The Pulpit Commentary — Zechariah — Section 117

ill-gotten gnins. Tho prophet is speaking the poor among the flock. "Therefore" re- of chiefs and rulers, civil a.nd ecolesie.etros.l, fers to the previous commntHI. It is nlso who ple.yed into the enemies' hands, and rendered "in sooth." The LXX., arranging thought. of nothing but bow to make 11, gain the letters differently, tro.nsle.tos, no,µc,viii of the subject people. Our Lord denounces .-a wp&/3c,-rc, .-ijs a-q>a-yijs ,:, -rhv Xavaavl-rav, such 11nLrnstworthy shepherds (John x. "I will go and tend the flock of slnughter 11-13). Doubtless, too, the expressions in in the land of Oanoan ;•" some reurler the the text refer to the foreign powers which last words, "for the merchants." This Jerome hnd oppressed the Jews at various times, interprets to meau that the Lord will nourish Egypt, Assyria, etc. A1nid all such dis- the Isrnelites for slaughter in the lond of tresses, from whatever cause, God still bad the Gentiles (but see note on vcr. 6). And tender care for his peo]?le, and punished and I took unto me two staves. Exeouting in will punish their enemies. In this verse the vision his commission of feediug the flock, offenders age.inst Israel are of three classes the prophet, as the representative of the -buyers, sellers, shepherds (see ver. 8). Shepherd, took two shepherd's staves. "Shepherd" appears sometimes in the As- The two staves intimate the monifold care syrian inscriptions as a synonym for" prince" of God for his :flock from the earliest doys, (see Schrader, 'Keilinschr.,' p. 453). and the two blessings which he designed to Yer. 6.-The inhabitants of the laud. It bestow (e.s the names of the stoves show); is a question whether by this expres!!lon is fu.vour and unity. Beauty; Kclu.os (Sep- meant the Israelites, or the d wellere on tuagint); D-.corem (Vulgate); "Gracious- earth generally. In the former case, the ness" (Revised Version margin). It pro• verse gives the reason of the calamities de- bably means the favour and gr11ce of God; picted in ver. !i, viz. God's displeasure, and as in Ps. xc. 17. Bands; literally, Tlio1e expounds the parable of the sheep as mean- that bind; :::SxoCvia-,ua, "Cord;" Vulgate, ing men (so Cheyne). In the other case, Funiculuin. The name is meant to express the signification of the para,,"Taph is that the union of all the members of the flock, God intends to put an end to the state of especio.lly that between Israel o.nd Jude.h things just described. by punishing the (see var. 14). These make one flock under oppressing world-powers who had so cruelly one shepherd. I fed the flook. 'fhis repeti~ executed their office of being instruments of tion emphasizes the beginning of the verse; God'6 judgment on his people. The latter and expresses God's co.re in time ·past and seems the correct exposition ; for the people in time to come also. of Israel have just been called the :flock of Ver. 8.-In executing the office offeeding slaughter, and they were to be fed, while the flock, three shepherds also' I cut oft' i:i,, these "inhabitants" .are to be destroyed; one month; Septuagint, "And I will take nor could the Israelites be said to have away the three shepherds in one month." kings, as just below. Thus for, at the The article in the Hebrew and Greek seems beginning of the verse, introduces the to point to some known shepherds, three in reason why Jehovah tells the shepherd number, unless we tall:e it as" three of the t.o feed the :flock, because he is about to shepherds." Hence expositors have sought punish their oppressors; and "the iuhabit- to find historical personages to whom the e.nts of tile land" t1hould be '' the in habit- term might npply. Those who assert a ants of the earth ; " i.e. the nations of the pre-exilio.n origin for this po.rt of the pro• world, among whom the Iara.elites lived. I phecy, suggest the three kings, Zachariah, will deliver the men, etc. God will give Shallum, and Menahem; or, as Mone.hem up the nations to intelltiue commotions reigned ten· years, some unrecorded pre- and civil we.r, so that they she.II fall by tender, who started up at the time. Others mutual slaughter. Into the hand of hill see some Syrian monarchs in Mo.ccabeo.n king. Each of them shall be delivered times; or the three offices, king, prophet, over helpless unto their tyrant's he.nds, e.ud priest; or the three dynasties that oppressed God will not interpose to succour them. Israel, viz. the Babylonian, Meda-Persian, Ver. 7 .-And I will feed. Thus the Greek and Mo.cedonio.n. All these interpretations and Le.tin Versions; but it should be, So I fail in some point; and we sre reduced to fed. lL is the e.ccoun~ of whe.t the proph~ see herein a reference, as Cheyne so.ye, to did in accordance with the command m "the prompt and vigorous action of J ehovah's ,,er. 4 (see the end of this veree, "and I Shepherd in dee.ling with the evil ·shep- fed"). Even yon, 0 poor of the :11.ook. herds, as well as in feeding the flock;" the TLere is difficulty about the word rendered number three being used indefinitely. Or "you" (lachen), which may be the personal we may find in this number o.n o.l!usion to pronoun, or an adverb meaning" therefore," the three claeses in ver. 5-the buyers, the '' therewith," " truly," or a preposition, "on sellers, and the pitiless shepherds. The account of;" Vulge.te, propter hoe. The oppressors, external and internal, oro re- b~st renderiug is, I Jed the .ftoole therefore, moved o.nd cut off in 011.e month. To the  ctt. xr.1-17.J THE BOOK OF ZEOHARIAH. 110