thee. God will mako his people into e. enemies was a se.ored war, aud accepted by hE1rn's sword to eirncute vengee.noe on the him as a sacrifice. In the Muooabean enemv. struggle the bloodshed WO,S often very con- Ver. 14.-The Lord she.II be seen over siderable (see 1 Maco. vii. 32, 46 ; xi. 47: them. To encourage the chosen people in 2 Mace. viii. 30; x. 17, 23, 31, cto.). the contest, the Lord shall make hie presenoe Ver. 16.-Shall ae.ve them. He shall give manifest as their Leader. His e.rrow. God's them a positive blessing beyond mere de- arr<>,na are the judgmente which he inflicts liverance from enemies. Keil, "Shall upon his enemies, which oome forth suddenly endow them with salvation." As the fiook as the lightning fle.sh. and cannot be avoided of his people; so the Vulgnte: literally, as (Ps. xnii. H; Hab. iii. 11). She.11 blow a flock, his people ; Septua<>int, 0 ws ,rp&/3amJ the trumpet. As the signal of battle nnd Aaov u~Tov. He will tend his people ns a cnlamity (Numb. x. 9; J udg. vii. 19, 20; shepherd tends his flook (Ps. lxxvii. 20; Ezck. Yii. H: Amos iii. 6; Zeph. i. 16). c. 3; Jer. xxiii. 1; Ezek. xxxiv. 2, S, etc.), Whirlwinds of the south. He shall come So Christ calls himself the "good Shepherd," upon the enemy nnd sweop them away and his followers" little flock" (John x.11; with irresistible force. Storms from the Luke xii. 32). Stones of a crown. The south were the most nolent, coming from valut\ble gems set in crowns nnd diadems, or the Arabian desert (Job xxxvii. 9; !so. in the high priest's official dress. The ni. 1 ; Hos. xiii. 15). Septuagint, Ilop,6- people shall be in God's sight ea precious as "'.,.a' '" cra/\'f a,r<1}\,,js o.b..ou," He shall go in these in the eyes of men, and shall be the surge of his menace." highly exalted. The Septuagint and Vnl- Yer. 15.-Shall defend them; mr,pat1',r«i gate render, " sacred stones;" and Kna- ako~s. "shall put his shield over them" benbauer thinks that bv the term is meant (8eptnagint). There e.re numerous ex- the temple of God, which shall arise or shine amples, in the Books ofMaccabees, of God's in the Holy Land, as a reward for its faith- special interposition in hie people's favour, ful defence. But the sense given above is and thus fa.r and in part fulfilling this satisfactory and simpler. Lifted up as an prophecy (see 1 Mace. iii. 16-24; iv. 6--16; ensign upon his land; better, as the Revised vii. 40-50 ; 2 Mace. ii. 21, 22; iii. 24, etc. ; Version margin, glittering upon his land. v. 2-4; xi. 8; xii. 11, 15, 22, 28, 37; xv. "His" may refer to Jehovah, or Israel; pro: 7, etc.). They shell devour. The prophet bably the latter is meant. Tho "land" is seems to have had in tiew Numb. xxiii. 24, the crown or diadem in which the precious where Israel is compared to a lion, eating of stones, the redeemed people, are set. They the prey e.nd drin1."'ing the blood of the slain. shall be raised to the highest possible glory So here he says they shall "devour," i.e. the and honour. If the words be taken in the flesh of their enemies (comp. Micah v. 8). sense of "raised on high over his land," Subdue with sling-stones. So the Vulgate, they must be considered to indicate that the and virtna.lly the Septuagint, taking the orown which contained the gems shall be case of the noun as instrumental; but it is raised aloft in victorious triumph. best to take it as accusative of the object, as Ver. 17.-His goodness. The goodness, in the margin of the .Authorized Version, i.e. the prosperity, of Israel or the land. Re- " They shall tread down the stones of the vised Version margin, "their prosperity." sling-." T11e " sling-stones " are the ene- If the affix: "his" ill referred to Jehovah, mies, as in the next verse " the stones of a the nouns "goodness" and "beauty" must crown" are the Jews; and the sentence be taken, not as his attributes, but as gifts means that the Jews shall tread their bestowed by him, the prosperity and beauty enemies underfoot like spent sling-stones, which he confers. But it is more suitable which a.re of no account. Or it may signify to the context to consider tho reference to simply and without metaphor that they be to the people, who in the next clause are shall despise the enemies' missiles, which divided into young men and maidens, and to shall fall harmless among them (Job xii take the "goodnesd," or goodliness, as apper- 28, 29). They sh.e.11 drink the blood of the taining more especially to the former,and the slain, like lions. Make a noise. As men " beauty" to the latter. His beauty ( comp. exhil amted with wine. V ul~te, Bibenl,es Ezek. xvi. 14). (For the Messianic inter- inel,riabuntur quasi a -oino (Isa. xlix:. 26; pretation, see Ps. x:lv. 2; Isa. uxiii. 17.) Ezek. :x::x:ri:x:. 17-19). Shall be filled like Com ... new wine. Thill is an expression bowls. They shall be filled with blood like often found to denote great abundauoe and tl,e sacrificial vessels in which the blood of prosperity. The two are distributed poetic- .-ictims was received (eh. xiv. 20). The ally between the youths and maidens comers of the altar. The blood was also (Dent. xxxiii. 28; Ps. luii. 16; Jer. xui. sprinkled on the corners or sides of the altar 12, 13; Joel ii. 18, 19). Make . .. oheerful; (Lev. i. 5, ll ; iii. 2). There may be in- literally, malce sprout. It probably refers to cluded tht notion that the war against God's the increase of population occurring in times OH, IX, 1-17.) THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. 95
of plenty. This outward prosperity is a symbol of God's favour and the uprightness I seegospel, adumbrated the spiritual blessings of the which are, as corn and wine, to of the people. In these things, too, we may strengthen and refresh the soul,