Reference: Zechariah, The Book Of
Fausets
The Jewish saying was, "the spirit of Jeremiah dwelt in Zechariah." Like Ezekiel and Daniel, Zechariah delights in symbols, allegories, and visions of angels ministering before Jehovah and executing His commands on earth. Zechariah, like Genesis, Job, and Chronicles, brings Satan personally into view. The mention of myrtles (representing the then depressed Jewish church, Zec 1:11) accords with the fact of their non mention before the Babylonian exile (Ne 8:15); contrast the original command as to the trees at the feast of tabernacles, "palms, and willows of the brook" Esther's name Hadassah means "myrtle". (See MYRTLE.) Joshua's filthy garments (Zechariah 3) were those assumed by the accused in Persian courts; the white robe substituted was the caftan, to this day put upon a state minister in the East when acquitted. Some forms and phrases indicate a late age (as 'achath used as the indefinite article).
Zechariah encouraged the Jews in rebuilding the temple by unfolding the glorious future in contrast with the present depression of the theocracy. Matthew (Mt 27:9) quotes Zec 11:12 as Jeremiah's words. Doubtless because Zechariah had before his mind Jer 18:1-2; 32:6-12; Zechariah's prophecy is but a reiteration of the fearful oracle of Jeremiah 18-19, about to be fulfilled in the destruction of the Jewish nation. Jeremiah, by the image of a potter's vessel (the symbol of God's absolute power over His creatures: Ro 9:21; Isa 45:9; 64:8), portrayed their ruin in Nebuchadnezzar's invasion.
Zechariah repeats this threat as about to be fulfilled again by Rome for their rejection of Messiah Matthew, by mentioning Jeremiah, implies that the field of blood now bought by "the reward of iniquity" in the valley of Hinnom was long ago a scene of doom symbolically predicted, that the purchase of it with the traitor's price renewed the prophecy and revived the curse. The mention of Ephraim and Israel as distinct from Judah, in chapters 10 to 14, points to the ultimate restoration, not only of the Jews but of the northern Israelite ten tribes, who never returned as a body from their Assyrian captivity, the earnest of which was given in the numbers out of the ten tribes who returned with their brethren of Judah from the Babylonian captivity under Cyrus. There are four parts:
(I.) Introduction (Zec 1:1-6), a warning resting on the previous warnings of Haggai (Hag 1:4-8).
(II.) Symbolical (Zec 1:7 to chapter 6), nine visions in one night.
(III.) Didactic (Zechariah 7; 8), answer to a query of Bethelites concerning a, certain fast.
(IV.) Prophetical (Zechariah 9 to 14).
In the second part, the interpretation of the visions is given by the angel who knows Jehovah's will, intercedes with Jehovah for Israel, and by whom Jehovah speaks (Zec 1:9), "the angel that talked with me," or "in me"; compare 1Pe 1:11, "the Spirit of Christ which was in the prophets." The Angel of Jehovah the Man upon the red horse among the myrtle trees, is apparently identical with the interpreting angel through whom Jehovah communicates with His servants (Zec 1:8,10-12). The Angel of Jehovah is the Second Person in the Godhead.
The first vision represents Jehovah' s messengers announcing that after walking to and fro through the earth they found it at rest (in contrast to and counterworking Satan who "walks to and fro upon the earth" to hurt the saints, Job 1:7); this secure rest of the pagan earth is the interceding Angel's plea for the desolate temple and Judah, and elicits Jehovah's great jealousy for Zion, so that He returns to her with mercies and with judgments on the pagan oppressor (Hag 2:20-23).
The second vision states how Jehovah will repair Jerusalem's breaches namely, as the four (the four cardinal points of the horizon marking worldwide extension) great world powers, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, scattered Judah and Israel, so four "destroying artificers" shall fray (strike terror into) and cast out the horns of the Gentiles which lifted up their horn over Judah (Ps 75:4-5; Eze 34:21; Lu 21:24). The third vision is the man with line measuring Jerusalem; Messiah, its coming Restorer (Eze 40:3; 41:26). Instead of Jerusalem's past limiting wall, her population shall spread out beyond into the open country and need no wall, Jehovah Himself being "a wall of fire round about, and the glory in the midst of her" (Zec 2:1-5; Eze 38:11).
The next two (fourth and fifth) visions (Zechariah 3-4) show Joshua the high priest's (representing Jerusalem) trial and vindication against Satan, being justified by Jehovah through Messiah the Righteous Branch, though unclean in himself (compare Ps 109:6,31; Lu 1:11; Jg 1:9,23; Ro 8:33-34; Isa 64:6; 61:10; 66:21; Re 19:8; Lu 15:22).
Jehovah saith "I have laid the (foundation) stone (as the chief architect) before (in the presence of) Joshua," by the hand of Zerubbabel, so that your labour in building the temple shall not be in vain. Antitypically, Christ is the stone (Ps 118:22; Isa 28:16; Da 2:45; 1Co 3:11; 1Pe 2:6-7).
The "seven eyes upon the one stone" are carved on it; not so much the eyes of the Father (the eye symbolizing providence, seven perfection) and of angels and saints ever fixed on Him (Zec 4:10; 1Ti 3:16; Joh 3:14-15; 12:32; 8:59), as His own sevenfold fullness of grace, and of the Spirit's gifts put "UPON Him" by God, so that "He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes" (Isa 11:2-3; 42:1; Joh 1:16; 3:34; Col 1:19; 2:9); He is the living stone who not only attracts the eyes of His people, but emits from Himself all illumination. Contrast the "little horn" with the "eyes of a man" (Da 7:8).
The fifth vision (Zec 4:1-9), the candlestick or chandelier with seven lights, fed by seven tubes apiece, borrowed from the tabernacle (Ex 25:31, etc.), implies that the real motive power in the work of God (as Zerubbabel's building of the temple)is God's Spirit. The seven times seven imply the manifold modes by which the Spirit imparts grace to the church in her manifold work of enlightening the world.
The "two olive trees" supplying oil to the "bowl" answer to the Holy Spirit supplying with infinite fullness Jesus the fount (bowl) at the head of the church, for the twofold function of bringing the grace of atonement as our Priest, and of sanctification and glorification as our King, Every mountain in Zerubbabel's way must yield; so, antitypically, the "destroying mountain" antichrist (Jer 51:25; Da 2:34,45; Mt 21:44; Isa 40:4; 49:11) must give place to the "stone cut out of the mountain without hands"; and the top stone shall crown the completed church "with shoutings, Grace, grace unto it."
The sixth vision (Zec 5) is the curse upon a flying roll, recorded against sin, over Judaea primarily and ultimately the whole earth; it shall extirpate the fraudulent and perjurers; compare in Zechariah's time Ne 13:10; Mal 3:5,8.
Seventh vision. The woman in the ephah symbolizes wickedness and idolatry removed for ever from the Holy Land to Babylon (from whence Israel is redeemed), there to mingle with kindred elements. The ephah, their instrument of fraud, shall be the instrument of their punishment; idolatry and sin shall cease from Israel (Isa 2:18; 4:4).
Eighth vision. Four chariots, symbolizing the fourfold dispensations of Providence as regards the contact of the four great world powers with Judaea, come out from between the two mountains Zion and Moriah (the seat of the temple, representing the theocracy) where the Lord is (Zec 2:10), and from whence He sends His ministers of judgments on the pagan; the red horses in one represent carnage; the black, sorrow and famine (Re 6:5-6); the white, joy and victory; the grisled or piebald, a mixed dispensation, partly prosperity, partly adversity; all alike working together for good to Israel.
The red go northward to bathe in blood, Babylon; the white go north after the red, to conquer Medo-Persia; the grisled go south to deal with Graeco-Macedonian Egypt; the bay or rather fleet "walk to and fro through the earth" to counterwork "Satan's going to and fro in the earth" in connection with Rome, the last of the four world powers (Job 1:7; 2Th 2:8-9; 1Ti 4:1).
Ninth vision. The double crowning of Joshua symbo
See Verses Found in Dictionary
If the ox gores a male or female slave, he must give 30 shekels of silver to the slave's master, and the ox must be stoned.
"You are to make a lampstand out of pure, hammered gold. It is to be made of one piece: its base and shaft, its [ornamental] cups, and its calyxes and petals.
For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is [to us] whenever we call to Him?
so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean to you?'
Afterwards, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites who were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the Judean foothills.
He defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of Hinnom, so that no one could make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.
They celebrated the Festival of Booths as prescribed, and [offered] burnt offerings each day, based on the number specified by ordinance for each festival day.
But when the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak began to rebuild God's house in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, helping them.
So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout all their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, "Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and [other] leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written."
join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the law of God given through God's servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.
I also found out that because the portions for the Levites had not been given, each of the Levites and the singers performing the service had gone back to his own field.
The Lord asked Satan, "Where have you come from?" "From roaming through the earth," Satan answered Him, "and walking around on it."
The Lord asked Satan, "Where have you come from?" "From roaming through the earth," Satan answered Him, "and walking around on it."
Give the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of [His] holiness.
I say to the boastful, 'Do not boast,' and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horn. Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak arrogantly.' "
For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who would condemn him.
The Lord declared to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool." The Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion. Rule over Your surrounding enemies.
The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back: "Forever, You are a priest like Melchizedek."
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and judgments to Israel. He has not done this for any nation; they do not know [His] judgments. Hallelujah!
when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodguilt from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of burning.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him- a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, He will not execute justice by what He hears with His ears,
Therefore the Lord God said: "Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable.
Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rough places a plain.
"This is My Servant; I strengthen Him, [this is] My Chosen One; I delight in Him. I have put My Spirit on Him; He will bring justice to the nations.
"Woe to the one who argues with his Maker- one clay pot among many. Does clay say to the one forming it: What are you making? Or does your work [say]: He has no hands?
creating words of praise." The Lord says, "Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him.
Yes, the islands will wait for Me with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from far away, their silver and gold with them, for the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. Foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in My wrath, yet I will show mercy to you with My favor.
I greatly rejoice in the Lord, I exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.
If you have raced with runners and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?
[This is] the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Go down at once to the potter's house; there I will reveal My words to you."
"Look, the days are coming"-the Lord's declaration-"when the city from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate will be rebuilt for the Lord. A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. read more. The whole valley-the corpses, the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east-will be holy to the Lord. It will never be uprooted or demolished again."
Jeremiah replied, "The word of the Lord came to me: 'Watch! Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say: Buy my field in Anathoth for yourself, for you own the right of redemption to buy it.' read more. "Then my cousin Hanamel [came] to the guard's courtyard as the Lord had said and urged me, 'Please buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for you own the right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out to him the money-17 shekels of silver. I recorded it on a scroll, sealed it, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on a scale. I took the purchase agreement-the sealed copy with its terms and conditions and the open copy- and gave the purchase agreement to Baruch son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah. [I did this] in the sight of my cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement, and all the Judeans sitting in the guard's courtyard.
All who found them devoured them. Their adversaries said: We're not guilty; instead, they have sinned against the Lord, their righteous grazing land, the hope of their ancestors, the Lord.
Look, I am against you, devastating mountain- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration- you devastate the whole earth. I will stretch out My hand against you, roll you down from the cliffs, and turn you into a burned-out mountain.
One third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you; one third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter one third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword [to chase] after them.
You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.
"The Lord God says to you, My flock: I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and male goats.
Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over,
You will say: I will go up against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely, all of them living without walls and without bars or gates-
He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. He was standing by the gate.
There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides, on the sidewalls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.
This is the law of the temple: all its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be especially holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.
"This is what the Lord God says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter My sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites.
Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side [of the threshold] of the temple, south of the altar. Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. read more. As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to [my] ankles. Then he measured off a third [of a mile] and led me through the water. It came up to [my] knees. He measured off another third [of a mile] and led me through [the water]. It came up to [my] waist. Again he measured off a third of a [mile], and it was a river that I could not cross [on foot]. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed [on foot]. He asked me, "Do you see [this], son of man?" Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank. He said to me, "This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water [of the sea] becomes fresh. Every [kind of] living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim. These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt. All [kinds of] trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water [comes] from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine."
As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it, struck the statue on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.
You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation certain."
You saw a stone break off from the mountain without a hand touching it, and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation certain."
"While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. There were eyes in this horn like a man's, and it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly.
From one of them a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.
He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator."
The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful landwith total destruction in his hand.
Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. "Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished. read more. He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all. Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses-a god his fathers did not know-with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches.
At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape.
"Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?" Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: "Think carefully about your ways: read more. You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner [puts his] wages into a bag with a hole in it." The Lord of Hosts says this: "Think carefully about your ways. Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified," says the Lord.
The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. read more. I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overturn chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders will fall, each by his brother's sword. On that day"-the declaration of the Lord of Hosts-"I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant"-the Lord's declaration-"and make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you." [This is] the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: "The Lord was extremely angry with your ancestors. read more. So tell the people: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Return to Me"-[this is] the declaration of the Lord of Hosts-"and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts. Do not be like your ancestors; the earlier prophets proclaimed to them: This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds. But they did not listen or pay attention to Me"-the Lord's declaration. "Where are your ancestors now? And do the prophets live forever? But didn't My words and My statutes that I commanded My servants the prophets overtake your ancestors? They repented and said: As the Lord of Hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so He has dealt with us." The Night Visions On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:
On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo: I looked out in the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. read more. I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking to me replied, "I will show you what they are." Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the Lord has sent to patrol the earth." They reported to the Angel of the Lord standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet."
They reported to the Angel of the Lord standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet." Then the Angel of the Lord responded, "How long, Lord of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that You have been angry with these 70 years?"
I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, "Where are you going?" He answered me, "To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length." read more. Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him. He said to him, "Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it."
He said to him, "Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it." The declaration of the Lord: "I will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it."
I will move against them with My power, and they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent Me. "Daughter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, for I am coming to dwell among you"-the Lord's declaration.
"Daughter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, for I am coming to dwell among you"-the Lord's declaration.
"Daughter Zion, shout for joy and be glad, for I am coming to dwell among you"-the Lord's declaration. "Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day and become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent Me to you.
"Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day and become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent Me to you.
So He spoke to those standing before Him, "Take off his filthy clothes!" Then He said to him, "See, I have removed your guilt from you, and I will clothe you with splendid robes."
Notice the stone I have set before Joshua; on [that] one stone are seven eyes. I will engrave an inscription on it"-the declaration of the Lord of Hosts-"and I will take away the guilt of this land in a single day.
The angel who was speaking with me then returned and roused me as one awakened out of sleep. He asked me, "What do you see?" I replied, "I see a solid gold lampstand there with a bowl on its top. It has seven lamps on it and seven channels for each of the lamps on its top. read more. There are also two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left." Then I asked the angel who was speaking with me, "What are these, my lord?" "Don't you know what they are?" replied the angel who was speaking with me. I said, "No, my lord." So he answered me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of Hosts. 'What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of: Grace, grace to it!' " Then the word of the Lord came to me: "Zerubbabel's hands have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. For who scorns the day of small things? These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand."
For who scorns the day of small things? These seven eyes of the Lord, which scan throughout the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand."
Yes, He will build the Lord's temple; He will be clothed in splendor and will sit on His throne and rule. There will also be a priest on His throne, and there will be peaceful counsel between the two of them.
In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.
"I scattered them with a windstorm over all the nations that had not known them, and the land was left desolate behind them, with no one coming or going. They turned a pleasant land into a desolation."
The Lord of Hosts says this: "Peoples will yet come, the residents of many cities; the residents of one city will go to another, saying: Let's go at once to plead for the Lord's favor and to seek the Lord of Hosts. I am also going. read more. Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead for the Lord's favor."
Many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead for the Lord's favor." The Lord of Hosts says this: "In those days, 10 men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
The Lord of Hosts says this: "In those days, 10 men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
An Oracle The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting place- for the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord-
An Oracle The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting place- for the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord- and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd.
and also against Hamath, which borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very shrewd. Tyre has built herself a fortress; she has heaped up silver like dust and gold like the dirt of the streets. read more. Listen! The Lord will impoverish her and cast her wealth into the sea; she herself will be consumed by fire. Ashkelon will see it and be afraid; Gaza too, and will writhe in great pain, as will Ekron, for her hope will fail. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will become uninhabited. A mongrel people will live in Ashdod, and I will destroy the pride of the Philistines. I will remove the blood from their mouths and the detestable things from between their teeth. Then they too will become a remnant for our God; they will become like a clan in Judah and Ekron like the Jebusites. I will set up camp at My house against an army, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now I have seen with My own eyes.
I will set up camp at My house against an army, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now I have seen with My own eyes.
I will set up camp at My house against an army, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now I have seen with My own eyes.
I will set up camp at My house against an army, against those who march back and forth, and no oppressor will march against them again, for now I have seen with My own eyes. Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem. The bow of war will be removed, and He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. read more. As for you, because of the blood of your covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless cistern. Return to a stronghold, you prisoners who have hope; today I declare that I will restore double to you.
Return to a stronghold, you prisoners who have hope; today I declare that I will restore double to you. For I will bend Judah [as My bow]; I will fill that bow with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece. I will make you like a warrior's sword.
For I will bend Judah [as My bow]; I will fill that bow with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece. I will make you like a warrior's sword. Then the Lord will appear over them, and His arrow will fly like lightning. The Lord God will sound the trumpet and advance with the southern storms. read more. The Lord of Hosts will defend them. They will consume and conquer with slingstones; they will drink and be rowdy as if with wine. They will be as full as the sprinkling basin, like [those] at the corners of the altar. The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people; for they are like jewels in a crown, sparkling over His land. How lovely and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine, the young women.
My anger burns against the shepherds, so I will punish the leaders. For the Lord of Hosts has tended His flock, the house of Judah; He will make them like His majestic steed in battle.
Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is destroyed. Listen to the roar of young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed. The Lord my God says this: "Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter.
The Lord my God says this: "Shepherd the flock intended for slaughter. Those who buy them slaughter them but are not punished. Those who sell them say: Praise the Lord because I have become rich! Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them.
So I shepherded the flock intended for slaughter, the afflicted of the flock. I took two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
In one month I got rid of three shepherds. I became impatient with them, and they also detested me.
Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples.
Next I took my staff called Favor and cut it in two, annulling the covenant I had made with all the peoples. It was annulled on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord.
It was annulled on that day, and so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord. Then I said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep [them]." So they weighed my wages, 30 pieces of silver.
Then I said to them, "If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep [them]." So they weighed my wages, 30 pieces of silver. "Throw it to the potter," the Lord said to me-this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter.
"Throw it to the potter," the Lord said to me-this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter.
"Throw it to the potter," the Lord said to me-this magnificent price I was valued by them. So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw it into the house of the Lord, to the potter. Then I cut in two my second staff, Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. read more. The Lord also said to me: "Take the equipment of a foolish shepherd. I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are going astray, and he will not seek the lost or heal the broken. He will not sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the fat [sheep] and tear off their hooves. Woe to the worthless shepherd who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither away and his right eye go completely blind!"
On that day"-the declaration of the Lord of Hosts-"I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
Sword, awake against My shepherd, against the man who is My associate- the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will also turn My hand against the little ones. In the whole land- the Lord's declaration- two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in it. read more. I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are My people, and they will say: The Lord is our God."
I will put this third through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are My people, and they will say: The Lord is our God."
On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.
On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea, in summer and winter alike.
All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But [Jerusalem] will be raised up and will remain on its site from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.
All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But [Jerusalem] will be raised up and will remain on its site from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.
All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be changed into a plain. But [Jerusalem] will be raised up and will remain on its site from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. People will live there, and never again will there be a curse of destruction. So Jerusalem will dwell in security.
Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths.
Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths.
On that day, [the words] HOLY TO THE LORD will be on the bells of the horses. The pots in the house of the Lord will be like the sprinkling basins before the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of Hosts. Everyone who sacrifices will come and take some of the pots to cook in. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hosts.
"I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny [justice to] the foreigner. They do not fear Me," says the Lord of Hosts.
"Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!" You ask: "How do we rob You?" "[By not making the payments] of 10 percent and the contributions.
Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder!"]
Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: They took the 30 pieces of silver, the price of Him whose price was set by the sons of Israel,
Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: They took the 30 pieces of silver, the price of Him whose price was set by the sons of Israel,
An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
"But the father told his slaves, 'Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Indeed, we have all received grace after grace from His fullness,
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.
For God sent Him, and He speaks God's words, since He gives the Spirit without measure.
I have come in My Father's name, yet you don't accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
At that, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple complex.
If we let Him continue in this way, everybody will believe in Him! Then the Romans will come and remove both our place and our nation."
You're not considering that it is to your advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish."
As for Me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all [people] to Myself."
He did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God's elect? God is the One who justifies. read more. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
Or has the potter no right over His clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor?
For if their being rejected is world reconciliation, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
For God was pleased [to have] all His fullness dwell in Him,
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
and He was declared by God a high priest "in the order of Melchizedek."
Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because He has become a "high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."
For this Melchizedek- King of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything; first, his name means "king of righteousness," then also, "king of Salem," meaning "king of peace"; read more. without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God- remains a priest forever. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder! The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment according to the law to collect a tenth from the people-that is, from their brothers-though they have [also] descended from Abraham. But one without this lineage collected tithes from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, men who will die receive tithes; but in the other case, [Scripture] testifies that he lives. And in a sense Levi himself, who receives tithes, has paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still within his forefather when Melchizedek met him. If, then, perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise in the order of Melchizedek, and not to be described as being in the order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well. For the One about whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, from which no one has served at the altar. Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and about that tribe Moses said nothing concerning priests. And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek arises, who doesn't become a [priest] based on a legal command concerning physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life. For it has been testified: You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. So the previous commandment is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable (for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. None of this [happened] without an oath. For others became priests without an oath, but He with an oath made by the One who said to Him: The Lord has sworn, and He will not change His mind, You are a priest forever.
They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow.
When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius-but do not harm the olive oil and the wine."
A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies. He was also given authority to act for 42 months. He began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling-those who dwell in heaven.
He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth before people. He deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the sword wound yet lived. read more. He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he requires everyone-small and great, rich and poor, free and slave-to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast's name or the number of his name. Here is wisdom: The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [coming] from the dragon's mouth, from the beast's mouth, and from the mouth of the false prophet.
She was permitted to wear fine linen, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
Smith
Zechariah, The book of.
The book of Zechariah, in its existing form, consists of three principal parts, vis. chs. 1-8; chs. 9-11; chs. 12-14.
1. The first of these divisions is allowed by the critics to be the genuine work of Zechariah the son of Iddo. It consists, first, of a short introduction or preface in which the prophet announces his commission; then of a series of visions, descriptive of all those hopes and anticipations of which the building of the temple was the pledge and sure foundation and finally of a discourse, delivered two years later, in reply to questions respecting the observance of certain established fasts.
2. The remainder of the book consists of two sections of about equal length, chs. 9-11 and 12-14, each of which has an inscription. (1) In the first section he threatens Damascus and the seacoast of Palestine with misfortune, but declares that Jerusalem shall be protected. (2) The second section is entitled "The burden of the word of Jehovah for Israel." But Israel is here used of the nation at large, not of Israel as distinct from Judah. Indeed the prophecy which follows concerns Judah and Jerusalem, in this the prophet beholds the near approach of troublous times, when Jerusalem should be hard pressed by enemies. But in that day Jehovah shall come to save them an all the nations which gather themselves against Jerusalem shall be destroyed. Many modern critics maintain that the later chapters, from the ninth to the fourteenth, were written by some other prophet, who lived before the exile. The prophecy closes with a grand and stirring picture. All nations are gathered together against Jerusalem, and seem already sure of their prey. Half of their cruel work has been accomplished, when Jehovah himself appears on behalf of his people. He goes forth to war against the adversaries of his people. He establishes his kingdom over all the earth. All nations that are still left shall come up to Jerusalem, as the great centre of religious worship, and the city; from that day forward shall be a holy city. Such is, briefly, an outline of the second portion of that book which is commonly known as the Prophecy of Zechariah. Integrity. -Mede was the first to call this in question. The probability that the later chapters, from the ninth to the fourteenth, were by some other prophet seems first to have been suggested to him by the citation in St. Matthew. He rests his opinion partly on the authority of St. Matthew and partly-on the contents of the later chapters, which he considers require a date earlier than the exile. Archbishop Newcombe went further. He insisted on the great dissimilarity of style as well as subject between the earlier and later chapters and he was the first who advocated the theory that the last six chapters of Zechariah are the work of two distinct prophets.