When the Jews returned from their exile in Babylon, God provided
several prophets to guide them. One of
them was Zechariah. All of the book of
Zechariah is very valuable. The first
six chapters were given during the second year of Darius, king of Persia
(Zechariah 1:1). The last eight chapters
were given during the fourth year of Darius (Zechariah 7:1). This was during the construction of the
second temple. In chapter eight the
focus shifts away from their present time into the future. Chapter 14 begins with:
|
1
|
Behold, the day of [Yehovah] cometh, and thy spoil shall be
divided in the midst of thee.
|
הנה יום־בא ליהוה וחלק שׁללך בקרבך
|
|
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.
|
ואספתי את־כל־הגוים אל־ירושׁלם למלחמה ונלכדה
העיר ונשׁסו הבתים והנשׁים תשׁגלנה ויצא חצי העיר בגולה ויתר העם לא יכרת מן־העיר
|
This prophecy indicates a devastating conquest of Jerusalem by a
muntinational force. This would result
in many of the inhabitants of the city being carried into captivity. However, it would not result in a general
exile of the population like what happened after the Babylonians destroyed
Jerusalem. The prophecy was given during
the construction of the second temple.
So, when Zechariah received a prophecy about the destruction of
Jerusalem, we should be able to see its fulfillment the next time it was
destroyed. This is exactly what
happened.
The Roman army was drawn from all of the many nations within the
Roman Empire. They laid a massive siege
and conquest of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.resulting in the complete destruction of
the temple. We saw all of this earlier
in our study of Daniel 9. We also saw
that the conquest was focused on Jerusalem and not the nation as a whole. Those cities and villages that submitted to
the authority of the Romans were spared.
Josephus records that 97,000 Jews were taken captive from
Jerusalem. The number is probably an
exaggeration, but it still confirms that many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were led into captivity. There is a
popular idea that the Jews were exiled from the land. However, the historical records indicate
otherwise. Most of the general
population remained in the land.
Rabbinic Judaism was developed by the Jews living in Judea as a response
to the destruction of the temple. This
is one of the most important events in the development of Judaism and could not
have happened without large numbers of Jews participating. Many of the intellectuals and religious
leaders chose to leave and go to more prosperous parts of the Roman Empire, but
the farmers had no such motivation. The
historic sources don’t indicate a massive reduction in the Jewish population
until the seventh century with the arrival of Islam. The fact that there is no evidence of any
large migrations at this time suggests that the reduction of the Jewish
population was the result of massive conversion to Islam.[2]
The Jews were banned from Jerusalem after the Bar Kokhba rebellion
six decades after the destruction of the temple. However, this ban was lifted by the emperor
Julian the Apostate. Julian’s hatred of
Christianity was so strong that he actually began work on building a new temple
for the Jews in an attempt to refute Jesus’s prophecy that no stone would
remain on another. This work was
abandoned when it was interrupted by earthquakes and then by balls of fire
coming from the foundations of the temple.[3]
Zechariah 14 continues on to describe how God will deliver His
people starting in verse 3.
Zechariah 14:3
|
3
|
Then shall [Yehovah] go forth, and fight against those nations,
as when he fought in the day of battle.
|
ויצא יהוה ונלחם בגוים ההם כיום הלחמו ביום קרב
|
This verse begins a description of all of the wonderful things God
will do which have not yet happened.
However, it is not immediately obvious that thousands of years would
pass between verses two and three. Events
follow in sequence, sometimes with large gaps in time between. If we say two events are directly linked in
the prophecy with no significant gap in time, then we need to show that the
prophecy indicates this. The importance
of this will become significant shortly.
For now, verses 1-2 of chapter 14 give us a solid anchor for the
timeline. The events in chapters 8-13
take place between the time of Zechariah and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70
C.E. This means that it covers roughly the
same time period as the seventy weeks of Daniel 9, show we should see some
parallel events. They can shed some
light on each other. Let’s begin looking
through Zechariah 8-14.
Zechariah 8:1-15
|
1
|
Again the word of [Yehovah] of hosts came to me, saying,
|
ויהי דבר־יהוה צבאות לאמר
|
|
2
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great
jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.
|
כה אמר יהוה צבאות קנאתי לציון קנאה גדולה וחמה
גדולה קנאתי לה
|
|
3
|
Thus saith [Yehovah]; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in
the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and
the mountain of [Yehovah] of hosts the holy mountain.
|
כה אמר יהוה שׁבתי אל־ציון ושׁכנתי בתוך
ירושׁלם ונקראה ירושׁלם עיר־האמת והר־יהוה צבאות הר הקדשׁ
|
|
4
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; There shall yet old men and old
women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his
hand for very age.
|
כה אמר יהוה צבאות עד ישׁבו זקנים וזקנות
ברחבות ירושׁלם ואישׁ משׁענתו בידו מרב ימים
|
|
5
|
And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls
playing in the streets thereof.
|
ורחבות העיר ימלאו ילדים וילדות משׂחקים
ברחבתיה
|
|
6
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of
the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in
mine eyes? saith [Yehovah] of hosts.
|
כה אמר יהוה צבאות כי יפלא בעיני שׁארית העם
הזה בימים ההם גם־בעיני יפלא נאם יהוה צבאות
|
|
7
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from
the east country, and from the west country;
|
כה אמר יהוה צבאות הנני מושׁיע את־עמי מארץ
מזרח ומארץ מבוא השׁמשׁ
|
|
8
|
And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of
Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and
in righteousness.
|
והבאתי אתם ושׁכנו בתוך ירושׁלם והיו־לי לעם
ואני אהיה להם לאלהים באמת ובצדקה
|
|
9
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that
hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that
the foundation of the house of [Yehovah] of hosts was laid, that the temple might
be built.
|
כה־אמר יהוה צבאות תחזקנה ידיכם השׁמעים בימים
האלה את הדברים האלה מפי הנביאים אשׁר ביום יסד בית־יהוה צבאות ההיכל להבנות
|
|
10
|
For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for
beast; neither was there any peace to him
that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every
one against his neighbour.
|
כי לפני הימים ההם שׂכר האדם לא נהיה ושׂכר
הבהמה איננה וליוצא ולבא אין־שׁלום מן־הצר ואשׁלח את־כל־האדם אישׁ ברעהו
|
|
11
|
But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former
days, saith [Yehovah] of hosts.
|
ועתה לא כימים הראשׁנים אני לשׁארית העם הזה
נאם יהוה צבאות
|
|
12
|
For the seed shall be prosperous;
the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and
the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people
to possess all these things.
|
כי־זרע השׁלום הגפן תתן פריה והארץ תתן
את־יבולה והשׁמים יתנו טלם והנחלתי את־שׁארית העם הזה את־כל־אלה
|
|
13
|
And it shall come to pass, that
as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel;
so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
|
והיה כאשׁר הייתם קללה בגוים בית יהודה ובית
ישׂראל כן אושׁיע אתכם והייתם ברכה אל־תיראו תחזקנה ידיכם
|
|
14
|
For thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; As I thought to punish you,
when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith [Yehovah] of hosts, and I
repented not:
|
כי כה אמר יהוה צבאות כאשׁר זממתי להרע לכם
בהקציף אבתיכם אתי אמר יהוה צבאות ולא נחמתי
|
|
15
|
So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem
and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.
|
כן שׁבתי זממתי בימים האלה להיטיב את־ירושׁלם
ואת־בית יהודה אל־תיראו
|
God promises to make them prosper again and to help them. God promises to bring the people from the
east and west and make Jerusalem a great city again. Notice that verse 13 says that God will save
both the house of Israel and the house of Judah. This will become very significant
shortly. The northern kingdom, Israel,
also went into exile but was never restored.
You should be aware that the prophets often referred to Israel as
Ephraim or Joseph. There are a number of
reasons for this. One short explanation
is given in Genesis chapter 48. It says
that when Jacob (who God called Israel) was dying his son Joseph brought his
two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh to Jacob to be blessed. Jacob placed his left hand on Manasseh and
his right hand on Ephraim, signifying that Ephraim would receive the larger
portion of the blessing. Jacob said “let
my name be named on them” (verse 16), with Ephraim receiving the larger portion
of this blessing and both being the sons of Joseph. When the kingdom split, the tribes of Ephraim
and Manasseh (Joseph’s descendants) became part of the kingdom of Israel. Another reason why the northern kingdom might
be referred to as Ephraim or Joseph is because of the dominance of the tribe of
Ephraim within that kingdom. This can be
a little confusing if you aren’t familiar with the background the prophets are
coming from.
Now, we start to see some parallels with the prophecy in Daniel
9. Zechariah’s prophecy lists some very
similar things the people must do.
We just saw in verses 13-15 that God wanted to save both the house
of Israel and the house of Judah. But,
this is not unconditional. God continues
by laying out things the people must do that closely parallel the things God
required the people to do in Daniel 9.
|
16
|
These are the things that
ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the
judgment of truth and peace in your gates:
|
אלה הדברים אשׁר תעשׂו דברו אמת אישׁ את־רעהו
אמת ומשׁפט שׁלום שׁפטו בשׁעריכם
|
|
17
|
And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his
neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are
things that I hate, saith [Yehovah].
|
ואישׁ את־רעת רעהו אל־תחשׁבו בלבבכם ושׁבעת
שׁקר אל־תאהבו כי את־כל־אלה אשׁר שׂנאתי נאם־יהוה
|
God then returns to His plan for the Jews after He has informed
them what they need to do. He tells them
the wonderful things that will happen if they behave. They must be obedient to God if they want Him
to do these things. History shows us
that they weren’t obedient. That is why
some of the wonderful things God described in Zechariah did not come to pass at
that time. But, they will still find
fulfillment in the future. We’ll get to
that later.
Zechariah 8:18-23
|
18
|
And the word of [Yehovah] of hosts came unto me, saying,
|
ויהי דבר־יהוה צבאות אלי לאמר
|
|
19
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast
of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy
and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.
|
כה־אמר יהוה צבאות צום הרביעי וצום החמישׁי
וצום השׁביעי וצום העשׂירי יהיה לבית־יהודה לשׂשׂון ולשׂמחה ולמעדים טובים והאמת
והשׁלום אהבו
|
|
20
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; It
shall yet come to pass,
that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
|
כה אמר יהוה צבאות עד אשׁר יבאו עמים וישׁבי
ערים רבות
|
|
21
|
And the inhabitants of one city
shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before [Yehovah], and
to seek [Yehovah] of hosts: I will go also.
|
והלכו ישׁבי אחת אל־אחת לאמר נלכה הלוך לחלות
את־פני יהוה ולבקשׁ את־יהוה צבאות אלכה גם־אני
|
|
22
|
Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek [Yehovah]
of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before [Yehovah].
|
ובאו עמים רבים וגוים עצומים לבקשׁ את־יהוה
צבאות בירושׁלם ולחלות את־פני יהוה
|
|
23
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take
hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt
of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is
with you.
|
כה אמר יהוה צבאות בימים ההמה אשׁר יחזיקו
עשׂרה אנשׁים מכל לשׁנות הגוים והחזיקו בכנף אישׁ יהודי לאמר נלכה עמכם כי
שׁמענו אלהים עמכם
|
Now, God goes into some of the judgements He will bring on the
nearby pagan lands.
Zechariah 9:1-8
|
1
|
The burden of the word of [Yehovah] in the land of Hadrach, and
Damascus shall be the rest thereof:
when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward [Yehovah].
|
משׂא דבר־יהוה בארץ חדרך ודמשׂק מנחתו כי ליהוה
עין אדם וכל שׁבטי ישׂראל
|
|
2
|
And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it
be very wise.
|
וגם־חמת תגבל־בה צר וצידון כי חכמה מאד
|
|
3
|
And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver
as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
|
ותבן צר מצור לה ותצבר־כסף כעפר וחרוץ כטיט
חוצות
|
|
4
|
Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power
in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
|
הנה אדני יורשׁנה והכה בים חילה והיא באשׁ תאכל
|
|
5
|
Ashkelon shall see it, and
fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be
very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king
shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
|
תרא אשׁקלון ותירא ועזה ותחיל מאד ועקרון
כי־הבישׁ מבטה ואבד מלך מעזה ואשׁקלון לא תשׁב
|
|
6
|
And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride
of the Philistines.
|
וישׁב ממזר באשׁדוד והכרתי גאון פלשׁתים
|
|
7
|
And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his
abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God, and he shall be as a
governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
|
והסרתי דמיו מפיו ושׁקציו מבין שׁניו ונשׁאר
גם־הוא לאלהינו והיה כאלף ביהודה ועקרון כיבוסי
|
|
8
|
And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because
of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor
shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
|
וחניתי לביתי מצבה מעבר ומשׁב ולא־יעבר עליהם
עוד נגשׂ כי עתה ראיתי בעיני
|
Here, we begin a theme that we must pay close attention to
throughout the prophecy. We begin to see
references to the heir of David’s throne.
Remember, in Daniel God announced the rebuilding of Jerusalem and gave
the Jews 490 years to clean themselves up.
He announced when Messiah Prince would arrive and be “cut off”. Then Jerusalem would be destroyed. Zechariah begins during the rebuilding of the
temple, though before the full restoration of Jerusalem described in Daniel 9
has begun (see section on Daniel 9 for details). He relayed very similar requirements to the
Jews that Daniel did. In verse 8 right
above, God talks about protecting His house in Jerusalem. In chapter 14 we also read about Jerusalem’s
destruction. So, when we begin seeing
references to the heir of David, we can use Daniel’s prophecy to help guide our
interpretation of Zechariah and vice versa.
Zechariah 9:9-17
|
9
|
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is
just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt
the foal of an ass.
|
גילי מאד בת־ציון הריעי בת ירושׁלם הנה מלכך
יבוא לך צדיק ונושׁע הוא עני ורכב על־חמור ועל־עיר בן־אתנות
|
|
10
|
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from
Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto
the heathen: and his dominion shall be
from sea even to sea, and from the
river even to the ends of the earth.
|
והכרתי־רכב מאפרים וסוס מירושׁלם ונכרתה קשׁת
מלחמה ודבר שׁלום לגוים ומשׁלו מים עד־ים ומנהר עד־אפסי־ארץ
|
|
11
|
As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth
thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is
no water.
|
גם־את בדם־בריתך שׁלחתי אסיריך מבור אין מים בו
|
|
12
|
Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do
I declare that I will render double
unto thee;
|
שׁובו לבצרון אסירי התקוה גם־היום מגיד משׁנה
אשׁיב לך
|
|
13
|
When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and
raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the
sword of a mighty man.
|
כי־דרכתי לי יהודה קשׁת מלאתי אפרים ועוררתי
בניך ציון על־בניך יון ושׂמתיך כחרב גבור
|
|
14
|
And [Yehovah] shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go
forth as the lightning: and [Yehovah] GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall
go with whirlwinds of the south.
|
ויהוה עליהם יראה ויצא כברק חצו ואדני יהוה
בשׁופר יתקע והלך בסערות תימן
|
|
15
|
[Yehovah] of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and
subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and
make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
|
יהוה צבאות יגן עליהם ואכלו וכבשׁו אבני־קלע
ושׁתו המו כמו־יין ומלאו כמזרק כזויות מזבח
|
|
16
|
And [Yehovah] their God shall save them in that day as the flock
of his people: for they shall be as
the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
|
והושׁיעם יהוה אלהיהם ביום ההוא כצאן עמו כי
אבני־נזר מתנוססות על־אדמתו
|
|
17
|
For how great is his
goodness, and how great is his beauty!
corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.
|
כי מה־טובו ומה־יפיו דגן בחורים ותירושׁ ינובב
בתלות
|
There are two questions that must be addressed. First, is this describing the arrival of the
Messiah at this time or is it announcing that the Messiah will arrive? Does the Messiah’s rule described happen
right after he arrives or at a later time?
A clue to the answer to the first question can be found in the fact
that Zechariah 12:10 begins, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications”. I believe this points to the time when the
Messiah arrives because that is when God pours the spirit of grace and
supplications on the house of David. We
will go over the details and issues when we get to that chapter.
A clue to the second question can be found in the fact that
Zechariah 14:8-9 basically repeats Zechariah 9:10. I believe this indicates that this happens at
this time. Between these two sections,
we have the death of God’s shepherd.
Let’s continue on. God
describes how He wanted to bring back the remnant of the lost ten tribes of the
northern kingdom of Israel (a.k.a Ephraim or Joseph).
Zechariah 10:1-12
|
1
|
Ask ye of [Yehovah] rain in the time of the latter rain; so [Yehovah] shall make bright clouds, and give
them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
|
שׁאלו מיהוה מטר בעת מלקושׁ יהוה עשׂה חזיזים
ומטר־גשׁם יתן להם לאישׁ עשׂב בשׂדה
|
|
2
|
For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a
lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went
their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there
was no shepherd.
|
כי התרפים דברו־און והקוסמים חזו שׁקר וחלמות השׁוא
ידברו הבל ינחמון על־כן נסעו כמו־צאן יענו כי־אין רעה
|
|
3
|
Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the
goats: for [Yehovah] of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and
hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.
|
על־הרעים חרה אפי ועל־העתודים אפקוד כי־פקד
יהוה צבאות את־עדרו את־בית יהודה ושׂם אותם כסוס הודו במלחמה
|
|
4
|
Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him
the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together.
|
ממנו פנה ממנו יתד ממנו קשׁת מלחמה ממנו יצא
כל־נוגשׂ יחדו
|
|
5
|
And they shall be as mighty men,
which tread down their enemies in the
mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because [Yehovah] is with them, and the riders on horses shall be
confounded.
|
והיו כגברים בוסים בטיט חוצות במלחמה ונלחמו כי
יהוה עמם והבישׁו רכבי סוסים
|
|
6
|
And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the
house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy
upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am [Yehovah] their God, and will hear them.
|
וגברתי את־בית יהודה ואת־בית יוסף אושׁיע
והושׁבותים כי רחמתים והיו כאשׁר לא־זנחתים כי אני יהוה אלהיהם ואענם
|
|
7
|
And they of Ephraim shall
be like a mighty man, and their heart
shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in [Yehovah].
|
והיו כגבור אפרים ושׂמח לבם כמו־יין ובניהם
יראו ושׂמחו יגל לבם ביהוה
|
|
8
|
I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them:
and they shall increase as they have increased.
|
אשׁרקה להם ואקבצם כי פדיתים ורבו כמו רבו
|
|
9
|
And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me
in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
|
ואזרעם בעמים ובמרחקים יזכרוני וחיו את־בניהם
ושׁבו
|
|
10
|
I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather
them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and
Lebanon; and place shall not be found
for them.
|
והשׁיבותים מארץ מצרים ומאשׁור אקבצם ואל־ארץ
גלעד ולבנון אביאם ולא ימצא להם
|
|
11
|
And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall
smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and
the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall
depart away.
|
ועבר בים צרה והכה בים גלים והבישׁו כל מצולות
יאר והורד גאון אשׁור ושׁבט מצרים יסור
|
|
12
|
And I will strengthen them in [Yehovah]; and they shall walk up
and down in his name, saith [Yehovah].
|
וגברתים ביהוה ובשׁמו יתהלכו נאם יהוה
|
Then, God begins to describe what would happen if they were not
faithful. The shepherds of the flock are
wicked and lead the people into wickedness.
This reflects the instructions given in chapter 8:16-17.
Zechariah 11:1-8
|
1
|
Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars.
|
פתח לבנון דלתיך ותאכל אשׁ בארזיך
|
|
2
|
Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are
spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come
down.
|
הילל ברושׁ כי־נפל ארז אשׁר אדרים שׁדדו הילילו
אלוני בשׁן כי ירד יער הבצור
|
|
3
|
There is a
voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of
the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.
|
קול יללת הרעים כי שׁדדה אדרתם קול שׁאגת
כפירים כי שׁדד גאון הירדן
|
|
4
|
Thus saith [Yehovah] my God; Feed the flock of the slaughter;
|
כה אמר יהוה אלהי רעה את־צאן ההרגה
|
|
5
|
Whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: and
they that sell them say, Blessed be [Yehovah];
for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not.
|
אשׁר קניהן יהרגן ולא יאשׁמו ומכריהן יאמר ברוך
יהוה ואעשׁר ורעיהם לא יחמול עליהן
|
|
6
|
For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith [Yehovah]:
but, lo, I will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand, and into
the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I
will not deliver them.
|
כי לא אחמול עוד על־ישׁבי הארץ נאם־יהוה והנה
אנכי ממציא את־האדם אישׁ ביד־רעהו וביד מלכו וכתתו את־הארץ ולא אציל מידם
|
|
7
|
And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto
me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I
fed the flock.
|
וארעה את־צאן ההרגה לכן עניי הצאן ואקח־לי שׁני
מקלות לאחד קראתי נעם ולאחד קראתי חבלים וארעה את־הצאן
|
|
8
|
Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed
them, and their soul also abhorred me.
|
ואכחד את־שׁלשׁת הרעים בירח אחד ותקצר נפשׁי
בהם וגם־נפשׁם בחלה בי
|
Then God talks about His shepherd.
He is valued at thirty pieces of silver.
This exchange is linked to the religious authorities because the money
is thrown down in the house of Yehovah.
Zechariah 11:9-13
|
9
|
Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die;
and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every
one the flesh of another.
|
ואמר לא ארעה אתכם המתה תמות והנכחדת תכחד
והנשׁארות תאכלנה אשׁה את־בשׂר רעותה
|
|
10
|
And I took my staff, even
Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made
with all the people.
|
ואקח את־מקלי את־נעם ואגדע אתו להפיר את־בריתי
אשׁר כרתי את־כל־העמים
|
|
11
|
And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that
waited upon me knew that it was the
word of [Yehovah].
|
ותפר ביום ההוא וידעו כן עניי הצאן השׁמרים אתי
כי דבר־יהוה הוא
|
|
12
|
And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they
weighed for my price thirty pieces of
silver.
|
ואמר אליהם אם־טוב בעיניכם הבו שׂכרי ואם־לא
חדלו וישׁקלו את־שׂכרי שׁלשׁים כסף
|
|
13
|
And [Yehovah] said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly
price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter
in the house of [Yehovah].
|
ויאמר יהוה אלי השׁליכהו אל־היוצר אדר היקר
אשׁר יקרתי מעליהם ואקחה שׁלשׁים הכסף ואשׁליך אתו בית יהוה אל־היוצר
|
The meaning of “cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant
which I had made with all the people” is a potential landmine I don’t wish to
get into now. In truth, I think there
are several possible interpretations. I
do believe that it is linked to Daniel’s statement that “Seventy weeks are
determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,
and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to
bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and
to anoint the most Holy”. And I believe
it is worth considering Messiah Prince is “cut off” towards the end of this
period and Zechariah describes this breaking of the covenant in connection to the
religious authorities’ treatment of God’s shepherd.
Next, the bond between Judah and Israel is broken. Remember, this chapter begain with a
description of the misdeeds of the leaders and now we see that the brotherhood
of Judah and Israel is broken. I believe
this is why we did not see the ten tribes of Israel return from exile like God
talked about doing earlier in Zechariah.
I believe there are other prophecies we will get into later that
indicate this will still happen in the Messianic Age.
Zechariah 11:14
|
14
|
Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even
Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
|
ואגדע את־מקלי השׁני את החבלים להפר את־האחוה
בין יהודה ובין ישׂראל
|
Next, Zechariah describes the foolish kind of shepherd that would
lead the people. He gives us a number of
characteristics we can look for to see if the religious authorities are really
following God’s will.
Zechariah 11:15-17 KJV
|
15
|
And [Yehovah] said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of
a foolish shepherd.
|
ויאמר יהוה אלי עוד קח־לך כלי רעה אולי
|
|
16
|
For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not
visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that
that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh
of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.
|
כי הנה־אנכי מקים רעה בארץ הנכחדות לא־יפקד
הנער לא־יבקשׁ והנשׁברת לא ירפא הנצבה לא יכלכל ובשׂר הבריאה יאכל ופרסיהן יפרק
|
|
17
|
Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall
be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and
his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
|
הוי רעי האליל עזבי הצאן חרב על־זרועו ועל־עין
ימינו זרעו יבושׁ תיבשׁ ועין ימינו כהה תכהה
|
Now Zechariah begins a description of a miraculous victory over a
massive multinational army.
Zechariah 12:1-9 KJV
|
1
|
The burden of the word of [Yehovah] for Israel, saith [Yehovah],
which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth,
and formeth the spirit of man within him.
|
משׂא דבר־יהוה על־ישׂראל נאם־יהוה נטה שׁמים
ויסד ארץ ויצר רוח־אדם בקרבו
|
|
2
|
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the
people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
|
הנה אנכי שׂם את־ירושׁלם סף־רעל לכל־העמים סביב
וגם על־יהודה יהיה במצור על־ירושׁלם
|
|
3
|
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all
people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all
the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
|
והיה ביום־ההוא אשׂים את־ירושׁלם אבן מעמסה
לכל־העמים כל־עמסיה שׂרוט ישׂרטו ונאספו עליה כל גויי הארץ
|
|
4
|
In that day, saith [Yehovah], I will smite every horse with
astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the
house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
|
ביום ההוא נאם־יהוה אכה כל־סוס בתמהון ורכבו
בשׁגעון ועל־בית יהודה אפקח את־עיני וכל סוס העמים אכה בעורון
|
|
5
|
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The
inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my
strength in [Yehovah] of hosts their God.
|
ואמרו אלפי יהודה בלבם אמצה לי ישׁבי ירושׁלם
ביהוה צבאות אלהיהם
|
|
6
|
In that day will I 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 people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and
Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
|
ביום ההוא אשׂים את־אלפי יהודה ככיור אשׁ בעצים
וכלפיד אשׁ בעמיר ואכלו על־ימין ועל־שׂמאול את־כל־העמים סביב וישׁבה ירושׁלם עוד
תחתיה בירושׁלם
|
|
7
|
[Yehovah] also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the
glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do
not magnify themselves against Judah.
|
והושׁיע יהוה את־אהלי יהודה בראשׁנה למען
לא־תגדל תפארת בית־דויד ותפארת ישׁב ירושׁלם על־יהודה
|
|
8
|
In that day shall [Yehovah] defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house
of David shall be as God, as the angel
of [Yehovah] before them.
|
ביום ההוא יגן יהוה בעד יושׁב ירושׁלם והיה
הנכשׁל בהם ביום ההוא כדויד ובית דויד כאלהים כמלאך יהוה לפניהם
|
|
9
|
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come
against Jerusalem.
|
והיה ביום ההוא אבקשׁ להשׁמיד את־כל־הגוים
הבאים על־ירושׁלם
|
When we look at history we see this kind of miraculous victory
between the return from exile and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in
70 C.E. The Greeks under Antiochus
Epiphanes tried to stamp out the faith in the One True God. They were the superpower in the world and
tried to force the Jews to worship the Greek gods. The Jews revolted under the leadership of the
Maccabees and managed to defeat the Greeks.
Zechariah 12:3 describes how “all the people of the earth” would
march against Jerusalem. 2 Maccabees 8:9
(Brenton) states:
Then
forthwith choosing Nicanor the son of Patroclus, one of his special friends, he
sent him with no fewer than twenty thousand of all nations under him, to root
out the whole generation of the Jews; and with him he joined also Gorgias a
captain, who in matters of war had great experience.
The books of the Maccabees record how God supported the revolt and
helped them fight, exactly as Zechariah predicted.
2 Maccabees 3:24-34 (Brenton)
24
Now as he was there present himself with his guard about the treasury, the Lord
of spirits, and the Prince of all power, caused a great apparition, so that all
that presumed to come in with him were astonished at the power of God, and
fainted, and were sore afraid.
25
For there appeared unto them an horse with a terrible rider upon him, and
adorned with a very fair covering, and he ran fiercely, and smote at Heliodorus
with his forefeet, and it seemed that he that sat upon the horse had complete
harness of gold.
26
Moreover two other young men appeared before him, notable in strength,
excellent in beauty, and comely in apparel, who stood by him on either side;
and scourged him continually, and gave him many sore stripes.
27
And Heliodorus fell suddenly unto the ground, and was compassed with great
darkness: but they that were with him took him up, and put him into a litter.
28
Thus him, that lately came with a great train and with all his guard into the
said treasury, they carried out, being unable to help himself with his weapons:
and manifestly they acknowledged the power of God.
29
For he by the hand of God was cast down, and lay speechless without all hope of
life.
30
But they praised the Lord, that had miraculously honoured his own place: for
the temple; which a little afore was full of fear and trouble, when the
Almighty Lord appeared, was filled with joy and gladness.
31
Then straightways certain of Heliodorus’ friends prayed Onias, that he would
call upon the most High to grant him his life, who lay ready to give up the
ghost.
32
So the high priest, suspecting lest the king should misconceive that some
treachery had been done to Heliodorus by the Jews, offered a sacrifice for the
health of the man.
33
Now as the high priest was making an atonement, the same young men in the same
clothing appeared and stood beside Heliodorus, saying, Give Onias the high
priest great thanks, insomuch as for his sake the Lord hath granted thee life:
34
And seeing that thou hast been scourged from heaven, declare unto all men the
mighty power of God. And when they had spoken these words, they appeared no
more.
2 Maccabees 10:29-31 (Brenton)
29
But when the battle waxed strong, there appeared unto the enemies from heaven
five comely men upon horses, with bridles of gold, and two of them led the
Jews,
30
And took Maccabeus betwixt them, and covered him on every side weapons, and
kept him safe, but shot arrows and lightnings against the enemies: so that
being confounded with blindness, and full of trouble, they were killed.
31
And there were slain of footmen twenty thousand and five hundred, and six
hundred horsemen.
2 Maccabees 11:8-15 (Brenton)
8
And as they were at Jerusalem, there appeared before them on horseback one in
white clothing, shaking his armour of gold.
9
Then they praised the merciful God all together, and took heart, insomuch that
they were ready not only to fight with men, but with most cruel beasts, and to
pierce through walls of iron.
10
Thus they marched forward in their armour, having an helper from heaven: for
the Lord was merciful unto them
11
And giving a charge upon their enemies like lions, they slew eleven thousand
footmen, and sixteen hundred horsemen, and put all the other to flight.
12
Many of them also being wounded escaped naked; and Lysias himself fled away
shamefully, and so escaped.
13
Who, as he was a man of understanding, casting with himself what loss he had
had, and considering that the Hebrews could not be overcome, because the
Almighty God helped them, he sent unto them,
14
And persuaded them to agree to all reasonable conditions, and promised that he
would persuade the king that he must needs be a friend unto them.
15
Then Maccabeus consented to all that Lysias desired, being careful of the
common good; and whatsoever Maccabeus wrote unto Lysias concerning the Jews,
the king granted it.
2 Maccabees 15:7-9
7
But Maccabeus had ever sure confidence that the Lord would help him:
8
Wherefore he exhorted his people not to fear the coming of the heathen against
them, but to remember the help which in former times they had received from
heaven, and now to expect the victory and aid, which should come unto them from
the Almighty.
9 And
so comforting them out of the law and the prophets, and withal putting them in
mind of the battles that they won afore, he made them more cheerful.
Now we see the result of the death of God’s shepherd.
Zechariah 12:10-14
|
10
|
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look
upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth
for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one
that is in bitterness for his
firstborn.
|
ושׁפכתי על־בית דויד ועל יושׁב ירושׁלם רוח חן
ותחנונים והביטו אלי את אשׁר־דקרו וספדו עליו כמספד על־היחיד והמר עליו כהמר
על־הבכור
|
|
11
|
In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the
mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
|
ביום ההוא יגדל המספד בירושׁלם כמספד הדד־רמון
בבקעת מגדון
|
|
12
|
And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the
house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of
Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
|
וספדה הארץ משׁפחות משׁפחות לבד משׁפחת
בית־דויד לבד ונשׁיהם לבד משׁפחת בית־נתן לבד ונשׁיהם לבד
|
|
13
|
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the
family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
|
משׁפחת בית־לוי לבד ונשׁיהם לבד משׁפחת השׁמעי
לבד ונשׁיהם לבד
|
|
14
|
All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives
apart.
|
כל המשׁפחות הנשׁארות משׁפחת משׁפחת לבד
ונשׁיהם לבד
|
Zechariah 13:1-9
|
1
|
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
|
ביום ההוא יהיה מקור נפתח לבית דויד ולישׁבי
ירושׁלם לחטאת ולנדה
|
|
2
|
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith [Yehovah] of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out
of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the
prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
|
והיה ביום ההוא נאם יהוה צבאות אכרית את־שׁמות
העצבים מן־הארץ ולא יזכרו עוד וגם את־הנביאים ואת־רוח הטמאה אעביר מן־הארץ
|
|
3
|
And it shall come to pass, that
when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him
shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name
of [Yehovah]: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him
through when he prophesieth.
|
והיה כי־ינבא אישׁ עוד ואמרו אליו אביו ואמו
ילדיו לא תחיה כי שׁקר דברת בשׁם יהוה ודקרהו אביהו ואמו ילדיו בהנבאו
|
|
4
|
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision,
when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
|
והיה ביום ההוא יבשׁו הנביאים אישׁ מחזינו
בהנבאתו ולא ילבשׁו אדרת שׂער למען כחשׁ
|
|
5
|
But he shall say, I am no
prophet, I am an husbandman; for man
taught me to keep cattle from my youth.
|
ואמר לא נביא אנכי אישׁ־עבד אדמה אנכי כי אדם
הקנני מנעורי
|
|
6
|
And one shall say unto
him, What are these wounds in thine
hands? Then he shall answer, Those
with which I was wounded in the house
of my friends.
|
ואמר אליו מה המכות האלה בין ידיך ואמר אשׁר
הכיתי בית מאהבי
|
|
7
|
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith [Yehovah] of hosts:
smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine
hand upon the little ones.
|
חרב עורי על־רעי ועל־גבר עמיתי נאם יהוה צבאות
הך את־הרעה ותפוצין הצאן והשׁבתי ידי על־הצערים
|
|
8
|
And it shall come to pass, that
in all the land, saith [Yehovah], two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
|
והיה בכל־הארץ נאם־יהוה פי־שׁנים בה יכרתו
יגועו והשׁלשׁית יותר בה
|
|
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, [Yehovah] is my God.
|
והבאתי את־השׁלשׁית באשׁ וצרפתים כצרף את־הכסף
ובחנתים כבחן את־הזהב הוא יקרא בשׁמי ואני אענה אתו אמרתי עמי הוא והוא יאמר
יהוה אלהי
|
Before we can get very far in interpreting this passage we must
first identify who was killed in Zechariah 12:10 and who killed him.
Just reading Zechariah 12 might lead one to conclude that he was
killed in battle. First, it describes a
war in the first part of the chapter.
Second, it compares the mourning for this individual to the mourning for
Josiah who was killed in battle in Megiddo.
However, when we look at the larger context it seems to portray
something very different.
Let’s look at the ESV translation of this verse.
And
I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit
of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they
have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and
weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
Although the KJV translates it as “look upon me whom they have
pierced”, this translation does a better job of capturing the nuance of this
passage.
The first question is, was this person killed by the ones looking
on him or someone else? The pronouns
used do give the possibility that this person was killed by those mourning for
him, instead of in battle with the enemy.
The prophecy in Daniel 9 covers this time period and states that
the anointed prince (Messiah) would be “cut off”, which usually indicates an
execution. This would support the idea
that the “him” in Zechariah 12:10 is not killed in combat, if the “him” is the
anointed prince.
The first clue that this is the anointed prince is found in the
fact that the spirit of grace and supplication are poured on the house of
David, so the “him” in question appears to be a member of the house of
David.
The second clue is that Zechariah 13:7 links the events of that
chapter to the death of God’s shepherd.
Also, verse 1 indicates these events start with the house of David,
indicating this is a parallel account to the death in chapter 12 verse 10.
Zechariah 11:10-13 indicates that God said He would “break my covenant which I had made with all the people” as a
result of the treatment of God’s shepherd.
Verse 13 indicates that these people are the religious authorites
because the exchange is described as taking place in the temple.
Finally, Zechariah 9:9-17 announces the arrival of the king and all
of the wonderful things that will happen when he reigns. This sets up all of the later references to
God’s shepherd. The description of the
world to come in Zechariah 14 closely parallels Zechariah 9:10-17, which
indicates that this is when those things come to fruition.
Daniel 9 definitely places the death of Messiah Prince before the
destruction of Jerusalem. Zechariah also
talks about God’s anointed king dying before the destruction of Jerusalem in
chapter 14 verses 1-2. Zechariah places
the Messianc Age after this time. Let’s
read.
Zechariah 14:1-2
|
1
|
Behold, the day of [Yehovah] cometh, and thy spoil shall be
divided in the midst of thee.
|
הנה יום־בא ליהוה וחלק שׁללך בקרבך
|
|
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.
|
ואספתי את־כל־הגוים אל־ירושׁלם למלחמה ונלכדה
העיר ונשׁסו הבתים והנשׁים תשׁגלנה ויצא חצי העיר בגולה ויתר העם לא יכרת
מן־העיר
|
This prophecy indicates a devastating conquest of Jerusalem by a
muntinational force. This would result
in many of the inhabitants of the city being carried into captivity. However, it would not result in a general
exile of the population like what happened after the Babylonians destroyed
Jerusalem. The prophecy was given during
the construction of the second temple.
So, when Zechariah received a prophecy about the destruction of
Jerusalem, we should be able to see its fulfillment the next time it was
destroyed. This is exactly what happened.
The Roman army was drawn from all of the many nations within the
Roman Empire. They laid a massive siege
and conquest of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.resulting in the complete destruction of
the temple. We saw all of this earlier
in our study of Daniel 9. We also saw
that the conquest was focused on Jerusalem and not the nation as a whole. Those cities and villages that submitted to
the authority of the Romans were spared.
Josephus records that 97,000 Jews were taken captive from
Jerusalem. The number is probably an
exaggeration, but it still confirms that many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were led into captivity. There is a
popular idea that the Jews were exiled from the land. However, the historical records indicate
otherwise. Most of the general
population remained in the land.
Rabbinic Judaism was developed by the Jews living in Judea as a response
to the destruction of the temple. This
is one of the most important events in the development of Judaism and could not
have happened without large numbers of Jews participating. Many of the intellectuals and religious leaders
chose to leave and go to more prosperous parts of the Roman Empire, but the
farmers had no such motivation. The
historic sources don’t indicate a massive reduction in the Jewish population
until the seventh century with the arrival of Islam. The fact that there is no evidence of any
large migrations at this time suggests that the reduction of the Jewish
population was the result of massive conversion to Islam.[5]
The Jews were banned from Jerusalem after the Bar Kokhba rebellion
six decades after the destruction of the temple. However, this ban was lifted by the emperor
Julian the Apostate. Julian’s hatred of
Christianity was so strong that he actually began work on building a new temple
for the Jews in an attempt to refute Jesus’s prophecy that no stone would
remain on another. This work was
abandoned when it was interrupted by earthquakes and then by balls of fire
coming from the foundations of the temple.[6]
Next, Zechariah describes the establishment of God’s kingdom when
God rules over them as king.
Zechariah 14:3-21
|
3
|
Then shall [Yehovah] go forth, and fight against those nations,
as when he fought in the day of battle.
|
ויצא יהוה ונלחם בגוים ההם כיום הלחמו ביום קרב
|
|
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 toward the south.
|
ועמדו רגליו ביום־ההוא על־הר הזתים אשׁר על־פני
ירושׁלם מקדם ונבקע הר הזיתים מחציו מזרחה וימה גיא גדולה מאד ומשׁ חצי ההר
צפונה וחציו־נגבה
|
|
5
|
And ye shall flee to the
valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto
Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the
days of Uzziah king of Judah: and [Yehovah] my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
|
ונסתם גיא־הרי כי־יגיע גי־הרים אל־אצל ונסתם
כאשׁר נסתם מפני הרעשׁ בימי עזיה מלך־יהודה ובא יהוה אלהי כל־קדשׁים עמך
|
|
6
|
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
|
והיה ביום ההוא לא־יהיה אור יקרות יקפאון
|
|
7
|
But it shall be one day which shall be known to [Yehovah], not
day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that
at evening time it shall be light.
|
והיה יום־אחד הוא יודע ליהוה לא־יום ולא־לילה
והיה לעת־ערב יהיה־אור
|
|
8
|
And it shall be in that day, that
living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former
sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it
be.
|
והיה ביום ההוא יצאו מים־חיים מירושׁלם חצים
אל־הים הקדמוני וחצים אל־הים האחרון בקיץ ובחרף יהיה
|
|
9
|
And [Yehovah] shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall
there be one LORD, and his name one.
|
והיה יהוה למלך על־כל־הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה יהוה
אחד ושׁמו אחד
|
|
10
|
All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south
of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her 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
winepresses.
|
יסוב כל־הארץ כערבה מגבע לרמון נגב ירושׁלם
וראמה וישׁבה תחתיה למשׁער בנימן עד־מקום שׁער הראשׁון עד־שׁער הפנים ומגדל
חננאל עד יקבי המלך
|
|
11
|
And men shall dwell in it,
and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely
inhabited.
|
וישׁבו בה וחרם לא יהיה־עוד וישׁבה ירושׁלם
לבטח
|
|
12
|
And this shall be the plague wherewith [Yehovah] 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.
|
וזאת תהיה המגפה אשׁר יגף יהוה את־כל־העמים
אשׁר צבאו על־ירושׁלם המק בשׂרו והוא עמד על־רגליו ועיניו תמקנה בחריהן ולשׁונו
תמק בפיהם
|
|
13
|
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from [Yehovah] shall be among them; and
they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand
shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.
|
והיה ביום ההוא תהיה מהומת־יהוה רבה בהם
והחזיקו אישׁ יד רעהו ועלתה ידו על־יד רעהו
|
|
14
|
And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all
the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and
apparel, in great abundance.
|
וגם־יהודה תלחם בירושׁלם ואסף חיל כל־הגוים
סביב זהב וכסף ובגדים לרב מאד
|
|
15
|
And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the
camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as
this plague.
|
וכן תהיה מגפת הסוס הפרד הגמל והחמור וכל־הבהמה
אשׁר יהיה במחנות ההמה כמגפה הזאת
|
|
16
|
And it shall come to pass, that
every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall
even go up from year to year to worship the King, [Yehovah] of hosts, and to
keep the feast of tabernacles.
|
והיה כל־הנותר מכל־הגוים הבאים על־ירושׁלם ועלו
מדי שׁנה בשׁנה להשׁתחות למלך יהוה צבאות ולחג את־חג הסכות
|
|
17
|
And it shall be, that
whoso will not come up of all the
families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, [Yehovah] of hosts,
even upon them shall be no rain.
|
והיה אשׁר לא־יעלה מאת משׁפחות הארץ אל־ירושׁלם
להשׁתחות למלך יהוה צבאות ולא עליהם יהיה הגשׁם
|
|
18
|
And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain;
there shall be the plague, wherewith [Yehovah] will smite the heathen that
come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
|
ואם־משׁפחת מצרים לא־תעלה ולא באה ולא עליהם
תהיה המגפה אשׁר יגף יהוה את־הגוים אשׁר לא יעלו לחג את־חג הסכות
|
|
19
|
This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all
nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
|
זאת תהיה חטאת מצרים וחטאת כל־הגוים אשׁר לא
יעלו לחג את־חג הסכות
|
|
20
|
In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS
UNTO [YEHOVAH]; and the pots in [Yehovah]'S house shall be like the bowls
before the altar.
|
ביום ההוא יהיה על־מצלות הסוס קדשׁ ליהוה והיה
הסירות בבית יהוה כמזרקים לפני המזבח
|
|
21
|
Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto [Yehovah]
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 the Canaanite in the house of
[Yehovah] of hosts.
|
והיה כל־סיר בירושׁלם וביהודה קדשׁ ליהוה צבאות
ובאו כל־הזבחים ולקחו מהם ובשׁלו בהם ולא־יהיה כנעני עוד בבית־יהוה צבאות ביום
ההוא
|
Notice the parallels between this and the King’s (Messiah’s) rule
described in chapter 9, especially 9:10 and 14:8-9. This would seem to indicate that the Messiah
rules underneath God. This is exactly
the situation described in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 15:24-28
|
24
|
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom
to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all
authority and power.
|
ειτα το τελος οταν παραδιδω την βασιλειαν τω θεω και πατρι οταν
καταργηση πασαν αρχην και πασαν εξουσιαν και δυναμιν
|
|
25
|
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
|
δει γαρ αυτον βασιλευειν αχρις ου θη παντας τους εχθρους υπο τους
ποδας αυτου
|
|
26
|
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
|
εσχατος εχθρος καταργειται ο θανατος
|
|
27
|
For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all
things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put
all things under him.
|
παντα γαρ υπεταξεν υπο τους ποδας αυτου οταν δε ειπη οτι παντα
υποτετακται δηλον οτι εκτος του υποταξαντος αυτω τα παντα
|
|
28
|
And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son
also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may
be all in all.
|
οταν δε υποταγη αυτω τα παντα τοτε [και] αυτος ο υιος
υποταγησεται τω υποταξαντι αυτω τα παντα ινα η ο θεος παντα εν πασιν
|
[1] Michelangelo
Buonarroti [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
[2] Sand, Shlomo.
"The Invention of the Exile: Proselytism and Conversion." The
Invention of the Jewish People. Pbk. ed. New York: Verso, 2010. 129-189.
Print.
[3] Ricciotti,
Abbot Giuseppe (2015-09-21). “XIV. RECONSTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM
AND THE LAWS ON FUNERALS” Julian the Apostate: 361-363 (Kindle Locations
4118-4176). TAN Books. Kindle Edition.
[4] Pieter
Brueghel the Elder (1526/1530–1569) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
[5] Sand, Shlomo.
"The Invention of the Exile: Proselytism and Conversion." The
Invention of the Jewish People. Pbk. ed. New York: Verso, 2010. 129-189.
Print.
[6] Ricciotti,
Abbot Giuseppe (2015-09-21). “XIV. RECONSTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM
AND THE LAWS ON FUNERALS” Julian the Apostate: 361-363 (Kindle Locations
4118-4176). TAN Books. Kindle Edition.
