45 Zechariah

153 1

ZECHARIAH

2: 14

S econd vision : the horns and the sm iths

1,\ 15 J..+

20 ,2/

2

T hen , ra isi ng my eye s, I sa w a visio n. It wa s t his : t here were four horns." I sa id to t he a ngel wh o wa s talkin g to me , ' W ha t a re th ese ho rn s, my lo rd ?' · I-Ie said to me, 'T hese are the ho rn s w h ich ha ve scattered Judah (Israel) and J er us a lem' . • Yahweh t hen s ho wed me four sm it hs .' - And I said, 'What a re th ese co m ing to d o ?' H e sa id to me, '(T ho se a re t he horns which have so scattered Judah t ha t no one ha s d ared to raise h is head ; but) th ese have come to lay them low " (t o strike down th e horns o f t he nat ion s wh o lifted th eir hands again st th e land of J udah , in order t o scatter it)' .

Ps 75 :4- 5 D13J: 17 D n 7:8

Jr 48: 25

T hird vision: the measurer T he n, rais ing m y eye s, I saw a VISio n, It was th is: there was a man w ith a mea s u ri n g line in his hand. ·1 asked him , ' W he re a re you go ing?' He said, ' T o mea sure Jerusalem , to find out her br eadth and her len gt h' ,' -A nd then, w hile t he a ngel who was ta lki ng to me stoo d s t ill,f a not her a nge l came fo rward to meet h im .• He sa id to h im, ' R u n, a nd tell t hat yo u ng mall " thi s, "Je rusa le m is to rema in unwalled , because of the gre a t n um be r of men and catt le there w ill be in he r. • But I-it is Yahwe h who s pea ks-I wi ll be a wa ll of fire for her all ro und he r, a nd [ w ill be her glory in th e midst o f her," ",

ZE CHARIAH FIRST PA RT A summo ns to co nvers ion

Hg 1:12

l

T

IIM 1 3:7 J m 4:X Is 55:7 Lk 15:20

7:7 -1 4

Rv

6:2-7

6 :~ -8

6:4f

•-' R v 5:6

Elf I : [ , T b 12: 12 R v 6:10

': 2 I~

10:h; 47:() Is 54: 6· 10

Tb 13: 10 2:5-9 Jb 3': 5 2: 15-16: 13:9

In the seco nd year o f Da rius, in the e igh t h m onth ," the wo rd of Ya hwe h wa s a d d ressed t o the pr o p het Zec ha ria h (son o f Berechiah),: so n o f lddo, as fo llows,' · ' Cry out to t he remnant of this people and sa y to th e m . " Yah weh Sa bao t h says this : Re tu rn to me ," a nd 1 w ill return to yo u. says Ya hwe h Sa ba o th. D o not be like yo u r a nces to rs, to w ho m th e prophet s in th e pa st c r ied: Ya hwe h Sa bao t h says thi s: Turn back from yo ur evil ways a nd ev il de ed s. Bu t- it is Ya hwe h wh o s peaks- they wo u ld not liste n o r pa y atte nt io n to me .• W her e are yo ur a ncesto rs no w ? A re th o se pr o p hets st ill a live') • D id n ot my words a nd my orde rs , w it h w h ic h I c harged my se rvant s t he pr ophets. ov e rt a ke your a nc es tors?Ya hwe h was s t irre d to anger aga inst yo u r ancestors." · •T h is re du ced t he m to suc h con fus io n! th at they said , 'Ya hweh Sabaot h ha s treated us as he reso lved to d o , a nd as o u r ways a nd de ed s dese rved .'

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U p, u p, a nd lea ve th e la n d of t he N orth ( it is Ya hwe h who spea k s) ! (For to the fou r w ind s of hea ve n I ha ve scattered yo u-it is Yahwe h wh o sp ea ks.) Zion '; u p ! Dweller in ! Babylon, flee! For Ya hweh Sa baot h says th is (he w hose g lory ha s se nt me he re) as rega rds t he na t ion s who de spo iled yo u (for w hoever to uc hes yo u touches t he a pp le of m y eye): " See n o w, I raise my hand o ver them , for th em to be plunde r for thei r slaves. (And yo u w ill know t hat Yahweh Sa baot h ha s se nt m e.) S ing , rej o ice , daug hte r of Z ion; for I am comi ng to dwell in th e middle of you - it is Y a hwe h wh o sp ea k s,

II

7

8

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Fir st vision: t he ho rs emen On the twenty-fourth day of t he e leventh month (the month o f S hcbat), 7 in the second year of Darius ," the word o f Ya hwe h was a d d ress ed to th e p rop het Ze c ha ria h (son of Bcrechia h) , son of Id d o, as fo llows, · '1 sa w a visio n durin g , the n ight. It wa s thi s: a man was stan d in g " among the deep-ro ot ed myrtl es; behind him were horses, red and sorrel a nd black and whi te .' . 1 sa id : Wh at a re 9 these, my lo rd '! (And t he a nge l wh o was talk in g to me sa id, " I will ex p la in to yo u wha t th ey a rc'") -Th e man stan di ng a mo ng th e myrtl es an swe red . " T hey 10 are th o se whom Ya hwe h ha s se n t to pa tro l th ro ugh o u t th e wo rld", -T hcy th e n I I s po ke to th e angel of Ya hwe h- sta nding a mo ng th e my r tles; t hey sa id, " W e have bee n patro lling the wo r ld, a nd see , the who le wo r ld is a t peace a nd res t" ,' -Th e I ~ a ng e l o f Yahweh th en spo ke a nd said. "Ya hwe h Sa ba o t h , ho w lon g w ill you wa it be fo re takin g p ity o n J e r usa lem a nd th e ci tie s o f J uda h, o n whic h yo u ha ve infl ic te d your a nge r fo r th e pa st seventy yea rs')" • Ya hwe h th en repli ed w it h ve ry 13 co nso ling word s to th e a nge l wh o wa s talk ing to me , •T he a nge l who was talk ing 14 to me th en sa id to me, " M ak e t his procla ma t io n : Ya hweh Saba ot h says th is: , fee l most jeal ous lo ve for Je rusa lem and Z io n, • bu t ve ry b itt er a nge r aga ins t 15 the p ro ud nati o ns ;' fo r my part 1 was on ly a little a ng ry, but th ey ha ve overste p ped a ll limi ts. • Yah we h, th en , says t hi s, I turn ag a in in co mpassio n to 16 Je r usa le m ; my Te m p le the re s ha ll be rebuilt -i t is Yah weh Sa ba o th wh o s pea ks a n d th e measuring lin e will he s tret c hed ove r Jerusal em . • Ma ke thi s procl a matio n 17 too: Ya hwe h Sabaoth says t h is: My ci ties are o nce mo re go ing to be very p ros pe ro us . Y a hwe h will aga in take pit y > o n Zion , agai n make J er usa le m his very own ."

R\· I I :I : :!l: 15

Is49 : 19-20 : 54:2 -3 Jr 31 :27

Rv 21:3: 22 :3

Two exhortations to the exiles 10 6

I~

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1:16 Jr JI :3X- 39 E zk 4 1: 13

13 9

14 IU

I a. October- No vember 520 , two mo n ths aft er the first p ro p hec y of Haggai. b. A gloss suggested by Is 8:2. Accord ing to Ezr 5: I ; 6: 14; Ne 12: 16. Zec hariah was th e son of Idd o. c. Read v , 2 be tw een 6a an d 6b . d , 'Cry out to the re mn a nt of thi s peop le' corr., H:6. 11. 12. A fter 'Re turn to me' He be adds ' it is Ya hwe h Sa baot h who speaks' (lit. ' oracle of Yahweh Sabao rh'). absent fro m G reek. e. M an d ies b u t t he wo rd of God remains (h e re per sonifi ed as in Ps 147: 15 ; Is 55: 11 : Ws IH:14- IS), C r. Is 40:7-' _ f , H ebr. ' Thi s b r ou gh t t hem to co nve rsion' . g. Th e m idd le o f February , 5 19. h . He be add s ' w as r tdin n a' re d hor se '. l , 'b lack ' cor r. The visio n m ak es a mon o t heis tic lise of ce rta in e le me nts the o ria ins of wh ich seem to be mytholo gica l. T he m yrtl e t rees a ppear to ha ve th eir roO IS in [he d epths of the a byss. T he s ta ndi na m a n is th c an gel of Ya hwe h, T he horses . a symbol rep rese nti n a the a nge ls who h a ve the world un de r t he ir su rveillance. probably form fo ur groups (cf 6:20 as soci a te d wit h th e four poi nts of th e co m pass o r the fou r wi nds : according 10 v, I I. th e y ha ve r ide rs. I. In th e an cie nt te xt s. cf', G n 16 :7 + . the 'a ng e l of Ya hweh ' was Ya h we h hi mse lf in visible fo r m : s ubs equenrlv t h is ' a nge l" beca me , as her e , a sep ara te

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indi vid ua l 10 who m me n a nd a n gels mu st have reco ur se fo r a ccess to God. k. In Februa ry SI9 , under th e r ule of Da rius, the re is wor ldwide pea ce . Israe l find s thi s peace dis q uie tin g s ince t he new e ra is to be he ra ld ed by gre a t d ist urbances. I. T ho se es pecially who we re nei gh bou rs of Judah . m. ' will t a ke pi ty ' G reek: ' will co mfor t ' Hebe.

Is 4X:20 Jr 50 :1'\ : 51 'h

Dr 32 :10 Ps 17:8 Is 14:2 Zp 2:9

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Ps 87:2 Zp 3:14

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2 a . T he horns , sy m bo lic o f s trengt h, Ps 75: 4 + , are the nat ion s hosu le to J udah . Th e num ber [o ur symbo lises t hei r uni vcrsalit v. b. ' m y lor d ' Gree k an d Sy r. c . Sym bolis ing the un ee ltc p ow e rs . d , 't o la y t he m lo w' co rr . : ' to ter rif y th e m ' Hebr. c. As i n Ezk 41: 13, t he m easu rem en ts a re taken wit h a view to re b uild ing. The measu re r is a n an gel. I. ' sto od still ' G reek : 'came for wa rd ' Hebr. g , T he a nge l with th e m easu rin g line. h . Th e messianic Je r us a le m will be d efende d by Ya hwe h him self . having re tu rn ed to hi s Temple . ef. El. k 43:1f. i. Z ion he re mean s t he ex iles. as in Is 51: 16, I. Hc h r. has •Dw e lle r w it h the d au ghter o f Bab ylo n' . k . ' he whose glory ha s se nt me here ' corr.: 'a fter th e glo rY rt.e. t he visio n) he ha s se n t me he re' Heb r. ' m y eye ' c o rr . : ' his eye ' Heb e.

2:I 5 Is 45:2 2

ZECHA RI A H

/ 532

Ma ny na tio ns will join Yahweh, on t hat day ; they will becom e his peo ple.' (But he will remain « a mo ng you, and you will know t hat Ya hweh Sa baot h has sent me to you .) But Ya hweh will hold Juda h as his portion in t he Holy Land," and again make Jer usa lem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before Ya hweh! For he is awak ing and is com ing from his ho ly dwell ing. n

/ 533 15 II

lOa 16 /2

He" showed me Jos hua t he high priest, stan din g befor e the ange l of Ya hwe h, 1 with Sa ta n sta nding on his right to acc use him." •T he angel of Ya hweh' sa id to Sata n, 'May Ya hweh rebu ke you , Sa tan, may Ya hweh rebuke yo u, he who has mad e Je rusa lem his very own. Is not this man a brand snatched fro m the fire?': • Now Jos hua was d ressed in dirty clothes' as he stood before the ange l of Ya hweh.r -The ange l sa id these words to t hose who stood before him , 'Take 4a off his di rty clo thes and clot he him' in splendid ro bes of state, -and put a clean turban on his head' . T hey clot hed him in splendid robes of sta te and put a clean turban on his head ." The a ngel of Yahweh was sta nding there and sa id to him, ' Look , I have ta ken away you r iniquity from yo u'. -T he angel of Ya hweh then ~b proc lai med to Jos hua : ·'Ya hweh Sabaoth says this, "If you walk in my ways and keep my ordina nces, you sha ll govern my ho use, you shall watch over my courts,' and I will give you free access among th ose who stand here ) • For this 9. is the stone" which I am placi ng before Joshua ; on th is single sto ne there are seven eyes ; and I myself intend to cut t he inscription on it-it is Yahweh Sabaot h who speaks. The coming of the 'Branch ' 8 9b 10

Fifth vision: the lamp-sta nd and the olive trees ta lking to me came ba ck and ro used me as a man is 4 Troheusedangelfro mwhohis was sleep. -And he asked me, 'W ha t can you see?' I answe red ,"

3:9 Tb 12:15 Ezk 1:18

/' Rv 5:6

6: 13 Ps 52:. ,/ Rv 11:4

6a l Ob II

12

13 14

Three sayings about Zerubbabel H o 1:7 + Hg 1:1

'This is the word of Yahweh with regard to Zerubbabel, " Not by might and no t by power, but by my spirit, says Yahweh Sabaoth.

"What ar e you, you great mo unta in?' Befo re Ze rubbabel , be a plain ! He will pull ou t the keysto ne to shouts of: Blessings on it, blessings on it !" , Th e word of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follows,
5

3

'As I look, this is what I see: the re is a lamp -sta nd enti rely of gold wit h a bowl at the to p of it; seven la mps a re on th e lamp-stand, and seven lips for the lamps on it. " • By it are two olive tree s, o ne to the right of iF and one to the left.' Speaking again, I said to the angel who was ta lking to me, 'Wh at do those thi ngs mea n, my lo rd ?' •The angel who was talking to me replied, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' 1 said , 'No, my lord' . • He then gave me this answe r," 'T hese seven are the eyes of Yahwe h ;' th ey cover the whole world '. . 1n reply to th is I asked him, 'W hat is the mea ning of these two olive trees, to the right and to the left of the lamp-stand?' .(Speak ing again, 1 asked him, 'What is the mea ning of the two olive branches pouring the oil! thr ough the two golden pi pes?') -He replied, 'Do you not know what these things mean?' I sa id, ' N o, my lord'.• He said , 'T hese are t he two anointed ones who stand before the Lord of th e whole world. g

5:9

6b

J b 38:7 Ps 118:22

Ezr 5:1

Sixth vision: the flying scroll

17 13

Fourth vision : the investit ure of Joshua

"Now listen, Hig h Priest Josh ua , you and the friends who sit before you -for you are men of good omen. I I now mean to raise my serva nt Branch, '" -and I inten d to put aside th e iniq uity of this land in a single day. -On that day-it is Yahwe h Sabaoth who speaks-you will en tertai n each other under your vine and fig tree." ,

Z ECHARIAH

4

Aga in I raised my eyes, and t his is what I saw: a flying scroll .• The angel who was ta lking to me" said, 'What can you see?' I replied, 'I ca n see a flying scroll ; it is twenty cub its long and ten cubi ts broad ' . ' • He then said to me, 'T his is th e Cu rse sweepin g across the face of the whole co untry . According to what it says, eve ry thief will be banis hed ; acco rding to wha t it says, everyone who swears falsely by my name will be banished .' ·1 am going to let it loosed - it is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks-to ent er the house of the thief and the ho use of anyone who swea rs falsely by my nam e, to settle in his house and to co nsume it, t imber, ston e and all.'

Ez k 2:9-10 Rv 10:9-11 A m; :l ! Ex 20:15 Ex 20:7

Seventh vision: the woman in the bushel

9

T he an gel who was ta lking to me ca me fo rward and said to me, ' Raise you r eyes, and see what this is, moving forward' . ·1 sa id, ' What is it?' He said, 'T his is a bushel' moving forwa rd' . He went o n. 'T his is their iniquity! th ro ughou t the co un try' . · At thi s, a disc of lead was raised, and I saw ' a Woman sitt ing inside the bushe l. ·He said, 'T his is Wicked ness' . And he forced her back into the bushel and closed its mo ut h with the mass of lead. · 1 ra ised my eyes, an d I. ' his' G reek; 'm y' He br . T he co vena nt is here ex te nde d to a ll t he nati o ns: Jer usa lem is to be the relig iou s centre o f t he who le wo r ld . cf. Is 45: 14 1. m, ' he wi ll rem a in' corr . : ' I sha ll re ma in' Heb r. : ' t hey will rema in ' G reek. n. T he first occ ur re nce o f t his expr essio n in the Bible . C f 2 M 1:7. Q , Ya hweh will re tu rn from his heavenly temple to h is ea rt h ly o ne . C f. Ezk 43 :l f. 3 a , Yahweh . b, A t th e gat e of heaven th e a ngel of Yah weh preside s over a co u rt of justice. A t t he ri ght han d o f th e High Pr ies t Joshua stands a ma levo len t an ge l, Satan {lit . ' the sal em' , i.e. ' the acc us er ' ), who is the ene my of ma n. cr. J b 1:6 + . c. ' T he a nge l of Ya hweh ' Svr.: ' Ya hweh' Hebr , d . Jo sh ua re prese n ts the Jewis h peo p le. e. A sign o f m o urnin g, eit her fo r o ne dead o r fo r a nat ion a l ca la m ity ; in t he la tte r ca se it im plies ad mis sio n o f g u il t. cr. v. 4b . r. 'o f Ya hwe h ' G ree k a nd Sv r, g . 'clo the h im ' G reek : "l sha ll c lo the yOU' Heb r. h. Foll o wing t he G ree k. 'sp len d id ' co rr. T he nat ion al m ourn i n g since 587 is now over . i. Here Jo sh ua is no lo nger ad d ressed as t he rep rese n ta ti ve of t he pe op le: t he p ro m ise is made to Jo s hu a per so nally a nd to a fu ture pr iest hood w hic h he portend s, cf.

3:~.

l . T he pr iests are to ha ve access to God , shar ing the med iati ng function o f the a ngels, cf. M I 2:7. V. R is re ad bet ween 9a a nd 9b . k . T his st o ne pr esum ably st ands for the Te m p le. Th e seve n eyes are sv m b ol lc of th e wat ch ful p resen ce o f Ya hwe h . 4: 10. T he inscr ip tio n ('Sacred to Ya hwe h') h as no t vet bee n cut : th e buildin g is n o t finished . I. ' YO U are' svr. : 'they a re' He b r. T he reco ns tltuti on o f the priesthood is a n om en o f the messiani c a ge. m . Th is mess ia nic t it le. cf. J r 23:5 +. doe s not ye t see m ( 0 be a pp lied to Ze r ub babel, as il is i n 6:12. Fo r ' Bra nc h ' , G ree k reads ' rising Su n' , cf . Lk 1:78. 4 a. ' I an swer ed ' G ree k and eere s ' he a nswe red ' ke tib.

b. T he u ppe r par t of th e la m p-sta nd was a bo wl wit h a broad ri m o n wh ich were seve n lam ps of cl ay or met al , eac h wit h se ven pr o tu be ran ces (' tips ') whe re the wicks rested . Poss ibly th e bo wl was filled wit h wa ter to ex t inguish the fa lling p ieces of wick . c . ' to t he r igh l of it ' (l.e . of t he la m p-sta nd ) co rr. : ' to th e right' (o f the bo wl) He br . d . Vv. 6b- IOa are read a fte r v. 14 . e. Sy m bo l of th e o m nisc ience a nd wa tc h fu lness of God. I. ' t he o il' co r r.: ' t he go ld ' He b r. K. M an is Ireq u eurl y co m pared to a tree, Jr 11: 19 ; Ps 1:3 ; Jb 29: 19; El k 31. T he two a no in ted o ne s (li t. 'so ns of th e o il') a re Josh ua and Zer ubbabe l. repr esentin g t he sp iri tua l and temporal po wer respect! vely. Jos hua is a noi nted to th e pri esth oo d , Lv 4:3,5,16 , and Ze ru bb a bel , it is ho pe d, will De an o in te d k ing, Th is will fulfil Jr 33: 14- 18: the sp ir it u a l an d th e tempor a l po wer are to be cl osely associa ted in th e messia n ic age.

h. Poss ib ly t he mo untai n o f d ebris fro m wh ich th e keyston e of th e o ld Tem p le will be reco ver ed, cf. vv.9- IO. 1. T he da y Ze r ub babe l rc-lavs th e fo unda tion s, Hg 2:3. Zeru bba be l will a lso co m p lete th e b u ildi ng b}-' p laci n g th e s to ne o f v. 7. I. ' the ch ose n s to ne' cor r.: ' t he Slo ne, th e p lum met ' He br, : ' t he p lum met s to ne ' G reek . S • . 'The a ngel who was ta lkin g 10 me ' con- ; b . T he scro ll is of im mense s ize: irs measur em en ts a re th ose o f t he U la m or ves tib ule o f th e Tem p le of So lomon, I K 6:3. c 'falsely by my nam e ' ad ded in acc or da nce w u h v. 4 . T he curse is co nce ived as hav ing a force of its ow n. It ov ertak es a U si n ne rs, o f who m the Ho ly La nd will be free in I he m essia nic age . d . ' I am Kolng to let it lo ose' G ree k : ' I di d let it loose ' H ebe . e. Li t. ' an f'p hah ' . Bu t her e it is m u ch lar ger tha n th e com mo n cpho h. t. ' the ir in iq uit y' G reok; ' their eyes' He br. I , ' I saw ' corr', roucw tne G reek .

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5: 10

ZECHARIAH

/ 534

/535

this is what I saw: two wo men a ppea ring. The wind cau ght their wings-they had wings like a stork's ; they raised the bushel midwa y between ea rt h and heaven. · 1 then sa id to the a ngel who was tal ki ng to me, 'W here a rc they ta king t he bus hel?' • He replied, 'T hey mean to build a te mp le fo r it in the la nd of. Shina r, a nd to mak e a plinth o n wh ich to place il' ."

10 II

10

13

Eighth vision: the chariots Aga in I raised my eyes, and this is what I sa w: fo ur char iots com ing o ut I between the two mo un ta ins, a nd the mo unta ins were mo unta ins of bron ze." Rv 6:2-B T he first cha riot had red ho rses, t he seco nd char iot had black ho rses, • the third cha riot had white ho rses a nd the fourt h cha riot had (vigo ro us) piebald horses. 01 asked the a ngel who was ta lking to me, I said, 'W hat is the mea ning 4 RI~~1i of these, my lord?' •T he a ngel answered, 'T hese a rc going out to " th e fo ur winds 5 of heaven after sta ndi ng before the Lo rd of th e who le wo rld. •T he red horses (, a re going out to the co untry of the Eas t; the blac k horses a rc going o ut to the co un try of the Nort h; the white arc go ing ou t to the co un try of the West' a nd t he pieba ld arc goi ng o ut to the co untr y of the South.' •T hey ca me o ut vigo rou sly, 7 eager to patrol the wor ld. He sa id to them, 'Go an d pa tro l the wo rld' . And they pa tro lled the wor ld. • He ca lled me and sa id to me, 'Sec, th ose goi ng no rth wa rd s will make the spirit of Ya hweh" desce nd on t he co untry of the No rt h.' -A nd 15 those who are far away will come and reb uild t he san ct ua ry of Ya hweh. (A nd D t 28:1 you will learn tha t Ya hweh Sa bao th has sent me to yo u.) (T his will ha ppen if you listen ca refully to t he voice of Ya hweh you r God.)'

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The votive crown And the word of Yahwe h was addressed to me as follows, ·'Take the offerings of the captives, " of Helda i, Tob ija h and Jedaiah, and go to the ho use of Josiah nU cb 10:21 son of Zep han iah , who has arrived fro m Baby lon . • •Take the silver a nd gold, make a crown" and set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak , the high f; ~i priest.' -A nd say this to him, " Yahweh Sabaoth says thi s: Here is a man whose Jr 23:5+ name is Branch; where he is, ther e will be a branching out / (and he will rebuild the san ctu ary of Yahweh) . - It is he who is going to rebuild the sanctuary of Yahweh. It is he who is go ing to wear the royal insignia. He will sit on his thro ne 4 :14+ as ruler. And a pr iest shall be at his right hand." Perfect peace will reign between these two; -wh ile t he cro wn will be a glorious memorial to Heldai, T o bija h and Jedaiah, and to Josia h, son of Zephania h, in the sanctuary of Ya hweh ." "

io II

12

13

14

A question on fasting 8:18

In the fourth year of King Darius (the wor d of Ya hweh was addressed to Zecharia h), on the fourth day of the ninth month" (the mont h of C hislev), Bet hel sent Sharezer a nd his men to entreat the favour of Ya hweh - and to say to the priests in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth, and to his prophets , 'Ought I to go o n mourning a nd fasting in the fifth month as I have been doing for so man y years past?' ''

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II

14

ZE CHARIAH

o ppress the wido w and the orphan, the settler and the poo r man , and do not secretly plan evil again st one an ot her . • But they would not pay attention ; they turn ed a petula nt shoulder ; the y stop ped their ear s rather than hear ;- they made their hear ts adam an t ra th er tha n listen to the teaching a nd the words tha t Yahweh Sa bao th had sent by his spirit t hro ugh the prophets in the past. T his aroused grea t a nger o n the part of Ya hweh Sa bao th. -And th is is wha t happened, since he kept calling the m and t hey would not listen (similarly they will call and I sha ll not listen, says Yahweh Sab ao th): •he scattered them' th rou ghout nat ions unk nown to them ; hence th e co untry was reduce d to desola tion behind them, an d no one came o r went. They turned a land of del ights into a desert." ,

The nation's past surveyed Th en the word of Ya hweh Sabaoth was addressed to me as follows , .'Say to all the people of the cou ntry, a nd to the pries ts, "W hile you ha ve been fastin g and mourning in the fifth and seventh months for the pas t seventy years, was Am 5:2 1 + it for my sake you fasted so rigorously? - A nd when you were eating and d rinking, (, were not you the caters a nd you the drinke rs?" • Do you not know the word s 7 which Ya hwe h proclai med through t he prophets in the past, when Jerusalem was inhabited a nd secure, with her surroundi ng towns , and when the Negeb a nd the Lowlands were inhabited? (. T he word of Yahweh was addressed to 8 Is J: 17 Zecha ria h as follows: • Yahweh Sabaoth says this.) He said: Apply the la w 9 In 7-? 4 fairly, and practise kindness a nd compassion towards each other. • Do not

E x 22:202 1+ M i 2: 1 Ex 32:9 + I, 48:4 Ezk 11:19

D14:27 Dn 8:10

A prospect of messianic sa lvation I

8 T he wor d of Ya hweh Sab aoth was addressed to me as follows: a

'Ya hweh Sabaoth says this. I am burning wit h jealou sy for Zion, with grea t an ger fo r her sa ke. 'Ya hweh Sabaoth says this . b I am corning back to Zion and shall dwell in the midd le of Jerusalem. Je rusalem will be called Fait hful City and the mountain of Yah weh Sabaoth, the Ho ly Mountain. 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this. Old men and old women will again sit down in the squares of Jerusalem; everyone of them staff in hand because of their great age . And the squares of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in the squares. 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this . If th is seems a miracle to the remnant of this people (in those days), will it seem one to me? It is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks. h. Tex t corr . fo llow ing Greek. In

I

8:6

tbe,

messia nic Hg 2:23 +. The Prophet foresees the future of the Royal House a nd presumab ly of the Temple . k, 'at his rig ht hand' Greek: 'on h is throne' Hebr, I. 'the crown' G reek: ' t he crowns ' He br . ' He tda i'

age t he Hol y Land w ill be rid of Wickedness ( impiety personified). Wickedness now becomes a fa lse god dess fo r who m a te m p le is buill in Shinar (Babylon), whic h he re symbolises the centre of the pagan world . 6 a. The im a ge is borrowed from Babylo nian m yth o logy : these mou ntains flanked lhe approach to the abode of the gods . b . 'to' coni. in a cco rdance with the following verses . c. 'The red are go ing out to the country of the East ' a nd '(0 the co untry o f the West': core. d. ' the sp ir it of Yahweh' corr. : ' my spirit' Hebr. c . Where (h e exiles arc. Impelled by the spir it of Ya hwe h, these will re tu rn and rebuild the T e m p le. cr. v. 15. whic h mUSI be tra nsposed here. f. W ith the G reek. He b r. 'T a ke from t he capti ves' . These a re the ex iles who ha ve come back to Palesti ne . g . These People are o therwise unknown. Hebr. inserts 'and so th e sa me day' before 'and go to the house', h . Hebr. 'c ro wns', but cr. v , 14 . i , It is evi de nt from vv. 12-13 that the origina l text read ' Ze r ubba bel', 'J os hua son of Jehozadak the hig h Drie st ' ha ving bee n s ubst ituted at a la te r period when t he h igh pries I had bec ome head of the commun ity , j . Play inR on the messianic uue. "Bra nc h ' , Jr 23:5 -i-, a nd p ro mtsi n a successors to Zerubbabe! wh o is no w associa ted with th e dy nastic messianism of 2 87, cf .

8y r .; ' H ele m ' Hebr . 'Josiah' co nj., cf . v, 10 : ' He n' Hebr. For v. 15 cr . after v, 8. 7 a , November 5 18. b. T he des truction of Jerusalem an d of the Temple in June-J uly 587 had bee n co mmemorated by a fast in the mont h o f J u ly. Now tha t the rebui lding has begun fa st in g seems o u t of place . hence the Question p ut to the au rhortues in Je rusale m . The a nswe r Is apparently not given u nt il 8:18-19 . c. T his oracle has been ar bi trar tlv at tached (0 the incident of the embassy from Bet he l beca use of the rnen uon of fas t tng , v, 5. The Se ptember fas t com memorated the m ur d er of Ged al la h . 2 K 25:25; Jr 41 : If. d . Whether fasting or feas ting th ey wer e motivated by self-Interest .

e. Hebr , 'and 1 sca tt e red them ', 8 a, This chapte r is a COllec tion of short Independent o ra cles : wi th t he except ion of 8: 16·17, which is an instruc t ion . t hey a ll dea l with the messianic age, derc r fbed as an age of s imple happiness and of peace under the b less ing of Ya hweh, present in Z ion. The perspec tive is widened in vv , 20f. b . ' Ya hwe h Sa baoth ' G reek an d vuts.

1:14

Is 1:26 +

1M 14:9 D14:4O 1565:20

..J

Jr 32:27

. ~

~

::0

It

-t

8:7 D.30:3-5 Ps 107:3

Jr 31:31 +

r

•I Hg 1:15

1 M 14:8 Ps8S:12

Gn 12:3 + Ps72:17

Ep 4:25

M .5:9

7:1·3

Is 35: 10 Jr 31:13 M.9: 14-15

fr

1 K8:43 .. 2:2

Tb 13:11

I Co 14:25

Z E C H A Il I A H

/53 6

1537

'Yahweh Sabaoth says th is. Now I am going to save my people from the countries of the East and from the countries of the West. I will bring them backs to live inside Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God in faithfulness and integrity. 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this. Let your hands be strong, you who here and now listen to these words from the mouths of the prophets who have been prophesying since" the day when the Temple of Ya hweh Sabaoth had its foundation laid for the rebuilding of the sanctuary. - For before the pres ent day men were not paid their wages and nothing was paid for the animals either ; and because of the enemy tbere was no security for a man to go about his business ; I had set' every man against everyon e else. - But now, with the remnant of this people, I am not as I was in the past. It is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks. -For I mean to spread peace everywher e; " the vine will give its fruit, the earth its increase , and heaven its dew. I am going to bestow all these blessings on the remnant of this people. -Just as once you were a curse among the nations, you House of Judah (and House of Israel), so I mean to save you for you to becom e a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong. For Yahweh Sa baoth says this . J ust as I once resolved to inflict evil on you when you r ancestors provoked me-says Yahweh Sabaoth-and as I did not then relent , -so now I have another purpose, and I intend in the present day to confer benefits on Jerusalem and on the House of Judah . Do not be afraid. 'These are the things tha t you must do. Speak the truth to one another ; let the judgements at your gates be such as conduce to peace ; -do not secretly plot evil against one another ; do no t love false oaths ; since all this is what I hat e. It is Yahweh who speaks.' The answer to the question on fasting The wor d of Yahweh Sabaoth was addressed to me as follows: 'Ya hweh Sabaoth says this . The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth are to become gladness and happiness and days of joyful feasting for the House of Judah.' But love the truth and peace! A prospect of messianic salvation 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this. There will be other peoples yet, and citizens of grea t cities. ·And the inhabitants of one city will go to the next and say, "Come, let us go and entreat the favou r of Yahweh, and seek Yahweh Sabaoth; I am goin g myself" . - A nd many peoples and great nations will come to seek Yahweh Sabaoth in Jerusalem and to entreat the favo ur of Yahweh. 'Yahweh Sabaoth says this. In those days , ten men of nations of every language will take a Jew by the sleeve and say, "We want to go with you, since we have learnt that God is with you".'

SECOND PART

9 An oracle. The new promised lan dYa hweh has passed " through the land of Hadrach

4 9

10

1I

12

6

13

14

15

16 17

18 19

lO

20 21 22

23

ZECHARIAH

9:10

and Damascus is his dwelling place; for the cities of Arams belong to Yahweh no less than all the tribes of Israel ; Hamath too , which borde rs on it, (Tyre) and Sidon also, despite her acumen. Tyre has bui lt herself a rampart, has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets . And now the Lor d is going to tak e posses sion of her; he will topple her power into the sea; she herself will be consumed by fire. Seeing this, Ashkelon will be terrified, an d Gaza be seized with trembling, so will Ekr on, at the ruin of her prospects ; the king will vanish from Gaza and Ashkelon remain unpeopled, but the basta rd" will live in Ashdod! I mean to destr oy the ar rogance of the Ph ilistine; I intend to ta ke his blood out of his mouth an d his a bomination from between his teeth .< He too will become a remn ant for our G od and be like a family! in Juda h: Ekr on shall be like the Jebusite.v Near my house- I will take my stand like a watch man on guard aga inst pro wlers ; the tyrant shall pass their way no more, because I have now ta ken not ice of its dist ress.'

The Messiah Rejoice hea rt and soul, dau ghter of Zion! Shou t with gladness, daug hter of Jeru salem! See now, your king comes to you ; he is victorious, he is tr iumphant,' humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." He! will banish chariots from Eph raim a nd horses from Jerusalem ; the bow of war will be banished. e. Alluding to lhe pagan pra<:ticc or cal lna flesh with the blood In it , d. Lv 1:.5+ . and ofudn . for bidden meat . such u pork. cr. Is 6! :4 : 66:17. f. 'a family' COrT. : 'a trtbal chief ' Hebr . , . Le, Incorpora ted into Israel Uke the Jeb ushes In antiq uit y. b. Th e ' ho use' or Ya hwe h here mea ns the whole cou nt ry, er; H o 8: I: 9:1.5: Jr 12:7(. 1. 'li ke a wa tc hman' eorr .: ' before an army' Hebr . 'lis d istress' corr.: 'w tt h my eyes' Hebr, J. The flnt adject ive (Il(, ' upri gh t' , 'jusl") does not mea n t ha t he dispenses Jusclce. cr. Is 11:3·5. bu t t hat he is the rec inie nt of God's 'jus l lce ' , Le. of Ood's power ful pro tecuon, cr. Is 45:21-25. The second (lit. 'sa ved ' ) has much the sa me mea ning here. k. Th e Messiah is 10 DC ' humblc' ( ani). a charac.. teris tic a Uribuled In Z p 3: I210 the fut ure people or.G od. cr. Zp 2:3 -t-, Reno uncing the pan oply of the historic kina s, Jr 17:2' : 22:4, tbe messiani c kina will ride Ihe , radl lion al mount of princes. G n 49:11; 1.5:10: 10:4; 12:14. Compare also I K 1:38 with I K 1:5. WI'h this pr ophecy tn mind Jes us entered Jerusalem ridlna on a c. 'I he eWes of Aram ' corr.: t i M eye of Adam (or , donkey. 'o f ma n' )' Hebr, I. ' He wtll· 'G ree k; 'I sha ll" He br. The northern d . A mixed populati on resu ld nafromforcedcolon.. tribes will be n:unlced ~lIh 1udah in the messianic ludon. kln. dom. cr. Jr 3:18 +. c. N OI, 8J In 2:t Of. the exiles fro m Babylon only. but l he Jews scat tered thro ughout the world. Thei r re t urn will be followed by a re newa l of the cove na nt, cr. Jr 31:31 +. d. -"nee' Greek: 'o n' He br. e. IJ ha d set' corr . ; "l sha ll set ' Hebr . r. 'I mean to sprea d peace every where' corr . : 's owtna of peace ' Hebr. • • T o t he (as t. of the Seh a nd 7th mondls, cr. 7:3,! . the re are here added chose of t he 4th and 10th which co mmemorated t he breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, 2 K 25:1.4. and t he beg inninl of t he sJ':Jlc. 9 a. The Pro mised l. and w ill emb race not only Isr aelite terr norv , cr. Je 20: I -l-, but Ara maean , Phoenician and Ph tlisttne clues. Th c orac le all udes 10 a victortous ca mpaig n (proba bly tha t of Alexa ndcr a n er Issue, 333) Interpre ted as a campaign of Yahweh himsel f as prelu de to the messianic age . b. 'Yahweh has passed' ccrr.: 'weed of Yah weh' Hebr,

Is 23:1 Ba 3:22

Dt2J:3 +

.. 4:3 +

Gn49:l 0 Ps72 Is 9:5 l r 17:25 ;' M lll:19: 2 1:5 ;' In 12:15

Is 2:4 M15:9

...J

. ~

1011:6 + Ho2:20

!:i::;:

l~

9: II P. 85: 13 Eo 2:17 Ps 71:8

ZECHARIA H

/53 8

1539

He will proclaim peace for the nations. His empire shall stretch from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the eartb,>

The restoration of Israel As for you, because of the blood of your cove nan t" I am sending back your prisoners from the pit (in which there is no water) . To you , da ughter of Zion, the hopefu l captives will return . . In compensation for your da ys of bani shment I will give you back do uble. P. 149:7 For I bend my bow ; it is Ju da h ; I make Ephraim its arrow. I am going to bran dish you r children, Zion, (against your children, Javan ) , > I mea n to make you like the swor d of a hero . Ot 33:2 Yahwe h will appear above them P. 18:14 Ha b.l:4 and his arrow will flash out like lightning. (The Lord) Ya hweh will sound the trumpet and ad vance in the storms of the sou th. Yahweh (Sabaoth) will protect the m ! They will tra mple» sling stones und er they will dri nk blood like wine, r Ex 27:2 + they will be soak ed in it' like a t horns of an altar. Yahweh their G od will give them victo ry when that day come s; Ezk 34:1 + he will past ure his people like a flock (like the flashin g jewels of a dia dem) on his land . What joy and what beaut y shall be theirs ! Ir 31:12- 13 Corn will make the you ng men flouris h, Am 8:13 an d sweet wine the maidens. Ex 24:4-8 M126:28 liHeb 13:20

And I will ma ke the Ho use of J uda h mighty, and the House of Josep h victor ious . I am going to restore them, because I have taken pity on them, and they shall be as tho ugh I had never cast them off (for I am Ya hweh their God and I mean to answer their prayer).

12

U

0 1 11:14 Ps 135:7

1 5I S:22 + Hab 2:18

Ezk 34:S M1 9:36

Ezk 34:2

Israel's deliverance and return" 'My anger burns agai nst t he sheph erds, a nd I mea n to punish the he-goats.' Yes, Ya hweh (Saba oth) will ta ke car e of' his flock (t he Ho use of Ju dah), he will mak e it his prou d steed (in battle). F rom him will issue Corners tone and Tent-peg;" fro m him the Bow of battle,

Eph raim will be like a hero. Their hearts will be cheered as though by wine. Their so ns will look on this in gladness , their hearts will exult in Yahweh.

13

I am going to whistle to them a nd gather them in (for I have redeemed them);" they will be as numerous as they used to be. I have sca ttered them among the peoples but fro m far away they will remember me (t hey will teach their sons, an d these will return). A I mean to brin g them back from the land of Egypt, and gat her them from Assyria; I shall lead them into the land of Gilead (and Lebanon),' and even that will not be large enough for them. They will pass through the sea of Egypt / (and he will strike the waves on the sea); all the dept hs of the N ile will be dried up. The arrogance of Assyria will be cast down a nd the sceptre of Egypt be taken away.

14

15 10

16 II

17

1,2

11

10

11 :2

fro m him all the Leade rs. To gether -t hey will be like heroe s tr ampling the dirt of the streets (in battle) ; they will fight, since Ya hweh is with them, and the riders of horses will be thrown into confusion.

II

Faithfulness to Yahweh Ask Ya hweh for rain at the time of the spring rain s. For it is Yahweh who sends the lightnin g and gives the showe rs of rai n ; he gives bread to man , an d grass to the catt le," Because the tera phirn utter futile wor ds and the diviners have lying vision s " and pu blish empty dreams an d voice mislead ing nonsense, na turall y the people stray like sheep; they wander beca use they have no shepherd .'

ZE CH A RIAH

Their strength will be in Yahweh ; in his name t hey will glory:' it is Ya hweh who speaks. Open your gateways, Lebanon, and let the fire burn down you r cedars.· (Wail, cypress, for felled is the cedar,

Is 41:17

Ps 104:15

Ot 30: 1-3 Lk 15:17

...J


:;;

li::;; rn. That is, from the Med iterranean to the Dead Sea Ya hweh is aDOkca fila die third penon. vv. 3b.S.7 .12. an d from th e Eup hrates 10 the ext reme south. 11:1.3 . n. Allusion ei ther to th e ceremony at Sinai . Ex 24:5f. e. 'wlll lab c::.c or G R:ek ; 'has taken care oC'

4

or to the sacrifices offe red in the temple. o . 'To YO U, retur n ' co rr . ; 'Return to your strongho ld' Hebr. 'In co mpe nsa t io n for yo ur davs of ba nis hme nt' corr. following G reek. 'Today I dec lare' He b r. p. 'T he Greeks' . This gloss refers to the conq ues t or the Persia n empire by A lexa nder. q . Hebr, 'They will devour a nd tra mp le'. r , Text cor r. fo llowing Greek; Hebr, ' they will dr ink , they will be tur b ulen t li ke wine'. s , H e br. inse r ts ' like a lib a tion bowl". 10 a . 'and gives ... ' corr .j 'he will give them showers of rain . to everyo ne grass in th e field' H ebr. b. Th e te ratdum here are Inst ru me nts of d ivlnali on, cr. Ezk 2 1:26. For the p ra ct ice of divi na tion afte r t he Ex ile. cr. MI 3:5. co mpare Lv 19:3J; 20:6 . c. ' voice' corr . : ' con sole with' Heb r. ISlray' corr.: 'RO thei r way' Hebr. ' wander' co rr. : ' reply' Hebr. : late distressed' G reek . d. T h is pass age is a mixture o f frag me nts in which Ya hweh spea ks, VV. 3a ,6. S·I I. and o the rs in whJch

Hebr. The verb (oftca translated tvislt') in th i, line has a favo urable ~ tbouab in the preceding line the sense of 'punishmenl": the: 'shePherds', cr. Is 44 :28; Jr 25 :34( : Na 3:18. and 'bc-goall". cr. D n 8:5r, are the fore ig n tyra nts ruJiDa the people of God. r. Metapbon rex lbc leaden who will eventually rise from the PCOOIc. K. 'nave: rcdc:cmcd' Hebr.; 'wiU red ee m ' Greek. h , ' ha ve sc:attcn::d- COlT.: 'w ill sca tter ' Hebr. ' will teach' corr.r ' will rear' Greek . J. AssYria and EuPc. bcR represent oppressors In ge neral. GiJead was the first tcnilory 10 be conquered after the Exodus. d . .. 4O=J+ , I. ' They' Gru:k: "He' Hcbr. 'the sea of Egypt' corr. : ' the sea. tbe dSn::ft' Hebr.: 'the narrow sea' G ree k. k , "Fheir ~ will be' COlT. : ' J snail make them stro ng' Hebe. 'glory" Greek: 'walk' Hebr. 11 - 8 . Sym bols 01 the aral powen, cf. Is 10:33f: Ezk 31. or or tbd:r k:iDeL

I~

11:3

ZECHARIAH

154 0

' 54 1

the mighty ones have been brought low!) Wail, oaks of Bashan, for the impenetrable forest has been felled! The wailing of the shepherds is heard; their glorious pastures> have been ruined. The roaring of the young lions is heard; the thickets of the Jordan have been laid waste.

6

7

S

Ezk 34:1 +

The two shepherds" This is how Yahweh spoke to me,« 'Pasture the sheep bred for slaughter, -whose ~ buyers kill them and go unpunished, whose sellers say of them , "Blessed be Yahweh; now I am rich!" and their shepherds handle' them without kindness . (For no longer am I going to show kindness to the inhabitants of the world -it is Yahweh who speaks . But instead 1 mean to hand over every man to the next, and to his king. They shall devastate the world and I will not deliver the m from their hands .)" -Then I began to pasture these sheep bred for slaughter for 7 Ezk 37:19 the sheepdealers.v I took two staves: one I called Goodwill, the other Union. And so I began to pasture the sheep. •I dismissed the three shepherds in one 8 month ." But 1 began to dislike the sheep, and they equally detested me.' ·1 then said, 'I am going to pasture you no longer; let those that wish to die, die ; let those that wish to perish, perish; and let those that are left devour each other's flesh!' •I then took my staff, Goodwill, and broke it in half, to break the covenant 10 Yahweh had made with all the peoples.' -When it was broken, that day the I I dealers, who were watching me, realised that this had been a word of Yahweh. I then said to them , 'If you think it right, give me my wages; if not , never mind'. 12 .» Mt26:15 ; And they weighed out my wages: thirty shekels of silver." -But Yahweh told me, 13 ? 27:3-10 'Throw it into the treasury, this princely sum at which they have valued me'. ' Tak ing the thirty shekels of silver, 1 threw them into the Temple of Yahweh, En 37:19 into the treasury. .1 then broke my second staff, Union, in half, to break the 14 brotherhood between Judah and Israel." Next , Ya hweh said to me, 'Now take the gear of an incompetent IS Ezk 34:2-4 shepherd." -For I am now going to raise an incompetent shepherd in this country. 16 " 42:3 He will not bother about the lost; he will not look for the stray; he will not MtI2:·20 heal the wounded; he will not support the weary; but he will only eat the flesh of the fat beasts and tear off their hoofs . Jr 12:3

'Trouble is coming to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither entirely, may his eye be totally blinded!'

?In 10:1213

114 :1

On 2:7

P,33:15 Is 42:5 Is 51:17+

17

The deliverance and restoration of Jerusalem An oracle. The word of Yahweh about Israel. It is Yahweh who speaks , I who spread out the heaven and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 'Look, I am going to make Jerusalem an intoxicating cup to all the surrounding 2 peoples. . ." 'When that day comes , I mean to make Jerusalem a stone to be lifted by al1 the peoples ; all who try to lift it will hurt themselves severely. (And all the nations of the earth will mass against her.) -When that day comes-it is Yahwe h 4 who speak s- I intend to strike al1 the horses with confusion and their riders . with madness. (But on the House of Judah 1 will open my eyes.) And I will strik e all the horses of the peoples with blindness. •Then the clans of Judah will say 5 in their hear ts, "Strength for the citizens of Jerusalem is in Yahweh Sabaoth

12

10

11 12 13

14 I

ZECHAJt~A"

13:3

their God", b • When that da y comes 1 mean to make the clans of Judah like a brazi er burni ng in a pile of wood, like a flaming torch in stubble; and they will co nsume the peoples round them to right and left. And Jerusalem shall stand firm in her place.c • Yah weh will save the tents of Judah first to forestall the arrogance of the House of Dav id and the arrogance of the citizens of Jerusalem from rising to the detri ment of Judah. •When tha t day comes, Yahweh will spread his protection over the citizens of Jer usalem; the one among them who was about to fall will be like David on tha t da y, and the House of Dav ids will be like God (like the ange l of Yahweh) at thei r hea d. 'When tha t da y comes, I shall set myself to destro y all the nat ions who ad vance against Jerusalem. - But over the Hou se of David and the citizens of Jerusalem I will pour ou t a spirit of kindness and prayer. They will look on the one whom they have pierced ;' they will mourn for him as for an only son , and weep for him as' people weep for a first-born child . •When that da y comes, there will be great mou rning in Judah, like the mourning of Hadad-rirnmon in th e plain of Megiddo. •And the country will mourn clan by clan; the clan of the House of David apa rt, with their wives by themselves ; -the clan of the House of Nath an! apart, with their wives by themselves; the clan of the House of Levi apart, with their wives by themselves; the clan of Shime i s apart, with their wives by themselves. - A ll the clans that remain, clan by clan, with their wives by themselves. 13 When that day comes, a fountain will be opened for the House of David and the citizens of Jerusalem, for sin and impurity. 'When that day comes-it is Yahweh (Sabao th) who speaks-l am going to roo t out the names of the idols from the country, and they shall never be mentioned again ; and I will also rid the country of the prophets," and of the spirit of impurity. - If anyone still wants to prophesy, his father and the mother who gave him birth shall say to him, "You have no right to live, since you utter b. ' glo rio us pastures" COIT.• cf. J r 2S:36; 'g lory' Hebr. c. Th is section on the shepherds, cf. Ezk 34:1 + . ends with a messianic prophecy. in 13:7-9 . Here. in vv, 4-14. recent events are reviewed allegorically and Providence is vind ica ted . The p rophet ac ts the part of Ya hweh. whose sovereign pastoral charge he has. as it were, taken on himself. But Israel has not understood the benefi ts G od wanted to confer; Yahweh will therefore give them a wicked shepherd. whom the prophet is ordered to mime . vv. 15·17. acting the return to former infidelities. d. ' Ya hweh ,poke to me' COrT. ; ' Ya hweh my God l oo ke' Hebe. e. 'say" 'h andle' coer.: Hebr. reads the atnauJar. The buyers and sellen arc the Jewish ruling c:1aacs: m oney and Intrigue give them control Ofti' tbe 'Ihepherds' of .he peoPle. r. Thll verse, referrlna to internati onal catast rop he. is. alOll allen to the context. • • Lh . 'for the CanaanitCl (a term often uxd tor dea!en) of the sheet>· followlna G reek : 'certainly the moat wretched of the l heep- Hebr. h. Alluding to a succ:e:aion of hla h pnea u deposed by Ya hweh, whOle part fa here acted an d lIlOI<en by the proP he' . Aller ,he Exile tbe Priests were .he heads of the JewIsh community. The 'month' symbolises the ltine of God 's fa vou r of which the JeM have not ta ken ~d V8 nl age.

t. The nati on pro ves to be ungovernable. I, 't he covena nt Yahweh had made" co rr . : 'my covenant that [ had ma de' He br , Ya hweh will no longer protect the Jewish nation from its neighbo urs. k. A ruler has a right to remuneratio n. cf. Ne 5:15. rr, th is allegory the wages given by the ru lin g classes t o the prophet (who represents Ya hweh) are insultingly small-s-the pr ice of a slave. Ex 31:32. In br ief, they are 1aushing at Yahweh. M t 27:3- 10 a p p lies vv. 12·13 to Jesus of whom the p rophet (playi ng the part of Ya hweh) is the a ntetype. I. 'Into the t reas ury' Syr .• T ar a.: ' to the potter' Hebr. : 'i nto the furnace' Greek. A cccrd tnz to

2 M 3:4f. private as well as public funds could be deposited in the Temple treasury. m. This passage may be the earliest evidence we have of the Samaritan schism . Accord ing to Josephus. it was in abo u t the year 328 that the Samaritans built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim. In this case, the breaking of the staves symbolises the recrudescence of foreign oppression rv. 10) and the definitive schism at home. e, 'Incompetent' coni, 12 •. Hebr. adds a sentence which is practically untranslatable. It may be considered a double gloss. wrongly inserted here. on the uue of v, 1: 'and also abou t Judah. (which) will be besieged'; 'with rellOn! I() Jerusalem'. The Greek hannonises 'A nd in 1udah t bete will be . tege.work. qalnst Jerusalem'.

~14:10

14:3 M t 24:30

In 3:14+; » 19:37 /Rv 1:7 AmS:IO In 3:16 Coll :15. IS

Ezk 36:25; 47:1. In 7:3Sf : 19: 34 Ws14:11 Ne6:14

...J

d:

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::;; b. 'elana' eoer.: 'leaden- Hebr. : 10 atao In v, 6. 'for the c:iUzent' ecrr.: "for me. the c:ltizens- Hebr• e. Hebr. adell lin lC1'U111lem'. d. In the _ allCthe Davldlc dYJtUry wUl be

ftStored.

e. ' Ihe one ' Theodotion, J n 19:37: ' me' Hebr . Thedeath of' hePteroedOne occ un lnan eocha ' ologIcaI con,ext (cr. R . 1;7), cf. the . alu na of the siellC of Jerusalem. the na llonal mou mJna. vv. 10.1 4, the oPen tng or a (oun ta tn of salvatlon, 13: I. The messian ic aae th us depe nds on a PBlSion and a mySterious dea th com pa ra ble to the sufferings of Ihe servant in Is 52:13.53:12. J n 19:37 sees in this passagc the figu re of the Passion of Ch rist. the ' only son ' a nd the ' nrst-b om ', cr. J n I: I8; Co l I: 15. whose pierced body will be 'loo ked on ' wit h the savtna eye of faith . cf. J n 3:14+ : N b 21: 8-9. a nd whose opened side is a fo untain of sa lva tion. cf. I n 19:34: 7:38. f. Le. Na tha n son of Davi d . 2 S 5:14f. I . l.e. Shimel , a descendant of Gcrshom son of Levi. cr. Nb 3:21. 13 a. ProphecY as an institution is to case. the false proph ets having discredited it by their abuses. cr. Jr 2):9 2: E:.zk J3.

,r -.:

13:4

2 K 1:8 M13 :4

1 K 18:28

Elk 34:1 I

Elk 34:1 I .» M l 26:31 " Mk 14:27 In 16:32

Is 1:25 ;48: 10 Ps 9 1:15 Is 65:24 1:17 J r 11:31 +

J I4:2.12

12:9

'1'-

M i 1:4 Ac 1:11

Ii

[rn

Jr 31:39 A ml :l

Mt 16:27p I Th 3:13 Rv 21:23

Ezk47:1 +.8 J1 4: 18 In 4:1;

Ps 22:28

Rv 11:15

= 12:6

J r 31:40 /' Rv 22:3

Is 66:24

ZE C HA R IA H

/ 54 2

lies in the name of Yahweh" . And while he is prophesying, his father and the mother who gave him birth sha ll run him through. •When that day comes, every prophet shall be ashamed of his pro phetic vision; they will no longer put on their hair cloa ks to utter their lies, •but they will all say, "I am no prophet. I am a peasant ; the land has been my living> ever since I was a boy." -And if anyone asks him, "Then what are these wou nds on your bo dy'?" he will reply, .. These I received in t he ho use of my friends" .'

/ 54 3 13

4

Invocation to the sword; the new peopled 'Awake, sword, again st my shepherd and agai nst the man who is my companionit is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks. I am going to strike' the shepherd so that the sheep may be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the weak. And it will happen thro ughout this territoryit is Yahweh who speaksthat two-thirds in it will be cut off ('will be killed') and the remaining third will be left. I will lead that third into the fire, and refine them as silver is refined, test them as gold is tested. They will calIon my name and I shal l listen; and I shal l say:' These are my people; and each will say. "Yahweh is my God!'" The escbatological battle; the splendour of Jerusalem a See, a day is coming for Yahweh when the spoils taken from you will be divided among you . •Yahweh will b gather all the nations to Jerusalem for battle. The city will be taken, the houses plu ndered, the women ravishe d. Half the city will go into captivity. but the remnant of the people will not be cut off from the city. -Then Yahweh will take the field ; he will fight against 3 these nations as he fights in the day of battle. -On that day, his feet will rest on 4 the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem from the east. The Mou nt of Olives will be split in half from eas t to west, for ming a huge gorge; half the Mount will recede northwards, the other half southwa rds. · And the Vale of Hinnom will 3 be filled up from Goah to Jasol;« it will be blocked as it was- by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh your God will come, and all the holy ones with him .' When that day comes, there will be no more cold, no more frost.! • It will be a day of wonder-Yahweh knows it-with no alternation of day and night ; in the evening it will be light.• When that day comes, ru nning waters will issue from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea , half of them to the western sea; they will flow' summer and winter. -And Yahweh will be king of the whole 9 world. When that day comes, Yahweh will be unique and his name unique.s -The 10 ent ire country will be t ransformed into plain, from Geba to Rimmon in the Negeb, And Jerusalem will be rai sed higher, though still in the same place; from the Gate of Benjamin to the site of the First Gate, that is to say to the Gate of the Comer and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepress,' people will make their homes. The ban will be lifted ; Jerusalem will be safe to 11 live in. And this is the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the nations who 12 have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh will mo ulder) while they are still standing on their feet; thei r eyes Will rot in their sock ets; their tongues will rot in the ir mouths. oAnd such will be the plague on the horses and mules, 13

14

16

17 18

19 20

21

ZECHARI AH

14 :21

camels an d donkeys, and all the animals to be found in that camp . •Whe n that day co mes, a grea t terror will fall on them from Ya hweh; each man will grab his neighbour's han d and they will hit out at each other. •Even Juda h will fight aga inst Jerusalem. T he wealth of all the surrounding nati ons will be heaped toge ther : gold, silver, clo thing, in vast quantity ." All who survive' of all the nations that have marched against Jerusalem will go up year by yea r to worship the K ing, Yahweh Sa baoth, and to keep the feast of Tabernacles. m • Shou ld one of the races of the world fail to go up to Jer usalem to worship the Kin g, Ya hweh Sabaoth, there will be no rain for that one. -Should the race of Egypt fail to go up and pay its visit, on it will» fall the plague which Yahweh will inflict on each one of those nations that fail to go up to keep the feast of Tabernacles. -Such shall be the punishment for Egypt and for all the nations that fail to go up to keep the feast of Tabernacles. •When that day comes, the horse bells will be inscribed with the words, 'Sacred to Yahweh', and in the Temple of Yahweh the very co okin g pots will be as fine as the sprinkling bowls at the altar. -And every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah sha ll become sacred to Yahweh Sabaoth; all who want to offer sacrifice will come and help themselves from them for their cooking; there will be no more traders in the Temple of Yahweh Sabaoth, when that day comes . 0

Ezk 38:2 1

Is 2:2

Ex 23:14 + Jn 7:2

Ex 28:36

I n 2: \ 6

14

-' « ::;;

b. 'the land ha s bee n my livin g' (lit. ' possession') co re. : 'A man h as ma de me his possessio n ' H ebe. c. ' on you r body' . lit. 'between yo ur hands '. The prophet s of anriqutty used to ga sh their bodies, f . 1 K 18:28. etc.: the man wh o bea rs such sc ars is acc u sed he re o f be ing a pr ophet; he defends h imself by claim ina that t he wounds were inflicted in a br aw l wit h his compan ions. d. A messian ic p assa ge. T he ' sh e ph erd' here is neith er the Rood Shep her d of 11:4-14 no r the bad one of I I: I 5-16 . b ut . withou t fur ther d eflnin on, the leader of the people, t he vicegeren t of Ya hw eh. T he sword which is -a bo ut to st ri ke h im will h and o ver the who le nat io n to th e final or dea l which m ust p reced e t he messi an ic age . T his ordeal is d escribed in the traditiona l imagery of the shee p wi thou t a s heph erd , Bzk 34 :5, (he 'remnan t' , Is 4:3 + , t he ' o ne-th ird ' , Ezk 5:1-4, th e re fining fire . Jr 6:29-3 0. The nat io n wUl then be read y for the new coven an t . cf . J r3 1:31 + . e. ' 1 a m eo tn e to st r ike ' co ni ., d. som e G reek MSS and Mc 26:31 ; 'S trike ' Heb r. f. 'I sha ll sa y' G reek ; ' I s aid' Hebr. 14 a . T his cha pter is a t issu e o f e labor ati on s on the esc ha to logical str uggle , vv. . l -5.12 - 15. an d descrtcr to es of th e new o rder which is to follow it. b. ' Yah weh will' co r r.; ' I s ha ll' Hebr. c . Tex t corr. d , ' it will be b locked as it was' G re ek ; 'YOU will

flee as you ned' Hebr, e. ' yo u r (th y) God' COrT.; 'my God' .H ebr. ' with him' G reek; ' with thee' He br . f . Text co rr. from Greek: 'there will be no Ught. n o cold , no fros t'; He br . 'there will be no light : the p reci o us th in as will be hea pe d uP' . 1'. Lit . 4t hey will be livin g' co rr . : 4h win be' He br. G ih o n is the o nly source of fresh wa ter in Jeru sal em . h . Repetition fo r the sa ke of so lem n ity: th e 'narne' o f Yah weh is Yahweh him se lf. The ad option of monothe ism by a ll th e nati on s of the wo r ld is one of the c haracteristics of the m essian ic age, cf. Mil : 11. I. "to Ri mmon in (of) the Negeb. And Jerusalem ' corr.: ' to Rimm o n . T he N egeb of Jer usalem' He b r. 4 0 f t he Corner ' co rr. 'fro m the To wer' cor r. J. 'will m oul der ' Greek.

... V . 15 is p laced after v. 12 . I. "a ll who su rvi ve' Greek : 'everyone who survives' He br . m . The feas t o f Tabernacles has been chosen presumably be ca use it celebrates (he sovereigncy of Y a h we h . n . 'will' G reek: 'will no t ' Hebr. o. The aut hor . re memberi ng Ezekie l, fo resees the sanc ritlca uo n of everYl h ing in th e la nd of Israel in th e mess-janie a se .

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