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9. Judgment on Israel's Enemies

¹ A prophecy:

   The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrak
   and will come to rest on Damascus—
for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel
   are on the LORD— Or Damascus. / For the eye of the LORD is on all people, / as well as on the tribes of Israel,
² and on Hamath too, which borders on it,
   and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful.
³ Tyre has built herself a stronghold;
   she has heaped up silver like dust,
   and gold like the dirt of the streets.
⁴ But the Lord will take away her possessions
   and destroy her power on the sea,
   and she will be consumed by fire.
⁵ Ashkelon will see it and fear;
   Gaza will writhe in agony,
   and Ekron too, for her hope will wither.
Gaza will lose her king
   and Ashkelon will be deserted.
⁶ A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod,
   and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines.
⁷ I will take the blood from their mouths,
   the forbidden food from between their teeth.
Those who are left will belong to our God
   and become a clan in Judah,
   and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.
⁸ But I will encamp at my temple
   to guard it against marauding forces.
Never again will an oppressor overrun my people,
   for now I am keeping watch.

The Coming of Zion’s King

    ⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
   Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
   righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
   on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
   and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
   and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
   His rule will extend from sea to sea
   and from the River That is, the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
¹¹ As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
   I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
¹² Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
   even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.
¹³ I will bend Judah as I bend my bow
   and fill it with Ephraim.
I will rouse your sons, Zion,
   against your sons, Greece,
   and make you like a warrior’s sword.

The LORD Will Appear

    ¹⁴ Then the LORD will appear over them;
   his arrow will flash like lightning.
The Sovereign LORD will sound the trumpet;
   he will march in the storms of the south,
    ¹⁵ and the LORD Almighty will shield them.
They will destroy
   and overcome with slingstones.
They will drink and roar as with wine;
   they will be full like a bowl
   used for sprinkling Or bowl, / like the corners of the altar.
¹⁶ The LORD their God will save his people on that day
   as a shepherd saves his flock.
They will sparkle in his land
   like jewels in a crown.
¹⁷ How attractive and beautiful they will be!
   Grain will make the young men thrive,
   and new wine the young women.

Zechariah proceeds with the same subject. He bids the Jews suddenly to retake themselves to their fortress. There is no doubt but that he means by that term the holy land; nor do I oppose the opinion of those who think the temple to be intended: for Jerusalem and the whole of Judea is called a fortress, and for this reason, because God had chosen his sanctuary there. It is then the same, as though one wishing to collect a dispersed and straggling band of soldiers were to say, “To the standard, to the standard;” or, “To the troop, to the troop.” For though Judea was not then fortified, nay, Jerusalem itself had no high wall or strong towers, yet they had God as their stronghold, and this was impregnable; for he had promised that the Jews would be safe under the shadow of his wings, though exposed to the caprices of all around them. Nor does he here address them only who had returned, or the exiles who still remained scattered in the East; but by this declaration he encourages the whole Church, that they might be fully persuaded that when assembled under the protection of God, they were as fortified as though they were on every side surrounded by the strongest citadels, and that there would be no access open to enemies.

Return ye then to the stronghold. This could not have appeared unreasonable; for we know that when they were building the city their work was often interrupted; and we know also that the temple was not then fortified by a wall. But Zechariah teaches them, that in that state of things there was sufficient defense in God alone. Though then the Jews were not made safe by moats, or by walls, or by mounds, he yet reminds them, that God would be sufficient to defend them, and that he would be to them, as it is said in another place, a wall and a rampart. (Isaiah 26:1.)

But it is not without reason that he calls them the captives of hope; for many had wholly alienated themselves from God and altogether fallen away, so as to be unworthy of any promise. By this mark then he distinguishes between the faithful captives and those who had wholly degenerated and separated themselves from the family of God, so as no more to be counted among his people. And this ought to be carefully noticed, which interpreters have coldly passed by. They have indeed said, that they are called captives of hope, because they hoped to be saved; but they have not observed the distinction, by which Zechariah intended to convey reproof to the unbelieving Jews. It was therefore not without meaning that he directed his word to the faithful only, who were not only captives, but also captives having hope. I cannot finish today.