The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah — Section 94

imply that Israel would no longer have to upheld by God (Ps. xviii. 50; ox. 1, 2, 5; pay tribute to foreign nationB, but should Isa. xlii. l ; xlix. 8), or as being victorious henoeforward beindepen<lent. For now have and so able to aid his people. In this latter I seen with mine eyes. It is as though, view, t!Je active sense is iuoluded in the during Israel's calamities, God had not passive. His own deliverance is a sure sign looked upon her; but now he notices her of the deliverance of his people. Lowly; coudition, and interposes for her succour Septuagint, wpa~s. "meek;" Vulgate, pau- (comp. Exod. ii. 25; iii. 7, 9; Acts vii. 34). per-meek and lowly, as Obrist himself says Tliis is done by sending the personage (Matt. xi. 29), far removed from warlike pomp mrntioned in the following section. and worldly greatness. The word is o.lso rendered "afflicted," o.nd would then be in Vers. 9, 10.-§ 2. T/um slial,l the righte-OIU accordance with the desoription in Isa. lii. King come t-0 Zi.on in lowly jaJJ71ion, and in- 13-liii. 5 ; Ps. x.xii. 6. Riding upon an augurate a kingd;,m of peaoo. us. In illustration of his poor or afflioted estate ; it is this, and not merely the peace- Yer. 9.-The prophet invites Jerusalem fulness of his reign, that is meant by this t.o rejoice at the coming of the promised symbolical o.ction, as we see by the following E&lvation in the Person of her King; no clause, where the youthfulness of the animal rn:g-bty earthly potentate and conqueror, like is the point enforced. And (eve11, and that) Alexander the Great, but one of different upon a colt the foal of an ass; such as she- fasbion (comp. Zeph. iii. 14). Thy King asses bear, and one not trained : as the cometh nnto thee. St. Matthew (xxi. 5) and evangelist says, " whereon never man sat." Sl Jolin (xii. 15) see a fulfilment of this Christ sat upon the foal. In old times prophecy in Christ's triumphal entry into judges and men of distinction rode upon Jerusalem on the first day of the week in asses (Gen. xxii. 3; Judg. v.10; x. 4); but which be was crucified. All attempts to from;Solomon's days the horse had been used, disprove the Messianic import of this passage not only in war, but on all state occasions have been unavailing. Even critics who (Jer. xvii. 25); and the number of horses refer this pa.rt of Zecbarie.b (eh. i.x.-xi.) to brought back on the return from Babylon an unknown author writing in the time of is specially mentioned (Ezra ii. 66). So to Hezeldah, allow that it ie replete with predicate of a King that he would come to Mcesiauic ideas, and ce.n be applied to no his capital riding, not on a war- horse, but he10 of Jewish story or event of Jewish on a young, unbroken ass, showed at once history. There is no other "King" of that he himself was not to be considered a Israel to \'l'hom it ca.n refer. Our blessed victorious genera.I or a worldly potentate, Lord l,imself, by bis abnormal actions on and that his kingdom was not to be won or Palm Sunday, pie.inly assumed the part of maintained by carnal arms. This is signi- tbe predicted King, and meant the people fied more fully in the following verse, which to recognize in him the promised Messiah describes the character and extent of Mes- (see the full discussion of the subject in eiah's kingdom. Dr. Pusey's notes, pp. 556, etc.). Thy King. Ver. 10.-I will out off the chariot. All A king of thine own race, no stranger, but the appe.ratus of war will be removed, one predestined for thee. He who was fore- Messiah's rule being not esto.blished by tol<l hy all the prophets, who was to occupy physical force, or maintained by military the throne of David, and reign for ever defences. The Jews seem to have used war• (Ps. ii. 6; xlv. I, 6, 7; Isa. xxxii. I). chariots irom the time of Solomon, who, we Unto thee. For thy good, to bless thee are told, had fourteen hundred of them (l,;a. ix. 6). lust. Righteous in character (I Kings x. 26). Ephraim . . . Jerusalem. and in practice, ruling in equity (Ps. lxxii. The former term denotes the kingdom uf the 1-4, 7; Isa. xi 2-4). Having salvation; ten tribes; the latter, that of Judah; the two Septuagint, u~(c.,v, "saving." Vulgate, together comprising the whole Israelite ealwtOf'; so the Syriac and Chaldee. Tbe nation. From the use of these terms here it ge1,ius of the language requires the parti- cannot be concluded that the author wrote at ciple to he taken passively, as it is in t~? a time when the two kingdoms existed side otber pasoages where it occurs (Deut. xxxm. by side. In the first place, the descrip• 29; Ps. xxxiii 16). The context has tion of the whole people is given poetically, stemed to some to demand t!Jat it be under- and must not be taken to have more signi- stood in an active sense, thus contrasting ficance than is intended; and secondly, in Lim who came to save with the haughty eh. viii. 13,'.w bich is confessedly post-exilian, Grec:.an conqueror, whose progreBB was the " house of Judah," and tbe " house of mark<-,:l by bloodshed. But the usual mean• Israel" are distinguished. Dr. Cheyne ing of the word affords a satiHfactory sense. notes, too, that in Ezekiel (xxxvii. 15-28), Th<c King who comes is "saved," endowed who prophesied during the Captivity, the ten with sal vu.tion, either as being protected and tribes are distinguished by the no.me of , OH, IX, 1-17.) THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. 93