Zechariah 7 - Introduction
_THE CAPTIVES INQUIRE OF FASTING. ZECHARIAH REPROVETH THEIR FASTING. SIN THE CAUSE OF THEIR CAPTIVITY._ _Before Christ 518._... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE CAPTIVES INQUIRE OF FASTING. ZECHARIAH REPROVETH THEIR FASTING. SIN THE CAUSE OF THEIR CAPTIVITY._ _Before Christ 518._... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF KING DARIUS— Two years after they began to rebuild the temple. See chap. Zechariah 1:1. The month _Chisleu_ answers to part of our November and December.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THEY HAD SENT, &C.— Who it was that _sent_ appears from Zechariah 7:5 where God commands the prophet to answer _all the people and the priests._ The people held a fast as a mournful memorial of their subverted temple: a doubt therefore arose in their mind, after the temple began to be rebuilt,... [ Continue Reading ]
SEPARATING MYSELF, AS, &C.— _Should I fast as I have done,_ &c. Houbigant. See Zechariah 7:5.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FIFTH AND SEVENTH MONTH— The Jews not only observed those fasts which were instituted by God himself, but likewise added others in commemoration of great calamities. The exiled Jews instituted four of these fasts; _one_ in the fourth month, in commemoration of the breach of the wall, mentione... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN JERUSALEM WAS INHABITED— Heb. ישׁבת _ioshebeth, was sitting._ To _sit_ denotes a state of permanent order and security. Hence a female figure sitting in a chair of state is the ordinary symbol on the ancient medals to represent a city or nation, whose constitution is entire the woman and unmole... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NONE OF YOU IMAGINE, &C.— _Let none of you devise in your heart the hurt of his brother._... [ Continue Reading ]
PULLED AWAY THE SHOULDER— They refused to obey, and turned their backs on instruction. The Hebrew סררת ףּכת ויתנו _vaiittenu kateph soreret_ is literally, _They gave a backsliding shoulder;_ like him who offers his shoulder to carry a burthen with another, and afterwards slides from it, and leaves hi... [ Continue Reading ]
I SCATTERED THEM WITH A WHIRLWIND— This sublime metaphor is expressed by a single word in the original, ואסערם _vaeisaarem._ See Archbishop Newcome. REFLECTIONS.—1st, Though we have nothing here recorded of the prophet for two years, we are assured that he was well employed, Ezra 6:14 but he had no... [ Continue Reading ]