Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · minor prophets · Zechariah · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
THE 8 month of the second year of Darius the word of the Lord V. 1.came to Zechariah the son of Barachiah the son of Iddo the Prophet: That Haggai might with the greater courage and confidence execute his propheticall office, God joined Zechariah at the same time unto him, and the more to confirm that which he taught, that the faithfull might be the more comforted and the wicked moved to repentance. Thus before the captivity God sent more Prophets together, as Isaiah and Hosea, &c. as hath been before noted, and in the time of the Gospel Christ sent out 12 Apostles, then the LXX, two and two together. This Zechariah is thought by some more probably to be the Prophet spoken of by our Lord, Mat. 23. that was slain between the Temple and the Altar, then that Zechariah who 2 Chr. 24. 20.was slain there in the dayes of Joash King of Judah, both because the name agreeth best, the other being the son of Jehoiadah, this of Barachiah, and it is not likely that our Lord would make that Zechariah the last Prophet slain, as he seemeth there to doe, for he beginneth at Abel the first Martyr, and therefore doubtlesse endeth with the last Prophet of note slain by the Jewes. But after that Zechary to this, many others of note suffered, as Esay and Jeremiah, and divers others in the time of Manasseh, who filled Jerusalem with innocent bloud.
If it be objected, this Zechariah is not said to have been slain, and if he were, it could not be done betwixt the Temple and Altar, because it was not yet built: I answer, that Christ and his Apostles bring some things to light touching History, which before were not spoken of, and therefore this Zechary might also suffer thus, although not spoken of before; and touching the Temple, it being finisht in the 6 yeare of this Darius, in whose second he began to prophesie and went on in his fourth ch. 7. 1. after which he had many visions more most probably above two years, and if so, he lived till the building of the Temple was finished: yea it is plain by Ezra 6. 14. that Haggai and he both prophesied, till the building was fully ended: of this see more in my Exposition upon Mat. 23. The son of Iddo, this Iddo is thought by some to have been the immediate father of Barachiah, being a man of great note: but forsomuch as Iddo a Prophet that lived long before, is famous in Scripture, most probably he is meant, other progenitors of his being omitted. Some hold him to have been the Prophet that came to Bethel in Jeroboams time to threaten Gods judgments against the Priests that sacrificed upon the Altar there.
The Lord hath been soar displeased with your fathers: He beginneth to move them V. 2.to repentance from the consideration of Gods dealing with their fathers in times past, when they sinned, and being admonished by his Prophets would not turn, to whom therefore it came to passe according to their threatnings, although those Prophets did not many of them live to see execution done upon them, as was threatned. And he beginneth thus, because as the history of Ezra sheweth, they lived in many grosse sins, especially the neglect of piety towards God, as touching the building of his house, and taking strange wives, being from their former lawfull wives divorced, as their lusts led them.
Ʋpon the 24. day of the 11. month, called Sebar, which answered to our February, V. 7.V. 8. I saw by night a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood amongst the myrtle trees: After reproof and exhortation to repentance, here followeth, as Calvin conjectureth, Calvin.matter of comfort, they being effectually moved by that which had been said before. For the meaning of the Vision, it is shewed by the man upon the red horse standing by the myrtle trees. V. 10. Only it may be demanded who that man was, and why he appeared riding upon a red horse, and who the other coloured horses white and speckled, and what is meant by their running through the earth? Answ. The man upon the red horse was Christ Jesus for a praeludium of his incarnation appearing in the likenesse of a man, as he also did at some other times. For the other horses with the men riding upon them (for so it must be understood, although none but horses are named, because v. 11. they are brought in answering this man, as horses cannot do) were behind him, as souldiers at the back of their Captain: and who ruleth over the Angels of heaven as Captain but Christ? called elsewhere the Archangel Michael, who is, as the word signifieth, one like God; upon a red horse he is seen riding to shew the bloudshed of the enemies of his faithfull people, as bloud is red and makes garments look red. See Esay 63. 1, 2, 3. Christ then appeareth thus to shew his wrath, whereby his heathen enemies should have their bloud shed and be destroyed, and he rides upon an horse to do this, to shew that it should be done by war, because horses be for war, and horsemen of greatest force: and for this cause the same Christ appeareth almost in like manner Rev. 6. and ch. 19. 13. only there the horse is white, but his garments red with bloud, to shew peace and comfort to such as embrace and follow his word, but destruction and terrour to unbeleevers and despisers, according to which also here be some horses white, and some particoloured, red and white, to shew the same. And this man upon the red horse appeared in the night, to shew that Christs incarnation was yet only darkly set forth by types and figures, for which the time of the Old Testament is called the night, Rom. 13. 12. and he was by myrtle trees with great leaves making it shadowie like the night, to shew the same. The horses behind him with their riders represented the Angels of God, by whom, as by his horsmen, God makes war where he pleaseth in all the world for the good of his people, and the destruction of the wicked, the white horses being with these, to shew that they shall be victorious in the end, but the diverse coloured with those, to shew that although sometimes they prevail, and by subduing all have peace, yet this lasteth not long, but horses both white and red are seen with them, intimating the variablenesse of their condition, although they be in peace and rest for a time, V. 12.as they upon the party-coloured horses say, that they had gone through the earth and all were quiet and at rest.
Whereupon request is made to the Lord by the man upon the red horse, V. 13.that his own people who had been in misery 70 years might now come to have rest also, sith it could not but be counted an unworthy thing that heathens having rest every where, Gods own people should still be troubled and interrupted, especially in so excellent a work as the building of the Temple was, which was no sooner said, but comfort was spoken to his people, and that both Temple and City should be built, and v. 18, 19, 20, 21. destruction and dispersion is threatned to them that had scattered the Jewes. Note Note. from hence that the Lords horsmen walk up & down in the earth, that he doth not neglect humane affairs, as the Prophane think, for he sends out his Angels, and they are alwayes walking about for the good of his people, and nothing done in the world is hidden from them, that we may be incouraged in doing good and deterred from evill, as being sure that we have them to guard us, and to stand for us when we fear God, but otherwise upon horseback and armed as it were, to destroy us. Now God can do all this without the ministry of his Angels, but because we cannot so well conceive of our being in safety, but by having a guard about us, God is pleased to use them and their ministry in doing this office about his.
How long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem against which thou hast had indignation V. 12.now 70. years? Here a great question is made by some, how it could be said thus, seeing it was 70 years long before this, in the first year of Cyrus, who reigned after this 7 or 8 years, and after him Cambyses, or Ahashuerosh called also Artaxerxes, Ezra 4. 9 years, and because they see not how it may be otherwise resolved, they answer, that the time may be counted two ways, either from the 1 year of Nebuchadnezzar, & so the 70 ended the 1 year of Cyrus, or from his 19 year, and so the 70 years ended not till now. But there needs no such device, for here is no word shewing that just now the said 70 years of desolation were ended, but only that they were at an end, as they were indeed long before, for the word is foreign this or these 70 years, that is, the 70 years determined, Jer. 25. and certain years longer also they being still molested by their enemies, when as the people of other countries returning to their habitations in the time of Cyrus lived in peace. And this is said to move the Lord the more, because not only the full time set by his Majesty for the Jews punishment was ended, and many years more also had passed since, so that it was time now not only to bring them back from their captivity, as he had graciously done in the dayes of Cyrus, but also in their own land to grant them peace; delivering them from their enemies who disturbed them in that necessary work of building the Temple and City again, that they might come to the state in which they had formerly been. And for this Exposition is Lyra, Calvin, and Gualter, Lyra. Calvin. Gualter.rendring the words therefore, these 70 years, v. 16. my house shall be built and a line stretched out upon Jerusalem: that is, a measure taken of the dimensions of the City, that it also might be built and divided amongst the Jewes as in times past.
Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw and behold 4 horns, what was meant hereby V. 18.the next words shew, these are the horns that have scattered Judah, &c. It is usuall in scripture by horns to set forth strength and power, and consequently mighty and strong Kingdoms, and because that of these there were four chiefly which afflicted the people of God, the Galdean that destroyed Jerusalem, the Persian that domineered over the Jews, and at their pleasure restrained them from building the Temple and City, the Grecian that after Alexander, both in the Egyptian and Syrian Kings, were infest enemies against the Jews, and the Romans, that by force and might set up Herod a stranger to reign over them, the Lord shewed Zechariah the 4 horns which R. Solomon will have to be enemies R. Solomon.about Jerusalem in the 4 parts of the world, East, West, North, and South, but because the Jews were not by them scattered, although many times annoyed, the former Exposition, which is most commonly followed, is to be preferred. Against these 4 horns, 4 Carpenters are next shewed, which are said V. 20. V. 21.to come to fray them and to cast them out for their scattering of Judah. These 4 Carpenters were such as God stirred up to bring the enemies of the Jews to ruine, whom Calvin and Gualter will not have to be the 4 Monarchies before Calvin. Gualter.named, but Ammonites, Moabites, and Syrians, &c. distinguisht thus by Gualter by the 4 parts of the world, the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, on the East, the Philistims on the West, the Egyptians and Ethiopians on the South, and the Syrians on the North, confirming thus that of R. Solomon before mentioned, but they were rather figures of them that brought the 4 Monarchies to ruine, because it was a prophesie of things to be done, not a representation of things already done, as was the destruction of all those enemies near about Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. Wherefore the carpenter destroying the Babylonish Monarchy was the Persian, he that destroyed the Persian was the Grecian, and he that destroyed the Grecian the Roman, each one of these 3 being first an horn and then a carpenter, and although the Persian had acted his part already, yet that all four might be put together, as opposite to the 4 borns, he is shewed together with the rest, and the Goths in the West, and Turks in the East were the fourth carpenter confounding the Roman Monarchy.