Zechariah 9:1-8

CHAPTER XXXVIII

THE TRIUMPH OF ZION THROUGH HER MESSIAH

JUDGEMENT AGAINST ISRAEL'S ENEMIES. Zechariah 9:1-8 RV.

The burden of the word of Jehovah upon the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be its resting place (for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah); and Hamath, also, which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise. And Tyre did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be sore pained; and Ekron, for her expectation shall be put to shame; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also shall be a remnant for our God; and he shall be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. And I will encamp about my house against the army, that none pass through or return; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.

LXX. The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Sedrach, and his sacrifice shall be in Damascus; for the Lord looks upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel. And in Emath, even in her coasts, are Tyre and Sidon, because they were very wise. And Tyrus built strongholds for herself, and heaped up silver as dust, and gathered gold as the mire of the ways. And therefore the Lord will take them for a possession, and will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be consumed with fire. Ascalon shall see, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be greatly pained, and Accaron; for she is ashamed at her trespass; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ascalon shall not be inhabited. And aliens shall dwell in Azotus, and I will bring down the pride of the Philistines. And I will take their blood out of their mouth, and their abominations from between their teeth; and these also shall be left to our God, and they shall be as a captain of a thousand in Juda, and Accaron as a Jebusite. And I will set up a defence for my house, that they may not pass through, nor turn back, neither shall there any more come upon them one to drive them away: for now have I seen with mine eyes.

COMMENTS

The theme of chapter nine is struck in verse nine. It is the coming of the Messianic King (Zechariah 9:9-17). The judgement of God against Israel's traditional enemies set forth in these opening verses are to be seen as preparation for that event. Not only God's dealing with these nations as the enemies of His people, but all his dealings in history prior to Messiah's coming were in preparation for it.

(Zechariah 9:1) The term burden (more accurately oracle) of the word of Jehovah is reminiscent of Malachi. It is calculated to place the stamp of divine origin on the second section of the book. The method of inspiration seems to differ from that of the first section in that the prophet does not claim here to have seen a vision. Nevertheless, what he is about to say is not a matter of his own subjective understanding of historic events. He is speaking from God as one moved by the Holy Spirit. (cp. 2 Peter 1:19-21, Hebrews 1:1)

The first part of this oracle is concerned with the land of Hadrach, and its focal point is Damascus. (cp. Isaiah 21:13) Hadrach is a symbolic name for Syria. The name itself was a little used one applying to a region of Syria also called Bikathanen. It is the western interior part of the country surrounded by hills. Hadrach takes its name from this surrounding. The word means literally enclosed.

The burden of Jehovah would focus on Damascus until that ancient enemy of Israel was utterly brought co its knees. History records the fulfillment of this prediction when Alexander the Great took the city, c. 344 B.C. It subsequently became Hellenized and is listed as the first of ten such cities which formed the Decapolis.
The parenthetical statement by which Zechariah explains this must not be overlooked if one would begin to understand the hand of Providence in the ebb and flow of history. The English text is misleading when it states, the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah. The marginal rendering in the Standard Edition is more to the point, Jehovah hath an eye upon men and upon the tribes of Israel. The point being that God's covenant purpose to bless all the nations of the earth in Israel's Seed is the all determining factor in every historic development, even the defeat of one pagan nation by another.

(Zechariah 9:2-4) In rapid succession Zechariah deals with the future of the other enemies of Israel immediately adjacent to her. Tyre and Sidon were next in Alexander's plan to conquest. Sidon, as Damascus, surrendered peaceably, but Tyre was subdued only after a siege.

The city harbored a large squadron of mercenaries in the pay of the Persians. The resistance was so bitter that, when Tyre finally fell, Alexander departed from his usual policy of benevolence toward conquered cities and allowed his Macedonians to slaughter eight thousand Tyrians and sell thirty thousand into slavery.

(Zechariah 9:5) Ashkelon, seeing the fate of Tyre, surrendered without resistance. Thus the ancient seaport of the Philistines became, in turn, a Greek city to plague Israel no more.

Gaza, on the other hand, chose to resist the Macedonian conqueror. Durant records, Gaza fought till every man in the city was dead and every woman raped.
Ekron, the southernmost of the Philistine cities, had hoped in vain that Alexander would be stopped by Tyre in his march through Palestine to Egypt. The hope was turned to disappointment as the Macedonian phalanx swept down the Mediterranean coast engulfing by either peaceful surrender or siege all who stood in its path.
The king of Gaza comes in for special attention by the prophet, as well he might, considering what lay in store for him. When Gaza fell, following a two month siege, and ten thousand of its inhabitants were killed while the rest were sold to the slave merchants who followed in the wake of Alexander's armies, special treatment was waking Betis, the Persian satrap. This puppet king found himself tied to Alexander's chariot by two thongs through the soles of his feet and dragged through the city in one of the young conqueror's characteristic fits of revenge against one who resisted his forward march.

(Zechariah 9:6-7) Ashdod shall be ruled by an alien race. (The rendering bastard here is misleading.) (The Septuagint is more accurate.) It is a clear prediction of the reign of the Greeks and Romans, beginning with Alexander.

The pride of the Philistines has to do with the peculiar form of idolatry practiced in Philistia which included the drinking of the blood of sacrificed animals. Hence, when the Philistines are conquered by Alexander, Hellenized by the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, and subsequently converted to Jehovah, the blood was taken out of his mouth.

The law made the drinking of blood an abomination (cf. Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 7:26). When in Philistia the son of the stranger joined himself to the Lord (Isaiah 56:3) the abomination would be taken from between his teeth, and the Philistine also became part of Jehovah's faithful remnant! Just as the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of Jerusalem had been incorporated into the people of Judah (2 Samuel 24:16, etc.) in a subordinate position (1 Kings 9:20-21), so the Philistines, traditional enemies of Israel are to ultimately be assimilated as proselytes. Again history vindicates prophecy.

(Zechariah 9:8) The prophet reassures his readers, who have worked to rebuild the temple, that when all this is taking place around them, they, and their work will be protected by the Lord. History records that Alexander's conquest of Jerusalem was by invitation, He did not oppress them, but rather afforded them privileges. No Jew was injured.

Chapter XXXVIIIQuestions

The Triumph of Zion Through Her Messiah

1.

The theme of chapter nine is struck in verse _________________.

2.

This theme is the coming of the _________________.

3.

The term burden of the word of Jehovah is calculated to _________________.

4.

The first part of the oracle is concerned with the land of _________________.

5.

Hadrach is the symbolic name for _________________.

6.

This prediction was fulfilled c. 344 B.C. by the invasion of _________________. by _________________.

7.

God's purpose to _____________ is the all-determining factor in every historic development.

8.

List the traditional enemies of Israel mentioned in chapter nine, and give the symbolic name of each as given by Zechariah.

9.

____________ was the southern-most of the Philistine cities mentioned here.

10.

What world conqueror fulfilled this predictive passage?. (Zechariah 9:1-8)

11.

The predictions of this section find their immediate fulfillment in what historic event?

12.

The ultimate fulfillment of this passage is found in the coming of _________________.

13.

Describe the events leading to the Maccabean revolt.

14.

To what three factors do historians attribute the failure of the Greeks to completely Hellenize the Jews?

15.

Following the death of Alexander, the land of Palestine became at first part of what empire?

16.

Antiochus IV was called Epiphanes meaning _________________.

17.

Who were the Chasidim?

18.

Whom did Antiochus Epiphanes blame for his defeat at the hand of the Egyptian Ptolemies?

19.

What, in Jewish history, is referred to as the abomination of desolation?

20.

Who was Mattathias?

21.

Who was called the hammer?

22.

Upon the death of Antiochus IV, Lysias offered the Jews complete religious freedom if they would lay down their arms. Why did they refuse?

23.

What caused the Jewish civil war following their victory under Judas Maccabee?

24.

What was the origin of the party of the Pharisees?

25.

What was the origin of the Sadducees?

26.

What finally ended the internal strife which followed the Maccabean revolt?

27.

In Zechariah 9:11 -f the joyous coming of the Messiah is postponed by _________________.

28.

Why does Zechariah mingle the prediction of the coming of Christ with that of the Maccabean revolt?

29.

Show how the Jews in later rimes confused these two predictions.

30.

What was Jesus-' attitude toward the desire of the Jews for a military independence and a political kingdom?

31.

Contrast Antiochus IV with the Messiah King.

32.

What is the symbolism of the ass upon which the Messiah would ride?

33.

What New Testament event fulfills this prediction?

34.

Beyond the traditional boundaries of Israel, the Messiah will speak peace to _________________.

35.

The Jews understood such passages to indicate that _________________.