The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah — Section 91

EXPOSITION. heathen, a.a well e.e those of Israel, will lo0k CHAPTER IX. to the Lord, e.nd they will marvel at the Ver. 1-ch. xiv. 21.-Part III. THE judgment e.nd the close fulfilment of tl10 FUTUHE Oli' THlll POWERS OF THE WORLD prediction. This would be n. very aonnrl and probable exposition of the paBBrtg-c if AND 01" THE KINGDOM 011' GOD. the expression, "the eye of man b~i11 6 Ver. I-eh. xi. 17.-A. TaEFIRBT BunoEN. towards Jehovah,'' can mean that ms n Vere, 1-8.-§ I. To prepare the land marvels a.t his doings. All the tribes of Israel. God watches over them to gna rcl for Israel, and to prove God'8 care for his them from evil (Deut. xi. 12; Ezra. v. 5; people, the neighbou,ring heathen shall be P s. xxxiii. I 8). chastised, while Israel shall dwell in safety Ver. 2.-And He.math also ehe.11 border and independence. thereby; Revised Version, and Hamath also which bordereth thereun. Hamath, whicli is Ver. 1.-The burden (see note on Nab. near unto Damascus, shall share in the i. 1), (On tile circumstances connected with Divine judgment. The Authorized Version this prophecy, see Introduction, § I.) De- probably means that Ha.math shall be the structive critics attribute eh. ix.-xi. to an companion of Damascus in punishment. anonymous prophet, whose utterances have (For Ha.ma.th, see note on Amos vi. 2.) been by mistake appended to the genuine These Syrian towns, as well a.s those below work of Zechariah. We have given reasons in Phcenicie. and Philistia, shall be visited, for disputing this conclusion in the Intro- because they were all once included iu tl,e duction,§ II. In (upon) the land of Ha.dre.oh. territory promised to Israel ( see Gen. xv. This expression is found nowhere else, and 18; Exod. xxiii. 31; Nnmb. xxxiv. 2-12; has occasioned great trouble to the commen- Deut. xi. 24; and comp. 2 Sam. viii. 6, etc.; te.tors. But Assyrian inscriptions he.ve I Kings iv. 21; viii. 65; 2 Kings xiv. 25). cleared away the difficulty, and shown that The judgmentwas inflicted by Al~xa.nderthe it we.a the ne.me of e. city and district nee.r Great after the battle of Issue, B.C. 333, when De.mascus, called in the monuments Hata- Damascus was betrayed into his hands and ral,ha or Hatarika (see Schrader,' Keilinschr. plundered of a.11 its enormous treasures. Tyrus und das Alt. Test.,' p. 453). Expeditions and Zidon. Tyre was ta.ken after e. siege of against this place are mentioned a.s occurring seven montlls, its walls were demolished, its in various yea.re, e.g. B.o. 772, 765, 755 (see houses burnt, ten thousand of its defenders G. Smith, 'Assyrian Canon,' pp. 46, etc., 63; were massacred, the women and children sold 'Records of the Pa.et,' v. 46; Schrader, pp. as slaves; e.nd it never rose to greatness 482, 484, etc., 2nd edit.). Damasous shall age.in. Zidon, originally the chief city of be the rest thereof. The " burden" shall the country, had long been eclipsed by ih light upon Dame.scus in wrath, and settle daughter, Tyre: it submitted to Alexander there ( comp. Ezek. v. 13). This district without e. struggle. Though it be very wise; should he the first to suffer. The LXX. or, because she is very wise. The pronoun has, Kczl t:i.aµ.a<r,cov 6vcrla av-roii, "In the refers to Tyre, the mention of Zic!on being, land of Sedrach and Damascus is hie as it were, parenthetical. In spite of, or sacrifice." When the eyes of me.n, etc. ; because of, its boasted wisdom, Tyre should literally, for to Jehovah (is, or will be) the suffer heavy punishment. The wisdom of eye of ma.n and of all the tribes of Israel. Tyre is spoken of in Ezek. xniii. 3, 4. This gives the rea.aon why Hadr11.ch and Wright, as the LXX., makes the clause refer Damascus are thus united. Because Je- to both cities, "though they be very wise." hovah has his eye on men and on Israel. Vulgate, Assumpserunt quippe eibi sapientiam Septuagint, "because tile Lord looketh upon valde. men" (comp. eh. iv. 10; and ver. 8 below). Ver. 3.-Tyrns (Zor) did build herself 11, We may then translate, "For to Jehovah is strong hold (mazor). Wright endeavours to an eye over man," etc. He sees their evil- imitate the pa.ronoma.sia, "Tyre built for doings and their oppression of Israel, and herself a. tower." It was in Iler strong therefore the judgment falls upon them fortifications a.ud her amassin_g- of riches (comp. Jer. xxxii. 19). The Authorized Ver- that Tyre showed her worldly wisdom. sion intimates a conversion of the Gentiles, The city was built partly on the urn.inland, ofwhioh, however, the context says nothing; and partly on an island nearly half a mile and there is no sense in saying thatjudgmeut distant, which rose abruptly out of the shall fall upon e. partioule.r nation when, or water in rocky precipices, and was sur- beonuse, the eyes of e.11 men look to the Lord. rounded with we.Us a hundred and fiftv feet Wright explains thus: When the wre.th of high. The insular portion of the towi"i was God falls on Damascus, the eyes of the that which eo long mocked the l\focedoui11.u'11 90 THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAlt. [on. 1x. 1-17,