,an ,amicable ,controversy ,with ,a ,jewish ,rabbi1 ,on ,the ,messiah's ,coming3 ,unfolding ,new ,views on ,prophecy ,and ,the ,nature of the ,millenium3 ,with an ,entirely ,new ,exposition of ,zechariah1 ,on ,the ,messiah's ,kingdom ,by ,j4 ,r4 ,park1 ,m4,d4 c4 ,london3 ,smith1 ,elder1 ,and ,co4 #fe1 ,cornhill #ahcb ,,contents ,preface4 ,introduction4 ,zechariah ,on ,the ,messiah's ,kingdom4 ,interpretation3 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,notes ,to ,chapter ,,ix4 ,hebrew ,punctuation4 ,the ,rabbi's ,exposition ,and ,reply1 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,zechariah1 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,remarks ,on ,the ,rabbi's ,exposition4 ,zechariah ,on ,the ,messiah's ,kingdom4 ,interpretation3 ,chapter ,x4 ,notes ,to ,chapter ,,ix4 ,the ,rabbi's ,reply1 ,and ,the ,author's ,remarks ,upon ,it4 ,chapter ,x4 ,zechariah ,on ,the ,messiah's ,kingdom4 ,interpretation3 ,chapter ,,xi4 ,notes ,to ,chapter ,,xi4 ,the ,rabbi's ,translation4 ,chapter ,,xi4 ,the ,rabbi's ,exposition4 ,chapter ,,xi4 ,zechariah ,on ,the ,messiah's ,kingdom4 ,interpretation3 ,chapter ,,xii4 ,notes ,to ,chapter ,,xii4 ,the ,rabbi's ,exposition1 ,and ,the ,author's ,remarks4 ,chapter ,,xii4 ,zechariah ,on ,the ,messiah's ,kingdom4 ,interpretation3 ,chapter ,,xiii4 ,notes ,to ,chapter ,,xiii4 ,zechariah ,on ,the ,messiah's ,kingdom4 ,interpretation3 ,chapter ,,xiv4 ,notes ,to ,chapter ,,xiv4 ,the ,millenium4 ,,preface4 ,what6 another ,commentary on ,zechariah6 the reader is ready to exclaim4 ,have we not a ,lowth and a ,blayney8 ,what can learning1 talent1 or research effect1 that has not been effected already8 ,in a word1 ,i answer--nothing4 ,but1 on the other hand1 ,i ask1 what have they effected8 ,with the exception of particular passages1 on which light has been thrown1 the general scope of the prophecy remains as obscure as ever4 ,sufficient proof of this appears in the want of consistency in the plan of interpretation1 which in one verse looks to future events1 and in another to events long past1 for explanation2 in one part supposes the prophet to offer a connected series of consecutive predictions2 in the next supposes him to be carried away by a transport into a digression bordering upon incoherency2 varying1 moreover1 continually in the principle of exposition1 which is literal or figurative1 political or spiritual by turns4 ,surely this is not legitimate exposition1 but rather bespeaks some latent error1 some radical defect in the plan1 or principle of investigation4 ,to point out that defect1 which the writer fancies he has discovered1 is the object of the present attempt2 whether he be right or wrong1 the reader must decide4 ,the traveller who mistakes his road1 only goes the farther astray the more he prolongs his journey4 ,so the commentator on prophecy1 who labours to force the text to a sense which it was not intended to bear1 the more learning and ingenuity he employs1 the more he becomes involved in intricacy and obscurity4 ,in expounding the prophecies relating to the ,jews1 commentators have had chiefly in view their temporal and political state2 whereas the writer conceives1 that their moral and religious1 that is1 their spiritual condition1 is really the main purport of those which relate to the restoration of ,israel4 ,let any one read the description of the ,new ,jerusalem in the #bast chapter of ,revelations1 and ask himself1 if this can possibly apply to a literal city1 or political state4 ,it evidently cannot2 and yet it must apply to some state of the ,jews on earth2 for the ,messiah's kingdom is always described as a kingdom on earth2 and1 therefore1 if the description does not apply to their temporal1 it must to their spiritual condition4 ,the ,messiah's kingdom is allowed to be the chief subject of these prophecies2 but if ,christ be the ,messiah1 his kingdom is a spiritual one1 and what relates to it must be spiritually understood4 ,we marvel at the blindness which prevents the ,jews from perceiving in prophecy the numerous intimations of a spiritual ,messiah1 all of which appear to us to have been distinctly fulfilled in the person of ,christ2 and yet that very blindness to their spirituality is what prevents ourselves from understanding other prophecies relating to the same subject4 ,let this be steadily and uniformly kept in view1 and most of the difficulties will vanish2 and an interpretation will unfold itself1 not only historically minute1 and chronologically accurate1 but which is1 moreover1 as far as scriptural language admits1 literal2 for in what relates to spiritual affairs1 the spiritual is the most literal interpretation4 ,this1 then1 is the principle of the following exposition1 and when it has been found necessary to correct the translation1 it was not for the purpose of finding out more recondite meanings1 but to bring back the words of the text to their ordinary and literal signification4 ,with regard to the controversial form under which the treatise appears1 a word of explanation may be requisite4 ,the writer having framed his views of prophecy on principles most at variance with those of the ,jews1 and being only a self-taught ,hebraist1 was anxious to know how far his exposition might be controverted by an acknowledged ,hebrew scholar of the ,jewish persuasion4 ,upon inquiry he was referred to his present opponent1 as the fittest person for that purpose2 and he had the satisfaction to find1 that however they might differ in the plan of interpretation1 yet his opponent could rarely challenge the accuracy or fidelity of his translation2 which he acknowledged to be more in accordance with the ,christian principle of exposition1 than any he had previously met with4 ,at the same time he declared the views it unfolded1 to contain nothing likely to have any weight with a ,jew2 and readily pledged himself to answer those views1 should the writer ever be disposed to publish them4 ,the views and the answer are now before the reader4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,single-word ,hebrew quotations in the original book are often rendered here in the form 8,a 7or ,b701 with the same word rendered in 8,a0 and in 8,b01 but with the letters stored in opposite orders4 ,this is to allow the same e-book to render properly in both ,,html and ,,pdf4 ,the full-paragraph quotations should appear correct in all formats4 ,,introduction4 8,the testimony of ,jesus in the spirit of prophecy40 ,few1 perhaps1 of those who read the ,scriptures are fully aware of the extent to which the language of them abounds in metaphor2 yet is this knowledge indispensable to the right understanding of both the ,old and the ,new ,testament1 and especially the prophetic parts of these books4 ,prophecy1 though not the largest1 is beyond question the most important part of ,scripture1 affording the only irrefragable proofs of ,god's moral government of the world1 and of ,christ's being the promised ,messiah4 ,these proofs depend upon no human testimony1 but carry their evidence in themselves1 not resting on man's credibility4 ,deposited in the hands of those1 whose blindness understands them not1 and whose prejudice would gladly pervert their meaning1 they have been handed down to us1 who are blinded by similar prejudices1 and in expounding these prophecies are only a shade more enlightened than the ,jews4 ,this rich mine of miraculous evidence1 still remains1 almost wholly unexplored1 although it is to this testimony especially1 that ,christ himself appealed4 ,search the ,scriptures1 said he1 for in them ye think ye have eternal life1 and they are they which testify of me4 ,this testimony still remains to ,christians of the present day1 for the most part1 a sealed book2 for beyond a partially successful attempt1 to point out in it1 the prediction of a few leading events1 fulfilled near two thousand years ago1 and therefore now no longer miraculous evidence to us1 but resting on the authenticity of historical records1 all the rest is veiled from their sight4 ,the subsequent history of the progress of our religion1 continued in these prophecies1 in one uninterrupted series of predictions up to the present day2 detailing the triumphant progress of the ,gospel--the downfall of ,judaism--the subversion of ,paganism--the corruption of ,christianity by the ,gentiles--the long age of darkness consequent thereto--the rise and successful career of ,mahommedism1 which has supplanted nominal ,christianity over half the globe--the exact boundary line1 affixing a limit to the dominion of each of these grand apostacies--their co-existence and simultaneous downfall--and the revival of true ,christianity--with other events1 clearly foretold1 and now fulfilling before our eyes1 have all escaped the detection of the most learned commentators whether ,jewish or ,christian4 ,the inability to explain these prophecies thus tacitly acknowledged1 which has accompanied their transmission to our hands1 is in some degree a pledge that they have been faithfully handed down to us2 for who would be at the pains to interpolate what none could pretend to explain or apply8 ,at the same time1 the cause of their remaining unexplained1 and of their appearing inapplicable to passing events1 becomes a highly interesting object of inquiry2 and will be chiefly found to arise from the circumstance alleged at the outset1 namely1 the misinterpretation of the figurative language of ,scripture and ,prophecy4 ,the leading subject of prophecy is the ,messiah's kingdom2 a kingdom which the ,jews expected to be a temporal one1 and in this expectation1 rejected ,christ as a spiritual prince4 ,whence arose their error8--,from their taking in a literal sense the language1 in which the prophets had described that kingdom4 ,the ,apostles1 and first disciples of our ,lord were under a similar illusion2 and had ,christ at once undeceived them1 and banished from their minds all hope of temporal dominion1 it is probable they would to a man have deserted him4 ,in fact1 they did so desert him at his crucifixion2 nor did they fully perceive their error1 till after his resurrection1 when they received the gift of the ,spirit on the day of ,pentecost1 and their eyes were at length fully opened to the spiritual nature of his reign4 ,the ,jews still remain under this illusion1 continuing still to look for a temporal prince1 and the literal fulfilment of prophecy4 ,thousands also of ,christians1 who look for the second coming of ,christ1 expect his personal advent2 that is1 that he will come in person to reign with the saints on earth for a thousand years4 ,and the title of saints1 whether assumed by1 or bestowed upon the millenarians1 seems to be fondly cherished by them1 in anticipation of the share they expect in the glories of that reign now approaching1 or1 as they suppose1 just at hand4 ,that there be any among these1 who would1 like the first disciples1 desert their ,lord1 if robbed of this pleasing expectation1 it were perhaps invidious to suppose4 ,whether1 like the ,jews1 they are led into this hope of an earthly kingdom1 by their misconception of the prophecies that relate to this period1 it were premature as yet to enquire4 ,but certain it is1 that they are for the most part zealous advocates for the literal sense of prophecy2 and equally adverse with the ,jews1 to what may be termed the spiritual exposition4 ,the term spiritual has1 however1 been so much misunderstood1 in regard to the interpretation of prophecy1 that it may be well to explain here what is intended by it4 ,no more is meant by this term1 than that the prophecies relating to the ,messiah's kingdom1 which the ,christian must allow to be of a spiritual nature1 foretel events which regard the moral and religious1 and not the political state of the world4 ,in a word1 that they foreshow the progress1 and final establishment of true christianity on earth2 this being the ,messiah's kingdom1 or his spiritual reign4 ,in this subject1 or the progress of our religion1 we have a history abounding in events more diversified in their nature1 and more interesting in their consequences1 because more influential on the happiness of mankind1 than any which political history can furnish4 ,their chronology and geography are in some points peculiar2 but1 rightly understood1 even these admit of being marked with unerring precision1 and present some of the most striking proofs of divine foreknowledge4 ,we have intimated that prophetic language abounds in metaphor2 but this remains to be proved1 as well as stated2 and the nature of these metaphors requires to be pointed out and explained4 ,this can only be done by citations from the prophecies themselves1 which shall1 however1 be made with as much brevity as the subject will admit of4 ,the passages shall all be taken from prophecies relating to the ,messiah's kingdom2 and while their purport is made manifest1 it shall at the same time be shewn that they are uniformly employed in the same sense1 when the ,messiah's kingdom is the subject treated of1 throughout the ,new as well as the ,old ,testament4 ,we proceed to show the metaphorical nature of prophetic language4 ,when ,isaiah 7,ch4 lxi47 uses such phrases as1 trees of righteousness1 garments of praise1 garments of salvation1 it is manifest that he cannot mean literal trees or literal garments2 the figurative and spiritual import expressed by the epithet affixed to each1 namely righteousness1 salvation and praise1 is the only one that can be given to them4 ,when the same prophet 7,ch4 lx47 foretelling the glory of the ,messiah's reign1 by the conversion of the ,gentiles1 says ,the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee2 the forces of the ,gentiles shall come unto thee1 it is evident that the sea does not mean the literal sea1 but figuratively the ,gentile nations1 as afterwards expressed4 ,when he styles the ,messiah's kingdom1 ,zion1 the city of the ,lord1 whose walls shall be called salvation1 and whose gates praise2 a spiritual and not a literal city must be intended4 ,when1 changing the metaphor1 he calls the city a bride 7,ch4 lxii1 #e17 or describes it as a woman in labour1 and bringing forth a male child1 7,ch4 lxvi4 #f4 #h47 it is clear that all these expressions must be metaphorical2 the mountain1 the city1 the bride and the mother1 being alike used to express the same object2 and that object1 as the context declares1 the spiritual glory of the ,messiah's reign2 splendid in righteousness1 abundant in salvation4 ,although the spiritual import of these expressions appears self-evident2 while the context may satisfy the ,christian that these chapters foreshow the nature of the ,messiah's kingdom1 metaphorically styled by the prophets1 the ,zion of ,god1 ,his holy mountain1 the heavenly ,jerusalem1 c41 terms which alone bespeak its spirituality2 yet have we moreover the direct sanction and authority of the ,apostles ,paul and ,john for thus understanding them4 ,st4 ,paul1 when comparing the advantages of the two covenants1 and contrasting the rigorous severity of the law1 with the indulgent mildness of the gospel1 borrows these very metaphors from the prophets1 calling the former ,mount ,sinai1 and the latter ,mount ,zion4 7,heb4 xii4 #ah47 ,for ye are not come1 says he1 to the mountain that might be touched1 and that burned with fire1 nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest1 c4 ,but ye are come unto ,mount ,zion1 and unto the city of the living ,god1 the heavenly ,jerusalem1 and to an innumerable company of ,angels4 ,to the general assembly and church of the first-born1 which are written in heaven1 c4 ,here we see ,mount ,sinai1 from which the law was delivered1 figuratively used to signify the ,old ,covenant2 and ,mount ,zion1 and the ,heavenly ,jerusalem to signify the ,new ,covenant1--called also the general assembly and church of the first-born2 that is of the regenerate through ,christ4 ,in like manner ,st4 ,john1 when foreshowing the final establishment of true ,christianity1 uses the same metaphor of a city and a bride1 that had been previously used by ,isaiah4 7,rev4 xxi4 #b47 ,and ,i1 ,john1 saw the holy city1 new ,jerusalem coming down from ,god out of heaven prepared as a bride1 adorned for her husband1 c4 ,but let it not be erroneously supposed that the figurative character of prophetic language consists merely in the use of these terms to express the ,messiah's kingdom2 or that the proof of its spirituality is confined to the employment1 however frequent1 of such phrases as trees of righteousness1 waters of life1 wells of salvation1 c42 the fact is1 that every allusion to that kingdom is couched in terms1 which admit only of spiritual interpretation3 and where any lengthened description occurs1 the language assumes the form of continued allegory1 in which the moral and religious state of mankind is foreshewn in terms appropriate only to the physical world4 ,as in ,ezekiel xxxiv4 #bf4 ,and ,i will make them1 and the places round about my hill a blessing2 and ,i will cause the shower to come down is his season2 there shall be showers of blessing4 ,and the tree of the field shall yield her fruit1 and the earth shall yield her increase1 and they shall be safe in their land1 and shall know that ,i am the ,lord4 ,when ,jeremiah 7xxxi4 #ab47 in similar language foretels the abundance of blessings promised in this kingdom1 even the ,rabbi admits that the figurative and not the literal sense is to be taken2 and that spiritual1 not temporal blessings are here intended by the prophet4 ,therefore they shall come and sing in the height of ,zion1 and shall flow together for the goodness of the ,lord1 for wheat and for wine1 and for oil1 and for the young of the flock1 and of the herd1 c4 ,but the main point aimed at in the following exposition2 and what the writer wishes to be its distinguishing characteristic is1 that of making scripture its own interpreter2 for in every passage that has been referred to1 and perhaps it may be said1 in every one that can be referred to1 there will be found in the context sufficient intimation of the purport of the figurative expressions employed4 ,on this plan the boldest metaphors will be found to admit of easy explanation2 and passages otherwise inexplicable will find their solution1 upon one consistent and uniform principle of interpretation4 ,a few examples will afford illustration of the proposed plan of exposition4 ,one of the boldest metaphors used by the prophets in reference to the ,messiah's kingdom is1 that which represents the establishment of this new order of things1 promised in his reign1 as a new heaven and a new earth2 in fact as a new creation3 a mode of expression1 which has no doubt been often understood1 by those who are not sufficiently conversant with the nature of prophetic language1 as literally foretelling a change in the physical world1 that we inhabit4 ,nor is this error confined to the unlearned3 it appears to have been fallen into by one who may perhaps be justly styled the most learned commentator on prophecy of the present age2 and moreover the very writer who has pointed out the true principle of exposition4 ,the intelligent and profound ,dean of ,lichfield in his work on the ,apocalypse1 after pointing out the figurative sense of such passages1 yet1 strange to say1 relinquishes this sense where it seems the most appropriate1 and adopts the literal4 ,in allusion to the first establishment of the ,jewish ,theocracy1 we find in ,isaiah 7li4 #af47 the following figurative language4 ,when ,i have put my words in thy mouth1 and covered thee with the palm of my hand1 that ,i may plant the heaven1 and lay the foundation of the earth4 ,thus1 selecting the ,jews to be ,god's chosen people1 and putting his words in the mouth of the prophet1 are said to be planting the heavens and laying the foundation of the earth4 ,and in conformity with this style1 when the old ,covenant was to be dissolved1 and the new one to be established1 new heavens and a new earth are said to be created4 7,isa4 lxv4 #ag47 ,for behold ,i create new heavens and a new earth1 and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind4 ,when ,st4 ,john1 in the ,rev4 vi4 #ab4 foretels the corruption of ,christianity1 in a prophecy which appears distinctly applicable to the events that occurred at the beginning of the fourth century2 he borrows the same metaphors1 and describes the loss or corruption of true religion as the departure of the heavens1 and the darkening of the heavenly luminaries4 7,rev4 vi4 #ab47 ,and ,i beheld when he had opened the sixth seal1 and lo there was a great earthquake2 and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair1 and the moon became as blood2 ,and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth2 even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs1 when she is shaken of a mighty wind4 ,and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together1 c4 ,the historical view of this period1 taken by ,dr4 ,woodhouse1 exactly accords with the figurative sense of the prophecy--yet1 to the manifest injury of consistent interpretation1 it is here that he relinquishes the figurative1 and adopts the literal sense1 supposing the day of judgment to be here foretold4 ,while thus compelled to dissent from some particular views of this writer1 ,i cannot pass by this opportunity of expressing the very high estimation in which ,i otherwise hold his most valuable publication4 7,woodhouse on the ,apocalypse47 ,other commentators on prophecy1 who have for the most part adopted the political in preference to the spiritual view1 regard the heavens1 as symbolizing the civil government or ruling powers in a state2 and it is true that these expressions have not been always confined in prophecy to the prediction of spiritual events2 but have been also used in foretelling the judgments of ,god upon political states and kingdoms4 ,but when the ,messiah's kingdom is the acknowledged subject1 to look to political events for its fulfilment1 is surely to run into the error of the ,jews1 and to disregard the intimation expressly given by him2 who declared that his kingdom was within us2 or as the prophets had previously foreshewn--behold1 ,i will put my law in their inward parts2 and write it in their hearts4 ,one example more shall suffice1 for shewing the superiority of the spiritual view1 in affording the solution of passages1 which upon any other must appear utterly inexplicable4 ,it has been stated that ,zion is also represented as a woman1 and a mother2 of which the most remarkable instance occurs in the following extraordinary passage in ,isaiah lxvi4 #g1 #h4 ,before she travailed she brought forth2 before her pains came she was delivered of a man-child4 ,who hath heard such a thing8 ,who hath seen such things8 ,shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day8 or shall a nation be born at once8 for as soon as ,zion travailed she brought forth her children4 ,the ,christian may perhaps suppose1 as some have done1 that ,christ is the man-child here intended2 but that cannot be4 ,for ,zion is the mother1 and a mountain can never be literally understood to bring forth a man2 the mountain is a figurative mother1 and the child must be a figurative child4 ,what does the mother figuratively signify8 is then the question most likely to lead us to the nature of the child4 ,we have already seen that this term is constantly applied to ,israel1 and especially with reference to their spiritual state of regeneration through ,christianity4 ,such we may presume1 then1 is the meaning of ,zion here2 and that the regeneration of the ,jews through ,christianity is the birth and parturition here spoken of4 ,upon this view ,judaism1 or the ,jewish ,church will be the mother1 and the ,christian ,church or ,christianity her child--the man-child1 who was ordained to rule all nations4 ,ps4 ii4 ,the next question is1 how the birth can be said to have preceded the labour-pains4 ,mr4 ,lowth1 to whom more than any other ,i feel indebted for much valuable assistance in explaining the ,old ,testament prophecies1 supposes the labour-pains to be 8the destruction of the ,jewish ,polity1 making way for the growth of ,christianity40 ,and this seems a plausible explanation1 as these troubles of the ,jewish ,church followed the birth or promulgation of ,christianity forty years4 ,but the solution is only plausible2 for the growth is not the birth2 or if it be taken as the birth1 then it no longer precedes but follows the labour-pains1 for whatever effect the destruction of ,judaism had in promoting ,christianity1 this effect was subsequent and not prior to that event2 and thus the solution fails in the main point4 ,moreover1 upon the spiritual plan of exposition1 it may justly be objected1 that these troubles of the ,jewish ,church were rather of a political than a spiritual character2 and certainly in no way essential to the birth of ,christianity1 and cannot therefore be considered as the labour-pains1 or even as the after-pains of that birth4 ,this objection being valid1 let a more spiritual view be taken1 and the objection will vanish4 ,let the worldly feelings which prevented the ,jews from receiving ,christ as their ,messiah1 and the inward struggle required to overcome these1 symbolise the pains of labour1 and the connexion will be evident4 ,for this very struggle and victory over worldly feelings constitute the regeneration through ,christ2 and this therefore is essential to the birth of ,christianity1 8the new birth unto righteousness40 ,but with the first ,christians this struggle could not precede the birth1 for they received ,christ1 before they were aware of the spiritual nature of his mission2 the ,apostles did not look for a spiritual ,messiah until after the day of ,pentecost1 and therefore the birth preceded the pains with them2 but once aware of the sacrifice required1 they cheerfully submitted to every species of persecution1 and triumphed over all worldly feelings4 ,and in every individual who receives ,christianity1 this struggle with worldly feelings must in some measure continue during their whole lives4 ,with the ,jews1 the prevalence of these worldly feelings1 and the hope of a temporal ,messiah1 still prevent their receiving ,christianity1 or obstruct their regeneration4 ,and when the evidence of its truth shall be forced upon them1 it is probable that this conviction will precede rather than follow the entire conquest over worldly feelings2 so difficult is it to change our habits and feelings at once4 ,and in this we may perceive the sense of the remaining verse1 cited above2 ,can the earth be made to bring forth at once8 ,can a nation be born in a day8 ,for as soon as ,zion travailed she brought forth her children4 ,the earth and the nation shew that a whole people1 or race of men1 are here spoken of2 and the man-child of the former verse1 we here find changed into children1 in the plural number4 ,such appears to be the solution of the difficulty1 on the spiritual plan of exposition4 ,if an equally satisfactory solution can be offered by reference to political events1 this will no doubt be the best defence of that mode of exposition that can be offered4 ,how1 then1 is the fact8 ,the fact is1 that such commentaries are obliged to consider nine-tenths of these prophecies still unaccomplished1 although a period of two thousand five hundred years has elapsed since they were uttered2 and most of this interval is thus left1 to ,christians as well as ,jews1 a perfect blank in this prophetic history of the progress of the ,messiah's kingdom2 without any proof1 during this time1 at least as drawn from these prophecies of the ,old ,testament1 of ,god's foreknowledge of events1 of his providence in the government of the world1 or of his interposition in the disposal of human affairs4 ,some eight or ten verses1 out of six chapters1 are all that appear upon this plan to admit of explanation2 whereas1 by applying the prophecy to the progress of ,christianity1 as ,christ's spiritual kingdom1 and looking to spiritual instead of political events1 all the leading occurrences in the history of our religion1 from its first promulgation to the present day1 already fulfilled1 or now in the progress of fulfilment1 will be found to be clearly foreshewn in one uninterrupted series of predictions1 comprising every verse and every line in these chapters1 except a few verses which are still veiled in futurity4 ,admitting the spiritual interpretation1 being in fact equivalent to admitting that ,christ is the ,messiah1 is the main point at issue between the ,rabbi and the ,author2 but as many ,christians still reject the figurative and spiritual exposition1 it is hoped that to them also the foregoing remarks may be not altogether useless2 nor an unsuitable introduction to the following new plan of expounding ,zechariah's prophetic view of the progress of the ,messiah's kingdom4 ,,zechariah ,,on ,,the ,,messiah',s ,,kingdom4 ,,interpretation3 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,the subject of these chapters appears to be that1 which1 from its constant repetition by all the ,prophets from the earliest to the latest1 was evidently esteemed the most important to the interests of mankind2 namely1 the coming of the ,messiah4 ,this great event1 being promised as a blessing to the descendants of ,abraham1 and particularly to the house of ,judah1 it was natural that the ,jews should expect to obtain by it peculiar advantages2 and accordingly1 whatever may be their views at this time1 we learn from the writings of ,st4 ,paul1 that their general expectation then was1 that to their nation would the benefits of it be confined4 ,the nature of these benefits was moreover expected to consist1 chiefly1 in the political supremacy to be conferred upon them by a great temporal prince1 who should establish their dominion over all the earth4 ,such were the expectations of the ,jews2 whereas the ,christians who equally believe the prophecies which contain these promises1 have been taught to interpret them in a very different manner4 ,they conceive that these benefits will extend to all mankind2 and understand them as having no reference to political power or temporal affairs1 but as affording the means of obtaining advantages of a far higher and more permanent nature2 even the blessings of eternal life1 and eternal happiness4 ,not that these blessings were by the ,messiah's coming to be directly and unconditionally conferred upon mankind2 but that the means of obtaining them would thereby be afforded to all such as were disposed to seek after them4 ,these means they conceive to be accomplished through the establishment of a kingdom on earth2 a kingdom1 however1 not of a temporal1 but of a spiritual nature2 one which consists in the reign of true religion in the heart of man1 a real ,theocracy2 by which man is enabled to overcome the world1 that is1 to rule and direct his passions and worldly propensities1 and by making his future existence a paramount consideration1 to render him meet to enjoy it4 ,such1 according to the ,christian's view1 is the victory to be gained2 such the kingdom to be established by the ,messiah2 and hence the apparent contradiction1 that while battles and conflicts are spoken of1 it is yet declared to be a peaceful kingdom4 ,but conceiving the prophecies which announce the coming of the ,messiah to have been accomplished in the person of ,christ1 the ,christian supposes this kingdom to be already established1 and that ,christ does actually reign in the heart of every true believer4 ,that the numbers of such are comparatively small1 and by no means to be estimated by the number of those who bear the name of ,christian1 is a lamentable truth2 but it is a truth1 which he was fully prepared to look for by the same unerring word of prophecy2 which clearly announced1 that a long period of darkness and apostacy would intervene between the appearance of the ,messiah on earth1 and the universal establishment of his kingdom4 ,it is true that the ,christian finds the clearest annunciation of this long period of antichristian darkness1 in books which are of no authority in the estimation of the ,jew1 in those of the ,new ,testament1 to wit2 but if it can be shewn1 as we conceive it can1 that the same events are also clearly foretold by the ,prophets of the ,old ,testament1 the subject will then prefer an equal claim to the attention of both2 to that of the ,jew1 as calling upon him1 impartially to consider the evidence1 which seems to prove that his ,messiah has already appeared on earth2 and to that of the ,christian1 as calling upon him carefully to examine how far the religion he professes may1 both in doctrine and practice1 still be tinctured with the corruptions of antichristianity4 ,this1 then1 is the point at issue2 whether or not1 we have in these six chapters of ,zechariah1 one of those ,divine revelations1 which displays a prophetic view of the coming of the ,messiah2 of his being rejected by most of his own nation1 but received by the ,gentiles2 of the consequent abolition of ,paganism1 7then1 except with the ,jews1 the universal religion of the world71 and the substitution of ,christianity in its stead2 but which at the same time foretels the corruption of this religion by us the ,gentiles2 and the long reign of antichristian darkness which has since prevailed in the room of it2 with all the most notable events attending these extraordinary revolutions in the human mind2 events still fulfilling before our eyes1 and open to the observation of all who think the subject worthy of their attention4 ,whether all this be clearly intimated in the chapters before us1 and can be made out without violating grammatical construction in the translation of the ,hebrew1 or legitimate consistency in the interpretation of prophetic language1 is the question we propose to consider4 ,frequent perusal and careful examination have satisfied the mind of the writer1 that the subject of them is no other than an epitome of the prophetic history which was afterwards amplified in the ,revelations of ,st4 ,john2 where we find1 as occurs in other instances in which the predictions are repeated1 that the events are unfolded with greater precision and minuteness as the period of their accomplishment draws nigh4 ,that no such subject distinctly appears1 through the medium of the authorised translation contained in our ,bibles1 is most certain2 nor was it to be looked for1 that any passages1 which admitted of different modes of construction1 should be rendered in a way least acceptable to the expositor1 in a translation which is almost wholly ,jewish1 being founded on the ,masoretic punctuation4 ,on the contrary1 it appears1 in not a few instances1 that the usual and literal sense has been rejected for one more remote1 but more consonant to the views and prejudices1 of those who framed the punctuation4 ,that this statement may not rest on the questionable ground of assertion or opinion1 the reader will find1 in the notes subjoined1 a full statement of the reasons for all the changes proposed2 and the ,hebrew scholar will thus have full opportunity to challenge their validity1 if he find occasion4 ,it is the writer's wish that they should be freely canvassed2 truth is the only object he has in view2 and he asks no other conditions on entering the arena1 than that of disclaiming the authority of the ,masoretic punctuation4 ,his reasons for this will appear sufficiently obvious4 ,if1 without the aid of the points1 we obtain a meaning that is simple and satisfactory in many passages1 which by them are rendered obscure or unintelligible2--if a connected and unbroken explanation of each verse be attainable without them1 while only a few verses detached from the context have been explained by the ablest commentators through their aid2 sufficient reason will surely appear for rejecting an authority which1 instead of facilitating our progress1 only encumbers the subject with unnecessary difficulties4 ,the reader need not1 however1 expect that every difficulty will be removed by the proposed alterations2 or that even the amended translations will afford such an exposition as to admit of no possible objection4 ,it were absurd to suppose that the strength of the argument can lie all on one side1 where two are engaged in the controversy4 ,for the ,jew is in this case no man of straw1 set up to be knocked down at pleasure1 but a true ,jew1 a ,hebrew of the ,hebrews1 an advocate as zealous in the cause he defends1 as his ,christian opponent4 ,each believes himself in the right2 each expects to obtain the victory2 and it is not improbable that the reader1 who sits as umpire in the contest1 may1 after all1 though unconscious of partiality1 give judgment according to the bias of his feelings1 whether he be ,jew or ,christian1 rather than according to the abstract merits of the question4 ,regarding the subject of the prophecy1 as the coming of the ,messiah1 the introduction1 which is comprised in the first eight verses of this chapter1 appears to be the most appropriate that can possibly be conceived4 ,it opens with a denunciation against worldly-mindedness1 and a declaration of ,god's purpose to frustrate the schemes1 and cut off the hopes of ambition1 pride1 and avarice1 in the judgments pronounced against those cities1 which were then the most conspicuous for their riches and power4 ,this is immediately followed1 as if by way of contrast1 by a view of the spiritual nature of the ,messiah's kingdom1 founded in meekness and humility1 and affording benefits of a very different kind1 namely1 the taking away of sin1 and the redemption of mankind from a state of sin and perdition2 benefits which were not to be confined to the ,jews alone1 but to extend to the ,gentiles also1 and that on terms of equal participation with the ,jews4 ,the denunciations are contained in the first six verses as follow3 ,zech4 ix4 ,the heavy burden of the word of the ,lord against the land of ,hadrach and ,damascus2 his sending down1 7that is1 the ,lord's7 for the ,lord's is the eye of man1 7the eye of the seer who receives the vision17 and all the tribes of ,israel 7whom it immediately concerns74 ,hamath also shall have a limit set to her2 ,tyre and ,sidon also1 though she be very wise--7worldly-wise74 ,for she hath built herself ,tyre1 a strong hold1 and heaped up silver as the dust1 and fine gold as the mire of the streets4 ,behold the ,lord will cast her out1 and smite her power in the sea1 and she shall be devoured with fire4 ,ashkalon shall see it and fear1 ,gaza also shall see it and be very sorrowful2 and ,ekron1 for her hope shall be dried up1 and the king shall perish from ,gaza1 and ,ashkalon shall not be inhabited1 and a stranger shall dwell in ,ashdod1 and ,i will cut off the pride of the ,philistines4 ,these denunciations are chiefly directed against the ,philistines1 the cities enumerated being the most conspicuous of any they possessed1 and no doubt1 the pride of their nation4 ,here1 then1 appears sufficient reason for the ,jews to interpret the prophecy1 as altogether in their favour1 denouncing judgments upon their enemies4 ,but yet it is possible they may have viewed them too partially1 and may even have overlooked the express objects of denunciation in the prophecy2 which denounces their avarice and ambition1 and declares that the pride rather than the cities of the ,philistines shall be cut off4 ,as for the cities themselves1 heavy judgments are pronounced against them all4 ,one1 it is declared1 shall not be inhabited2 another1 ,sidon1 is threatened with an overthrow1 which it received not long after from ,ochus1 king of ,persia1 in precisely the manner here foretold2 while ,tyre1 ,gaza1 and others1 were taken by ,alexander the ,great2 but if we keep to the letter of the prophecy1 it is their avarice1 ambition1 and pride1 that are distinctly marked as the objects of ,divine displeasure2 and even the judgments pronounced against them on this account1 are immediately coupled with the succeeding promise of mercy and redemption1 through the means of a meek and humble ,messiah1 who should take away sin and pollution1 and speak peace to the heathen4 ,but why1 it may be asked1 were these offences condemned in the ,philistines particularly8 ,were not the ,jews also addicted to pride1 avarice1 and worldly ambition8 ,no doubt they were so2 and the prophecy being addressed to them1 it appears that the admonition was expressly intended for their use4 ,pride was even less excusable in the ,jews1 who could find no sanction for it in their religion2 while this was the very basis of ,pagan morality2 the pedestal on which honour was erected2 that idol of self-estimation1 the highest of ,pagan virtues4 ,these vices were therefore more appropriately denounced in the ,philistines1 as peculiarly belonging to them1 though spreading1 by contagion1 to the ,jews2 and if punishable in the former1 how could they be excusable in the latter8 ,the mind of the ,christian reader will naturally revert to the pride which revolted at the idea of a meek and humble ,messiah1 and caused the ,jews to reject him4 ,but that cannot be the question here2 for the ,jews are not here pointed out as the objects of ,divine displeasure2 nor is any intimation hitherto given of their offence2 and that of its punishment could not surely precede it4 ,the feeling might indeed be there1 and a salutary warning of its being displeasing in the sight of ,heaven1 and of the fatal consequences about to result from it1 seems here intended2 but the penalty was not incurred till the overt act was committed1 and to foretell the punishment before the offence itself was intimated1 would have been a prophetical solecism4 ,as we proceed1 we shall find1 in its proper place1 due notice taken both of the one and the other4 ,in the next verse we find these denunciations1 coupled with promises of mercy and redemption to the remaining ,gentiles1 verse #g1 ,but ,i will take away his blood from out of his mouth2 and his pollution from between his teeth2 and he that remaineth1 even he shall be for our ,god2 that is1 the remaining ,gentiles shall have their sins forgiven1 their pollution washed away1 they shall be redeemed from the darkness of ,paganism1 and reclaimed to the worship of the true ,god2 ,and he shall be as a chief in ,judah1 ,ekron1 as well as the ,jebusite2 that is1 he 7the remaining ,gentile7 shall attain thereby to a full participation with the ,jew1 in all the spiritual blessings promised in the ,messiah's kingdom4 ,the prophecy having now declared the admission of the ,gentiles1 promises that the ,messiah's kingdom1 thus established1 shall ever enjoy ,divine protection and support4 ,and ,i will encamp about mine house1 against the army1 against him that passeth over1 and against him that returneth1 and there shall no oppressor pass over them any more1 for now have ,i seen with mine eyes4 ,in the following verse1 the subject of the prophecy is so distinctly announced as the coming of the ,messiah1 that ,jews as well as ,christians concur on this point1 though they have not perceived how the preceding verses refer to this kingdom4 ,rejoice greatly1 daughter of ,zion2 shout1 ,o daughter of ,jerusalem2 behold thy ,king shall come unto thee1 just and having salvation2 lowly and riding upon an ass1 even a colt the foal of an ass4 ,the manner of the ,messiah's coming being here so plainly foretold1 and his character so distinctly described1 we wonder how the ,jew can deny that this was all fulfilled in the person of ,christ4 ,the reason is simply this2 he disbelieves the facts4 ,the books in which they are recorded1 are of no authority in his estimation2 he challenges their testimony on grounds too numerous to be discussed here4 ,to answer his objections1 every disagreement between the writers of the ,new ,testament must first be reconciled2 a task which appears to him to have hitherto failed with all who have attempted it4 ,but this is not the only objection he has to urge4 ,he charges the ,christian with perverting the sense of prophecy2 and this verse furnishes him with an instance4 ,thus1 the ,hebrew word rendered1 8having salvation10 is really the past participle of the verb 8to save10 literally 8being saved20 and that too followed by the emphatical pronoun himself1 8being saved himself40 ,surely this point might be safely conceded by the ,christian1 who admits that ,christ 8was the first fruits of them that slept20 the first who rose from the dead1 to everlasting life2 and that through him we become partakers in that resurrection4 ,the peaceful nature of his kingdom1 the participation of the heathen in its blessings1 and the boundless extent of its dominion are next declared3 ,and he will cut off the chariot from ,ephraim1 and the horse from ,jerusalem1 and the battle bow shall be cut off2 and he shall speak peace to the heathen2 and his dominion shall be from the sea even to the sea1 and from the river to the ends of the earth4 ,the ,christian reader will find no difficulty in the interpretation of the verse which follows4 ,as for thee1 by the blood of thy covenant1 ,i have sent forth thy prisoners from the pit wherein is no water4 ,the ,messiah is spoken of throughout2 who then but the ,messiah can be apostrophised in the words1 8,as for thee80 ,then follows 8by the blood of thy covenant40 ,what blood but the blood of ,christ8 ,what covenant1 but that sealed by his blood1 can be alluded to8 8,i have sent thy prisoners forth40 ,what prisoners1 but those who were in the bondage of sin8 8from the pit wherein is no water40 ,what pit1 but the darkness of idolatry1 which had none of the waters of life8 ,surely this is a most clear and distinct intimation of the sacrifice of the ,messiah1 and of the benefits thereby conferred upon mankind in the redemption of the heathen world from the darkness of idolatry2 thus opening the way to immortality1 to the whole human race4 ,but the ,messiah here appears to be promised to the ,gentiles1 having been previously promised to the ,jews2 were then these promises retracted8 ,by no means4 ,to the ,jews he was promised1 and to them he came1 exclusively addressing himself to the house of ,israel4 ,nor was it till after the majority of that nation had rejected and crucified him1 that the calling of the ,gentiles took place4 ,the blessings he offered being refused by the former1 appears to have been the immediate cause of their being given to the latter4 ,accordingly this seems to be the purport of the next verse1 which intimates that there was some reason why these blessings could not be directly and unconditionally transferred to the ,gentiles4 ,return ye to the strong hold1 my prisoners1 wait thou unto the day ,i declare1 that ,i will repay thee double2 that is1 wait for the day when these blessings will become yours1 through the ,jews' refusal of them4 ,nor yet was the ,messiah rejected by all the ,jews2 for the apostles were ,jews2 the disciples were ,jews2 by ,jews was the ,gospel preached and propagated2 and to the ,jews belongs the honour of the first triumph of true religion over ,paganism1 and what is more1 over the passions and worldly propensities of man2 and this triumphant progress of the ,gospel seems to be the victory intimated in the verse which follows2 wherein the reason is at the same time assigned why ,christ did not address himself to the ,gentiles4 ,for ,i have bent ,judah for me1 filled the bow ,ephraim2 and raised up thy sons1 ,o ,zion1 against thy sons1 ,o ,greece2 and made thee as the sword of a mighty man4 ,the triumphs of ,judas ,maccabeus1 generally supposed to be here foretold1 cannot be the victories alluded to2 for ,ephraim1 or the ten tribes1 here declared as bearing a part in them1 had already gone into captivity1 and bore no share whatever in these subsequent wars of ,judah4 ,the true meaning appears to be that ,judah was destined to have the honour of first establishing the ,messiah's kingdom1 as promised from the beginning4 ,how then could ,ephraim1 or the ten tribes1 it may be asked1 bear a part in the triumphs of the ,gospel1 having previously gone into captivity8 ,the prophecy does not distinctly say so2 if we keep to the letter1 it is only said that ,ephraim as well as ,judah was prepared and marshalled for the spiritual conflict3 the triumph is declared to ,zion over ,greece2 that is1 to true religion over ,pagan idolatry2 and in this warfare1 though not in the wars of ,judas ,maccabeus1 ,ephraim did bear a part2 for it is not to the apostolic age alone that we must look for the accomplishment of the great scheme of ,providence for man's redemption4 ,this was only one act in the great drama2 which began under the ,old ,covenant1 and is not yet finally completed under the ,new4 ,in the former1 or the ,old ,covenant1 all the tribes of ,israel bore their share1 ,ephraim as well as ,judah2 and the warfare not being finally concluded1 who shall say but ,ephraim may again appear1 and bear a further part in it8 ,having declared the union of the ,gentiles with the ,jews1 and their joint participation in the blessings of the ,messiah's kingdom1 the prophecy goes on to promise the support and protection of ,heaven1 in terms alike applicable to both4 ,and the ,lord shall be seen over them1 and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning2 and the ,lord ,god shall blow the trumpet1 and shall go forth with whirlwinds of the south4 ,and the ,lord of hosts shall defend them1 and they shall devour and subdue with sling-stones2 and they shall drink as wine1 and they shall be filled like bowls1 like the corners of the altar4 7which were purposely so constructed as to receive the blood of the sacrifices74 ,that the whole of these expressions require to be taken figuratively and spiritually1 no one conversant with scriptural and prophetic language can surely deny2 or for a moment suppose that literal drunkenness and bloodshed are here intended4 ,should any doubt remain that the ,gentiles are included in these promises as well as the ,jews1 the next verse appears to decide the question4 ,and the ,lord their ,god shall save them in that day1 as the flock of his people4 ,if the ,jews be called his people1 who but the ,gentiles can be meant by the other8 ,but this is followed by the direct declaration that all distinction between them is on the eve of its abolition4 ,for the wall of separation is tottering over his land4 ,a remarkable and striking expression1 but strangely perverted in our translation4 ,why the ,jews have laboured to give a different turn to it1 by seeking a more figurative and recondite meaning1 we need be at no loss to conceive2 nor why they apply these verses to themselves alone4 ,see note to the translation of this verse4 ,but this view1 which would limit the bounty of ,heaven to a particular race1 besides being at variance with the context1 seems little calculated to call forth the feelings of adoration and praise with which this chapter concludes4 ,for how great is his goodness1 and how great is his beauty4 ,corn shall make the young men cheerful1 and new wine the maids4 ,corn1 wine1 c4 in prophetic language ever signify the food of spiritual knowledge1 to be henceforth freely bestowed on all1 ,gentiles as well as ,jews4 ,,notes ,,to ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,hebrew ,,punctuation4 ,a ,summary of the arguments for and against the antiquity and authority of the ,vowel ,points1 is given at the beginning of the ,second ,vol4 of ,horne's ,introduction to the ,study of the ,scriptures2 from which the following considerations seem most entitled to selection4 ,that the earliest traces of the points are to be found in the tenth century--that many of the oldest manuscripts now extant are without them--that the copies of the ,jewish ,scriptures now used in the ,synagogue and esteemed peculiarly sacred1 are without them--that the ,samaritan letters which were the same as the ,hebrew before the captivity1 are without them--and the ,samaritan ,pentateuch is without them--that there are no traces of them to be found in the shekels 7coins7 struck by the kings of ,israel--that the fathers1 particularly ,origen and ,jerome1 who treat of the ,hebrew pronunciation1 make no mention of them--that all the antient various readings of the ,jews regard the letters only1 not one of them relates to the vowel points--to which may be added1 that there are five vowels in the ,hebrew alphabet which are quite sufficient for reading the language1 though they may not enable us to determine with precision the antient pronunciation4 8,these considerations10 says ,mr4 ,horne1 8have determined the majority of ,hebrew scholars in the present day to reject their authority40 ,still we may admit their utility in fixing the pronunciation1 and perhaps also in facilitating the construction2 but the main objection to them is1 that by changing the vowels1 they frequently alter the sense1 as well as the sound1 and that in passages where a ,jewish interpretation is particularly open to suspicion4 ,thus in prophecies relating to the ,messiah1 both their prejudices and their feelings unfit them for becoming guides to a ,christian expositor4 ,verse #a4 3 ,the heavy burden of the word of the ,lord in the land of ,hadrach1 and ,damascus shall be the rest thereof2 when the eyes of man1 as of all the tribes of ,israel1 shall be towards the ,lord4 ,these are the words of the translation in our ,bible2 but the sense of them ,i must acknowledge my inability to unravel4 ,of what ,damascus is to be the rest1 or what period is intimated by the adverb of time when1 ,i am at a loss to discover4 ,the separation of ,hadrach and ,damascus by the insertion of a comma between them1 evidently owes its origin to the supposed necessity for rendering the word 7or 7 the rest thereof4 ,but if deriving it from 7or 7 or 7or 7 does not afford any intelligible sense1 we are naturally led to seek another derivation2 and we find one in the verb 7or 7 to descend or send down1 which without violating grammatical construction affords a meaning not only intelligible1 but in perfect unison with the context4 ,the ,hemantiv prefixed1 gives the thing sent down1 while the suffix his1 evidently refers to the ,lord who sends the vision or denunciation4 ,the ,english construction1 of course1 requires it should be rendered his sending down1 that is1 the ,lord's denunciation1 against ,hadrach and ,damascus1 as well as the other cities which are mentioned afterwards2 for here rendered in1 may with more propriety be rendered against or upon4 ,the verb 7or 7 to send down1 occurs in ,joel iii4 #aa and elsewhere3 but the writer freely acknowledges that he has no authority for the participial noun with the ,hemantiv prefixed to signify the thing sent down1 or the act of sending down1 as the sense seems to require here4 ,he therefore rests this construction solely on the ground of its being grammatically admissible1 consonant to analogy1 and in accordance with the context1 as affording a satisfactory meaning4 ,let those who are not satisfied with such reasons furnish a better solution of the difficulty4 ,in the next place1 there is no necessity for rendering 7or 7 when1 which more frequently signifies for2 and when so rendered1 it will be found to connect together the latter and the former part of the verse4 ,for this1 we only require to render the dative 1 as it frequently is rendered in ,hebrew1 as well as ,greek and ,latin1 to denote possession2 and the verse will run thus4 ,for the ,lord's is1 or to the ,lord belongs1 the eye of man2 to wit1 the eye of the ,seer1 who receives the vision1 and all the tribes of ,israel1 whom the vision chiefly concerns4 ,making the tribes a genitive case1 by inserting of before them1 is wholly uncalled for by the text4 ,verse #b4 3 ,and ,hamath also shall border thereby1 ,tyrus and ,sidon though it be very wise4 7or 7 to set bounds to1 in the ,hiphil1 occurs in ,exod4 xix4 #ab #bc4--;,it here appears to be the ,huphal or passive of ,hiphil--signifying to be bounded1 or to be set bounds to4 ,it is only necessary to remark1 that leaving aside the punctuation1 the form of the future tense will be identical in both these voices4 ,the sense as it stands is scarcely intelligible4 ,what is meant by border thereby1 it is not easy to conceive2 but by discarding the points we readily obtain a meaning that is perfectly intelligible4 7or 7 may then be rendered in the passive voice1 instead of the active1 and will signify to be limited1 or have bounds set to2 and 7or 7 on or to her1 which follows1 accords with1 and seems to demand its being so rendered4 ,and ,hamath also shall have bounds set to her2 that is1 her growing greatness shall be checked4 ,tyre1 and also ,sidon though she be very wise1 7or 71 wise1 no doubt1 means here1 worldly wise1 or very subtle4 ,verse #e4 3 ,ashkalon shall see and fear1 ,gaza also1 and she shall be very sorrowful1 and ,ekron for her expectation shall be ashamed4 7or 7 may be derived either from 7or 7 to be ashamed1 or from 7or 7 to dry up1 and whither as a plant for want of moisture4 ,the latter seems preferable here1 but it is not very material to the sense4 ,verse #f4 3 ,a bastard shall dwell in ,ashdod1 and ,i will cut off the pride of the ,philistines4 7or 7 may be rendered a stranger1 as well as a bastard1 in the ,septuagint1 which renders the sense more obvious4 ,and ,i will cut off the pride of the ,philistines4 ,these denunciations appear chiefly directed against the ,philistines1 in whom pride1 avarice1 and ambition1 are specified as the great offences4 ,the delivery of ,ashdod into the hands of a stranger is the judgment pronounced against them in this verse1 as the last means of their humiliation4 ,but here the tone of the prophecy changes1 and instead of further punishments1 we find repeated promises of blessings and mercy2 he that is left shall be for our ,god1 and as a ,governor in ,judah1--and in the verse following--,he 7the ,messiah being manifestly meant here7 shall speak peace to the ,heathen4--,whence then this change8 ,we are led to seek1 and naturally expect to find1 some ground for it4 ,and accordingly the next verse unfolds the reason1 and explains the occasion of this change in the counsel of ,heaven2 a change resting not on their own merits1 but on ,divine ,mercy4 ,for such a construction will this verse bear1 quite as well as the one usually put upon it2 and this construction is far more in unison with the context1 than the received one4 ,verse #g4 3 - ,and ,i will take away his blood from out of his mouth1 and his abominations from between his teeth1 and he that is left1 even he shall be for our ,god1 and he shall be as a ,governor in ,judah1 and ,ekron as a ,jebusite4 ,with scarcely any alteration in the translation1 the words1 even as they stand1 admit of a very different acceptation from that in which they are commonly taken2 and instead of being a figurative expression1 borrowed from the rescuing its prey from the jaws of a lion2 in which sense the ,jews take it1 as a promise to themselves of deliverance from their enemies2 the words more literally taken1 will convey the promise of mercy and redemption to the remaining ,gentiles3 whose sin and pollution are to be taken away1 who are to be reclaimed to the worship of the true ,god1 and admitted to a full participation in all the blessings1 promised to ,israel by the coming of the ,messiah4 ,the ,gentiles were esteemed polluted by eating things unclean1 which were prohibited to the ,jews4 ,certain animals--things strangled--and the blood in particular were among the forbidden food4 ,the new covenant removed this prohibition1 thereby taking away the pollution from between his teeth1 as it ceased to be a cause of pollution4 ,the command given to ,st4 ,peter1 ,acts x4 #ad1 to kill and eat1 where all manner of food was presented to him1 was expressly received by him as a command to preach the ,gospel to the ,gentiles1 or to admit them into the ,messiah's kingdom2 and this admission was unaccompanied with any such prohibition1 nor was it subsequently given4 ,eating things sacrificed to idols was another cause of pollution which the ,new ,covenant removed1 by taking away the cause in the abolition of idolatry4 ,this literal fulfilment of the words of the prophecy may1 however1 be figuratively understood1 to foreshew the remission of sins through ,christ1 and the admission of the ,heathen nations to the hopes of everlasting life founded on the ,gospel4 ,the only change required in the ,english version is to read ,but1 for ,and1 which are expressed alike by the ,hebrew 1 and to understand 7or 7 his abominations1 in the sense most appropriate to it1 as alluding to the worship of idols1 and we have the sense already expressed1 which perfectly harmonizes with the context4 ,whereas1 taken in the other sense1 what becomes of the antithesis8 ,who is he that is left1 that shall be for our ,god1 and as a chief in ,judah8 ,surely it cannot be the ,jew1 who shall be as a ,jew4 ,but the next words are decisive1 declaring that ,ekron and the ,jebusite1 both ,gentiles1 are here intended4 ,and ,ekron as a ,jebusite4 ,this mode of rendering leaves1 indeed1 the force of these words rather ambiguous2 but there can be no intelligible sense put upon the 7or 71 but that of in like manner as1 or1 as well as2 that is1 ,ekron as well as the ,jebusite1 shall both be as ,governors in ,judah4 ,verse #h4 3 ,and ,i will encamp about mine house because of the army1 because of him that passeth by1 and because of him that returneth2 and no oppressor shall pass through them any more3 for now have ,i seen with mine eyes4 ,it is not certain1 though probable1 from #a ,sam4 xxvi4 #e-g1 that the ,jews had entrenched camps2 if so1 the passage would be clearer by rendering 7or 7 ,i will entrench instead of encamp2 though the sense is sufficiently obvious1 as meaning to afford protection against the army1 c4 ,the house of ,god1 to which protection is promised1 is his ,temple1 figuratively denoting true religion purified from idolatry2 the great spiritual adversary constantly warring with ,israel1 and1 as we learn from ,scripture1 frequently prevailing2 which is probably the warfare here alluded to4 ,but if taken literally1 this passage conveys the promise that the ,messiah's kingdom should put an end to oppression and injustice4 ,the exact import of the expression1 for now have ,i seen with mine eyes1 is not very evident2 but may imply ,god's foreseeing the unfitness of the ,jews to receive a spiritual ,messiah2 who1 in consequence of their rejection of him1 would be given to the ,gentiles4 ,verse #i4 3 - ,rejoice greatly1 ,daughter of ,zion1 shout1 oh ,daughter of ,jerusalem1 behold thy ,king cometh unto thee2 he is just and having salvation1 lowly and riding upon an ass1 and a colt the foal of an ass4 ,there is no ambiguity in the purport of this verse1 which is the coming of the ,messiah1 as all commentators allow2 but ,i can in no wise agree with ,lowth and others1 that this verse is a rhapsodical digression from the subject of the rest of the chapter1 in which the ,prophet being wrought up to the highest pitch of enthusiasm1 breaks off from the immediate object of his vision to foretel the coming of the ,messiah1 and then returns back to his former subject4 ,on the contrary1 ,i can see nothing like digression here1 but one connected and consistent object throughout2 this verse being the keystone of the arch1 which binds together those which precede and those which follow it1 forming the whole into one united and compact body4 ,instead of a digression from the subject1 ,i regard this verse as the clue to guide us through the labyrinth1 by fixing and determining the subject of all the rest4 ,behold thy ,king cometh unto thee3 7or 7 is really the future tense1 literally shall come1 and changing it to the present1 cometh1 seems unnecessary1 if it does not in some degree interfere with the chronological order of the events predicted afterwards4 ,just and having salvation4 ,this is certainly an ambiguous rendering of 7or 7 the past participle of the verb 7or 7 to save1 which literally signifies being saved1 and the emphatic 7or 7 himself1 following it1 more strongly marks the sense1 as having obtained salvation himself4 ,riding on an ass1 and a colt1 the foal of an ass4 ,the connective and1 should certainly be rendered here by even1 or1 to wit1 and not by and1 which makes it appear that the ,messiah was to ride upon two asses4 ,verse #aa4 3 ,as for thee1 by the blood of thy covenant1 ,i have sent forth thy prisoners1 from the pit wherein is no water4 ,that the ,messiah is apostrophized in these words1 cannot1 surely1 admit of doubt or dispute2 and words more forcible1 or more pregnant with meaning1 upon the ,christian's view of them1 it is not easy to conceive4 7or 7 ,i have sent forth1 is really the perfect tense1 though written several centuries before the coming of ,christ2 but it is not at all unusual in prophetic language to use this tense1 which represents as already accomplished1 what is determined in the ,divine purpose1 although the fulfilment be still future4 ,the writer is well aware of a formidable objection presented by the ,hebrew punctuation1 against the application of this verse to the ,messiah1 as the pronoun 8thee0 7or 7 is by the pointing made to be of the feminine gender4 ,this is one of many instances in which the punctuation tends to embarrass instead of elucidating the subject of the prophecy--instances which have mainly contributed to the determination of the writer to disregard the points4 ,it remains for those who regard them as of paramount authority1 to offer a solution of this and other passages equally clear and satisfactory1 and equally consistent throughout4 ,if 8thee0 be meant to apostrophise the daughter of ,zion1 what blood--what covenant--what prisoners--what pit1 are here alluded to8 ,upon the view here offered1 the event foreshewn is the death of the ,messiah1 an event wholly at variance with the expectations of the ,jews1 but here distinctly announced1 along with the most striking particulars attendant on that event2 such as the frustration of the hopes of temporal advantages expected from his coming--the nature of the spiritual blessings which it was really intended to impart2 namely1 the remission of sins1 and the redemption of the ,gentile world from idolatry4 ,along with these is stated the personal character of the ,messiah1 and the express manner of his coming2 not in glory as expected1 but in meekness and humility--the peaceful nature of his kingdom--its boundless extent1 destined to embrace all nations--yet in apparent contradiction1 his death is intimated1 but also his resurrection whereby he becomes 8the first fruits of them that slept40 ,these are all clearly intimated in this chapter2 and of these1 how many have former commentators1 with or without the aid of points1 been able to make out8 ,at most1 only three or four verses1 as where he is mentioned as riding into ,jerusalem on an ass2 and here1 according to ,blaney1 the text requires to be altered1 to shew that he was a ,saviour1 7or 7 being saved1 being altered into 7or 7 a ,saviour2 while1 according to ,lowth1 all that here relates to the ,messiah is to be regarded as a rhapsodical digression from the subject of the context4 ,verse #ab4 3 ,return to the strong hold1 ye prisoners of hope1 even today do ,i declare that ,i will repay you double4 ,such is the received translation1 nor as it now stands1 does the sense appear at all ambiguous1 signifying1 ,return to your prison-house until the day of your promised liberation arrives2 that is1 the day of the ,messiah's coming4 ,there can be no doubt who are meant by the prisoners1 but the change of number in the personal pronoun1 from plural to singular1 makes it not improbable that the latter part of this line is addressed to the ,messiah1 who was apostrophized in the verse preceding4 ,upon this view the word 7or 7 may be rendered1 my prisoners1 instead of prisoners of hope1 which is rather obscure2 and 7or 7 as the imperative hithpael of the verb 7or 7 to wait4 ,and the sense will then be as given in the text2 ,return to the strong hold1 my prisoners3 wait thou till the day ,i declare that ,i will repay thee double4 ,verse #ac4 3 ,when ,i have bent ,judah for me1 filled the bow ,ephraim1 and raised up thy sons1 ,oh ,zion6 against thy sons1 ,oh ,greece6 and made thee as the sword of a mighty man4 ,here 7or 71 which signifies for1 is rendered when1 thus imposing a future signification on the verbs that follow4 ,this has1 no doubt1 arisen from a supposed allusion to the subsequent wars of ,judas ,maccabeus4 ,but ,ephraim1 or the ten tribes1 having no share in those wars1 militates against that supposition2 and it seems more probable that this verse1 instead of designating the time when the promised blessing would be conferred upon the ,gentiles1 here declares the reason why the ,messiah could not be sent to them directly and unconditionally2 namely1 because he was previously promised to ,israel4 ,for ,i have bent ,judah for me1 filled the bow ,ephraim2 that is1 ,i have chosen ,israel as my people1 and appointed them my instruments for the overthrow of paganism4 ,and1 accordingly1 to the house of ,israel he came1 and was by some of them received2 nor until the great body of that people declined the office1 were the ,gentiles called in to fill up the ranks1 and carry on the spiritual warfare2 a warfare which was thenceforward carried on by both in conjunction1 for the first ,christians still were ,jews1 though blindness came in part over ,israel4 ,verse #ad4 3 ,and the ,lord shall be seen over them1 and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning2 and the ,lord ,god shall blow the trumpet1 and shall go forth with whirlwinds of the ,south4 ,this and the following verse evidently contain promises of ,divine protection1 and of triumphant success2 but to whom these promises are given may admit of a question4 7or 7 over them1 may mean the ,jews last spoken of1 or the ,gentiles mentioned before1 or it may apply to both4 ,and if the triumph of true religion over ,pagan idolatry be the victory here spoken of1 as this was obtained by both in conjunction1 during the ,apostolic age at least1 so both must be included in the promises4 ,nor can any construction1 worthy of the subject1 or adequate in dignity and importance1 be put upon the expression1 the sons of ,zion1 and the sons of ,greece1 but that which refers to the religion of each4 ,the triumph of true religion over idolatry was one that affected the whole world1 including every country1 and extending to every age1 and regarding the eternal as well as temporal interests of mankind4 ,verse #ae4 4 ,and the ,lord of hosts shall defend them2 and they shall devour1 and subdue with sling stones2 and they shall drink and make a noise as through wine2 and they shall be filled like bowls1 and as the corners of the altar4 ,to take these expressions in the literal sense1 as promising to man the grossest of sensual indulgences1 would surely be a strange misconstruction of prophetic language2 7or 7 which is rendered1 and make a noise1 is not preceded by the connective and2 it may1 therefore1 be simply the personal pronoun they1 being the nominative to the verb drink2 they shall drink as of wine1 c4 ,who is intended by the pronoun they1 if at all doubtful here1 becomes sufficiently clear in the next verse1 where it is repeated in a manner that leaves no ambiguity1 at least as far as concerns the ,gentiles4 ,verse #af4 3 ,and the ,lord their ,god shall save them in that day1 as the flock of his people1 for they shall be as the stones of a crown1 lifted up as an ensign upon his land4 ,here the pronoun them1 in evident contradistinction with his people1 shews that two nations are spoken of2 otherwise the passage might be rendered1 the ,lord ,god1 shall save as a flock1 his people4 ,but the antithesis marked by the pronoun them1 is rendered still more obvious1 if possible1 in the next line4 ,for the wall of separation is waving 7or tottering7 over his land4 ,such is the literal meaning of the ,hebrew1 when the words are taken in their primary and ordinary sense4 ,thus1 7or 7 in its usual sense means1 stones1 as the stones of a wall2 but in a more remote and figurative sense1 precious stones3 7or 7 in the primary sense1 signifies1 to separate1 or1 separation2 occurring in this sense ten times at least in ,numbers1 ch4 vi42 but in the secondary or more remote sense1 a diadem1 which separates or distinguishes the prince from the people3 7or 7 in the primary sense means to wave to and fro1 as a flag1 or as a wall before it is blown down by the wind2 but1 in a secondary sense it signifies1 as some understand it here1 to glitter or sparkle1 as a diamond1 when waved or moved4 ,thus we see the pains taken to avoid the plain and obvious sense of the passage2 but the ,hebrew scholar will judge for himself4 ,the concluding verse1 in which the prophet breaks forth into expressions of adoration and praise for the goodness of the ,lord1 well accords with this view of his bounty being unlimited1 and extending to all his creatures alike4 ,,the ,,rabbi',s ,,exposition ,,and ,,reply1 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,as ,i conclude that the object of the ,christian1 who thinks he sees in this ,prophecy a clear prediction of the coming of ,jesus ,christ1 is to learn in what manner it is expounded by the ,jews2 it appears to me that the simplest way in which ,i can reply1 will be to lay before him what ,i conceive to be the proper translation and interpretation4 ,in doing this1 it will be unnecessary to offer any further explanation or exposition1 beyond what may be given in the form of comment on the translation2 while he is at liberty to conclude with regard to those passages1 where no comment or explanation is offered1 not1 assuredly1 that ,i assent to his interpretation1 but merely that ,i acquiesce in the reasons he assigns for my dissent2 or that his anticipation of my argument has rendered its repetition superfluous1 as is the case in verses #i and #aj4 ,the following is my mode of translating this chapter and expounding it3-- ,zechariah1 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,verse #a4 ,the burden of the word of the ,lord on the land of ,hadrach1 and ,damascus1 his residence2 for to the ,lord 7will be7 the eye of man1 and 7particularly that7 of all the tribes of ,israel4 ,this prophecy is directed against a king named ,hadrach1 and against ,damascus his residence4 ,according to some who have visited ,syria1 there is to this day1 near the desert1 a village bearing the name of that king1 whose inhabitants assert that formerly a large district about it1 that constituted a powerful kingdom1 was called by the same name4 ,for to the ,lord1 saith the prophet1 will be the eye of man1 agreeably to what he further declareth1 that the extermination of the wicked will precede the turning to ,god1 the eyes of the residue of man4 ,verse #b4 ,and also 7on7 ,hamath which borders on her2 7on7 ,tyre1 and 7on7 ,sidon1 though she be very wise4 ,verse #c4 ,and ,tyre did build herself a strong hold1 and heaped up silver as dust1 and gold as mire of the streets4 ,the burden of the ,lord is also touching ,hamath1 which was bordering on the former2 also ,tyre1 and ,sidon1 which thought herself very wise2 yet her wisdom availed her nothing1 as was also foretold by ,ezekiel1 chap4 xxvii4 ver4 #cb4 ,verse #d4 ,behold the ,lord will make her poor1 and smite her power in the sea1 and she shall be devoured with fire4 ,verse #e4 ,ashkelon shall see it and fear2 ,gaza also1 and she shall be very sorrowful4 ,ekron also1 for he 7,god7 has made ashamed her expectation3 and the king shall perish from ,gaza3 and ,ashkelon shall not remain4 ,verse #f4 ,and a foreigner shall dwell in ,ashdod1 and ,i will cut of the pride of the ,philistines4 ,all the foregoing is known from history to have been already accomplished1 through the conquests of ,alexander the ,macedonian2 who also destroyed the fleet of ,tyre1 and smote her power on the sea4 ,among others also1 it is said1 ,ekron shall be very sorrowful1 since her hope was blasted2 ,tyre1 on which she solely confided1 being destroyed4 ,verse #g4 ,and when ,i shall have taken away his blood out of his mouth1 and his abominations from between his teeth2 then even he shall remain for our ,god1 and he shall be as a chief in ,judah1 and ,ekron like ,jebusi4 ,now the prophet continues to predict1 what is yet to be accomplished1 that after their filth and pollution shall have been taken away1 a remnant of them also will be to ,god2 each of whom will not be inferior even to a chief in ,judah1 and ,ekron will be in a manner as holy as ,jebusi1 which is ,jerusalem4 ,see ,joshua1 chap4 xviii4 ver4 #bh4 ,this1 and all that is connected with it1 to the end of the following chapter1 may refer to a remoter period1 to which the mind of the prophet was suddenly transported2 or these events may have been intended1 immediately after the overthrow of these nations1 to have followed under one of the princes of ,judah1 who was already joined by a part of ,ephraim2 and the whole of whom would have been gathered under his banners1 were not this delayed on account of their having acted contrary to the will of ,god4 ,for1 that the promises of ,god are conditional1 and sometimes delayed1 if those to whom they were made1 render themselves undeserving of them1 appears in many instances4 ,see ,zech4 chap4 viii4 ver4 #ad-af4 ,jeremiah1 chap4 xviii4 ver4 #i-aj4 ,among other instances1 may be cited what took place with our ancestors1 who went out of ,egypt4 ,the land of ,canaan promised to ,abraham 7,genesis1 chap4 xv4 ver4 #af47 was again promised to them1 even after their having worshipped the calf--,exodus1 chap4 xxxiii4 ver4 #a4--yet1 for their frequent rebellions1 was the fulfilment of this promise finally delayed to another generation4 7,numb4 chap4 xiv4 ver4 #bc47 ,nay1 it even appears that it would have been retracted1 or at least delayed many generations1 but for the intercession of ,moses4 7,exod4 chap4 xxxii4 ver4 #aj47 ,and1 in like manner1 may the fulfilment of these promises1 and that of others1 which follow1 respecting the restoration of ,israel1 be delayed1 in consequence of the wickedness of our people1 exciting the displeasure of the ,lord4 ,verse #h4 ,and ,i will encamp about my house 7to protect7 against an army1 against one passing and returning1 and no oppressor shall pass over them any more3 for now have ,i seen it with my eyes4 ,now have ,i seen it with mine eyes1 means having graciously turned his particular attention to them1 as is similarly expressed in ,exod4 chap4 ii4 ver4 #be4 ,ver4 #i4 ,rejoice greatly1 daughter of ,zion1 shout1 daughter of ,jerusalem1 behold thy ,king shall come unto thee just1 and he being saved1 humble and riding upon an ass1 the foal of an ass4 ,ver4 #aj4 ,and ,i will cut off the chariot from ,ephraim1 and the horse from ,jerusalem1 and the battle bow shall be cut off1 and he shall speak peace unto nations2 and his dominion shall be from sea to sea1 and from the river to the end of the earth4 ,verse #aa4 ,also thou1 by the blood of thy covenant1 ,i have sent away thy prisoners out of the pit1 wherein is no water4 ,by the blood of the covenant1 apparently1 is meant that related in ,exod4 chap4 xxiv4 ver4 #h4 ,a pit without water means a land of captivity4 ,verse #ab4 ,return ye to the strong hold1 ye prisoners of hope1 even to-day 7,i7 declare 7,,that7 ,i will render double unto thee4 ,the prisoners are to return and shelter in this strong hold4 ,verse #ac4 ,for ,i have bent ,judah for me1 filled the bow ,ephraim1 and raised up thy sons1 ,oh ,zion6 against thy sons1 ,oh ,greece6 and made thee as the sword of a mighty man4 ,judah and ,ephraim are represented as warlike instruments in the hand of ,god1 the sword1 and the bow which he bends1 and fills his hand with2 similar to the expression in #b ,kings1 chap4 ix4 ver4 #bd4 ,verse #ad4 ,and the ,lord shall be seen over them1 and his arrow shall go forth as lightning2 and the ,lord ,god shall blow the trumpet1 and shall go forth with the whirlwinds of the ,south4 ,verse #ae4 ,the ,lord of hosts shall defend them2 and they shall devour1 and subdue the sling stones2 and noisily drink 7their blood7 as wine2 and they shall be filled as a bowl1 as the corners of an altar4 ,the prophet in derision here compares their enemies to sling-stones1 contrasted with which in verse #af that follows1 ,israel is compared to precious stones2 and of whom it was before said that they were the sword in the hand of the ,lord1 to be filled with the blood of their relentless persecutors4 ,see also ,isaiah1 chap4 xxxiv4 ver4 #f4 ,verse #af4 ,and the ,lord their ,god will save them1 his people as a flock1 for as the stones of a crown shall they be glittering upon his land4 ,verse #ag4 ,for how great is his goodness1 and how great is his beauty6 ,the young men he will make as fruitful as corn1 and the maids as wine4 ,remarks ,on ,the ,rabbi's ,exposition4 ,were ,i candidly to express my sentiments1 ,i might say1 perhaps1 that the ,rabbi's answer had disappointed me1 being neither so full nor so forcible as ,i expected2 but if he1 as a ,jew1 be satisfied1 it is not for me as a ,christian to complain4 ,there are1 moreover1 certain points of coincidence in our translation1 in which the acquiescence of the ,rabbi1 as a distinguished ,hebrew scholar1 is truly gratifying2 while there are also some points of disagreement1 in which ,i am inclined to relinquish my own in favour of the ,rabbi's translation4 ,i propose briefly to advert to each2 but there is one circumstance that first deserves to be noticed1 and which1 however singular it may appear1 might yet have been expected4 ,it is this1 that wherever ,i have ventured to differ from ,christian commentators1 there ,i am also at issue with the ,rabbi4 ,now1 having formerly stated that our received translation is chiefly founded on the ,masoretic punctuation1 which is ,jewish1 a coincidence was naturally to be looked for between the ,jew's exposition1 and that which is in a great measure borrowed from it4 ,and accordingly such is the case1 the ,jew's exposition differing from that of our own commentators1 principally on those points where the latter discover allusions to ,christ4 ,these1 the ,jew1 of course1 no where finds4 ,now1 what the ,jew no where perceives1 and the ,christian only here and there1 as it were incidentally1 ,i maintain to be wholly and solely the subject of these chapters4 ,this is1 at least1 a broad and well marked line of distinction3 but here ,i unfortunately stand alone1 having ,christian as well as ,jew opposed to me4 ,even the ,jew allows that the subject of the latter part of this prophecy is the ,messiah and his kingdom2 but if ,christ be the ,messiah1 as the ,christian must admit1 then is ,christianity his kingdom1 and the subject of the prophecy4 ,so much for the state of the question4 ,the first point of disagreement between us is unconnected with the punctuation1 and is one of little importance to the question1 beyond what it may derive from the concurrence of my opponents4 ,the ,rabbi and ,dr4 ,blaney agree in regarding ,hadrach in the first verse1 as the name of a prince1 instead of a city or state4 ,the ,rabbi gives no authority for his opinion1 and ,dr4 ,blaney supports his by the conjecture that ,rehob1 spoken of in #b ,sam4 viii4 #c1 who is by ,josephus named or 1 may be the prince alluded to4 ,now since the avowed reason for resorting to this supposition is the want of a city of this name1 ,i would venture to suggest1 that ,aradus bears quite as much resemblance to ,hadrach as does2 and to ,aradus was annexed a considerable district of country1 which was precisely the first conquered by ,alexander1 when he invaded ,syria1 as appears by the following citation from ,quintus ,curtius1 lib4 #d4 cap4 #a4 8,aradus quoque insula deditur regi4 ,maritimam tum oram1 pleraque longius mari residentia1 rex ejus insul ,strato possidebat4 ,quo in fidem accepto1 castra movet ad urbem ,marathon40 ,aradus1 like ,tyre1 was the daughter of ,sidon1 as stated by ,strabo2 1 1 4 ,these then1 are circumstances which add weight to the supposition that ,aradus may be here intended2 but still it is no more than conjecture1 and as such1 quod valet1 valeat4 ,in the same verse1 the ,rabbi's rendering of 7or 7 his residence1 must1 of course1 stand or fall with the previous question1 ,whether ,hadrach be the name of a man or a city8 ,if it be that of a prince1 whose residence was ,damascus1 ,i have only to observe1 that no such person appears to have resided there at the time the prophet wrote1 and this is the only time that can accord with the ,rabbi's translation4 ,with regard to the last line of this verse1 which the ,rabbi renders nearly in the same manner as our commentators1 for to the ,lord will be the eye of man1 c4 ,i can only say1 that he does not appear to me to have thrown any new light upon the passage1 the sense remaining as vague and obscure as before4 ,but let the reader judge for himself4 ,in verse #bnd1 the ,rabbi agreeing with ,lowth1 renders 7or 7 as an active verb1 8which borders on her10 while ,blaney1 with me1 makes it passive4 ,if1 by ,hadrach1 be intended the district of country extending inland from the town of ,aradus1 this would lead us directly to ,epiphania1 which was the lesser ,hamath2 and this expression might be meant to distinguish it from the greater ,hamath1 the modern ,antioch2 but the ,rabbi does not acquiesce in this meaning of ,hadrach2 and1 upon the whole1 ,i see no sufficient reason to relinquish my own mode of rendering4 ,in verse #dth1 the ,rabbi's translation1 8,behold the ,lord will make her poor10 ,i certainly prefer to that of our version1 namely1 8shall cast her out20 but his explanation of the remainder of this verse1 8and smite her power in the sea1 and she shall be devoured with fire10 appears less satisfactory than that of ,dr4 ,blaney1 which ,i have adopted from him4 ,the ,rabbi explains the accomplishment of this passage by ,alexander's defeating the fleet of the ,tyrians1 and burning their city2 but such an interpretation is hardly borne out by history2 a few occasional skirmishes by sea1 and a partial conflagration1 after the city was taken1 being the utmost that took place4 ,and accordingly this verse has been otherwise explained by ,lowth1 who understands the 8smiting her power in the sea10 as referring to the insular situation of new ,tyre2 but ,dr4 ,blaney1 by a mode of rendering fully warranted by the ,hebrew text1 applies these words to ,sidon1 where they received their accomplishment in a manner strikingly peculiar4 ,the difference of translation consists in reading--8,for she 7,sidon7 has built ,tyre1 a fortress for herself10 instead of 8,for ,tyre has built a fortress for herself20 thus applying the expressions which follow to ,sidon1 instead of ,tyre2 which1 however1 is not thereby excluded from a full participation in the burden of the prophecy1 evidently denounced against both4 ,in regard to ,sidon1 the fulfilment was as follows3--,when besieged by ,artaxerxes ,ochus1 some years earlier than the siege of ,tyre by ,alexander1 the ,sidonians1 lest individuals might be tempted to seek their personal safety by flight1 and abandon the defence of the city1 burned all their shipping in the first instance2 and1 when1 by the cowardly treachery of their king1 the enemy was admitted within their walls2 they then set fire to their houses1 and consumed their city1 their families1 their wealth1 and themselves2 no less than forty thousand perishing in the flames1 according to ,diod4 ,sic43 1 1 4 ,lib4 #af4 cap4 #de4 ,in verse #e4 ,the fate of ,gaza and its governor1 who was dragged round the city by ,alexander1 in imitation of ,achilles1 though noticed by ,lowth1 is disregarded by ,blaney1 for what reason ,i know not1 since this seems as well intitled to notice as any other literal fulfilment of prophecy4 ,in verse #gth1 the ,rabbi's acquiescence in the meaning of the words1 8when ,i have taken away his blood out of his mouth and his pollution from between his teeth20 as signifying1 literally1 the taking away of sin and pollution1 is highly important to the ,christian exposition1 for it intimates the first and greatest benefit we derive from the coming of the ,messiah4 ,that the ,rabbi does not so understand it1 as alluding to the remission of sins through ,christ1 is not to be wondered at2 but it does seem singular that ,lowth and ,blaney should have disregarded or misunderstood so remarkable a passage1 in the sense of which even the ,jew acquiesces1 though not in the application4 7or 71 according to the ,rabbi1 means ,jerusalem1 that is1 8,ekron shall be as ,jerusalem40 ,now the ,jebusites were the original inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 it is true2 but why the prophet should here use the word ,jebusi for ,jerusalem1 and here only1 is rather unaccountable1 and ,i cannot but prefer the translation ,i have given4 ,in verses #h1 #i1 #aj1 there is no material disagreement between us either in the translation or the interpretation4 ,here ,jew and ,christian agree in applying these verses to the coming of the ,messiah4 ,the only question between us is1 whether ,christ be the ,messiah1 which the ,rabbi1 of course1 denies4 ,verse #aa4 ,in the words1 8,by the blood of thy covenant10 c4 it was not to be expected that the ,rabbi would see any intimation of a covenant for the redemption of mankind1 sealed with the blood of ,christ2 though we might have looked for it in ,dr4 ,blaney4 ,the application of this and the two preceding verses to ,christianity1 was so clearly perceived1 and so ably expounded by ,lowth1 that we only wonder he should have confined that view to these three verses1 considering them as a digression1 when by extending the same principle of interpretation to other parts of the prophecy1 he might have found a clue to the solution of many difficulties4 ,the want of this clue obliges ,dr4 ,blaney to come to the same conclusion as the ,rabbi1 that the remaining part of the prophecy is still unaccomplished2 a conclusion which ,i am compelled most strenuously to oppose4 ,to the ,jew1 the suspension of the fulfilment of this prophecy would be almost equivalent to that of all others2 for the ,messiah's kingdom is alike the subject of all1 and if this one be unaccomplished1 then must they all be so4 ,to the ,jew then1 ,i would say--,is this consonant with the previous ordinations of ,god in the government of the world1 to leave an interval of more than two thousand years1 without the fulfilment of prophecy1 which is to mankind1 the most convincing of all proofs of his ,divine superintendance and control over human affairs8 ,to ,dr4 ,blaney1 on the other hand1 who conceives that 8since our ,saviour's appearance on earth1 nothing has happened to the ,jewish nation in any degree answerable to what is here predicted2 no return from captivity1 no victories1 no successes10 c42 to him ,i would say1 why may not 8the children of the promise0 be here included as well as 8the children of the flesh80 ,the first ,christians were ,jews1 the apostles and disciples were ,jews1 while the converted ,gentiles were no less styled1 8,israelites by adoption20 and so they are continually called in prophetic language4 ,if then the terms1 8,sons of ,zion0 and 8,israel of ,god10 be not less applicable to those who received ,christ for their ,messiah1 than to those who rejected him2 we cannot surely say with ,dr4 ,blaney1 that there have been no return from captivity1 no victories1 no successes1 since the coming of ,christ2 for it will hardly be maintained that redemption from the bondage of sin is no return from captivity2 that the triumph of ,christianity over paganism is no victory1 and the rapid propagation of the ,gospel no success4 ,in verse #ab1 8,the strong hold10 which is evidently the same as the prison-house1 called in the preceding verse1 8the pit without water10 and which the ,rabbi allows to be a state of captivity1 is here1 somewhat abruptly1 transformed into a place of shelter and protection4 ,verse #ae4 ,the ,rabbi's idea1 that the prophet here uses the term 8sling-stones10 in derision1 as an appellative for the enemies of ,israel1 while he applies to themselves1 in the next verse1 the term 8precious stones10 appears to me1 ,i must acknowledge1 somewhat novel2 and as ,i dispute that translation of the next verse altogether1 so ,i cannot acquiesce in such an explanation of this4 ,with regard to the rendering of 7or 7 in the same verse1 which ,i have considered as the personal pronoun1 8they10 instead of the verb 8to make a noise0--,i believe the ,rabbi's1 upon re-considering the passage1 to be the more correct translation4 ,but these verbal differences1 however they may interest the ,hebrew scholar1 are of trivial importance1 as regarding the grand question between us1 namely1 whether the accomplishment of the predictions contained in this chapter1 ceases before we arrive at verse #i1 which is admitted to announce the coming of the ,messiah4 ,upon this point1 then1 ,i plead the general issue4 ,if ,i succeed in shewing that every part of the prophecy in the following chapters1 as well as the present1 has been clearly accomplished in the leading events of the history of ,christianity1 ,i gain my cause4 ,if ,i fail to do so1 let the verdict go for the ,jew4 ,,zechariah ,,on ,,the ,,messiah',s ,,kingdom4 ,,interpretation3 ,,chapter ,x4 ,two points appeared to be established in the last chapter2 one1 that the ,messiah's kingdom is the subject of this part of the prophecy1 and the other1 that that kingdom is a spiritual one2 or these points1 if not proved1 were1 at least1 shewn to be in perfect accordance with every verse1 and every line contained in that chapter4 ,that the ,messiah's kingdom is the subject1 appeared from the express declaration of the #ith verse1 8,behold1 thy ,king cometh10 c41 and from the exact accordance of every other with this view4 ,the circumstances that intimated the spiritual nature of that kingdom1 and shewed that the prophecy refers to ,christianity1 were the following3--the denunciations against worldly-mindedness1 wherewith the subject is prefaced and introduced2 these being immediately followed by1 and contrasted with the promise of spiritual blessings from the ,messiah's coming2 which were declared to be the remission of sins1 and the redemption of the ,gentile world from the darkness of idolatry2--next1 the personal character of the ,messiah1 and the express manner of his coming1 namely1 in meekness and humility2--the peaceful nature of his reign2--the shedding of his blood for the redemption of mankind from the bondage of sin2--the joint instrumentality of ,israel in the accomplishment of the great scheme of redemption1 but the admission of the ,gentiles to a full participation in the blessings which result from it1 and the removal of the partition wall1 mentioned by ,st4 ,paul1 7,ephes4 ii4 #ad17 by which they had been previously excluded from them4 ,these are the circumstances that declare the spirituality of the ,messiah's kingdom1 and these are clearly intimated in the last chapter4 ,the present will be found to contain somewhat less variety of incident1 with more of exhortations and promises than the preceding4 ,these are more particularly addressed to the house of ,judah1 but their subsequent extension to 8them of ,ephraim0 also1 is a circumstance that calls for some explanation1 without which it would be difficult to shew the chronological order of the events foretold4 ,ephraim1 or the ten tribes1 had gone into captivity long before the time when the prophecy was uttered1 which was that of the building of the second temple2 nor have these tribes since returned1 7what is become of them1 or whether they be now in existence1 being wholly unknown17 yet is their return from captivity here distinctly foretold4 ,what1 then1 are we to understand by this return1 or who is intended by 8them of ,ephraim10 is the question8 ,on the spiritual view1 the captivity means the bondage of sin1 and especially of idolatry1 into which ,ephraim had fallen by their apostacy2 and their return will mean their return to true religion1 whereby they obtain the remission of their sins1 and the gift of eternal life4 ,but what is meant by 8them of ,ephraim08 ,are we to understand thereby the original ten tribes who revolted with ,jeroboam1 and whose descendants are not known to be now in existence8 or the remnant of those tribes who returned to ,jerusalem1 7#b ,chron4 xi4 #af17 and who having joined the tribe of ,judah have since become mixed and identified with them8 ,on this latter view the prophecy may already in part have received its fulfilment1 as some of this remnant1 mixed with the tribes of ,judah and ,benjamin1 in the apostolic age1 were probably among the number of our ,lord's disciples1 and were thus redeemed from the bondage of sin1 and have already shared in the triumphs and blessings of the ,gospel4 ,on the former view1 supposing1 what is not impossible1 that these tribes are still in existence1 we must look chiefly to the future1 as regards them1 for the accomplishment of this part of the prophecy4 ,but whichever view we embrace1 as to those who constitute now the ten tribes1 we must still look to the future1 7and this is the point to be attended to17 for the full and perfect fulfilment of the prophecy2 for so long as any of the house of ,israel remain unredeemed1 so long must they be regarded1 in the spiritual view1 which is the view we embrace1 as still remaining in the bondage of sin1 and not yet returned from captivity4 ,this then is the essential point as regards the prophetic chronology1 that where events are spoken of1 which1 like the restoration of ,israel1 are continuous from age to age1 or destined to occupy many centuries in their fulfilment1 there the prophetic view must needs accord with the nature of the events1 comprising at one glance the commencement1 the continuance1 and the completion of what is foretold2 consequently these events not being limited to particular periods like the ordinary occurrences of history1 like the fate of a battle or the fall of a monarchy1 cannot be dated with chronological precision1 except it be from the time of their commencement4 ,and precisely of this nature are the events which form the subject of the chapter before us4 ,the first of these in order1 as well as importance1 is the progress of the ,gospel of ,christ1 or the triumph of ,judah1 which began with the apostolic age1 and has since continued progressive1 though with a fluctuating career1 and unequal success1 up to the present time1 when it extends over a large portion of the habitable world2 but still without having attained to any thing like the universality announced in prophecy4 ,this then is an event1 which being still progressive1 is not limitable to a particular period1 nor capable of being dated with precision except from its commencement4 ,next to this1 or to the triumph of ,judah1 is the promised restoration of ,israel1 which cannot be deemed complete1 while so many of the house of ,israel1 dispersed over the nations of ,christendom1 still rest their hopes on the covenant of the ,law2 a covenant which we as ,christians believe to have been annulled at the promulgation of the ,gospel2 but which from the first offered only temporal rewards1 and unlike the covenant of grace1 gave no distinct promises of eternal life4 ,that the remaining ,israelites will ultimately awaken to a sense of these advantages1 we may confidently expect from this promise of restoration1 and from the predicted universality of the ,messiah's kingdom4 ,this then is also an event yet imperfectly accomplished1 or still in a state of progression1 and therefore yet incapable of being dated with precision4 ,the abolition of ,paganism is another1 which though nominally effected at the beginning of the fourth century1 is yet so far from being complete1 that ,paganism still prevails over the largest portion of the globe2 and consequently this1 like the former1 is an event which can be dated only from its commencement4 ,bearing then in mind the nature of these events1 and the impossibility of limiting the date of them to definite periods1 we may now proceed with the interpretation of the prophecy4 ,as the last chapter opened with denunciations of divine wrath against worldly-mindedness1 which were followed by1 and contrasted with the unfolding of the spiritual nature of the ,messiah's kingdom1 so the present chapter opens with exhortations to seek for spiritual blessings1 and with the promise of their abundant bestowal on those who ask for them4 ,ask ye of the ,lord rain in the time of the latter rain2 so the ,lord causing lightning1 shall bring heavy showers1 and give to every one grass in the field4 ,this language is metaphorical1 it is true1 and so is invariably that which is employed in describing the plenteousness of the ,messiah's kingdom1 abounding in corn1 wine1 and oil1 natural plenty signifying abundance in spiritual blessings4 ,were any one disposed to take such expressions in a strictly literal sense1 he would soon find it impossible1 for1 most of them are mixed metaphors1 such as waters of life1 trees of righteousness1 garments of salvation1 of which part at least must be figurative2 and the spiritual sense is in fact the most literal of any that can possibly be affixed to them4 ,ask ye of the ,lord rain1 signifies seek the blessings of righteousness1 and they shall be freely given to you4 ,when viewed in this light1 we shall readily perceive the connection between this and the next verse1 which contrasts the value of true1 with the worthlessness and deceitfulness of false religion4 ,for the idols have spoken vanity1 and the diviners have seen a lie2 and told false dreams2 they comfort in vain4 ,that is1 the heathen priests and oracles promise blessings which they have no power to bestow1 but delude their votaries with false hopes1 leading them astray1 and leaving them to wander as a flock without a shepherd4 ,therefore they went their way as a flock1 they were troubled because there was no shepherd4 ,a religion like ,paganism1 which allowed the unrestrained indulgence of the passions1 of pride1 avarice1 and ambition1 was well calculated to seduce2 and the ,jews1 in spite of the continual exhortations of their prophets1 in spite of the many signal miracles displayed to them1 and wrought in their behalf1 had frequently relapsed into idolatry4 ,nor can it be supposed that the outward worship of idols was alone displeasing to ,god1 and that the indulgence of the passions1 which was the soul and spirit of idolatry1 was disregarded4 ,the spirit was at least as likely as the form of ,paganism to be offensive to ,heaven2 and accordingly it was continually denounced by the prophets1 and had been frequently punished by signal acts of judgment4 ,and in this did the ,jewish priests and rulers still offend1 by their avarice and worldly-mindedness1 and thus incur the displeasure of ,heaven1 as already intimated1 and here repeated4 ,mine anger is kindled against the shepherds1 and ,i will punish the goats4 ,the shepherds are the guardians1 the goats the leaders of the flock2 but the ,jewish shepherds and leaders misled their flock1 and as their forefathers1 under ,jeroboam1 had embraced idolatry1 and were therefore allowed to be carried away into captivity1 so their posterity1 seduced by similar passions1 rejected the blessings of the ,gospel1 and were suffered to remain in the bondage of sin4 ,but the house of ,judah having remained faithful1 to them was the ,messiah promised2 and given to those who were willing to receive him4 ,but the ,lord of hosts hath visited his flock1 the house of ,judah1 and made them as his goodly horse in battle4 ,out of him shall come the corner-stone2 out of him1 the nail2 out of him1 the battle bow2 out of him every ruler together4 ,triumphant career and success are herein promised to ,judah1 but the ,messiah's kingdom having been already declared to be a peaceful one1 we cannot suppose literal warfare to be here intended4 ,the triumph of true religion over ,paganism is no doubt the warfare to be understood4 ,and they shall be as mighty men who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in battle2 and they shall fight because the ,lord is with them1 and they shall confound the riders on horses4 ,and while this triumph is promised to ,judah1 mercy and forgiveness are declared to ,israel also1 and their return from captivity is foretold4 ,and ,i will strengthen the house of ,judah1 and ,i will save the house of ,joseph1 and ,i will bring them again to place them1 for ,i have mercy upon them1 and they shall be as though ,i had not cast them off2 for ,i am the ,lord their ,god1 and will hear them4 ,and they of ,ephraim shall be like a mighty man1 and their heart shall rejoice as through wine1 yea their children shall see it and be glad1 their heart shall rejoice in the ,lord4 ,the complete fulfilment of this part of the prophecy must still be future1 whether we consider it as referring to the ,jews now dispersed over different countries1 or to the ten tribes who went into captivity4 ,in most countries of ,europe and probably of ,asia also1 the usual mode of call to a person just within hearing is a shrill kind of hiss1 which is the more readily noticed because differing from all other sounds4 ,this expression is accordingly used in the prophecy to express the recal of ,israel1 whether spiritual or otherwise4 ,i will hiss for them1 and gather them1 for ,i have redeemed them1 and they shall increase as they have increased4 ,the next verse speaks of sowing them again among the people1 which appears at first as if again declaring their dispersion2 but on the spiritual view there is no reason to suppose that such is the meaning4 ,sowing them among the people1 on this view will signify the blending together of ,jews and ,gentiles1 by their embracing one common faith2 whereby they at length become one race1 and all distinction is lost under the common denomination of ,christians4 ,this also explains the rapid increase of their numbers here foretold1 as well as their return from captivity1 and their living again4 ,the increase of numbers arising from the accession of converts2 their return from captivity1 signifying redemption from the bondage of sin2 and their living1 the resurrection to eternal life through ,christ4 ,and ,i will sow them among the people1 and they shall remember me in far countries1 and they shall live with their children1 and turn again4 ,the spirituality of this return and gathering becomes still clearer as we proceed1 signifying the flowing together of all nations1 ,gentiles as well as ,jews1 into the house of the ,lord4 ,and ,i will bring them again out of the land of ,egypt1 and gather them out of ,assyria1 and ,i will bring them into the land of ,gilead and ,lebanon2 and place shall not be found for them4 ,this extraordinary increase of numbers1 which is to overflow all countries1 strongly favours the spiritual view1 for the actual number of the ,hebrew nation is avowedly diminishing1 and becoming less and less likely to perform the wonderful changes next intimated4 ,the sea and the isles were common expressions for the ,gentile nations1 7,gen4 x4 #e17 while the land signifies always the ,jews1 from ,palestine or the ,holy ,land--see note4 ,rivers denote in prophetic language1 the people residing on their borders4 7,isaiah viii4 #g47 ,the river1 in particular1 signifies the ,euphrates and the ,eastern nations bordering upon it4 ,this will serve as a key to the meaning of the next verse1 which announces the subversion of ,paganism in these different countries4 ,thus1 afflicting the sea and smiting the waves1 denote its extinction in the ,west2 drying up the depths of the river1 signify its extinction in the ,east2 and bringing down the pride of ,assyria1 and the departing of the sceptre from ,egypt bespeak its further abolition4 ,and he shall cause affliction to pass over the sea1 and shall smite the waves of the sea3 and all the deeps of the river shall dry up3 and the pride of ,assyria shall be brought down2 and the sceptre of ,egypt shall depart away4 ,surely these expressions announce some greater changes than would result from the mere emigration from these countries of a race1 poor1 afflicted1 and despised1 as the ,jews long have been4 ,and small indeed is the likelihood that the literal subjugation of all these countries by that race1 can be here intended4 ,the following verse points out a far more probable and consistent solution of the problem1 in the overthrow of their idolatry1 and the turning of all these nations to the worship of the one true ,god4 ,and ,i will strengthen them in the ,lord1 and they shall walk up and down in his name1 saith the ,lord4 ,,notes ,,to ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,verse #a4 3 ,so the ,lord shall make bright clouds1 and give them showers of rain4 ,the ,hebrew here may be rendered 7see ,lowth and ,parkhurst7 lightning instead of bright clouds1 and the connexion with rain will then be much more obvious2 especially with heavy rain1 as the ,hebrew word literally signifies1 which usually follow lightning4 ,the construction will then be as proposed in the text4 ,so the ,lord causing lightning1 shall bring heavy rain1 c4 ,verse #c4 3 ,mine anger was kindled against the shepherds1 and ,i punished the goats1 for the ,lord1 c4 ,the apparently indiscriminate use of the past and future tenses1 in scriptural and prophetic language1 has perplexed the best ,hebrew scholars4 ,on the conversive power of the 1 ,granville ,sharpe's is perhaps the best treatise4 ,in the present case1 unless the retain that power when disjoined from the verb1 there is no reason for rendering the future 7or 7 as a perfect1 or1 ,i punished1 instead of ,i will punish4 ,and1 as ,mr4 ,lowth observes1 the 7or 7 which follows would be more properly rendered ,but than ,for1 and it will then be--mine anger is kindled against the shepherds1 and ,i will punish the goats2 ,but the ,lord of ,hosts1 c4 ,the shepherds and the goats both signify leaders of the flock4 ,verse #d4 3 ,out of him came forth the corner1 out of him the nail1 out of him the battle bow1 out of him every oppressor together4 ,the words corner1 nail1 and oppressor1 must be rather perplexing to the ,english reader1 nor can the ,hebrew scholar be certain of the precise meaning of each1 though their general import is obvious enough4 ,thus 7or 7 corner1 signifies in the root to turn1 and as the corner stone is a guide to the builder in laying the others1 it comes to signify a guide or leader4 ,so 7or 71 a nail1 signifies one on whom others depend4 ,and 7or 71 an oppressor1 like the ,greek 1 signifies generally1 a prince1 as well as a tyrant4 ,thus these terms are each of them equivalent to a chief or leader4 ,the verb 7or 71 which follows1 may be either past or future1 but the latter accords best with the context1 as in the proposed translation4 ,out of him shall come forth the corner-stone1 out of him the nail1 out of him the battle bow1 out of him every leader together4 ,verse #h4 4--,i will hiss for them4 ,the word hiss1 does not to the ,english reader convey the correct meaning here4 ,in many parts of ,europe1 and1 probably1 in some of ,asia1 the common made of call is by a shrill sound1 very different from either a hiss or a whistle4 ,in some countries it is effected by pressing the tongue against the teeth with the lips open1 and sounding the letters--tsz4 ,in others1 it is usual to begin with the lips compressed1 and without closing the teeth1 thus making the sound of the letters psh--but in both1 the sibilant sound predominates1 and is heard to a considerable distance1 while its peculiarity instantly attracts attention from all that are within hearing2 and this is no doubt the sense of the term1 as here used4 ,the ,hebrew closely resembles1 and probably gives the etymology of the ,english word1 shriek4 7,see ,parkhurst47 ,verse #aa4 3 ,and he shall pass through the sea with affliction1 and shall smite the waves of the sea4 ,this mode of rendering gives a turn to the sense of the passage1 which is wholly uncalled for1 if not unwarranted by the original3 which would be more literally translated3 ,and affliction shall come over the sea1 c4 ,but the ,jew's mode of rendering is equally correct1 and better accords with the context1 thus3 ,he shall cause trouble to pass in the sea1 and shall smite the waves of the sea4 ,the latter expression amplifying and explaining the former4 ,what is meant by the expressions1 the sea1 the isles1 and the land1 is a point of no small importance4 ,in prophetic language1 the sea and the isles always signify the western ,gentiles1 or ,european nations2 while the land signifies ,palestine1 or the ,jewish nation4 ,the ,hebrew word 7or 7 means either the sea or the west4 ,as the sea extends along the whole western coast of ,syria1 sea and west came to be used synonymously4 ,and as the ,european nations lay beyond the sea they obtained the name of the isles1 or the isles of the ,gentiles1 as they are called in ,gen4 x4 #e4 ,mr4 ,lowth observes1 on ,isa4 xi4 #aa4 8,the islands1 in the prophetic style1 seem particularly to denote the western parts of the world1 or the ,european nations2 the west being often called the sea in the ,scripture language40 ,thus1 8causing affliction1 or trouble1 to come over the sea10 and 8smiting the waves of it10 signify1 as the ,jew rightly explains1 to cause confusion and dismay among the ,gentile nations of the west4 ,verse #aa4 3 ,and all the deeps of the river shall dry up4 ,that rivers are meant1 in prophetic language1 to represent the people residing on their borders1 appears in various passages4 ,see ,isa1 viii4 #g4 8,now1 therefore1 behold the ,lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river strong and many1 even the king of ,assyria and all his glory40 ,in like manner1 the drying up of the ,euphrates1 is spoken of under the sixth vial in the ,revelations1 in allusion to the nations bordering upon that river4 ,,the ,,rabbi',s ,,reply1 ,,and ,,the ,,author',s ,,remarks ,,upon ,,it4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,contending1 as the ,jew does1 that no part of the prophecy relating to the ,messiah's kingdom1 has yet been accomplished1 he cannot reasonably be expected to offer a particular interpretation of what1 according to his view1 is still unfulfilled4 ,and1 accordingly1 his remarks on this chapter are restricted to an occasional correction of the received translation1 and a few short explanatory notes2 while his reply to my exposition1 if reply it can be called1 may be comprised in one short sentence1 namely1 that he considers the whole unaccomplished1 and rejects altogether the spiritual exposition1 admitting none but the literal4 ,in answer to this1 ,i have to observe1 that the literal acceptation1 has already1 in some instances1 been shewn to be impossible2 and will1 hereafter1 be so in many more2 while the figurative exposition offered1 is in perfect accordance with the style and language of prophecy in general1 and is uniform and consistent throughout4 ,as ,i fully acquiesce in the ,rabbi's corrections1 and in the only instance where we differ1 have adopted his view in preference to my own1 it is wholly unnecessary to offer his translation at length2 but an objection which he makes to my exposition of verses #crd and #dth of the last chapter1 ,i feel called upon to notice4 ,in those verses1 ,i adopted the view of ,dr4 ,blayney1 that the destruction by fire1 there denounced1 applies to ,sidon rather than to ,tyre4 ,the common version1 8,for ,tyre has built herself a fortress10 being rendered by him1 8,for she 7,sidon7 has built herself a fortress1 ,tyre20 the ,sidonians being thus made the immediate object of denunciation1 who are allowed to have been the builders of ,tyre1 which was thence called the daughter of ,sidon4 ,now the ,jew's objection is founded upon collateral prophecies1 in which the burden cannot1 as here1 be shifted from ,tyre to ,sidon1 the former being distinctly named in these2 and in some1 the precise mode of destruction specified1 namely1 by fire3 ,thus1 in ,amos i4 #aj1 8,i will send a fire upon the wall of ,tyrus1 which shall devour the palaces thereof30 see also ,isa4 xxiii41 in which the whole burden is expressly on ,tyre2 and again1 ,ezek4 xxvii4 #cb1 8and in their wailing1 they shall take up a lamentation for thee1 and lament over thee1 saying1 ,what city is like ,tyrus1 like the destroyed in the midst of the sea80 ,these1 and similar passages1 would1 no doubt1 be fatal to the exposition of ,dr4 ,blayney1 could they be shewn to foretel one and the same event2 but against this1 there are1 what appear to me1 conclusive objections4 ,two of these prophets not only wrote long before the time of ,zechariah1 but before the destruction of ,old ,tyre by ,nebuchadnezzar1 which was therefore most likely to be the object of their predictions1 and not ,new ,tyre1 which1 at that time was not in existence1 being built after ,old ,tyre was demolished2 this then appears conclusive against the objection drawn from what occurs in ,amos and ,isaiah4 ,with regard to ,ezekiel1 the case is somewhat different1 and the answer must rest on other grounds4 ,ezekiel did write much nearer to the time in question1 and commentators appear undecided whether some of his predictions refer to the destruction of ,old or ,new ,tyre1 or to both2 for if he uttered this prophecy before the siege of ,old ,tyre by ,nebuchadnezzar1 which can hardly admit of doubt1 when he says1 chap4 xxvi4 #g1 8,behold ,i will bring upon ,tyrus1 ,nebuchadnezzar king of ,babylon20 still the expression of 8the destroyed in the midst of the sea10 does seem peculiarly applicable to the insular situation of ,new ,tyre4 ,but if it be granted that the siege of this latter1 by ,alexander1 be intimated in that remarkable expression2 yet ,ezekiel no where1 that ,i can find1 specifies fire as the peculiar agent of destruction2 therefore1 it cannot be inferred from any thing he says1 that in ,zechariah's prophecy1 which appears to be directed against both ,tyre and ,sidon1 this particular mode of destruction may not apply to ,sidon1 as the text certainly warrants that interpretation4 ,thus ,i see no reason to relinquish ,dr4 ,blayney's view1 which ,i should give up with the more reluctance1 as ,i have so rarely been able to go along with that learned commentator2 while this exposition appeared to me a very happy solution of a difficulty presented by the received translation4 ,,zechariah ,,on ,,the ,,messiah',s ,,kingdom4 ,,interpretation3 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,it was before stated1 that we should find in its proper place1 due notice taken of the pride and worldly-mindedness which led the ,jews to reject the ,messiah1 as he offered no temporal advantages2 and of their forfeiting thereby all claim to the blessings which his kingdom was calculated to afford4 ,we are now come to that place4 ,the introduction to this chapter announces the frustration of their hopes of worldly greatness built upon the promised ,messiah2 and distinctly states what portion of their nation would be blinded by such motives1 and what portion would be exempt from them4 ,the rulers1 the rich1 and the great are declared to be those who would mislead the flock2 while the poor and the humble are stated to be those who would recognise the hand of ,god in his works1 and perceive that this was the word of the ,lord4 ,at the time of ,christ's coming1 it is unquestionable1 that a very general expectation prevailed among the ,jews1 that the period for their ,messiah's appearance was arrived2 but so remote was the character of ,jesus from what they expected in their prince1 and so different were the advantages he offered from what they had hoped to obtain1 that the majority of the people willingly yielded to the persuasion of their interested rulers1 that he was not the promised ,messiah2 and thus the misguided flock for the most part entered into the views of their priests and rulers1 and rejected ,christ4 ,the motives for this rejection are manifest even to this day1 in the backwardness of ,israel to relinquish the hopes of a temporal ,messiah1 and in their blindness to the benefits offered them by a spiritual one2 although the consequence has hitherto been to them the loss of even the temporal advantages they previously enjoyed1 instead of the attainment of others which they expected4 ,small1 however1 in the ,christian's estimation1 are these1 in comparison with their loss1 in a spiritual point of view1 or their loss of the especial favour of ,heaven2 which from that time has not only withheld from them any further revelations1 but1 as we conceive1 has even blinded them to the true spiritual import of those previously vouchsafed4 ,thus1 in whatever light we view it1 whether spiritually or politically1 the humiliation of ,israel from that time to the present1 has been abundantly manifest2 as declared in the prophecy1 under the metaphor of the fall of the loftiest trees1 the pride of the forest4 ,open thy doors1 ,o ,lebanon6 that the fire may devour thy cedars4 ,howl1 fir-tree1 for the cedar is fallen1 because the mighty is spoiled4 ,howl1 ,o ye oaks of ,bashan1 for the forest of the vintage is come down4 ,there is a voice of the howling of the shepherds1 for their glory is spoiled4 ,a voice of the roaring of young lions1 for the pride of ,jordan is spoiled4 ,this language is highly figurative1 no doubt2 yet is it interspersed with expressions1 which almost preclude the possibility of its misapplication2 for the cedars of ,lebanon1 and the oaks of ,bashan1 are next1 by a change of metaphor1 called1 the shepherds of the flock2 and soon after1 dropping the metaphor entirely1 it appears that they are the rich and the great1 who sacrifice their flock to avarice and ambition4 ,their hopes1 however1 were frustrated1 in the appearance of a spiritual1 instead of a temporal prince1 and an exultation over their disappointed ambition forms the exordium to this chapter1 which may be explained as follows3-- ,literally1 the shepherds are supposed to howl for the loss of their rich pastures on mount ,carmel1 the forest of the vintage2 and the lions to roar for the loss of their covert1 the thickets on the banks of ,jordan1 the pride of the river1 which1 with other trees1 are doomed to destruction2 but the figurative meaning is1 that the priests and rulers of ,israel should be disappointed of their hopes of worldly greatness at the ,messiah's coming1 and be deprived1 under the new dispensation1 of their power and influence4 ,the lamentation over their frustrated hopes1 is next coupled with expressions of compassion for their misguided flock1 whom they had doomed to the slaughter2 that is1 by depriving them of the life which is in ,christ4 ,this flock1 the prophet is commanded to feed4 ,thus saith the ,lord my ,god4 ,feed the flock of the slaughter1 whose possessors slay them1 and hold themselves not guilty4 ,and they that sell them say1 ,blessed be the ,lord for ,i am rich4 ,and their own shepherds pity them not4 ,avarice is thus foreshewn to be the vice which would lead the priests to reject ,christ2 the sending of whom is next declared to be the last act of ,divine interposition in behalf of ,israel2 those who reject him being thenceforward left to themselves4 ,for ,i will no more pity the inhabitants of the land1 saith the ,lord1 but1 lo6 ,i will deliver the men every one into his neighbour's hand1 and into the hand of his shepherd1 and they shall smite the land1 and out of their hand ,i will not deliver them4 ,but while further interposition is thus denied to those who reject ,christ1 being the rich and the great2 spiritual food is expressly promised to those who receive him1 who were the poor and the meek4 ,but ,i will feed the flock of the slaughter1 even you1 ,o poor of the flock4 ,the food here promised to those who are willing to receive it1 cannot be any other than spiritual food2 that is1 the knowledge to discern truth from falsehood1 and the grace to make a proper election between right and wrong4 ,to the poor1 this was given1 of whom ,christ declared that 8,theirs was the kingdom of ,heaven30 to the rich it was not given1 of whom he declared1 8,that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle10 than for them to enter his kingdom4 ,we now come to the events to which this introductory matter is intended to lead us2 and to render the prophetic annunciation the more impressive1 it is typically represented by actions1 as well as expressed by words4 ,this is the most important part of the prophecy2 that on which it may be said that the whole interpretation hinges4 ,and yet it is here that the ,christian is at fault1 and that the ,jew expects a certain triumph3 nor without reason1 when our ablest commentators disagree1 or even acknowledge the difficulties to be insurmountable4 ,whether they are removed by the proposed exposition1 the reader must decide2 and to enable him to do so1 we shall state them as briefly as possible4 ,the events alluded to will1 with the ,christian1 scarcely admit of doubt1 for the passage before us is cited in the ,gospel of ,matthew1 though by some error1 it is there ascribed to ,jeremiah instead of ,zechariah4 ,but were the citation in question even supposed to be a marginal note1 which had found its way into the text in transcribing1 still the purport of the prophecy would be not the less manifest1 for the connection of this with the context1 and the unity of the whole1 sufficiently declare the subject4 ,the events foreshewn1 are the death of ,christ2 the dissolution of the old1 and the founding of the new covenant2 the rejection of this latter by the great body of the ,jewish nation1 and their immediate forfeiture of the benefits it affords2 with other circumstances attending these events1 such as the betrayal of ,christ for thirty pieces of silver2 the employment of this money in the purchase of the potter's field2 the separation of the ,jews1 who rejected ,christ1 from those who received him2 and the evils entailed upon those who1 having rejected the true1 followed after false ,messiahs4 ,these are the circumstances shadowed forth in the prophecy2 but to give a consistent explanation of every part of it1 and to shew the exact adaptation of the events to the prediction1 constitute the difficulty4 ,the typical actions of the prophet1 consist in his taking two staves1 or crooks2 first affixing to each of them a significant denomination1 and then breaking them in succession2 accompanying this action with explanations1 declaratory of the purport of his doing so4 ,yet is the whole highly mystical1 and in parts so obscure1 that ,dr4 ,blayney acknowledges he cannot solve these difficulties2 an avowal that would have been rendered unnecessary1 had his predecessor ,lowth been more successful4 ,their failure seems chiefly to have arisen from their misconceiving1 in the first place1 whom the prophet here personates in the character of the shepherd2 and1 in the next1 what the staves are intended to represent2 for the general purport of the whole1 is rightly understood by both to be an allusion to the death of ,christ1 and the completion of his mission4 ,accordingly1 ,lowth supposes the shepherd to personate the ,messiah1 as the shepherd of his flock4 ,but the ,messiah is throughout the person spoken of1 rather than the speaker1 as will presently appear4 ,blayney also considers the prophet as a type of the ,messiah2 but supposes him sometimes to speak in his own name1 as being himself the shepherd4 ,not to dwell on the want of consistency in this change of character1 its avowed inadequacy to furnish the solution required1 is alone a sufficient refutation of it4 ,that the prophet is the actual speaker is clear1 but he speaks in the name of the ,almighty1 as is distinctly declared three times at least in the present chapter4 ,the great ,shepherd is then no other than ,god himself2 and all mankind are his flock4 ,who are the staves1 or crooks1 we have next to inquire4 ,the staff1 or crook1 is the shepherd's implement1 with which he tends his flock1 protecting them on the one hand1 or correcting them on the other4 ,hence the two names adapted to the two-fold office1 which might be rendered ,pleasure and ,pain1 instead of ,beauty and ,bands2 but there is no occasion to alter the translation1 which is equally literal1 and equally appropriate as it stands4 ,it is1 perhaps1 worthy of note1 that two staves were once in use for these different purposes4 ,what are these staves then intended to represent8 ,in a word1 ,god being the ,shepherd1 and all mankind his flock1 the staves appear to be typical of ,christ and ,israel2 these being the agents employed1 the great instruments in the hands of ,god1 in accomplishing the work of man's redemption1 from the darkness of idolatry to the light of true religion4 ,one staff being ,israel1 with whom was founded the ,old ,covenant1 the express object of which was the abolition of idolatry2 a covenant which is continually called the 8bondage of the law20 and the other staff1 ,christ1 the founder of the ,new ,covenant1 called 8the beauty of holiness0 who declared that his yoke was easy1 or pleasant2 thus the name will be equally appropriate1 whichever translation is adopted4 ,and ,i took unto me two staves1 the one ,i called ,beauty1 and the other ,i called ,bands1 and ,i fed the flock4 ,the parallelism between these two staves strikingly appears in the circumstance that the most remarkable prophecies1 as the liiid4 chapter of ,isaiah1 which the ,christian conceives to be exactly fulfilled in the person and character of ,christ1 the ,jew imagines to accord as perfectly with the circumstances and condition of the house of ,israel4 ,may we not suppose them to be designedly applicable to both8 instrumental alike to the same great purpose1 man's redemption from idolatry4 ,one of the earliest acts of ,christ1 who1 however1 did every thing in the name of the ,father1 was his exposing the unfitness of the ,jewish leaders1 who were the priests1 the scribes1 and the elders1 to be the spiritual guides of the flock4 ,their selfishness and hypocrisy he unsparingly denounced1 as rendering them unfit for such an office2 of which they were consequently deprived under the new dispensation4 ,such appears to be the purport of the following verse1 as ably expounded by ,lowth4 ,three shepherds also ,i cut off in one month1 and my soul loathed them1 and their soul also abhorred me4 ,one month1 is an indefinite expression for a short time1 as if the prophet had said1 at once4 ,when the people had been duly warned against these treacherous guides2 those who chose to disregard that warning1 had no reason to complain1 if it pleased ,heaven to leave them to their fate1 as is next declared4 ,then said ,i1 ,i will not feed you2 that that dieth1 let it die1 and that that is to be cut off1 let it be cut off2 and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another4 ,the prophet next foreshews1 by typical actions1 accompanied by explanations declaratory of their purport1 the death of ,christ1 and the dissolution of the ,old ,covenant4 ,and ,i took my staff1 even ,beauty1 and cut it asunder2 that ,i might break my ,covenant1 which ,i made with all the people4 ,the ,covenant with ,moses promised protection against all nations1 while ,israel remained obedient4 ,israel disobeyed and the ,covenant was broken4 ,the ,covenant with ,abraham promised blessing to all nations through his seed4 ,the ,gospel of ,christ was that blessing2 refused by the ,jews1 and consequently given to the ,gentiles2 for a remnant only of ,israel received the ,gospel1 and those were the poor of the flock4 ,and it was broken in that day1 and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me1 knew that it was the word of the ,lord4 8,the poor had the ,gospel preached unto them10 and received it with gratitude2 but the ingratitude of their leaders towards the ,great ,shepherd1 for the care he had so long taken of them2 and the small estimation in which they held a spiritual ,messiah1 are aptly foreshewn by the prophet1 in the name of the ,great ,shepherd1 claiming his reward at their hands1 and their offering the precise sum which was given for ,christ1 thirty pieces of silver4 ,and ,i said1 ,if ye think good give me my wages1 and if not1 forbear2 so they weighed me for my reward1 thirty pieces of silver4 ,the way in which this money was actually bestowed1 is next foreshewn1 by the ,shepherd's rejecting it scornfully1 and desiring it may be given to the potter4 ,and the ,lord said unto me1 cast it to the potter2 a goodly price that ,i was valued at by them3 so ,i took the thirty pieces of silver1 and cast them to the potter in the house of the ,lord4 ,the price they actually gave for ,christ1 aptly denotes the value they put upon ,god's goodness in sending him1 the ,great ,shepherd's proffered remuneration4 ,the house of the ,lord1 or the temple1 is the supposed scene of action1 shewing the spiritual import of the transaction4 ,the money being given to the potter1 foreshews how it would be actually employed1 to wit1 in the purchase of the potter's field2 in fact1 it was given to the potter4 ,if it be asked what the potter had to do in the temple8 the answer is1 he went there1 as others did1 to pray4 ,his being there does not1 as some suppose1 imply that he was at work there4 ,those who rejected and crucified ,christ1 are thenceforward rejected from being ,god's chosen people4 ,as ,christ was cut off from natural life1 so ,israel was cut off from the life in ,christ as next intimated4 ,then ,i cut asunder my other staff1 even ,bands1 that ,i might break the brotherhood between ,judah and ,israel4 ,the house of ,jacob was from this time divided into ,christians and ,jews1 who appear to be distinguished in the prophecy under the types of ,judah and ,israel2 the former denoting those who received1 and the latter those who rejected ,christ4 ,this distinction appears to be maintained till their promised re-union in the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,the spiritual evils entailed on those who reject the true ,messiah1 to follow after false teachers1 are next foreshewn4 ,and the ,lord said unto me1 ,take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd1 for ,i will raise up a ,shepherd in the land1 which shall not visit those that be cut of1 neither shall seek the young1 nor heal that that is broken1 nor feed that that standeth still1 but he shall eat the flesh of the fat1 and tear their hoofs asunder4 ,israel is thus left to the mercy of these false shepherds1 while spiritual blindness1 infatuation1 and utter helplessness1 are the awful judgments denounced against the selfish and worldly-minded priesthood1 who thus mislead and sacrifice their flock4 ,woe to the idol shepherd1 that leaveth the flock6 the sword shall be upon his arm1 and upon his right eye2 his arm shall be clean dried up1 and his right eye shall be utterly darkened4 ,the spiritual blindness which has since darkened the mental vision of ,israel1 appears to the ,christian to be here distinctly foretold4 ,,notes ,,to ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,ver4 #a4 --,open thy doors1 ,o ,lebanon1 c4 ,that ,jewish writers have understood 8the forest10 as metaphorically representing ,jerusalem with her stately buildings1 and 8,lebanon10 as the temple itself1 appears from the following note of ,mr4 ,lowth1 on this passage4 8,by ,lebanon1 most interpreters understand the temple1 whose stately buildings resemble the tall cedars of that forest4 ,thus the word is commonly understood10 ,hab4 ii4 #ag4 ,there is a remarkable story mentioned in the ,jewish writers to this purpose4 ,some time before the destruction of the temple1 the doors of it opened of their own accord2 a circumstance mentioned by ,josephus1 ,bell4 ,jud4 #a4 #g4 c4 #ab4 ,then ,r4 ,johanan1 a disciple of ,r4 ,hillel1 directing his speech to the temple said1 ,i know thy destruction is at hand1 according to the prophecy of ,zechariah1 ,open thy doors1 ,o ,lebanon1 c4 ,the passage in ,josephus in my edition is1 lib4 #f1 cap4 #e1 and a very remarkable one it is1 containing many other portents preceding the destruction of the temple1 besides the spontaneous opening of these massive doors1 which were so ponderous as to require twenty men to open and shut them4 ,ver4 #b4 --,for the forest of the vintage is come down4 ,by the forest of the vintage1 is understood ,mount ,carmel1 which was partly covered with vineyards and rich pastures1 for the loss of which the shepherds are said to howl1 in the following verse4 ,the shepherds metaphorically designate the leaders of the people2 the different trees of the forest denoting the different classes and orders of men4 ,ver4 #c4 --,for the pride of ,jordan is spoiled4 ,by the pride of ,jordan is to be understood1 as ,dr4 ,blayney observes1 the woods and thickets on the banks of that river4 ,these served as covert for lions1 which often infested the country when driven from them by the rising of the river4 ,these trees being along with others doomed to destruction1 the lions roar for the loss of their shelter1 as the shepherds howl for the loss of their rich pastures4 ,the lions denote metaphorically the great and powerful among the people4 ,their disposition to prey upon and devour the flock1 well accords with the character afterwards given to the shepherds also1 and shews the consistency of the metaphorical language4 ,ver4 #f4 --,for ,i will no more pity the inhabitants of the land1 c4 ,the distinction between the sea and the land1 has been already pointed out in the note to ver4 #aa1 of the last chapter1 and is here too manifest to admit of doubt4 ,lebanon1 ,bashan1 ,carmel1 and ,jordan1 clearly shew what land is here spoken of1 which can be no other than ,palestine4 ,ver4 #aj4 --,that ,i might break my covenant1 c4 ,it might be supposed here that the two staves were typical of the two covenants2 the ,old and the ,new4 ,but how is the parallelism then to be supported8 ,if the breaking of one staff denotes the dissolving of the ,old ,covenant2 what then is denoted by the breaking of the other staff8 for the ,new ,covenant was not also dissolved4 ,by the proposed solution1 the parallelism is maintained2 ,christ and ,israel so exactly accord1 that the prophecies seem1 in many points1 alike applicable to either4 ,both were instrumental to the great work of redeeming mankind from idolatry1 and both were cut of2 ,christ from natural life2 ,israel from the life which is in ,christ4 ,to understand clearly the cutting of the staves1 the most intricate subject perhaps in the whole prophecy1 the reader has to keep in view two distinct points of consideration1 the confounding of which will involve him in no little perplexity2 these are1 first the symbolical meaning1 or the event foreshewn by the act of cutting2 and secondly1 the end or purport of the cutting2 for along with the act1 the prophet also declares the motive for the act1 which must not be confounded with the act itself1 being the effect or consequence that followed that act4 ,thus he says--,and ,i took my staff ,beauty and cut it asunder1 that ,i might break my covenant1 which ,i had made with all the people4 ,now the cutting of the first staff1 ,beauty1 signifies or foreshews the death of ,christ1 or the cutting off of the ,messiah4 ,this is the symbolical meaning of the act4 ,but the end or consequence of that act1 was the cessation of the covenant of protection to ,israel4 8,the covenant10 as it may be rendered1 8concerning all the people40 ,from that time1 the ,jews ceased to be under the especial care and protection of ,heaven2 no more interpositions were manifested in their behalf2 no prophet from that time appeared in ,israel2 these blessings being confined to the ,jews who received ,christ1 or transferred to the ,gentiles4 ,next follows the cutting asunder of the second staff1 ,bands2 and this in fact appears to be precisely the end or consequence of the cutting of the first staff2 for the cutting of this staff symbolically foreshews the rejection of ,israel1 or the cessation of the ,covenant of protection4 ,such appears to be the event symbolized by cutting the staff1 ,bands4 ,but the effect or consequence of that event1 or of the rejection of ,israel1 was as declared in the prophecy1 a breach in the brotherhood1 between ,judah and ,israel1 or between the ,jews who received and those who rejected ,christ2 in short1 between ,christian and ,jew1 who are here supposed to be symbolised by ,judah and ,israel4 ,this division or breach was not the event foreshewn by the cutting of the staff1 but the end or consequence of that act2 and this distinction requires to be kept clearly in view4 ,it seems immaterial whether the symbolical meaning of cutting asunder the second staff1 ,bands1 be expressed by the rejection of ,israel1 the breaking of the covenant of protection1 or the abrogation of the law of ,moses2 for all these events are so closely connected1 or so nearly identical1 as scarcely to admit of their being disjoined or distinguished4 ,ver4 #ab4 --,give me my price4 ,from the failure of former commentators1 in shewing how this can apply to the betrayal of ,christ1 when the word 7or 7 is rendered1 as it should be1 wages or reward1 instead of price1 the ,jew seems to have been so confident of victory on this point1 that on referring to his exposition which follows1 it will appear that he must have written it without having read mine1 to which it is any thing but an answer1 as ,i have expounded the passage precisely upon his own mode of rendering4 ,the correctness of this translation was acquiesced in by ,dr4 ,blaney1 who admitted the difficulty it involved1 and candidly acknowledged his inability to solve it2 nor while ,christ is considered the speaker1 as he and ,lowth suppose1 does the removal of it appear practicable4 ,but when ,god himself is understood to be the ,shepherd1 and ,christ1 the staff ,beauty1 it appears no longer insurmountable4 ,ver4 #ac4 3 ,and ,i took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them to the potter in the house of the ,lord4 ,the word 7or 71 is by the ,jew changed into 7or 7 the alteration of a letter being all that is required to substitute the treasury1 in the room of the potter4 ,but he cannot deny1 that the word means potter in the original1 and the ,christian will find no occasion to alter it1 to make sense of the passage4 ,the objection1 that the potter could not be at work in the temple1 which was urged by the ,jew1 has been answered in the exposition4 ,ver4 #ag4 --,woe to the idol shepherd4 ,the idol might be rendered1 as ,mr4 ,lowth observes1 worthless1 or of no value1 as it is1 ,job xiii4 #d1 and so the ,jew renders it4 ,though a shepherd1 in the singular number1 is here spoken of1 yet a succession of such shepherds is clearly to be understood2 and it is probable that the chiefs and rulers of ,israel are intended here1 as well as the false ,messiahs who have from time to time arisen1 and partially misled the people1 being alike false guides1 who have contributed to the destruction of the flock4 ,a history of the false ,messiahs1 amounting to not less than twenty1 who have at different times made their appearance2 with an account of the numbers and destruction of their infatuated followers1 being too long for insertion here1 may be found by the reader in ,dr4 ,jortin's ,remarks on ,eccles4 ,hist42 presenting a lamentable picture of the blindness and infatuation of this wretched people4 ,,the ,,rabbi',s ,,translation4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 #a4 ,open thy doors1 ,o ,lebanon1 that the fire may devour thy cedars4 #b4 ,howl1 fir tree2 for the cedar is fallen2 because the mighty are spoiled2 howl1 ye oaks of ,bashan2 for the forest of the vintage is come down4 #c4 ,there is a voice of the howling of the shepherds1 for their glory is spoiled2 a voice of the roaring of young lions2 for the pride of ,jordan is spoiled4 #d4 ,thus saith the ,lord my ,god1 ,feed the flock of the slaughter4 #e4 ,whose possessors slay them1 and hold themselves not guilty1 and they that sell them1 say1 ,blessed be the ,lord2 for ,i am rich2 and their own shepherds pity them not4 #f4 ,for ,i will no more pity the inhabitants of the land1 saith the ,lord2 but1 lo6 ,i will deliver the men1 every one into his neighbour's hand1 and into the hand of his king1 and they shall smite the land1 and out of their hand ,i will not deliver them4 #g4 ,yea1 ,i fed the flock of the slaughter1 truly an afflicted flock it was1 and ,i took unto me two staves2 the one ,i called ,pleasant1 and the other ,i called ,painful1 and ,i fed the flock4 #h4 ,and when ,i had cut off three shepherds in one month2 then my soul loathed them1 and their souls also abhorred me4 #i4 ,then said ,i1 ,i will not feed you2 that that dieth1 let it die2 and that that is missed1 let it be missed2 and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another4 #aj4 ,and ,i took my staff1 the ,pleasant1 and cut it asunder1 that ,i might break my covenant which ,i had made 7for them7 with all the nations4 #aa4 ,and it was broken in that day1 and so the afflicted flock1 that waited upon me1 knew that it was the word of the ,lord4 #ab4 ,and ,i said unto them1 ,if ye think good1 give me my reward2 and if not1 forbear2 and they weighed for my reward thirty pieces of silver4 #ac4 ,and the ,lord said unto me1 ,cast it into the treasury1 the magnanimous1 the precious1 that ,i have withdrawn from them2 and ,i took the thirty pieces of silver1 and cast them into the house of the ,lord1 into the treasury4 #ad4 ,then ,i cut asunder my other staff1 the ,painful1 to break the brotherhood between ,judah1 and ,israel4 #ae4 ,and the ,lord said unto me1 ,take unto thee1 yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd4 #af4 ,for1 lo1 ,i will raise up a shepherd in the land1 who shall not remember those that are missed1 nor seek the young1 nor heal the broken one1 nor feed that that stands still1 but he shall eat the flesh of the fat1 and tear their hoofs asunder4 #ag4 ,woe to the worthless shepherds1 who leave the flock6 the sword shall be upon his arm1 and upon his right eye3 his arm shall be quite dried up1 and his right eye shall be utterly darkened4 ,,the ,,rabbi',s ,,exposition4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,verse #a4 ,this prophecy ,christians cannot but consider impenetrable1 and must be satisfied to break off a few fragments1 which may serve to cement their religion2 for in whatever manner they expound the import of the two staves1 they must still be incompetent to link its various parts together1 so as to shew that it refers to what they think it necessarily must1 namely1 the selling of the ,messiah2 an interpretation which an impartial examiner must find inconsistent with that passage even if disjoined from all the rest1 since there1 wages1 or reward 7not price7 is spoken of2 this being desired1 or required of ,israel1 while with him who was sold it was quite the reverse2 so far was he from wishing to be betrayed1 that he tried and prayed to escape it4 ,the ,jew1 however1 considering the tenour of the whole1 contends that this was no more than what had been already fulfilled at the time when it was delivered1 the allusion here being historical and not prophetic4 ,it commences with predicting to other nations 7who are compared to fir1 and oak trees17 destruction inevitable1 since the shepherds of ,judah also 7who are compared to the lions by the ,jordan1 to the vine and the cedar17 howl for having been spoiled of their glory4 ,the prophet then goes on1 in calling to the minds of his brethren the causes that brought them so low from their former exalted station1 in order that this may serve them as a warning no more to deviate from the way in which they were instructed to walk3 he also reminds them with what particular and providential care they had been continually led on by their ,god1 in one or other of the different ways stated1 the pleasant1 or the painful1 as by a tender shepherd1 whose sole intent is to lead his flock to rich pastures1 and good watering places4 ,in this manner did ,god tend his flock1 ,israel1 to accomplish their happiness1 indulging them when obedient to his will1 but chastising them1 when otherwise1 as an indulgent father would his children1 in order to reclaim them4 ,and when we consider the circumstances and condition of our fathers during the first temple1 we may easily trace out both the times when they enjoyed uninterrupted peace and comfort1 and those1 when they were exposed to troubles and afflictions1 which ,god in his wisdom saw fit to visit upon them4 ,to these does the prophet refer1 representing them by this beautiful metaphor of the two staves4 ,ver4 #e4 ,the cruel shepherds denote the tyrants into whose hands ,israel was delivered1 who disdained to nourish that poor flock1 but sold some to slavery1 and gave up others to be slaughtered4 ,ver4 #f4 ,and such as escaped the fury of their own kings were ravaged by their conquerors4 ,ver4 #g4 ,i fed the flock4--i4 e4 ,since ,i have chosen them to me out of ,egypt4 ,ver4 #h4 ,when ,i had cut off three shepherds4--,the number three as well as seven is well known to be made use of in ,scripture1 instead of an indefinite number2 this apparently refers to what is related in #b ,kings1 ch4 x4 v4 #cb1 that in those days the ,lord began to be weary of ,israel2 it was after the kings of ,judah and ,israel were killed1 the family of the one exterminated1 and that of the other nearly so4 ,ver4 #aj4 ,a covenant made for them with all the nations2 that is1 that these nations should not disturb ,israel1 nor invade their land1 but leave them to dwell there in safety1 as was repeatedly promised to them4 ,exod4 xxxiv4 #bd2 ,lev4 xxvi4 #e2 ,deut4 xxviii4 #aj4 ,but when under the divine displeasure1 that covenant was suspended1 and not only the land of the ten tribes1 but also that of ,judah was frequently invaded1 and both were harassed by their enemies4 ,ver4 #ab4 ,the reward which ,god required of his people means1 that for the many blessings he had conferred on them1 they should be obedient to his commandments4 ,yet he left it to their choice1 to forbear if disinclined1 agreeably to the message sent to them by ,ezek4 ch4 iii4 v4 #bg2 and accordingly some few remained faithful to him1 and these answer to the thirty pieces of silver4 ,thirty as well as ten sometimes imply an indefinite number4 ,see ,dan1 i4 #bj2 ,gen4 xxxi4 #g4 ,they are named silver 7 7or 77 as this originally meant desirable4 ,ver4 #ac4 ,they are to be cast into the treasury-- 7or 71 though translated the potter1 stands for 771 the treasury4 ,and again1 7or 7 is the same as 7or 7 7,mal4 iii4 #aj71 or the storehouse of the ,lord1 viz4 the temple4 ,the frequent interchange of the 7or 7 letters is well known to the ,hebrew scholar4 ,the temple is here indicated as the place where the pure ones1 separated from the dross1 should fix their eyes on the ,most ,high1 and with prayers appease his wrath1 that he might yet avert the approaching calamities4 7or 7 signifies ,i have withdrawn1 not ,i was prized at4 ,see ,proverbs xxv4 #ag1 where it means withdraw thy foot4 ,ver4 #ad4 ,cut asunder the other staff4 ,while the two kings lived in peace and harmony1 the one was corrupted by the wickedness of the other1 and therefore the chastening rod was applied for the purpose of breaking their brotherhood2 but that staff was dispensed with1 when by the dissolution of one of these kings1 the cause for it ceased4 ,ver4 #af4 ,i will raise up a shepherd1 c4 ,judah has likewise to lament to this day having been governed by foolish shepherds during both the first and second temple1 who did neither remember the missed1 nor heal the broken1 and instead of feeding them that stood still1 they fed upon them1 and tore their hoofs asunder4 ,yet as the survivors stand to this day a living monument of the literal accomplishment of this prophecy from verse #ae1 it serves them as a sure pledge of the fulfilment of that which follows4 ,,zechariah ,,on ,,the ,,messiah',s ,,kingdom4 ,,interpretation3 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,of the occurrences which succeeded the crucifixion of ,christ1 one of the first in order1 as well as importance1 was the destruction of ,jerusalem2 an event which materially changed the condition of the ,jewish nation1 both as regarded their polity and their religion2 to the full exercise of which the existence of their temple was indispensable4 ,it was therefore to be expected that the prediction of this event would be eagerly sought for by ,christian commentators1 in a prophecy relating to the establishment of the ,messiah's kingdom1 especially by those who chiefly look to political affairs for its fulfilment4 ,and accordingly this chapter appears to afford distinct intimation of such an event1 as it opens with the express mention of the siege of ,jerusalem4 ,yet is it mentioned in a way not a little embarrassing to the political exposition2 for1 instead of the destruction1 the prophecy declares the triumph of ,jerusalem2 and1 with the exception of one or two ambiguous expressions at the commencement1 this triumph forms the whole subject of the chapter4 ,but ,jerusalem really was taken and destroyed1 nor have the ,jews since been able to rebuild either their city or their temple1 nor has any thing approaching to a triumph1 in the ordinary acceptation of the term1 occurred to them from that time to the present4 ,how then shall we explain the victory and triumph foretold in the prophecy8 ,the solution appears to be this2 that the event here foretold is no political1 but a spiritual siege2 namely1 the warfare of worldly feelings against true religion1 for this is the spiritual ,jerusalem4 ,the abrogation of the law1 and the promulgation of the ,gospel1 are foreshewn under the types of the ,old and the ,new ,jerusalem2 which symbolically signify the ,old and ,new ,covenant1 or ,judaism and ,christianity1 the one abolished and the other established1 in reality at the coming of ,christ1 but ostensibly at the destruction of the city and temple1 which is probably on this account employed symbolically1 to represent the spiritual change4 ,the prophecy1 however1 does not declare the destruction of the old ,jerusalem1 but merely the repeopling of it1 in verse #f2 and in the spiritual sense it was not destroyed1 though merged in the superior splendour and greatness of the ,new ,city2 for ,christianity is built on the foundation of ,judaism4 ,the new ,jerusalem here spoken of1 is then1 the new ,covenant1 or ,christianity1 the spiritual ,city1 the building of which began at this time1 whatever may be the period required for its completion4 ,in the spiritual sense also must be understood the triumph of ,judah1 which was the triumph of the ,gospel2 and her salvation1 spoken of in verse #g1 which was eternal salvation4 ,her victory was the victory over the world1 which every true ,christian has to gain1 but which was first gained by ,judah1 for the first ,christians were ,jews2 although the ,gentiles were subsequently admitted into the ,church of ,christ1 and became the principal inhabitants of the spiritual ,jerusalem1 when deserted1 for the most part at least1 by its former inhabitants the ,jews4 ,the ,gentiles from this time became ,israelites by adoption1 and the distinction between ,jew and ,gentile converts1 or lineal and adopted ,israelites1 is marked in the prophecy1 as might be expected4 ,but the time of ,israel's spiritual restoration requires some explanation1 being adverted to in this and the following chapter ten times at least1 with the definite expression of 8in that day30 an expression which seems as little to accord with the time required for a whole nation or people to change their faith1 as with that which would be requisite for their literal return from all parts of the world to be reunited in one city1 as the ,jews understand the prophecy4 ,a literal day cannot therefore be understood2 nor yet would the difficulty be removed by supposing it to mean a prophetic day1 or a ,jewish year of twelve months1 being three hundred and sixty days2 for this period would be alike inadequate to the event in question4 ,how shall we then understand the expression1 8that day10 so often recurring in the prophecy8 ,the answer appears to be simply this1 that it means one day to each individual1 but not the same day to all collectively4 ,as the earlier ,christians did not all embrace ,christianity on one day1 so neither have we reason to expect that the later ,christians will do so4 ,history declares to the contrary1 that some of the house of ,israel have been continually flowing into the ,church of ,christ in every succeeding century1 from the ,apostolic age to the present time4 ,and as some understand the ,day of ,judgment to be to each individual the day of his death1 so to each will the day of his 8,redemption10 in ,scriptural language1 be the day of his receiving ,christ4 ,st4 ,paul in the #b ,corinth4 vi4 #b1 says 8,behold now is the accepted time1 now is the day of ,salvation10 and in the same light must it be viewed in the passages before us2 that is1 as one day to each individually1 not as the same day to all collectively4 ,the opening of this chapter closely resembles that of the #ith1 and may help to throw light on those parts of it which appeared obscure4 ,both begin by declaring ,god's superintendance and control over human affairs1 and both assert his right to the disposal of events on similar grounds3 there it was alleged1 because all creatures belong to him1 for the ,lord's is the eye of man1 and all the tribes of ,israel2 and here1 because he created all things4 ,the burden of the word of the ,lord upon ,israel1 saith the ,lord1 which stretcheth forth the heavens1 and layeth the foundations of the earth1 and formeth the spirit of man within him4 ,there1 the burden of the prophecy was laid on the ,gentiles1 but the admonition meant for the benefit of ,israel1 to whom it was addressed2 here1 the burden is upon ,israel1 but the admonition expressly intended for all nations1 8all the people round about20 and of such was the new ,jerusalem1 which is the subject of this chapter1 chiefly composed after the overthrow of their idolatry and their conversion to ,christianity4 ,this appears to be the spiritual warfare here intended1 namely1 the successful progress of the ,gospel against ,paganism4 ,behold1 ,i will make ,jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the nations round about1 and upon ,judah it shall be in the siege against ,jerusalem4 ,upon ,judah is the burden of the prophecy chiefly imposed1 for to ,judah was first committed the task of promulgating the ,gospel4 ,the ,apostles1 and also the disciples of our ,lord were all ,jews1 they were the founders of this city4 8,a cup of trembling10 must not be here understood to signify an example by punishment inflicted1 but as the ,jew renders it1 8a cup of astonishment10 or confusion to all nations2 or1 as it is next termed1 8a burden-stone10 to crush its enemies2 and such has been the ,gospel of ,christ1 as the prophecy declares4 ,in that day1 will ,i make ,jerusalem a burden-stone for all people2 all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces1 though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it4 ,the people1 here spiritually signifies their false religion1 which was to be abolished2 and ,jerusalem is here understood to mean ,christianity1 or true religion1 which was triumphant4 ,confusion is then denounced against its enemies1 while ,divine protection and support are promised to the house of ,judah1 who received ,christ4 ,in that day1 saith the ,lord1 ,i will smite every horse with astonishment1 and his rider with madness1 but ,i will open mine eyes upon the house of ,judah1 and will smite every horse of the people with blindness4 ,the blind rage of the heathen and the infatuated frenzy with which they strove to extinguish the light of the ,gospel1 are here clearly foreshewn2 but the spiritual ,jerusalem resisted all their efforts4 ,and when the lineal ,israelites abandoned their city1 its gates were thrown open to the ,gentiles1 who entered and repeopled it1 and became thenceforward 8,israelites by adoption40 ,the new ,jerusalem being ,christianity1 its inhabitants must mean the ,christians2 and who were they1 after the ,jews rejected ,christianity1 but the ,gentile converts8 ,accordingly1 they are so styled in the next verse1 as contradistinguished from the first ,jewish converts1 who are called the governors of ,judah1 being the founders and builders of the spiritual city4 ,and the governors of ,judah shall say in their hearts1 ,the inhabitants of ,jerusalem shall be my strength1 in the ,lord of hosts their ,god4 ,the fitness of the expression1 ,inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 to symbolize the ,gentile converts1 further appears in the fact1 that the original inhabitants of the city1 who were never expelled1 were ,gentiles4 ,the governors of ,judah can signify no other than the apostles and disciples of our ,lord1 the first teachers of ,christianity1 or the founders of the new ,city4 ,these1 when the ,jews were no longer willing to hear them1 turned their attention to the ,gentiles1 and directed all their efforts to effect their conversion4 ,as the strength of a city lies in its inhabitants1 so the hope of strengthening theirs1 from that time1 rested in gaining over the ,gentiles3 8,the ,governors of ,judah say in their hearts1 ,the inhabitants of ,jerusalem shall be my strength in the ,lord of hosts their ,god40 ,does not this mean in the ,lord of hosts becoming their ,god8 ,that is1 in his becoming the ,god of the ,gentiles by their conversion to ,christianity8 ,the extraordinary success of the apostles and disciples1 in converting the ,gentiles and repeopling the city1 is foreshewn in the next verse4 ,in that day will ,i make the governors of ,judah like an hearth of fire among the wood1 and like a torch of fire in a sheaf1 and they shall devour all the nations round about on the right hand and on the left1 and ,jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place1 even in ,jerusalem4 ,if the spiritual ,jerusalem be ,christianity1 it was certainly the ,gentiles who repeopled this city1 when the ,jews deserted it4 ,but still it was not deserted by all the ,jews1 for the first ,christians were ,jews1 as emphatically expressed in the next verse4 ,the ,lord shall save the tents of ,judah first1 that the glory of the house of ,david1 and the glory of the inhabitants of ,jerusalem do not magnify themselves against ,judah4 ,the salvation of ,judah here spoken of must be salvation through ,christ2 but if ,judah signify the first ,jewish converts to ,christianity1 and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem mean those from the gentile nations1 who are the house of ,david1 here spoken of1 and classed with the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 as receiving their salvation subsequently to that of ,judah8 ,the house of ,david must surely mean those of the ,hebrew nations1 who did not at first receive ,christ along with the house of ,judah1 but subsequently2 or1 the prophecy being still prospective1 those who shall hereafter embrace ,christianity must be also included4 ,to this the ,jew may probably answer3 ,how can a ,christian believe that the house of ,david1 the very house from which ,christ came1 still remains unredeemed8 ,i answer1 that we are nowhere assured that all of his own family believed in him2 still less the whole house of ,david1 of which they were only a branch4 ,to the fact1 whether any of that family be still left among the unredeemed of ,israel1 let the ,jew answer4 ,if not1 then where is their expected ,messiah to come from8 ,but if there be such1 then have these not yet received the salvation which is through ,christ2 and as far as they are concerned1 the words of the prophecy yet remain to be fulfilled1 however it may have received its fulfilment in regard to others4 ,when it shall please ,god to remove the veil which is before their eyes1 and to restore the spiritual strength which they have lost1 then will the following words be accomplished in them also1 as it was to ,judah in the apostolic age4 ,in that day shall the ,lord defend the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 and he that is feeble among them1 at that day shall be as ,david1 and the house of ,david shall be as ,god1 as the ,angel of the ,lord before them4 ,the esteem and veneration with which the primitive ,christians1 and particularly the apostles1 would be regarded for their purity and holiness1 and for their spiritual strength1 notwithstanding that they were designedly chosen from the lowest and most illiterate class of men1 is here emphatically foretold4 ,their consequent success in preaching the gospel is next declared2 the nations being destroyed1 figuratively signifies their false religion being overthrown4 ,and it shall come to pass in that day1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will seek to destroy all the nations that come up against ,jerusalem4 ,the next verse1 which foretels the pouring out of the ,spirit1 so closely resembles the prophecy of ,joel1 of which ,st4 ,peter gave the interpretation on the memorable day of ,pentecost2 and at the same time1 coupled the application with a reproach to the ,jews for having crucified ,christ 7,acts ii471 that the ,christian can hardly fail to see that they refer to the same event1 though not here restricted to that particular day1 as appears from 8the house of ,david and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem0 being mentioned2 nor was the gift of the ,spirit confined to the day of ,pentecost1 but continued to all on whom the apostles laid their hands4 ,and ,i will pour out upon the house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and of supplication2 and they shall look to me for him whom they pierced1 and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son2 and be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn4 ,the most solemn fast almost universally observed throughout ,christendom1 in commemoration of ,christ's crucifixion1 is manifestly the event which was here foretold1 at least four centuries before its fulfilment4 ,the prospect of its receiving a more evident accomplishment at any future period1 seems to be rendered hopeless by the enumeration of the different families that follows1 all such distinctions being now lost among the present race of ,jews4 ,and in that day there shall be a great mourning in ,jerusalem1 as the mourning of ,hadadrimmon in the valley of ,megiddon2 ,and the land shall mourn every family apart1 the family of the house of ,david apart1 and their wives apart2 the family of the house of ,nathan apart1 and their wives apart2 ,the family of the house of ,levi apart1 and their wives apart2 the family of the house of ,shimei apart1 and their wives apart2 ,all the families that remain1 every family apart1 and their wives apart4 ,if any thing more be intended by this emphatical repetition of the families mourning apart1 beyond the strong expression of the depth of their grief1 and the sincerity of their repentance1 may it not be to convince the unbelieving ,jews of the hopelessness of a more literal fulfilment after the loss of their genealogies8 ,,notes ,,to ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,verse #b4 3 ,when they shall be in the siege both against ,judah and against ,jerusalem4 ,such is the translation in our version1 a sense which can in no way be extorted from the words of the text1 as every ,hebraist must be well aware4 ,the ,jew1 by inserting the relative who1 as understood after the word ,judah1 renders the passage thus1 ,and also upon ,judah1 who shall be in the siege against ,jerusalem4 ,this is certainly no violation of the text1 as the relative pronoun is often understood in ,hebrew4 ,but still ,i hold it to be a rule not to insert a relative unless the sense requires it1 and ,i see no such necessity here1 as either of the preceding nominatives1 namely1 the burden of the prophecy1 or the cup of trembling1 may govern the verb shall be1 and thus we have1 as ,i have rendered it1 and also upon ,judah it shall be1 in the siege against ,jerusalem2 by which ,i understand the burden shall be upon ,judah also4 ,verse #c4 3 ,i will make ,jerusalem a burden stone for all people4 ,here the ,jew may probably ask1 ,how can ,jerusalem1 in the spiritual sense1 as signifying true religion1 become a burden stone1 or a cup of confusion to the heathen8 ,i answer1 in every way4 ,in the first place1 by frustrating1 as it did1 all their efforts to suppress and extinguish it2--in the next place1 by its opposing and outraging all their worldly feelings1 condemning their pride1 and teaching humility1 requiring them to receive their religion from one whom they despised as the most degraded of human beings1 a crucified malefactor2--and1 lastly1 by stultifying all their previous notions1 enjoining the restraint and control of the passions1 instead of which their religion sanctified their indulgence as an act of devotion4 ,thus was ,christianity1 in every way1 a cup of confusion1 and a stumbling-stone to the heathen nations4 ,but against the spiritual exposition of the ,old and ,new ,jerusalem1 as symbolizing the ,old and ,new ,covenant1 the ,jew may1 perhaps1 further object1 that he was never taught to look for a ,new ,covenant1 and that he finds no intimation of it in the ,prophets4 ,this being a question of fact1 rather than of reasoning1 we must look to the ,scriptures for the answer4 ,without enumerating the many intimations of the sacrifices and ceremonies of the ,old ,covenant1 not being intrinsically acceptable to ,god1 but of less estimation than the attributes of moral excellence1 we find the following direct declarations of a ,new ,covenant to be established at the ,messiah's coming1 who is symbolically styled1 ,my servant ,david4 ,thus in ,isa4 lv4 #c1 we find1 ,incline thine ear and come unto me2 hear and your soul shall live2 and ,i will make an everlasting covenant with you1 even the sure mercies of ,david4 ,ezekiel also says1 chap4 xxxiv4 #bd1 ,and ,i the ,lord will be their ,god1 and my servant ,david a prince among them2 ,i the ,lord have spoken it2 and ,i will make with them a covenant of peace1 c4 ,and again in chap4 xxxvii4 #bf1 he says1 ,moreover1 ,i will make a covenant of peace with them2 it shall be an everlasting covenant with them2 and ,i will place them and multiply them1 and ,i will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore4 ,but ,jeremiah still more expressly declares the superseding of the ,old1 and the substitution of the ,new ,covenant2 while he describes the latter in terms equivalent to those used by ,christ himself1 8,the kingdom of ,god is within you40 ,thus ,jer4 xxxi4 #ca1 ,behold the days come1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will make a ,new ,covenant with the house of ,israel1 and with the house of ,judah4 ,not according to the ,covenant that ,i made with their fathers1 in the day that ,i took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of ,egypt1 which my ,covenant they brake1 although ,i was an husband to them1 saith the ,lord4 ,but this shall be the ,covenant that ,i will make with the house of ,israel1 ,after those days1 saith the ,lord1 ,i will put my law in their inward parts1 and write it in their hearts1 and will be their ,god1 and they shall be my people4 ,here we have clear intimation of a new law superseding the old1 the spiritual nature of the new being contrasted with the ceremonial of the old1 by its being written in the heart2 while the stress laid by all upon its everlasting duration1 implies that the one preceding it was only meant to be temporary4 ,verse #e4 3 ,and the ,governors of ,judah shall say in their hearts1 the inhabitants of ,jerusalem shall be my strength in the ,lord of hosts their ,god4 8,this text10 says ,dr4 ,blayney1 8has been supposed corrupt1 and many attempts made to amend it4 ,but without any alteration1 it well expresses the sentiments of the men of ,judah1 concerning the interest they had in the safety of ,jerusalem and its inhabitants1 on which their own safety and security depended in a great degree10 c4 ,i fully agree with ,dr4 ,blayney in the literal meaning of the words1 which involves no difficulty2 but in looking beyond the literal1 to the symbolical and spiritual sense1 considerable difficulty appears4 ,a different solution from that ,i have offered at first occurred to me1 which is this1 that as ,judah means the earliest converts to ,christianity1 these being evidently contrasted with the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 who were subsequently saved1 the latter might mean the yet unconverted ,jews4 ,upon this view1 the anxiety of ,christians for the conversion of the ,jews1 would appear to be the subject intimated in the verse before us2 and as this idea may occur to others as it did to myself1 ,i think it right to state my reasons for relinquishing it4 ,one objection to this view is1 that in verse #aj1 the unconverted ,jews1 if they be the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 would here mourn the crucified ,saviour1 which would be a complete solecism4 ,another objection is1 that the abolition of idolatry in the next chapter1 instead of being represented as opening the way for the admission of the ,pagans to ,christianity1 which it certainly did1 would then be represented as opening the way to the conversion of the ,jews1 which it certainly did not1 but rather had a contrary effect1 as history declares4 ,and1 lastly1 upon this view1 the corruption of ,christianity1 leading to the loss of the spiritual ,jerusalem1 mentioned at the beginning of chap4 xiv41 instead of being ascribed to the ,gentile church1 would thus appear to be the work of the ,jews1 either of those more recently converted to ,christianity1 or of those still unconverted1 both of which would be alike unreasonable4 ,such are the reasons which led me to reject that view1 and adopt the one proposed in the text4 ,with respect to the house of ,david1 as signifying the ,jewish converts who embraced ,christianity subsequent to the ,apostolic age1 those objections do not apply4 ,verse #aj4 3 ,and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced4 ,blayney considers the 7or 71 as simply a preposition1 not a compound of with the affix pronoun 1 the antecedent to 7or 71 being understood1 and renders the passage thus1 ,they shall look towards him whom they pierced4 ,the ,jew argues from the change of person1 that our version cannot be right1 and he renders it1 ,they shall look to me concerning him whom they pierced4 ,in whatever way the passage be rendered1 no doubt can remain in the mind of the ,christian that ,christ1 who was pierced1 is the person here alluded to2 and this is the only point material to the present exposition4 ,that the ,jew should admit this1 is not to be expected4 ,,the ,,rabbi',s ,,exposition1 ,,and ,,the ,,author',s ,,remarks4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,in the remaining chapters1 ,i shall merely point out those parts in which the construction of the original is1 or may be1 different from that of the ,english version1 as there seems no occasion to notice those passages where they both agree4 ,verse #b4 ,behold ,i will make ,jerusalem a cup of confusion unto all the people round about1 and also upon ,judah1 who will be in the siege against ,jerusalem4 ,by this it appears that ,judah1 namely1 those who will be without the city1 will likewise be greatly confused at their being compelled by the other nations to take part in the siege1 and fight against their brethren4 ,verse #aj4 ,and ,i will pour upon the house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and of supplications2 and they shall look unto me 7,,concerning7 whom they have pierced1 and they shall mourn for him1 c4 ,the change of person clearly proves1 that it is not he who was pierced1 to whom they will look2 but it must be considered as if it were 7or 71 or 7or 7 particles are well known to be frequently omitted or exchanged4 ,this may either allude to those who had been formerly slain for their bold admonitions and warnings2 or to those who will hereafter be slain in battle4 ,they who apply this to the ,christian ,messiah1 have another difficulty to solve1 besides the one above mentioned1 and that is1 to explain how a death is to be lamented1 which1 as they believe1 was indispensable to the salvation of so many myriads of souls4 ,and further1 it may be asked1 if it was the especial will of ,god that this should be so accomplished1 how could the perpetrators of his death avoid it8 ,and1 lastly1 what cause had the house of ,david1 comprising the ,messiah himself1 to supplicate for mercy on account of his death1 in which they1 being his own family1 had surely no share8 ,ver4 #h4 7or 7 cannot mean1 and the house of ,david shall be as ,god1 but only as a powerful being1 as the ,angel of the ,lord before them4 ,the witch of ,endor1 who saw 7or 7 ascending out of the earth1 surely did not mean to say that it was ,god4 ,and in many other passages we find 7or 7 applied to mortals as well as to ,god4 ,in answer to the difficulties proposed by the ,jew1 the ,christian may say1 that he does not mourn the death of ,christ1 but the sins that required such a sacrifice2 and as to the free agency of those who crucified him1 he will say1 that ,god's seeing fit sometimes to employ the wicked in accomplishing his purposes1 does not imply that he first makes them wicked for the purpose4 ,when was there ever a time1 that none could be found in ,israel who were ready to slay the prophets8 ,and as to the difficulty in the text of verse #aj1 it is one of the ,jews' own creating1 as the ,christian finds none in receiving it as it stands without even the proposed alteration1 an alteration admitted1 but not proposed by him4 ,the only remaining objection1 which regards the house of ,david1 has been anticipated and answered in the interpretation of verse #g4 ,,zechariah ,,on ,,the ,,messiah',s ,,kingdom4 ,,interpretation3 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,the progress of the ,messiah's kingdom being regarded as that of ,christianity1 the next important step after the abolition of ,judaism1 was that of ,paganism1 which is evidently the subject of the chapter now before us2 but along with this is coupled in the prophetic view another event1 no less important1 which arose out of1 and accompanied the nominal conversion of the ,gentile nations4 ,this was the corruption of ,christianity by the ,pagan converts4 ,for instead of relinquishing their former prejudices and superstitions1 they retained1 and brought most of them into the bosom of the church2 and thereby in a short time totally changed the character of the religion which they professed to embrace4 ,it is true that this is a point of church history not always very distinctly stated by ecclesiastical historians2 who seem more inclined to represent the conversion of ,constantine1 and the events of the fourth century1 as every way favourable to the ,christian cause4 ,but the truth is1 that precisely in proportion to the church's advancement in worldly prosperity and power1 were its spiritual decline and degradation2 in so much that the best historians admit1 that from this period are its degeneracy and corruptions most indubitably to be dated4 ,so different is the light under which the same event appears1 according as it is viewed with regard to its spiritual or its political import4 ,which of the two best accords with the spirit of this prophecy1 the reader will be at no loss to decide1 when he sees that no prosperity is here spoken of1 but on the contrary1 that the cutting off two-thirds of the inhabitants of the land1 or their spiritual death1 is the event which is coupled in the prophecy with the admission of the ,pagans into the church of ,christ4 ,and such was truly the result that followed to the many2 namely1 the loss of the true spirit of ,christianity4 ,but if the abolition of ,paganism be the subject of this chapter1 it may be asked1 how comes the purification of ,israel to be announced in the opening of it8 ,the answer is plain4 ,adopted ,israel may be here understood4 ,to lineal ,israel indeed was the prophecy given2 and with ,israel1 idolatry was1 and ever had been1 the besetting sin2 most nearly therefore were the ,jews also concerned in its abolition4 ,viewed1 however1 in the more enlarged sense1 idolatry comprises the indulgence of every evil propensity2 for ,paganism1 by appointing a presiding ,deity over each1 had sanctioned the unrestrained gratification of every passion1 in making it an act of devotion4 ,christianity1 on the contrary1 enjoins the restraint and control of our passions1 and thus becomes the natural antidote to the poison of ,heathenism3 or the fountain of purification from the sin and pollution of idolatry1 as the opening of this chapter declares4 ,in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of ,david1 and to the inhabitants of ,jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness4 ,that day1 as formerly explained1 is to every one the day of his conversion to ,christianity4 ,the house of ,david1 and the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 here1 as in the last chapter1 symbolically represent the later converts to ,christianity2 as the house of ,judah1 which was first saved1 signify the earlier ,christians4 ,the nature of the sin and pollution to be thus washed away1 is next declared to be idolatry1 and its abolition is foretold4 ,and it shall come to pass in that day1 saith the ,lord of hosts1 that ,i will cut off the names of the idols out of the land1 and they shall be no more remembered2 and also ,i will cause the prophets1 and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land4 ,it may be worthy of remark1 that the names only of the idols1 and not the spirit of idolatry1 is here declared to be cut off2 and from the land1 which in prophetic language1 commonly means the land of ,israel1 here1 adopted ,israel1 or ,christendom4 ,now1 this nominal abolition took place in the fourth century1 from which time both ,jews and ,gentiles have been prohibited from the open worship of idols4 ,but we have now reached the nineteenth century without seeing the spirit of idolatry really extinct2 if then the total abolition1 which is yet to come1 be here intimated1 it must be symbolically foreshewn by the nominal abolition which then took place4 ,that day1 in regard to the inward and spiritual purification1 is to be taken as the day of his regeneration to each individual1 not as the same day to all collectively2 but regarding the outward and ostensible abolition1 this occurred when the pains and penalties of the ,theodosian code prohibited the open practice of ,pagan rites4 ,the prophetic view may1 however1 include both4 ,and it shall come to pass in that day1 when any shall get prophesy1 that his father and his mother that begat him shall say1 ,thou shalt not live1 for thou speakest lies in the name of the ,lord3 and his father and his mother that begat him1 shall thrust him through when he prophesieth4 ,to prophesy1 or foretel future events1 was the main purport of ,pagan rites2 no undertaking of any moment being entered upon until the priests and oracles had been previously consulted4 ,this1 in a superstitious age1 formed a lucrative profession for the soothsayers and diviners1 and was successfully practised1 till the darkness of ,heathenism was dispelled by the light of ,christianity1 as foretold in the next verse4 ,and it shall come to pass in that day1 that the prophets shall be ashamed1 every one of his vision when he prophesieth2 neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive4 ,the ,pagan1 as well as the ,jewish prophets1 appear to have worn a distinct dress2 but after ,paganism was abolished1 those who practised its rites in secret1 of course denied and sought to conceal it4 ,but he shall say1 ,i am no prophet but a labourer2 for a husbandman bought me from my youth4 ,slaves and bondmen frequently received a mark in their hands1 to shew the master to whom they belonged2 and persons attached to the ,heathen temples were sometimes marked in a similar manner2 the worshippers of ,bacchus1 for instance1 were distinguished by the mark of an ivy leaf4 7,see ,lowth in loco47 ,this explains the following verse4 ,and one shall say unto him1 ,what are these marks in thine hands8 ,then shall he answer1 ,those with which ,i was marked in the house of my friends4 ,thus seeking to avoid the suspicion attached to the marks of ,paganism1 under the pretext of their being the indication of bondage or servitude4 ,but this evasion denotes that the abolition of ,paganism was ostensible only1 as it was still practised in secret4 ,in reality the advancement of ,christianity to the imperial throne1 instead of promoting the sincere conversion of the ,pagans1 only served to complete what had already begun1 namely1 the corruption of the ,christians2 whose character and conduct soon totally changed1 after the road to the acquisition of wealth and power was opened to them4 ,in the contests for the attainment of these1 which soon arose1 7witness the ,donatist faction17 the majority of ,christians in a short time lost sight of the spirit of their religion2 while the rancour and cruelty with which different sects persecuted each other1 sprang from the same source1 or their rivalship in the struggle for worldly power1 as ,mosheim declares4 ,such was the spiritual sword which undermined ,christianity1 and destroyed the life which is in ,christ2 as next foretold4 ,awake1 ,o sword1 against my shepherd1 and against the man that is next unto me1 saith the ,lord of hosts4 ,smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered2 and ,i will turn mine hand against the little ones4 ,the sword is the symbol of strife and discord1 warring against and destroying spiritual life1 or the life in ,christ2 for he is the shepherd who is smitten by the sword1 the person of ,christ being here figuratively put for his doctrine or religion2 the corruption of which is thus foreshewn by the dispersion and slaughter of his flock4 ,the little ones signify the new converts1 who are yet weak in their faith and principles2 and thence more liable to be misled4 ,and it shall come to pass that in all the land1 saith the ,lord1 two parts shall be cut off1 and die2 but the third part shall be left therein4 ,the history of the fourth century1 here prophetically foreshewn1 amply testifies1 that only the smaller number of ,christians1 amidst the general corruption1 resisted the allurements of avarice and ambition1 and retained their purity2 these having imbibed the true spirit of ,christ's religion1 as next declared4 ,and ,i will bring the third part through the fire1 and will refine them as silver is refined1 and will try them as gold is tried3 they shall call on my name1 and ,i will hear them3 ,i will say1 ,it is my people2 and they shall say1 ,the ,lord is my ,god4 ,it seems scarcely possible to give a more unequivocal intimation of the spiritual import of the whole1 as not alluding to political events1 but as regarding the progress of true religion1 than is contained in those expressions of the last verse1 which declare1 that the supplications of the smaller number will be offered up in a manner acceptable to ,god1 who will hear and answer them4 ,the particular period alluded to1 is distinctly marked by the nominal abolition of idolatry1 and the general corruption of ,christianity4 ,the only difficulty1 however1 if there be any1 regards the chronological order of the events2 as the prophecy seems to foretel the entire abolition of ,paganism1 which has certainly not yet taken place2 but this difficulty will be in a great measure removed1 by supposing the prophetic view to look forward from the partial to the total1 from the nominal to the real extinction of idolatry4 ,with respect to the division of the flock into two parts1 it must not be supposed that any distinction of sects is here alluded to1 for no one could1 more than another1 claim the character of purity and holiness4 ,true ,christianity must be sought for in the heart1 and not in the outward form of worship1 or profession of faith4 ,,notes ,,to ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,verse #e4 3 ,for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth4 ,parkhurst1 in his ,lexicon1 remarks upon this passage1 as being strangely translated in our version2 while ,dr4 ,blayney agrees with him in the translation4 ,for a man bought me1 7,,or ,,obtained ,,possession ,,of ,,me17 from my youth4 ,the ,jew1 while he acquiesces in the sense of 7or 7 signifying to appropriate1 contends that 7or 7 does not mean merely a man1 but a husbandman1 or labourer1 and renders it1 ,for a husbandman ,i was appropriated from my youth4 ,but neither the sense nor the grammatical construction thus appearing clear to my apprehension1 as the verb is not in the first1 but the third person with the suffix me1 after it2 ,i propose to reconcile both by rendering the passage thus3 ,for a husbandman bought or appropriated me from my youth4 ,but in fact the difference is immaterial1 as the sense1 in whatever way expressed1 is1 ,for ,i was a farmer's servant1 and a bondsman from my youth4 ,verse #f4 3 ,what are these wounds in thine hands8 c4 ,both ,lowth and ,blayney agree in regarding these words as an allusion to the custom of the idolatrous priests and prophets1 of marking themselves in the hands4 ,their being challenged as the marks of ,paganism1 is a sufficient proof of their being so1 and ,i have rendered it accordingly1 marks instead of wounds4 ,for if1 as ,blayney states1 they were made by cutting and slashing themselves1 still the marks1 and not the wounds1 would remain when healed4 ,verse #g4 3 ,awake1 ,o sword1 against my shepherd1 and against the man that is my fellow1 c4 ,in supposing these words to have had no direct reference to the death of ,christ in their original intention1 notwithstanding their appearing from ,st4 ,john's ,gospel to have been used by him1 in forewarning his disciples of what was about to befal him1 ,i offer no new opinion1 for ,dr4 ,blayney declares himself fully persuaded that they had not2 and what gives weight to this opinion is1 that it must have been founded on other grounds than those which have led me to that conclusion4 ,for as ,dr4 ,blayney had not embraced the spiritual view in expounding the prophecy1 he could not be led to this inference by the same train of reasoning as myself4 ,the words1 7or 7 he renders1 8,the man that is next to me10 which is certainly much nearer to the sense of the original than1 ,the man that is my fellow4 ,two parts shall be cut of1 and die4 ,an awful annunciation6 foretelling the spiritual death of two-thirds of the nominal ,christian world4 ,the corresponding passages in the ,apocalypse predict the same event1 and one of them in still stronger terms1 for it is said1 that 8,every living soul in the sea died40 ,literally1 this passage cannot be taken1 for literally there are no living souls in the sea4 ,the sea means the ,gentile nations1 or ,europe4 ,the life is life in ,christ4 ,the loss of that life1 or spiritual death is the loss of true ,christianity3 here extending over the whole sea1 or comprising all the ,gentile converts2 and the period of this death is yet scarcely elapsed1 beginning with the dark ages1 and continuing to the millenium4 ,what6 is ,europe then still1 or has it so lately been in a state of spiritual death or perdition8 ,such is the language of prophecy1 and its meaning cannot be explained away or evaded4 8,every living soul in the sea dies40 ,the life in ,christ is extinct4 ,true ,christianity no longer remains4 ,will none then be saved8 ,this the prophecy no where says4 ,the ,gospel teaches that many may be saved who never heard of ,christ4 ,are all ,mahommedans1 and they execrate the name of ,christian1 doomed to perish8 ,no ,christian will surely maintain this1 and still less that all misguided ,christians are doomed to perdition4 ,but still the life in ,christ is lost4 ,true ,christianity no longer prevails4 ,if then1 without it1 men may be saved1 where1 it may be asked1 is the use of it8 ,i answer1 in every way1 and every where it is useful4 ,did true ,christianity prevail1 the myriads might be saved2 the few only would perish4 ,without it the few only can be saved1 the many are left to perish4 ,by ,christianity1 all are taught to live for the next world2 without it1 the many will live for this2 few are those that will think of another4 ,christianity not only diffuses peace and happiness on earth1 but fits every man for enjoying eternal happiness hereafter4 ,such is the saving virtue of ,christ's religion1 in affording to all the means of attaining to eternal life and eternal happiness4 ,but to return to the age in which we live1 or from which we are just emerging4 ,this period is peculiarly the age of infidelity--all ,europe bears testimony to the fact4 ,but are they who profess belief1 really ,christians8 ,look to conduct1 and not profession for the proof4 ,is this world1 or the next1 the object of pursuit8 ,if conscience whisper1 that we who believe1 lack the true spirit2 how can we expect it in those who disbelieve8 ,where then in true ,christianity8 ,as this chapter1 according to the ,rabbi's view1 remains unfulfilled1 so he offers no particular exposition of it1 but limits his remarks to a few emendations of the received translation4 ,of these the only one any way material to the present discussion is that on verse #e1 which has been already stated in the note on that verse4 ,,zechariah ,,on ,,the ,,messiah',s ,,kingdom4 ,,interpretation3 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,the corruption of ,christianity1 as foretold in the last chapter1 is allowed to have been the means that prepared the way for those events which are announced at the opening of the present one4 ,the ambition of the clergy1 and the state of ignorance in which they purposely kept their flocks1 had completely succeeded1 before the end of the sixth century1 in subjugating the minds of the people1 and in establishing the supremacy of the priesthood in the west of ,christendom1 while the last of these causes served to facilitate in the east the success of the ,mahomedan imposture1 which1 as well as ,papacy1 was an offspring of the spurious form of religion then prevailing under the name of ,christianity4 ,these two usurpations under the mask of religion1 divided1 at the beginning of the seventh century1 what had once been the ,christian world1 between them2 one occupying the western half of it1 and the other the eastern1 according to our mode of expression2 but as regards ,palestine1 where the ,prophet wrote1 this division is more accurately represented1 as expressed in the ,prophecy1 by northern and southern2 the northern half engrossed by the ,greek and ,latin churches1 which being essentially of the same nature1 are here taken as one2 while ,mahomedism usurped the place of ,christianity in the countries lying for the most part south of ,palestine1 as ,arabia1 ,egypt1 ,india1 ,persia1 and others4 7,see note on this47 ,such are the occurrences foreshewn in the opening of the present chapter2 which now does1 if it did not previously1 declare the capture and pillage of the holy city1 or the loss of the spiritual ,jerusalem1 true religion2 this being followed by a portent awfully expressive of the events which succeeded this loss1 namely1 the cleaving asunder of ,mount ,olivet2 7a symbol for nominal ,christianity1 ,mount ,zion signifying true ,christianity1 ,mount ,sinai ,judaism27 one part of which moves northward1 and the other southward1 leaving a deep valley between them for the escape of those who are not involved in this spiritual captivity or destruction4 ,after this follows the intimation of a period of spiritual obscurity1 which is declared to be neither day nor night1 neither clear day-light1 nor utter darkness2 but on the evening of that day1 light is said to dawn again1 and living waters once more to flow out of ,jerusalem4 ,at length this is to be succeeded by the restoration of ,israel1 and the universal establishment of true religion in the new ,jerusalem4 ,while the loss of true religion is clearly foreshewn in the capture of the spiritual ,jerusalem1 with which this chapter commences2 and while the rise of ,papacy and ,mahomedism is foretold in the cleaving of ,mount ,olivet2 the ,christian will readily perceive1 in the day of obscurity that follows1 the dark ages shadowed forth2 and in the dawn of light that breaks forth at the evening time1 he will see intimation of the restoration of true religion at the reformation1 when living waters again begin to flow out of ,jerusalem4 ,the conclusion of this chapter1 and of the ,prophecy1 declares the final and complete establishment of the ,messiah's kingdom2 that happy period for which we are taught to pray in the words1 8,thy kingdom come40 ,concerning the nature of this kingdom1 the ,jew not only differs from the ,christian1 but ,christians also differ from one another4 ,before ,i attempt to decide so difficult a question1 ,i shall state the prevailing opinions1 and what the prophets have said on the subject4 ,the ,jews expect1 at the coming of their ,messiah1 the establishment of their political1 as well as their spiritual supremacy over all the earth4 ,the ,christians reject all idea of a political kingdom1 but differ in their views of it as a spiritual one4 ,some understand it to signify the universal establishment of true ,christianity on earth1 with the full enjoyment of all the blessings which it is calculated to afford2 others at this second advent1 look for the personal appearance of ,christ on earth1 to reign with the saints1 who will be raised from the dead1 to receive the reward of virtue in his kingdom2 while many regard his kingdom as signifying a future state of happiness1 having no connexion whatever with the earth we now inhabit1 but to be enjoyed in an eternal abode1 of which they have an indefinite idea as existing somewhere above the firmament4 ,this last1 which is perhaps the most popular notion1 seems least consonant to ,scripture and prophecy2 which distinctly speak of a kingdom on earth1 as it is understood by the ,jews2 though not necessarily1 as they suppose1 a political one4 ,as this is the chief point on which ,i am at issue with my opponent1 ,i shall presently state the manner in which this city1 the ,new ,jerusalem1 is spoken of by ,isaiah and ,st4 ,john4 ,but previously ,i think it right to notice a fallacy in what ,i take to be the ground on which the popular notion of this kingdom rests2 namely1 because ,st4 ,john in the ,revelations gives intimation of a resurrection preceding1 or accompanying its establishment4 ,now1 we have1 as ,i conceive1 no just ground for assuming1 in a vision1 every other part of which is figurative1 that this part alone is to be understood literally4 ,why1 ,i should ask1 may not this resurrection1 like the rest1 be also symbolical1 or signify regeneration to newness of life8 which our ,saviour expressed by being born again2 that is1 a total change in our nature and habits1 such as was produced in his apostles and disciples by the gift of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,but even admitting the literal resurrection to be here intimated1 7and no ,christian can doubt the reality of a resurrection17 yet this would not be at all incompatible with a future existence on earth1 a light in which it is viewed by many3 we shall therefore inquire what the ,prophets have said that may throw light on the nature of this kingdom on earth4 ,both ,isaiah and ,st4 ,john1 in speaking of the ,new ,jerusalem1 use the two-fold metaphor of a ,city and a ,woman4 ,in ,isaiah liv4 #aa1 et seq4 this city is represented as having foundations of sapphire1 windows of agate1 and gates of carbuncle2 and ,st4 ,john1 ,rev4 xxi4 #af1 describes it as built entirely of precious stones1 having twelve gates1 each of one solid pearl1 and its streets paved with gold2 being1 moreover1 equal in all its dimensions1 that is1 as broad as it is long1 and as high as it is wide1 to wit1 twelve thousand furlongs1 or fifteen hundred miles4 ,this is surely very unlike a literal city2 but this ,city shortly becomes a ,woman1 in ,st4 ,john1 and is styled 8,the ,lamb's ,bride20 while ,isaiah1 using the same change of metaphor1 says1 8,for thy ,maker is thy husband40 ,if we now look to the context in ,isaiah1 for the purport of this figurative language1 we shall find that he says1 chapter liv4 #ad1 8,in righteousness shalt thou be established20 and again1 chapter lx4 #ai1 8,but thou shalt call thy walls salvation1 and thy gates praise20 and from chap4 lxi4 it appears throughout1 that this description is intended to portray the perfection of righteousness1 the beauty of holiness1 and the riches of grace2 these being1 as declared1 the ornaments destined to adorn the ,bride4 ,it is with a robe of righteousness1 and a garment of salvation1 that she will adorn herself1 as ,isaiah expresses it1 chap4 lxi4 #aj42 while ,st4 ,john abounds in similar expressions2 thus in ,rev4 xix4 #i1 speaking of the ,bride's apparel1 he says1 8,for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints20 and of the ,city1 which nothing impure is permitted to enter1 he says1 chap4 xxi4 #bc-bg1 8,for the glory of ,god did lighten it1 and the ,lamb was the light thereof40 ,thus both1 under this highly figurative description1 appear to signify no literal city1 or political state1 but one which is altogether spiritual2 that is1 the utmost possible degree of purity and holiness1 which will constitute this heaven upon earth2 the ,new ,jerusalem4 ,this chapter opens with the denunciation of divine wrath about to fall upon mankind on account of the corrupt state of religion4 ,the expression used to foretel this1 belongs more peculiarly to the day of judgment1 called the day of the ,lord2 but is often employed in prophetically foreshewing particular judgments on the world1 as here3 ,behold the day of the ,lord cometh1 and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee4 ,for ,i will gather all nations against ,jerusalem to battle1 and the city shall be taken1 and the houses rifled1 and the women ravished1 and half of the city shall go forth into captivity1 and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city4 ,the loss of the holy city1 and the spiritual captivity of half its inhabitants1 which is the bondage of sin1 is the particular calamity here foretold2 and this is followed by the punishment of those who were the authors of this evil1 the enemies of true religion1 who war against ,jerusalem4 ,then shall the ,lord go forth1 and fight against those nations1 as when he fought in the day of battle4 ,the nations must signify here1 as elsewhere1 the ,gentiles1 or ,pagans1 whose spiritual hostility against true religion was shewn1 as before stated1 by their corrupting and paganising ,christianity2 while the judgment denounced against them consists in ,god's permitting the rise of the two great ,antichristian usurpations1 ,papacy and ,mahomedism4 ,one1 the man of sin1 spoken of by ,st4 ,paul1 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #a1 and #b ,thess4 ii4 #c17 a spiritual tyranny1 enslaving the minds of men2 and the other1 the abomination of desolation1 mentioned by ,daniel1 chap4 viii4 verses #aj-ab1 and1 as he expressly foretold1 permitted by reason of transgression1 or as a judgment on the world1 its avowed object being the propagation of religion by the sword4 ,the division of the corrupt form of religion then prevailing1 into these two ,antichristian apostacies1 is thus foreshewn4 ,and his feet shall stand in that day upon the ,mount of ,olives1 which is before ,jerusalem upon the ,east1 and the ,mount of ,olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the ,east1 and toward the ,west1 and there shall be a great valley1 and half of the mountain shall move toward the ,north1 and half of it toward the ,south4 ,a mountain1 meaning a place of eminence or power1 in spiritual language signifies religion2 ,mount ,sinai1 from which the ,mosaic law was delivered1 means ,judaism1 and is contrasted in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 chap4 xii4 #ah-bb1 with ,christianity1 which is there called ,mount ,zion1 and the heavenly ,jerusalem4 ,the ,mount of ,olives is neither of these1 but here symbolical of nominal ,christianity1 destined to be split asunder2 leaving1 however1 a valley between the two parts for the escape of those not involved in this spiritual destruction2 from which may be inferred1 that true ,christianity would not become utterly extinct4 ,and ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains1 for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto ,azal3 yea1 ye shall flee like as ye fled in the days of ,uzziah1 king of ,judah1 and the ,lord my ,god shall come1 and all the saints with thee4 ,the true ,christian is thus admonished to fly1 or avoid the prevailing apostacies2 while divine favour and protection are promised to those who shun the general corruption4 ,from the establishment of these two ,antichristian dominations1 a long day of spiritual darkness is declared to follow2 which was accomplished in the reign of ignorance and superstition1 during the period expressively denominated the dark ages4 ,with ,god a thousand years are but as a day4 ,and it shall come to pass in that day1 that the light shall not be clear nor dark2 ,but it shall be one day1 which shall be known to the ,lord1 not day nor night1 but it shall come to pass1 that at evening time it shall be light4 ,in the return of light at the evening time of that long day of obscurity1 we see intimation of the revival of true religion at the reformation2 which is still more clearly expressed as follows4 ,and it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from ,jerusalem1 half of them toward the former sea1 and half of them toward the hinder sea2 in summer and in winter it shall be4 ,the former and the hinder sea1 or as ,dr4 ,blayney proposes to render it1 the ,eastern and the ,western ,sea1 may literally signify the ,dead ,sea and the ,mediterranean2 but figuratively the ,eastern and ,western ,gentiles1 who will receive the benefit of the spiritual waters4 ,the expression1 in summer and in winter it shall be1 signifies literally1 that they shall neither be dried up by the summer's heat1 nor congealed by the cold of winter2 but figuratively must mean1 that the purity of religion shall not again be corrupted by the heat of fanaticism on the one hand1 nor frozen by the cold of infidelity on the other4 ,the universal prevalence of true religion is then declared4 7,see note47 ,and the ,lord shall be king over all the earth2 in that day shall there be one ,lord1 and his name one4 ,the fulfilment of what now remains of the prophecy appears to be still future1 and consequently it does not fall within the limits of our plan to attempt the particular exposition of each part of it2 but sufficient1 it is hoped1 will be found in what is already accomplished1 to convince the ,christian reader of the general purport of the whole2 and to warrant the statement made at the outset1 that these six chapters are not1 as former commentators have supposed them to be1 a collection of unconnected predictions relating to different subjects1 but one continued and uninterrupted prophecy1 presenting a view of the progress of our religion1 from its promulgation to its final establishment in purity and perfection4 ,that the evidence of this will be sufficient to convince the ,jew1 ,i am far from expecting1 being well aware of the many objections he has still to urge against our exposition of prophecy1 after those which are here presented1 may have been removed4 ,but it may possibly have some weight with him1 when he finds upon examination1 the same view of the subject offered by ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 and others2 which the ,christian will find more circumstantially displayed in the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john4 ,in fact1 my exposition of the ,apocalypse1 has furnished me with the clue to guide me through all the prophecies1 that relate to the progress of the ,messiah's kingdom2 for ,i find that each succeeding prophet has helped to fill up the outline given by his predecessors2 while the picture is finally completed by ,st4 ,john1 the last of them all4 ,but as a portrait is most easily recognised when the likeness is complete2 so the prophecy last uttered1 being most perfect1 is most easily interpreted1 and naturally becomes the key to all the others2 that is1 the last delivered ought to be the first expounded1 which is the order ,i have pursued4 ,as ,i have made no change in the translation of this chapter1 few explanatory notes are required2 and the ,rabbi's reply to this1 as to the one preceding1 may be comprised in this single objection2 that no part has yet been literally fulfilled1 such being the only fulfilment which he looks for or admits4 ,the impossibility of a more literal fulfilment has been shewn in many places1 but especially at the beginning of chapter x42 and until the ,jew answers this1 ,i must consider1 what to me appears to be the main pillar of his argument1 as fairly overthrown4 ,and the grand question1 whether ,christ be the ,messiah1 resting upon this1 namely1 whether his kingdom be a spiritual or a temporal one1 must be decided1 as regards the present argument1 by shewing whether the prophecies relating to it have regard to spiritual or temporal affairs4 ,many who object to the spiritual view1 misconceive what is meant by the spiritual exposition2 and consider it as setting aside altogether the historical fulfilment of prophecy2 whereas the question is simply between religion and politics1 between church and state2 in short1 whether the spiritual or temporal history of the world should be looked to1 for the fulfilment of those prophecies which foretel the progress of ,christianity1 or the ,messiah's kingdom4 ,by directing their view to temporal affairs1 the ablest expositors have hitherto discovered only an occasional allusion to ,christianity in a few verses of particular chapters1 and in others no allusion to it whatever2 whereas1 by adhering closely to the spiritual view1 and understanding the prophecy as foretelling the progress of true religion2 the battles and conflicts foretold1 representing the opposition which it has experienced1 and the corruptions which it has undergone from the evil passions and worldly propensities of man2 we have been enabled to shew the historical fulfilment of the whole2 not selecting1 as others have done1 particular passages1 but shewing that every chapter and every verse relates to the same subject1 and this subject1 the progress of ,christianity4 ,,notes ,,to ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,ver4 #d4 ,half of the mountain shall move toward the north1 and half of it toward the south4 ,although this passage is left in the text as it originally stood1 yet the writer acknowledges a manifest inadvertency in supposing the division here spoken of into northern and southern to have reference to the position of the prophet1 any more than to that of the reader2 with neither of which it has any connection4 ,it has been objected by a judicious friend of the author1 that ,mahommedism has prevailed1 and still does prevail in countries lying north of ,judea1 where the prophet wrote4 ,the objection is perfectly just1 not was it unperceived by the writer1 though he did not at first see how to remove it1 simple as is the solution of the difficulty1 and striking as then appears the fulfilment of the prophecy4 ,the solution is--that this division of the nominal ,christian world here foretold1 into two grand apostacies1 ,anti-christianism and ,mahommedism1 which were destined to occupy a position northward and southward1 had no relation to the prophet1 but simply to each other--that is1 they were to be north and south of each other4--,now let a line be drawn1 such as might be expected from the fracture of a mountain by an earthquake1 extending from the west of ,europe to the east of ,asia1 over a surface of not less than #ahj degrees of longitude1 and no where deviating more than #aj degrees of latitude1 and we shall find the ,greek and ,latin churches occupying the whole portion lying to the north1 while ,mahommedism engrosses all to the south4 ,and we shall find those parts only of ,europe cut off which were pre-ordained to fall under the ,moslem yoke1 as ,spain1 ,sicily1 ,corsica1 and ,sardinia1 ,calabria1 ,greece1 and ,turkey in ,europe2 while ,russia forms the boundary line from all the ,mahommedan nations lying to the south of it4 ,this line will be comprised between #dj and #ej deg4 of nor4 lat4 ,thus singularly have the words of the prophecy been accomplished4 ,and thus strikingly is the will of ,heaven1 in the pre-ordination and disposal of human events1 made manifest to the mind of man4 ,ver4 #h4 ,in summer and in winter it shall be4 ,can such a state of the world1 it may be asked1 which shall be exempt from fanaticism on the one hand1 and from infidelity on the other1 be brought about without some miraculous interposition to alter the nature and constitution of the human mind8 ,and does it comport with the usual ordinances of ,providence1 who seems to effect his purposes by natural means1 to deviate in this instance1 from the ordinary course of nature8 ,it certainly does not appear so2 and it would1 no doubt1 be more satisfactory1 and be more likely to obtain belief1 if natural means could be pointed out1 adequate to produce this marvellous change in the state of the world1 without calling for the necessity of miraculous interposition4 ,let us see then--the most fertile source of infidelity will be found in the mysteries and dogmata invented by priestcraft1 which reason revolts at and rejects4 ,are1 these then1 essential to true ,christianity8 is the question4 ,if not--and ,christ ever appealed to the reason of his hearers1 advancing nothing that reason could gainsay--then true ,christianity requires only to be taught1 and ,infidelity will have no ground left to stand upon4 ,with regard to fanaticism1 there can be no doubt that false ideas of religion engender this extreme2 ignorance1 encouraging the hopes of a sensual paradise on the one hand2 and fear1 inspiring the dread of eternal torments on the other1 as in the ,mahommedan and ,romish churches1 have been most fruitful in producing this extravagance4 ,with just ideas of religion and the ,divine beneficence1 such feelings are incompatible4 ,a religion of love1 and such is ,christianity when justly appreciated1 can never lead to fanaticism4 ,we may love ,god with all our heart1 with all our mind1 with all our soul1 and with all our strength1 and it can never disturb our reason1 or lead to any but the happiest and most rational frame of mind4 ,thus1 the dissemination of true ,christianity1 the just appreciation of its precepts and their faithful practice1 appears to furnish a remedy adequate to the removal of both these evils1 without requiring the aid of any miraculous interposition to effect this purpose4 ,,the ,,millenium4 ,as the view of ,christ's kingdom1 taken in the preceding exposition1 is that which regards it as not only that state or condition of man1 which is most calculated to prepare him for1 and enable him to attain eternal happiness hereafter2 but also as that which is adapted to produce the highest possible degree of felicity here on earth1 it will be proper to consider a few of the arguments that may be brought for and against this view of the ,millenium1 and to state the view itself more distinctly4 ,the happy state which the world may attain to1 under the universal prevalence of true religion1 it is more easy to imagine1 than to describe2 for a volume would hardly suffice to enumerate all the blessings it is calculated to afford4 ,the cessation of foreign war1 with all the miseries attending it2 the end of all tyranny and oppression at home2 of injustice and misrule1 are the most distinctly announced1 and their benefit perhaps the most obvious4 ,but their influence on society is limited in comparison with the wide diffusion of happiness that would ensue from the improvement in private life1 and the amelioration of individual character4 ,were the vices prevalent in each class of society banished from the world2 ambition and ostentation from the higher1 inordinate love of gain from the middle and commercial1 idleness and improvidence from the lower class1 such a change would ensue1 that the golden age of the poets would be revived4 ,fortunes would no longer be squandered1 and families be ruined by extravagance and dissipation2 gambling speculation1 extortion and chicanery would be unknown in trade2 poverty and dishonesty would be banished from the working classes4 ,thus1 litigation and crime ceasing1 the civil and criminal code would become a dead letter1 and every man would enjoy in security the fruits of his industry2 while the peace and harmony of families would be insured by the increased prevalence of kindness and brotherly love1 forbearance and self-control1 charity and benevolence1 with other domestic virtues4 ,among the blessings promised in this state1 is increased length of life2 nor is this at all difficult to conceive or account for4 ,the tormenting passions of ambition and avarice subsiding2 the mind being no longer tortured by the cravings they occasion1 nor the spirit broken by the disappointments that attend them2 the constitution being no longer worn out by the toils and cares they give rise to1 the larger portion of diseases incidental to man1 7and more proceed from the mind than the body7 would be prevented4 ,but those arising from bodily causes1 would likewise for the most part vanish1 from a proper restraint on the indulgence of the passions and appetites4 ,nor is diminution of disease the only cause that would lengthen life4 ,the healing art being more zealously studied1 and more conscientiously practised1 with more regard for the welfare of the patient1 and less for the emolument2 it is not unreasonable to suppose that great improvement would take place in every branch of it4 ,and thus another source would be opened for producing increased length of days4 ,but with the moral and physical blessings1 let not the spiritual pass unnoticed4 ,eternal life is the reward promised to those who strive to obtain it1 and render themselves worthy of it4 ,surely then the universal prevalence of peace1 charity and good-will among mankind is more likely to produce a fitness for this state1 than the present order of things4 ,thus our eternal and our temporal interests would be alike promoted by it4 ,the prophetic language1 supposed to foretel this state being metaphorical its meaning may be questioned2 and it may be objected1 that reason and experience are alike adverse to the supposition that the world will ever be materially different from what it has been4 ,would not this argument1 if urged two thousand years ago1 have been then deemed conclusive against the possibility of events1 having previously no parallel in the history of man1 which nevertheless did afterwards take place4 ,that any considerable body of men should be found1 who should prove themselves above the allurements of the world2 despising wealth and honours2 disregarding every thing before held most estimable by mankind2 and braving ignominy1 tortures and death3--would not the argument1 that such things had never been1 have been deemed conclusive against the supposition that they ever would be8 ,and yet all this did occur in the apostolic age4 ,if the past then afford any presage for the future1 it is not against1 but in favour of the conclusion1 that what has been1 may be again4 ,perhaps it may be objected1 that the purity and heroic virtue of the apostolic age were transient1 and can never be permanent2 they were partial1 but can never be general4 ,this mode of reasoning is perhaps less philosophical than it may at first appear4 ,what has obtained amongst one race of men1 may obtain amongst others4 ,what has continued for one generation1 may continue for more4 ,the life of man is no transient period1 but to each individual the longest period possible4 ,a whole race is not a partial1 but as regards them1 a general prevalence4 ,and if there be any truth in history1 the principles and practices of the early ,christians pervaded their whole race1 and lasted during their whole lives4 ,true ,christianity has however vanished1 it may be said2 and what should revive it8 ,the evil passions of man have prevailed against it2 and why should they not again8 ,i answer2 the same causes that produced it1 may revive it2 and the permanency of those causes1 may render it permanent4 ,conviction was the cause that produced it2 that inward1 heartfelt1 active conviction1 which never leaves the mind for a moment1 and admits no shadow of doubt2 not that inert1 listless1 passive form of belief1 which assents1 it knows not why2 and believes1 it knows not what4 ,i have heard a distinguished churchman affirm his persuasion1 that the most prevalent evil in the church is infidelity4 ,i would fain disbelieve it4 ,it surely is not that bold and open infidelity which denies revealed religion4 ,if it prevail at all1 it must be that secret wavering propensity to doubt1 apt to arise in minds not fully satisfied of the truth1 and which feel regret that its evidence is not more conclusive4 ,this may be1 and is much to be regretted4 ,for such belief can never produce effective influence on the life and conduct2 nor awaken that impassioned eloquence in the preacher1 which animated the first teachers of ,christianity1 and carried conviction to the hearts of their hearers4 ,whence arises this state of mind8 ,are the proofs of ,christianity then inconclusive8 ,far otherwise4 ,though its prophetic proofs are clothed in metaphor1 and require study to understand them2 though its history is by no means free from contradictions2 though time may have obscured some passages1 and interpolation thrown a doubt upon others2 yet is there left sufficient2 amply sufficient to satisfy the mind of any who think the subject worthy of serious examination4 ,but here is the misfortune4 ,most men think otherwise4 ,the laity are too often content to take their religion on trust2 and the clergy for the most part want leisure for studies that demand so much time and attention2 while their following hitherto in a beaten track1 and paying undue deference to the authority of the ,masoretic punctuation1 have encumbered them with difficulties almost insurmountable4 ,hence it is1 that as far as regards the prophetic evidence of our religion--the elucidation of that miraculous testimony to its truth1 the force of which is ever progressively increasing and which alone can place us on an equal ground of belief with the first ,christians1--the world has remained nearly stationary above a thousand years4 ,of learning there has been no want2 of talent abundance2 of reading no end2 but beyond verbal criticisms1 the settling of doubtful words and passages1 for the improvement of the text1 little has been done4 ,the general scope1 as well as the particular interpretation of the ,old ,testament prophecies1 the ultimate evidence of ,christianity1 has received little elucidation since the days of the ,apostles4 ,here is one fruitful source of conviction yet unopened4 ,when fully opened1 from more perfect conviction will flow more zeal in the teaching1 and more influence on the minds of the hearers4 ,if it be doubted whether the most perfect religious instruction that can be given1 or the fullest conviction of an endless futurity of happiness or misery when impressed on the mind1 can suffice to control the passions and propensities of man2 let the effect of training on the brute creation be considered4 ,it will not surely be contended1 that man has less power of controlling his propensities1 or is less capable of culture than they4 ,if then we find that creatures the most opposite in disposition1 and supposed to be natural enemies1 may be trained to live together peaceably and amicably2 what may not be expected from man1 having moreover the aid of reason to guide and assist him8 ,let adequate motives for controlling his passions be furnished2 let true ,christian principles be early inculcated2 let religion be more practical and less doctrinal2 let precept be enforced by example1 and there is nothing foretold in this new order of things that may not be accomplished2 nothing promised in it that may not be reasonably expected4 ,,finis4