11lonc were to share at the first: lerael's condition of the fulfilment of the promise happ)" time (ver. 13) W118 to come le.ter. (ver. 16; ob. vii. 9), here ngain f'oroibly Ver. 16.-Theae are the things. To eecure impressed. t.he fulfilment of the promise of good, they Ver. 20.-lt she.II yet come to pas~, that nrnst do the will of God (eh. vii. 9, etc.). there shall oome people; peoples. 'fho sight Truth. This was to be observed in all oon- of the prosperity of the Jews shall induce ver,a tion and tl'llnsactions with their neigh- surrounding nations to join in the worship buu rs. St. Paul quotes this injunction (Eph. of Jehovah. The same truth is expressed i,. 25). Exeoute the judgment of truth and in Ps. cxxvi. 1-3. Perowne thinks that peace; lit.nally, judge ye truth and the ;'wig- vers. 20, 21 refer to the tribes of Isro.el; me11i of peaee. So the Septuagint and Vul- but it seems unnatural to suppose the pro- !?"-te. Practise perfect equity in judgments, phet 9:sserti~a- that it will yet happen that and so decide, according to truth and justice, Israelites will seek the Lord, when there is llS tn secure peace and concord between the no reason to think that they had not done parties concerned. In your gates. Where so in some fashion, or that they would need the judges sat, and justice wa.s administered the previous deliberation mentioned in the (Dent. xvi. 18; xxi. 19; see note on Amos next verse. lllany oities. So the LXX. v. JO). e.nd Vulgate. Others translate, "great, or, Ver. 17.-Let none of you imagine (see populous cities; " but this is less suitable. note ori eh. vii. 10, where these words occur). Ver. 21.-The inhabitants of one city Love no false oath. The prevalent sins at shall go to another. The LXX. has, "The this time were not idolatry, but cheating inhabitants of five cities shall go unto and lying and injustice, vices learned in the one;" Vulgate, "The inhabitauts go one to land of exile, where they had turned their another." Let us go speedily. The Hebrew energies to traffic and commerce (see eh. v. is an imperfect followed by an infinitive 2-4, and note on ver. 3 there). absolute-an idiom which implies combina- tion, Let us go on and on, continually. So Vers. 16-23.---§ 6. Here follows the direct Pusey and Wright. To pray before the answer to the question originally proposed. Lord; to entreat the favour of the Lord (see The fasts should be turned into joyful festi- note on eh. vii. 2). The Gentiles would .,als, former calamitiell being forgotten. Then be moved, not only to make pilgrimages to the great annual festivals, but to seek to tlie change eztending its influence, the heathen know the Lord, and how to worship him ahal,l worship the God of Israel, and esteem acceptably. I will go also, The inhabit- it an hoTW111T to be re«i:ced into fellowship ants answer willingly to those who exhort toi,th the Jewish nation. them. It is quite unnatural to teke the clause to mean (as Drake does), "I, Zecha- Ver. 19.-The fast of the fourth month, rish, will go too, to see the alteration in the etc. (For the OCClli;ions of these fasts, see mode of observing these fast-days." uote on eh. vii. 3.) Jerome gives the later Ver. 22.-Ma.ny people (peoples) and Jewish traditions concerning them. The strong nations. This explains ver. 20 more fast of the seventh day of the fonrth month fully. The Jews were not actuated by the commemorated ihe breaking of the two missiona.ry spirit, yet even before Christ's tables of the commandments by Moses, as advent their religion had spread into all well WI the :first breach i I\ the we.Us of J eru- parts of the world, as we see from the cata- salem; that of the fifth month was observed logue of proselytes in Acts ii. 9-11. Inti• in memory of the return of the spies sent to mations of the ea.me faot are given in Ezra explore Canaan, e.nd the consequent pnnish- vi. 21 ; Esth. viii. 17. To seek the Lord of ment of forty years' wandering in the wil- hoats in Jerusalem; i.e. to keep the solemn deruess, 8.8 well e.s of the burning of the festivals observed there (comp. Isa. ii. 2; temple by the Chaldeans; that in the !xvi. 20-23: Micah iv. l, and note there). tenih month was appointed bece.use it was The literal fulfilment of this prophecy is theu that Ezekiel and tLt captive Jews re- not to be looked for. It declares the future ceived intelligence of the complete destruc- conversion of the Gentiles, and their being tion of tilt: temple. Joy e.nd gla.dneu. The made one with Israel in the Church of observance of these fasts seems, by the Christ, "one fold under one Shepherd '' Lord's answer, to have been neither enjoined (John x. 16). Mr forLidden; but as for their sins their Ver. 23.-Ten men. The number ten is festivals Lad been turned into mourning used for a large indefinite number (comp. ( A.mob viii. 10), so now their fasts should be Gen. xxxi. 7 ; Lev. xxvi. 26; l Sam. i. 8). tumoo into joyful feasts, and former miseries Out of all languages (the languages) of the sl,ould Le forgotten in the presence of the nations. The diversity of languages shall Lltssinge now showered upon them. There- not hinder the unity in the faith (comp. Isa. fore love the truth e.nd pee.oe. This is the l.x.vi. 18: Rev. v. 9; vii. 9). Shall take hold rn. vm. 1-23.] THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. 79
of the skirt of him that is a Jew. Taking eion to e.ccompany him on his journey, h,,. hold of the skirt implies a desire to share ce.uae they have learned how good the Lore! the privileges, and to be united in fellow- hltB bet>u to his countrymen. But the ideal ship with (comp. lea. iv. 1; Hag. ii. 12). intended is muoh more than this. Salvation, St. Oyril considers the idea to be that the indeed, is of the Jews; it began to be heathen she.11 cling to the Jews like chil<lren e.nnounced e.t Jeruse.lem; it was preached holding their fa.there' dre&s for support e.nd by the J ewieh e.poetlee; its founder was of guidance. In "tbe man that is e. Jew" St. the seed of David. But the true Israelites Jerome discerns the Messiah. We will go are not merely those who e.re of the natural with you. The picture presented to the posterity of Abraham, but all true Chris- mind by this verse is of e. Jew journeying tians united under Christ, the Head. To to Jerusalem from some distant country to their number all who would be saved must keep e. solemn festival, e.nd e. number of be joined (comp. Rom. iv. 11; Gal. iii. 7, (}entiles clinging round him, a.eking permis- 29 ; iv. 26, etc.).