1Erbittet von Jehova Regen zur Zeit des Spätregens; Jehova schafft die Wetterstrahlen, und er wird euch Regengüsse geben, Kraut auf dem Felde einem jeden. 2Denn die Teraphim haben Nichtiges geredet, und die Wahrsager haben Lüge geschaut; und sie reden Träume des Truges, trösten mit Dunst. Darum sind sie fortgewandert wie eine Herde, werden bedrückt, weil kein Hirte da ist. 3Mein Zorn ist wider die Hirten entbrannt, und die Böcke werde ich heimsuchen; denn Jehova der Heerscharen wird seiner Herde, des Hauses Juda, sich annehmen und sie machen wie sein Prachtroß im Streite. 4Von ihm kommt der Eckstein, von ihm der Pflock, von ihm der Kriegsbogen, von ihm werden alle Bedränger hervorkommen insgesamt. 5Und sie werden wie Helden sein, die den Kot der Straßen im Kampfe zertreten; und sie werden kämpfen, denn Jehova ist mit ihnen, und die Reiter auf Rossen werden zu Schanden. 6Und ich werde das Haus Juda stärken und das Haus Joseph retten, und werde sie wohnen lassen; denn ich habe mich ihrer erbarmt, und sie werden sein, als ob ich sie nicht verstoßen hätte. Denn ich bin Jehova, ihr Gott, und werde ihnen antworten. 7Und Ephraim wird sein wie ein Held, und ihr Herz wird sich freuen wie vom Wein; und ihre Kinder werden es sehen und sich freuen, ihr Herz wird frohlocken in Jehova. 8Ich will sie herbeizischen und sie sammeln, denn ich habe sie erlöst; und sie werden sich mehren, wie sie sich gemehrt haben. 9Und ich will sie unter den Völkern säen , und in den fernen Ländern werden sie meiner gedenken; und sie werden mit ihren Kindern leben und zurückkehren. 10Und ich werde sie zurückführen aus dem Lande Ägypten und sie sammeln aus Assyrien, und sie in das Land Gilead und auf den Libanon bringen; und nicht wird Raum genug für sie gefunden werden . 11Und er wird durch das Meer der Angst ziehen und die Wellen im Meere schlagen, und alle Tiefen des Stromes werden versiegen; und die Hoffart Assyriens wird niedergeworfen werden, und weichen wird das Scepter Ägyptens. 12Und ich werde sie stark machen in Jehova, und in seinem Namen werden sie wandeln, spricht Jehova.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 PRAYER AND PROMISE. (
Zech 10:1-
Zech 10:12)
Ask . . . rain--on which the abundance of "corn" promised by the Lord (
Zech 9:17) depends. Jehovah alone can give it, and will give it on being asked (
Jer 10:13;
Jer 14:22).
rain in . . . time of . . . latter rain--that is, the latter rain in its due time, namely, in spring, about February or March (
Job 29:23;
Joel 2:23). The latter rain ripened the grain, as the former rain in October tended to fructify the seed. Including all temporal blessings; these again being types of spiritual ones. Though God has begun to bless us, we are not to relax our prayers. The former rain of conversion may have been given, but we must also ask for the latter rain of ripened sanctification. Though at Pentecost there was a former rain on the Jewish Church, a latter rain is still to be looked for, when the full harvest of the nation's conversion shall be gathered in to God. The spirit of prayer in the Church is an index at once of her piety, and of the spiritual blessings she may expect from God. When the Church is full of prayer, God pours out a full blessing.
bright clouds--rather, "lightnings," the precursors of rain [MAURER].
showers of rain--literally, "rain of heavy rain." In
Job 37:6 the same words occur in inverted order [HENDERSON].
grass--a general term, including both corn for men and grass for cattle.
2 idols--literally, "the teraphim," the household gods, consulted in divination (see on
Hos 3:4). Derived by GESENIUS from an Arabic root, "comfort," indicating them as the givers of comfort. Or an Ethiopian root, "relics." Herein Zechariah shows that the Jews by their own idolatry had stayed the grace of God heretofore, which otherwise would have given them all those blessings, temporal and spiritual, which they are now (
Zech 10:1) urged to "ask" for.
diviners--who gave responses to consulters of the teraphim: opposed to Jehovah and His true prophets.
seen a lie--pretending to see what they saw not in giving responses.
comfort in vain--literally, "give vapor for comfort"; that is, give comforting promises to consulters which are sure to come to naught (
Job 13:4;
Job 16:2;
Job 21:34).
therefore they went their way--that is, Israel and Judah were led away captive.
as a flock . . . no shepherd--As sheep wander and are a prey to every injury when without a shepherd, so the Jews had been while they were without Jehovah, the true shepherd; for the false prophets whom they trusted were no shepherds (
Ezek 34:5). So now they are scattered, while they know not Messiah their shepherd; typified in the state of the disciples, when they had forsaken Jesus and fled (
Matt 26:56; compare
Zech 13:7).
3 against the shepherds--the civil rulers of Israel and Judah who abetted idolatry.
punished--literally, "visited upon." The same word "visited," without the upon, is presently after used in a good sense to heighten the contrast.
goats--he-goats. As "shepherds" described what they ought to have been, so "he-goats" describes what they were, the emblem of headstrong wantonness and offensive lust (
Isa 14:9, Margin;
Ezek 34:17;
Dan 8:5;
Matt 25:33). The he-goats head the flock. They who are first in crime will be first in punishment.
visited--in mercy (
Luke 1:68).
as his goodly horse--In
Zech 9:13 they were represented under the image of bows and arrows, here under that of their commander-in-chief, Jehovah's battle horse (
Song 1:9). God can make His people, timid though they be as sheep, courageous as the charger. The general rode on the most beautiful and richly caparisoned, and had his horse tended with the greatest care. Jehovah might cast off the Jews for their vileness, but He regards His election or adoption of them: whence He calls them here "His flock," and therefore saves them.
4 Out of him--Judah is to be no more subject to foreigners, but from itself shall come its rulers.
the corner--stone, Messiah (
Isa 28:16). "Corners" simply express governors (
1Sam 14:38, Margin;
Isa 19:13, Margin). The Maccabees, Judah's governors and deliverers from Antiochus the oppressor, are primarily meant; but Messiah is the Antitype. Messiah supports and binds together the Church, Jews and Gentiles.
the nail-- (
Judg 4:21;
Isa 22:23). The large peg inside an Oriental tent, on which is hung most of its valuable furniture. On Messiah hang all the glory and hope of His people.
bow-- (
Zech 9:13). Judah shall not need foreign soldiery. Messiah shall be her battle-bow (
Ps 45:4-
Ps 45:5;
Rev 6:2).
every oppressor--rather, in a good sense, ruler, as the kindred Ethiopic term means. So "exactor," in
Isa 60:17, namely, one who exacts the tribute from the nations made tributary to Judah [LUDOVICUS DE DIEU].
5 riders on horses--namely, the enemy's horsemen. Though the Jews were forbidden by the law to multiply horses in battle (
Deut 17:16), they are made Jehovah's war horse (
Zech 10:3;
Ps 20:7), and so tread down on foot the foe with all his cavalry (
Ezek 38:4;
Dan 11:40). Cavalry was the chief strength of the Syro-Grecian army (I Maccabees 3:39).
6 Judah . . . Joseph--that is, the ten tribes. The distinct mention of both Judah and Israel shows that there is yet a more complete restoration than that from Babylon, when Judah alone and a few Israelites from the other tribes returned. The Maccabean deliverance is here connected with it, just as the painter groups on the same canvas objects in the foreground and hills far distant; or as the comparatively near planet and the remote fixed star are seen together in the same firmament. Prophecy ever hastens to the glorious final consummation under Messiah.
bring them again to place them--namely, securely in their own land. The Hebrew verb is compounded of two, "I will bring again," and "I will place them" (
Jer 32:37) MAURER, from a different form, translates, "I will make them to dwell."
7 like a mighty man--in the battle with the foe (
Zech 10:3,
Zech 10:5).
rejoice--at their victory over the foe.
children shall see it--who are not yet of age to serve. To teach patient waiting for God's promises. If ye do not at present see the fulfilment, your children shall, and their joy shall be complete.
rejoice in the Lord--the Giver of such a glorious victory.
8 hiss for them--Keepers of bees by a whistle call them together. So Jehovah by the mere word of His call shall gather back to Palestine His scattered people (
Zech 10:10;
Isa 5:26;
Ezek 36:11). The multitudes mentioned by JOSEPHUS [Wars of the Jews, 3:2], as peopling Galilee two hundred years after this time, were a pledge of the future more perfect fulfilment of the prophecy.
for I have redeemed them--namely, in My covenant purpose "redeemed" both temporally and spiritually.
as they have increased--in former times.
9 sow them among . . . people--Their dispersion was with a special design. Like seed sown far and wide, they shall, when quickened themselves, be the fittest instruments for quickening others (compare
Mic 5:7). The slight hold they have on every soil where they now live, as also the commercial and therefore cosmopolitan character of their pursuits, making a change of residence easy to them, fit them peculiarly for missionary work [MOORE]. The wide dispersion of the Jews just before Christ's coming prepared the way similarly for the apostles' preaching in the various Jewish synagogues throughout the world; everywhere some of the Old Testament seed previously sown was ready to germinate when the New Testament light and heat were brought to bear on it by Gospel preachers. Thus the way was opened for entrance among the Gentiles. "Will sow" is the Hebrew future, said of that which has been done, is being done, and may be done afterwards [MAURER], (compare
Hos 2:23).
shall remember me in far countries-- (
Deut 30:1;
2Chr 6:37). Implying the Jews return to a right mind in "all the nations" where they are scattered simultaneously. Compare
Luke 15:17-
Luke 15:18, with
Ps 22:27, "All the ends of the world remembering and turning unto the Lord," preceded by the "seed of Jacob . . . Israel . . . fearing and glorifying Him"; also
Ps 102:13-
Ps 102:15.
live--in political and spiritual life.
10 Egypt . . . Assyria--the former the first, the latter among the last of Israel's oppressors (or representing the four great world kingdoms, of which it was the first): types of the present universal dispersion, Egypt being south, Assyria north, opposite ends of the compass. MAURER conjectures that many Israelites fled to "Egypt" on the invasion of Tiglath-pileser. But
Isa 11:11 and this passage rather accord with the view of the future restoration.
Gilead . . . Lebanon--The whole of the Holy Land is described by two of its boundaries, the eastern ("Gilead" beyond Jordan) and the northern ("Lebanon").
place shall not be found for them--that is, there shall not be room enough for them through their numbers (
Isa 49:20;
Isa 54:3).
11 pass . . . sea with affliction--Personifying the "sea"; He shall afflict the sea, that is, cause it to cease to be an obstacle to Israel's return to Palestine (
Isa 11:15-
Isa 11:16). Vulgate translates, "The strait of the sea." MAURER, "He shall cleave and smite." English Version is best (
Ps 114:3). As Jehovah smote the Red Sea to make a passage for His people (
Exod 14:16,
Exod 14:21), so hereafter shall He make a way through every obstacle which opposes Israel's restoration.
the river--the Nile (
Amos 8:8;
Amos 9:5), or the Euphrates. Thus the Red Sea and the Euphrates in the former part of the verse answer to "Assyria" and "Egypt" in the latter.
sceptre of Egypt . . . depart-- (
Ezek 30:13).
12 I . . . strengthen them in . . . Lord-- (
Hos 1:7). I, the Father, will strengthen them in the name, that is, the manifested power, of the Lord, Messiah, the Son of God.
walk . . . in his name--that is, live everywhere and continually under His protection, and according to His will (
Gen 5:22;
Ps 20:1,
Ps 20:7;
Mic 4:5).
