Zechariah 10

ASk It was a time of great scarcity with the Iews while the Temple and City lay waste, and the Prophets from God assure them 'tis for neglecting to rebuild the Temple, to which work the Lord doe's earnestly call by Haggai and Zechariah, with promises of great Blessings which forthwith God would give to them, if they set to this work, and seek the Lord by Prayer, to which Duty he does direct them in this chap. to the building of City and Temple they must add Prayer, for the Blessing is prepared, and shall be given when asked. ye Iews returned from Babylon, setled in your City, and return'd to the Worship of God, and to whom many excellent promises are made you must pray. of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain Which usually came about Spring to fill the eared Corn, and to bring forth the grass to make the Trees and plants with their Fruit to be full and large, this latter rain made plenty of all provision, and is proverbially used to signifie a great blessing, Hos. 6.3., so the LORD shall make By making the Vapours ascend from the Earth, he will cover the Heavens with clouds, see how Iob 38.28. does elegantly describe this work of God. bright clouds Clouds which bring rain, and pour it out abundantly, when they are opened with Thunders and Lightnings, which do as it were broach the Clouds, they unstop these Bottles, and they are bright Clouds through the Lightnings which break from them. Iob 28.26. and 38.25, 26., and give them The Iews his people. showers of rain Plentiful showers of rain that shall fatten the Earth, and make it fruitful. to every one None shall miss it, nor the effect of it on Corn, or Grass; Corn for Man, and Grass for the Beast. grass in the field.

For the idols Images which before the Captivity they venerated, and at them consulted their Idols about plenty, or barrenness, and concerning future events, Iudg. 10.14. Isa. 19.3. have spoken vanity Their predictions were vain, nothing of certainty in them., and the diviners Southsayers, and consulters with familiar Spirits. have seen a lie Foretold good, when all issued in evil, no good came., and have told false dreams They pretended a revelation from Heaven, but 'twas a dream of their own head, or a cheat put on them by the Father of lies.: they comfort in vain Their lies for the present comfort the deceived, but the vanity of these comforts soon appears in the disappointment which followeth.: therefore they Either they that consulted, or those who sent them, indeed almost all the Iews were thus foolish in consulting, and believing these Lyars, and so confounded at last, fell into all the misery they thought to escape. went their away They went into Captivity into Babylon, as a flock, they were troubled miserably oppressed and afflicted,, because there was no shepherd without guide, or protection: without Ecclesiastical or Civil Governours, that would faithfully do their duty, and this was one reason that they were so afflicted and captivated..

Mine anger was kindled Though 'twas justly kindled against all, yet 'twas more hot, and fierce against the chief sinners among them. against the shepherds Officers in Church and State, who neglected to keep the flock from straying, who were ring-leaders in Idolatry, and south-saying., and I punished the goats The wanton, lustful, and petulant Officers among them, which like he goats push, and wound, and trample under foot the feebler cattle, as Ezek. 34.16, 17. these were more grievously punished, Ier. 29.22. and 39.6.: for the LORD of hosts has visited In favour and mercy. his flock, the house of Judah, and has made them as his goodly horse With change of State has changed their sheepish weakness and cowardise into strength, courage, and gallantry, like that of a goodly Horse, this appeared in the Maccabees Wars, in the of battel When all his courage is stir'd up, and he appears as Iob brings him forth with neck clothed with thunder, Iob 39.19, to 26..

Out Or out from him, of him from Iudah, rather from the God of Iudah, came forth the corner which in buildings is strength and beauty, here 'tis the Prince or Ruler, which is in a polity as a corner stone in Buildings., out of him the nail From God the nail which fastens the Tents of War, or fastens the Timber together in a house., out of him the battel-bow All Warlike Provision both of Men and Arms, Synechdochically exprest by Bow., out of him every oppressour Or Officer, Exactor, Collector of Tribute. It was from God that Nebuchadnezzar mightily prevailed, and in the course of his Victories opprest Israel, and it is from God also that Iudah is at last made free, grows up to such power, as to be able to cope with his Adversaries, to beat them, and to impose Tribute on them. He sets up, and pulls down as he pleaseth, Psal. 60. tot. together.

¶ And they The Iews under the Conduct of their Captains, such as the Maccabees shall be as mighty men shall be valiant, mighty Warriours,, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battel Shall take Cities, and beat down those that oppose them, and as usual in such cases tread the conquer'd as mire in the streets;: and they shall fight thus valiantly and successfully, because the LORD is with them fighteth for them, and against their Enemies.: and the riders on horses shall be confounded This is the Character of the Iews Enemies, they came with armed men, and a mighty Cavalry, as Antiochus, and others did in which they trusted; but this availed little, these Horsemen were consounded, beaten, or fled away from a beating, when God was with Iudah's Enemies, so they behaved themselves, and trod down Iudah, now he is reconciled to Iudah, and fighteth for Iudah, Iudah shall behave himself, and succeed against his Enemies as before they did against him..

And I will strengthen the house of Judah God will give both courage and strength, courage to attempt, and also strength to go through and finish the attempt; in this they of the house of Iudah were famous in the Wars of the Iews against the Seleucidae, in which Wars they had wonderful difficulties, and as wonderful courage and success., and I will save the house of Joseph The remnant of the Kingdom of Israel, the residue of the ten Tribes, called the house of Joseph, for that Ephraim and Manasseh part of that Kingdom were the sons of Joseph., and I will bring them again Both Iudah and Ioseph out of Babylonish Captivity, to place them To settle them in their own Land, and in their own Cities, how far this does warrant the expectation of an universal gathering of this people, I do not undertake to determine.; for I have mercy upon them I pity them in what they have already suffered, and my mercy is not clean gone from them, I have yet rich mercy for them, and will show it when they have built City and Temple, and restored Religion.: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off In every respect they shall so multiply, thrive, and prosper, that though they remember it with grief, and shame, yet the generations to come shall discern no sad marks of a rejected people: for I am the LORD their God in a perpetual Covenant which I never can, nor will break; I am and will be their God, they should, yea, shall be my people, as chap. 8.8., and will hear them They will pray, and I will hear, for they are mine, they will seek me as their God, and I will save them as my people..

And they of Ephraim Vid. verse 6. let. o. shall be like a mighty man See verse 5. let. h., and their heart shall rejoice as through wine Which warmeth the blood, cheareth the spirits, and adds Life greatly, where a good and joyful success concurreth as here it does. yea, their children shall see it, and be glad Either thus in the days of your Children this shall be, or rather when the time comes for these things they shall continue through your generations to Children that shall be born., their heart shall rejoice in the LORD The goodness, power, wisdom and faithfulness of God shall be the cause of this Joy, and many of these people shall indeed rejoice in the Lord, and in the Messiah..

I will hisse for them Though they are now scattered far off I will cause them to return, I will whistle, as a Shepherd, and they, as scattered Sheep, shall run with speed back to the flock, I called their Enemies so once and they came, Isa. 5.26. and 7.18, 19, and my people will come when thus I call to them., and gather them This shall be enough to bring them together, or it shall be done as soon as spoke, so soon as I whistle they shall return. for I have redeemed them I have been at the care and charge of Redeeming, I raised Cyrus to do it, I bestow'd all Nations and Kingdoms on him, and afterwards on Darius Hystaspis to do this, to restore my exiles, to replant Iudah, to rebuild the City and Temple, and I will do this also which is much less, I will as a Shepherd with his Pastoral whistle, call them in.: and they shall increase as they have increased A promise made by Ier. 33.22. and Ezek. 36.10, 11, 37, 38. which see..

And I will sowe them It might seem impossible the Jews should so increase but to satisfie us herein God promiseth to sow them, so their increase should be like the increase of rich soil that has much seed cast on it, Ier. 31.27. and Hos. 2.23. that Land shall soon be full of Men and Cattle, when God sows both. among the people The heathen; where dispersed, there they should multiply.: and they shall remember me in far countreys Whither soever they were driven in the farthest parts of the Persian Empire., and they shall live with their children Though captives and poor, yet they nor their Children shall starve, nay their Children born to them shall live, and grow up with them, this young fry shall fill the Earth., and turn again To me, my Temple, their City and Countrey. That this may also refer somewhat to the Conversion of the Jews to the Gospel, and to their spreading the Gospel unto others for multiplying of the seed of Israel according to the Faith, as I doubt not, so neither shall I particularly enquire, since the letter so fairly suits with history and matter of fact, as is evident from the multitudes that were gathered to the passeover when Titus Vespasianus coopt them up in a close siege.. There they shall think of me, and long for me, and desire to return to Ierusalem, and to my Temple.

I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt h, and gather them out of Assyria In which many yet did linger, loth to depart but when God hisseth for them they shall come., and I will bring them into the land of Gilead Which was the Eastern frontier of the Land of Canaan. and Lebanon This was the North Frontier of the Land, and both fruitful and pleasant, they are here mentioned as part for the whole, as before chap. 8. ver. 7., and place shall not be found for them The Land should be too narrow for them, so Isa. 49.20. and 54.2, 3. which was in part fulfilled according to the Historical, and Literal part but fully in the spiritual part.. Into which doubtless some hasted by an early flight from the Babylonians before they wasted Canaan, and others fled though forbidden, Ier. 43. chap. where also in after days some Jews sought a repose and where they wonderfully increased if Iosephus story be true of 120 thousand Jews set at liberty by Ptolomaeus Philadelphus when he procured the 72 Elders to translate the Hebrew Bible into Greek. These Egyptian Jews shall be brought back.

And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart away. The former part of this verse might be read in the Praeter-perfect tense, reporting what God has done, and perhaps more agreeably with the context and design, which is no doubt to confirm the promise, and make it credible though so many, and great difficulties render it unlikely to reason; I will says God, verse 10. I promise who am he that has past through the Sea, the Red Sea, and brought my people through, who has done this can do what he now promiseth. I am he that dried up the deeps of Iordan, (when at deepest by the floods, which was then upon the River) I can remove obstacles were they as great as these, and as easily lay low the pride of Enemies, or remove their Scepters as I did to Assyria and Egypt, so the whole verse is an allusion to what God had done in the two famous deliverances of his people under the hand of Moses and Ioshua bringing them out of Egypt through the Read Sea, and through Iordan, and destroying the Egyptians, and delivering them out of Assyrian bondage, and in order thereto destroying that Kingdom.

And I will strengthen them Vid. ver. 6. let. n. in the LORD Their God, in Christ say some; and 'tis true enough, whether these words so mean or no; God and Christ are the strength of the Church, and of all believers., and they shall walk up and down Shall manage all their affairs Civil, and Military, Secular and Ecclesiastical. in his name By Authority derived from, by power received of him, by Wisdom given from above, to the glory of our God, and our Redeemer. Thus far the great things promised to the Jewish Church and which were to be fulfilled in the time from the Rebuilding the Temple and City to the coming of Christ through some 490 years, in which times if ought fell short of promise it was because the sins of the people provoked God to alter the course of his Providence toward them., says the LORD.