7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the mighty man my neighbour, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; for I will turn my hands even against the mean ones. 8. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off, and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

xiv. 1. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle: and the city shall be taken*, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished: and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

were visible on his hands, he would deny them to have proceeded from any idolatrous cause, but would have them thought to be marks left by those wounds which he gave himself in the house of his relations and friends, in the paroxisms of his grief for the loss of them." Dr. Blayney. See also Mr. Lowth in loc.

*The city shall be taken.] I cannot but think the opinion adopted by some, that the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans is here intended, very incongruous with the whole tenor of the prophecy. When the city was taken by Titus, not merely half of the inhabitants were made captive, and the other half left; but the whole nation was dispersed, insomuch that none were left except a few stragglers compared by Isaiah to the gleanings of the vintage. So again immediately after the sacking of Jerusalem, here predicted by Zechariah, the Lord will go forth and fight against those very nations which had just taken it. Judah likewise will fight against them; agreeably to the former declaration of the prophet, that God would make Jerusalem a cup of trembling and -a burdensome stone unto all the peoples that had gathered themselves together to besiege it. It is superfluous to observe, that no such events followed the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans. In short both the whole tenor, and the whole chronology, of the prophecy compel me to suppose, that Zechariah is here speaking of the same taking of Jerusalem by Antichrist, that Daniel so plainly foretells when he declares, that that great enemy of God, ere he comes to his end, shall plant the curtains of his tents between the seas in the glorious holy mountain.

It is impossible," as Dr. Blayney justly observes, "to reconcile these words the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city with the state of facts at the time when Jerusalem was taken by the Romans. For at that time we are well assured by Josephus who was an eye witness, not only all that were in the city were either slain or made captives, but also the city itself was razed to the ground, so as to leave no vestige of an habitation. How then could there be a residue not cut off from the city? And, if there has been no capture since, to which these words can be applied, we must look forward to futurity for the completion of the prophecy."

3. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fighteth in the day of battle. 4. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it towards the south. 5. And the valley of the mountains shall be choked up* (for the valley of the mountains will reach near) and it shall be choked up, as it was choked up by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and the Lord shall go, the God of all saints, with thee. 6. And it shall come to pass in that day, that there shall not be light, but cold and a thick fog t. 7. And there shall be one day (known it is unto the Lord) neither day nor night: yet it shall come to pass in the evening time that it shall be light. 8. And it shall come to pass in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth. that day the Lord shall be one; 10. And his name one shall encompass the whole earth, as the plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and she shall be raised

*Choked up.] See Dr. Blayney in loc.

† Cold and a thick fog.] See Dr. Blayney in loc.

In

Known it is unto the Lord.] "This sentence seems to have been inserted by way of prolepsis, to the following effect :---Such a phenomenon, though it may appear extraordinary, is however worthy of belief, because revealed by God, to whom both the matter and the time is known. So it is said, Acts xv. 18, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." Dr. Blayney in loc.

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S Living waters:] "By living waters there is good reason to believe are meant the gifts and graces of the gospel dispensation. See Isaiah xii. 3.---xliv. S. lv. 1.--Jer. ii. 13.---Ezek. xlvii. 1, &c.---Joel iii. 18.---John iv. 10.---vii. 38, 39. That these benefits will be diffused more extensively by the restoration of the Jews, is not obscurely intimated, Rom. xi. 15." Dr. Blayney in loc.

His name one.] By the name of Jehovah I conceive to be meant the profession of his true religion, which, it is here foretold, should compass or pervade the whole earth, as it had done the country of Judea included within the plain extending from Geba north to Rimmon south of Jerusalem-The universal propagation of God's name or religion is predicted, as in other places of Scripture, so particularly Isaiah lix. 19.-Mal. i. 11." Dr. Blayney in loc. TShe.] "That is, Jerusalem, which is here, as elsewhere, represented as a female figure, raised from the ground, and sitting tranquil on her ancient seat." Dr. Blayney in loc.

up, and sit in her own place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner-gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's wine-presses. 11. And men shall dwell in her, and there shall be no more utter destruction *; but Jerusalem shall sit in security.

12. And this shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem their flesh shall consume away, while they stand upon their feet; and their eyes shall consume away in their holes; and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 13. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one of them on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. 14. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem: and the wealth of all the nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 15. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

16. And it shall come to pass, that every one, that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall go up even from year to year, to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of the tabernacles. 17. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem, to worship the King the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18. And, if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, although there be not upon them the plague† wherewith the Lord will smite the nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles; 19. The same shall be the

* There shall be no more utter destruction.] “The city shall never be utterly destroyed, as it was by the Chaldeans and Romans." Mr. Lowth in loc.

† Although there be not upon them the plague.] "That is, although they be not visited precisely in the same manner as the other nations, namely with a want of rain, which of itself would be no punishment to that country where by the situation of the country no rain usually falls; yet, as it follows in the next verse, they should not be exempt from the same punishment with the other nations that sinned in like manner, namely famine, which would be the sure consequence, as Abp. Newcome observes, if the rains did not fall in Ethiopia so as to cause an overflowing of the Nile. This interpretation is according to the present reading of the text, which needs no alteration.” Dr. Blayney in loc.

punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations, that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

20. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the Lord; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more a trafficker in the house of the Lord of hosts *.

COMMENTARY.

From this concluding and very minute prophecy of Zechariah, we learn several most interesting particulars respecting the period of the restoration of Judah †. A great confederacy of many nations is to invade Palestine and to besiege Jerusalem. This confederacy, when we consider the era to which it is assigned, can only be the same as that of Daniel's wilful king: in other words, it

*

Every pot---no more a trafficker.] "The meaning of this passage seems to be, that every thing in Judah and Jerusalem should be accounted so holy and acceptable to God, that the common utensils in their houses might be used for the purpose of sacrificing without offence; so that those who came to sacrifice might take and use them indiscriminately; which would effectually supersede that traffic, which was carried on in the temple for the supply of such things as were wanting on those occasions. Our Saviour speaks of the traffickers in the temple in his days, whom he drove out, and forbad to make his father's house a house of merchandise." Dr. Blayney in loc.

"It is not difficult to perceive," says Dr. Blayney, "that the prophecies in this and the two following chapters (Zech. xii. xiii. xiv.) relate to future times---But, without pretending to determine precisely concerning the invaders, the substance of the prophecy in this (Chap. xii.), and on to the seventh verse of the next chapter, will be found to amount to this; that Jerusalem will be besieged by a multitude of hostile nations, to the great terror of the people in its vicinity, as well as of Judah itself; but that the attempts of those nations will be frustrated through the special interposition of the Deity, and will terminate in their total discomfiture and ruin, and in the permanent peace and prosperity of the victorious Jews. After which the Jews will be brought at length to see and lament the sin of their forefathers in putting their Messiah to death; and thereupon will have the means of purification and atonement afforded them; and, being thus cleansed from past guilt, will renounce all their former offensive practices, and carefully abstain from a future repetition of them" (Dr. Blayney in loc.). Dr. Blayney thinks it probable, that the combination against Judah, here predicted, is the same as that of Gog and Magog, foretold by Ezekiel. I differ from him for the reasons which I have already abundantly assigned when treating of that remarkable prophecy. It clearly appears to me, that the subject of the present prediction is the overthrow of Antichrist.

is the confederacy predicted by St. John, of which Antichrist, then become the last head of the Roman beast, is destined to be the leader. To the armies then of Antichrist, God declares, that he will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling and a stone of burden; and that he will smite every horse with astonishment and blindness, and his rider with madness. Afterwards however we learn, that, notwithstanding the final preservation and victory of Judah, Antichrist with his congregated nations shall first succeed in making himself master of Jerusalem ; where he will conduct himself with his wonted cruelty and profligacy. Half of the inhabitants he will upon this occasion make his captives, but the rest of them shall not be cut off from the city. And now, while elate with victory and breathing vengeance against his remaining enemies he is leading his host to the valley of Megiddo, suddenly the glory of the Shechinah will appear in the midst of Jerusalem *, and the Lord himself will go forth to fight against the nations, as when he fighteth in the day of battle. Mount Olivet will own its present God †, and cleave asunder beneath him. An earthquake will announce the descent of the triumphant Messiah; and the king of saints will go forth to war in behalf of his ancient people. Then will he suddenly smite with a horrible plague all the peoples that have fought against Jerusalem, and cause them madly to unsheath every man his sword against his neighbour. Judah likewise shall fight against them: for in that day the Lord will make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the peoples round about, on the right hand and on the left.

Nearly about the same time, and most probably immediately before the sacking of Jerusalem and the subse

* Zechar. ii. 5, 8.

"The glory of the Lord, that is the Shechinah or symbol of God's presence, when it departed from the city and temple, settled itself upon the mount of Olives (Ezek. xi. 23.). So, when God shall return to Jerusalem, and make it the seat of his presence again, it shall return by the same way it departed (See Ezek. xliii. 2.). We may add, that, when our Lord ascended from the mount of Olives, the angels told his disciples, he should come again in like manner, that is, in a visible and glorious appearance at the same place."

Mr. Lowth in loc.