The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah — Section 108

~il•ila'bo ci& (Ynlgate). The slight.est 11um- iv. 1. 2; 7. 6). Septuagint, "There shall mons 'l\'ill hring them when God wil111 the not even one of them be left behind," ,.e. in return of the dispersed. The "hissing" exile. is the whistlin.~ or tinkling with which Ver. 11.-He shall pall through the sea bees arl' allured to swarm (ls11,. v. 26; vii. with afilio~ion. In bringing his people back IS, 19). I have redeemed them. They the Loni 1a reBdy to ropellt the mimcles of were virtu11lly delivered from captivity and the Exodus. 'l'his is the gener1tl meaning exile. t!Jough all had not taken advantage of the pBssi\ge; but the details present diffi- of the deliver11,noo, They shall inorease culties. For "he shall pass' the LXX. as they have inoreased. The same promise gives, "they shall pnss thl'Ough." But the is made in Ezek. xxi.:vi. 10, 11. The allu- reference is plainly to Jehovah, a.e the follow- sion is to the marvellous growth of the ing clause shows. The next two words are in Israelite nation in Egypt (Ei.:od. i. 7, 12). apposition, "the sea," •• affliction." Revised The prophets often announce this fulfilment Version, " the see. of affliction;" Septue.lrint of the promise m<1de to Abraham (Gen. xiii. :v BOA&.crcrn tr-rE-vi,, " in a strait eea ·" o~, a.: 16; xv. 5, etc.) after the return (see Isa. liv. the Hebrew cannot be BO tmnsle.ted, .. in e. 2: Hos. i. 10; Micah ii. 12). sea, a strait;" Vulgate, in maris freto. It Yer. 9.-1 will sow them among the seems best to te.ke the two words simply as, people (peoples). The" sowing" here does "the sea., which is affliction." The Red not mean scattering, bnt increase, and this Sea, through which Jehovah led his people, was to go on while they were dispersed was a figure of the sufferings which they among the nations. The word is used in had endured in Egypt, and brought destruc- the same sense in Hos. ii. 23; Jer. mi. 27. tion upon their enemies (comp. Exod. xiv. This continued dispersion was a pa.rt of 16, 17, 24, etc.). Smite the waves (Exod. their discipline,& test of their loya.lty to God. xv. 8; lee.. xi. 15, 16; Ii. 10). The river. They sha.ll remember me. In the countries The Nile. The drying up of the waters of where they e.re living they shall worship the Nile is a figure of the humilie.tion of the Lord and observe his La.w, a.nd be a tlie nations which have been guilty of en- witness for him o.mong the heathen. They sle.ving the chosen people. The Nile, the shall live with their children (Ezek. xu:vii. representa.tive of Egypt, is mentioned be- 14). The promised blessing is not for a cause of the allusion to the bondage in time only, but perpetual. Tum aga.in; ;,e. Egypt running through the paragre.ph. return to their own land (Isa. xxxv. 10). The pride c,f Assyria. Pride is noted as It ca.nnot mean, "turn to the Lord," for they the cile.ra.cterietic of Assyria. ( comp. Isa. :a:. are said already to remember the Lord, and 7, etc.; Ezek. xxxi. 3, 10). The soeptre. their" conversion mnst precede the promise This may refer to the decadence of the of life." The next verse describes the return power of Egypt, and the trunsference of more particularly. royal authority to strangers; but, regard- Ver. 10.-Egypt . . . Assyria. It is cer- ing the immediate context, we he.d better tain that there was a large body of Jews in translate, "the rod of Egypt," and see in it E!!'ypt at this time (Jer. xllii. 6, 7); a.nd to an allusion to the oppression of the task- Assyria the ten tribes, who are here specially masters during the sojourn in thllt land. mentioned under the name Ephraim, had All such tyranny shall be at a.n end (comp. been deported. Besides thiR, Assyria. is Isa. x. 24). often used loosely for W eetern ABia or Ver. 12.-1 will strengthen them in the Be.bv lonia, of which, a.fter its submission, it Lord. I will strengthen them with myself- formed a meet important fea.ture (see ~ with my grace and power. They shall walk Kings xxiii. 29; Ezra vi. 22; and in the up e.nd down in hie Name. They shall live .Apocrypha, 1 Esdr. vii 15; Judith i. 7; ii. in obedience to, and dependence upon, the 1). In the' Oracnla Sibyllina,' the ABsyri- Lord (Micah iv. 5, where see note). The o.ns arte continually confused with Persians, Septuagint reads, " They ehe.11 boast them- Babylonia.us, and other Ea.stem nations. selves." So God will work wonders to Egypt and Assyria a.re here used as types deliver his people from the captivity of the of the countries to which Jews bad been devil, destroying all enemies, visible and banished (comp. Hos. xi. 11). Gilea.d a.nd invisible, which array themselves age.inst Lebanon. A designation of the northern him. This is the :final fulfilment of the district of Palestine, on both sides of the prophecy. Tho complete restoration from Jordan, in which these tribes had been the Captivity is the immediate subject of originally settled. This region had been most the prophet's words; and between these ei;;: posed to hostile attacks, and wa.a the first two we may see e. reference to the conver- to Le depopulated. Place shall r:.ot be found sion of the Jews in the time of Christ and for them (Isa. xlix. 20). Jo1;eplws testifies the apostles, which she.11 go on until the to tLe teeming population of Galilee in end. latt:r timeb (' Bell. Juel.,' ii. 3. l; iii. 3. 2; Oil, X, 1-12.] 'fllE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH. ] ()()