out the dread decree to the full peculiar among fruit trees for requiring a (oh. i. 6; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16). (For the time of peace for its cultivation. And the phraso applied to God, comp. Numb. x.xiii. term "seed" is very inapproprinte to the 19; Jer. iv. 28; Jonah iii. 10, where seu vine, which was not raised from seed, but note.) Yulgnte, "I pitied not." from outtings and layers. Perowne alw Ver. 15.-So again have I thought, etc. points out that suoh a rendering destroys The past chastisement, whioh happened as the balance of the three following clauses, it was threatened, is a guarantee of the ful- which explain and expand the general filment of the promise<l blessing. But thero 6tatement that agriculture shall prosper. is a condition to lle observed, which is set Dr. Alexander takes " the seed of peace" forth in the two next verses. ThB LXX. to he that from whioh peace springs ; i.e. has, "So have I ordernd and purposed." I u tha.t po[lce shoultl be radioe.lly established these special blessings Judah and ,lerusalcm 78 THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. [oH. vm. 1-23.