Matthew Poole Commentary - Zechariah 1:1 - 1:1

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Matthew Poole Commentary - Zechariah 1:1 - 1:1


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ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 1



Zechariah exhorteth to repentance, Zec_1:1-6. His vision of the horses and their angelic riders, Zec_1:7-11. At the prayer of the angel comfortable promises are made to Jerusalem, Zec_1:12-17. The vision of the four horns, and the four carpenters, Zec_1:18-21.



In the eighth month; called both Marchesvan and Bul by the Hebrews, and answers to part of our October and November. Two months after Haggai began to encourage the Jews to build the temple.



Darius; son of Hystaspes, and the third Persian monarch: see Hag_1:1; and again Zec_1:15, at large.



Came the word of the Lord: here is his warrant and Divine call, the Lord communicated to him what he was to communicate to, others.



Zechariah: his name bespeaks him a remembrancer of God, or it may speak God remembering him, and the rest of this people.



The son; the Jew called the descendants in right line sons, though they were grandsons, or great-grandsons; and in this sense some say Zechariah is the son of Baruch, and the son of Iddo. This Zechariah is not he that is mentioned 2Ch_24:20, this is too early by many years; nor is this Zechariah the father of John Baptist, this is as much too late; but most likely it is that Zechariah whom the Jews slew between the temple and the altar, Mat_23:35.



Berechiah: this name is expressly mentioned Mt 23, and his time exactly suits the time pointed at by the evangelist.



Iddo: one of this name you have 2Ch_9:29, but this is too old to be this in the text, for there will be found (as Wolphius in Ezram notes) four hundred and fifty years' distance between Iddo the seer and this Iddo mentioned in the text.



The prophet; whether Zechariah or Iddo I determine not.

ZECHARIAH



THE ARGUMENT



Zechariah is the second prophet who cometh from God to the returned captives, and his errand to them was both to second Haggai's exhortations, and to reveal more fully than he doth all the future revolutions and events; to the final desolation of Jerusalem and the second temple by the Romans, and the rejection of the Jews for their sins against all the mercies of their God, and for their rejecting and murdering of the Messiah; who, rejected of the Jews, taketh in the Gentiles, and establisheth his church amongst them; which is revealed unto Zechariah, and communicated to the Jews by him; with a declaration of the future ruin of the Persian kingdom by the Grecians, and also of the wars of the Seleucidae and Lagidae, and their overthrow by the Romans; during the series of which times, the Jews shall be grown numerous, wealthy, and powerful, and, so long as they keep their covenant with God, shall do wonderful things, and be eminently owned of God, and be either wonderfully secured amidst these troubles, or more wonderfully victorious over those that trouble them. And indeed what Zechariah foretold, or promised to them, was in its time made good amongst them; his predictions were punctually fulfilled; if the promises were not, it was because the Jews by their sins cut themselves off from the promises, which may be observed in those intervals of times between Zechariah's prophesying and the coming of the Messiah. Now the first interval was above two hundred years, to the death of Alexander the Great; during which time the Jews enjoyed the common peace with the subjects of the Persian empire, and the particular favour of Alexander the conqueror during his life. These years were years of growth to the Jews. The next interval, through the wars of Alexander's divided captains, and between the Seleucidaes and the Lagidae, was an interval of some great trouble, and yet of greater preservation to the Jews. The next interval is that of the Maccabees, during which those victories were gotten which do almost exceed our belief. But whilst thus times were changed, the Jews continued much the same, unthankful to God, cold in religion, and added to their sins daily; till at last God delivered them into the hands of the Romans, whose general, Pompey the Great, deposed Hyrcanus from the throne, and restored the high priesthood to him. From henceforth the Jews' sins and miseries grow together, till that was accomplished, Zec_14:2, the city Jerusalem taken, the houses rifled, &c. Thus by various intermixture of providences, God did try the Jews, whether they would, as became his people, repent of former sins, amend their future doings, believe his promises, and obey his precepts, that he might bless them; so should all the good foretold by this prophet have crowned them. But if they failed (as they did) in those points of duty, then all the evil threatened should (as it did) overtake them, and, as Zechariah foretold, continue on them, as it doth to this day. This prophecy then contains the revolutions of the Jews, and the empires of Persia and Greece, and the Romans; in whose times the Jews, by killing the Lord of life, filled up their measure, and by whose hands God punished them, destroying their polity, razing their city, burning their temple, and captivating the people, which lasteth to this day. The better to represent all these at once to your view, take this following scheme.



Zechariah Doth



1. Exhort to present repentance and reformation, chaps. 1, 2, 7, 8

2. Promise

A. Present blessings, chap, 1, 2, 8:9-15

B. Future Mercy, and that

1. Under Persian government, Zec_8:3-7

2. Alexander and the Grecians, Zec_9:9

3. In the Maccabees' times

3. Encourage

A. Joshua, Zec. iii

B. Zerubbabel, chap iv

4. Threaten

A. The enemies of the Jews, chap i.21; ii:9, ix:1-8, 12:1-4,9

B. The sinful and impenitent Jews, chap iv; xi:1; xiv:1,2

5. Foretell

A. The Jews' rejecting him, Zec. xi:10-12, &c

B. Gods'

1. Avenging the sin on the Jews, chap 14:1,2

2. Calling the Gentiles, Zec. viii:20-23; xii:10, iii:8,9; vi:12,13

3. Continued protection of the church of Christ among the Gentiles,

chap 14:3, to end



All which, either in dark, yet significant, types or emblems or else in plain and easily intelligible words, is represented to us by this prophet.



ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 1



Zechariah exhorteth to repentance, Zec_1:1-6. His vision of the horses and their angelic riders, Zec_1:7-11. At the prayer of the angel comfortable promises are made to Jerusalem, Zec_1:12-17. The vision of the four horns, and the four carpenters, Zec_1:18-21.



In the eighth month; called both Marchesvan and Bul by the Hebrews, and answers to part of our October and November. Two months after Haggai began to encourage the Jews to build the temple.



Darius; son of Hystaspes, and the third Persian monarch: see Hag_1:1; and again Zec_1:15, at large.



Came the word of the Lord: here is his warrant and Divine call, the Lord communicated to him what he was to communicate to, others.



Zechariah: his name bespeaks him a remembrancer of God, or it may speak God remembering him, and the rest of this people.



The son; the Jew called the descendants in right line sons, though they were grandsons, or great-grandsons; and in this sense some say Zechariah is the son of Baruch, and the son of Iddo. This Zechariah is not he that is mentioned 2Ch_24:20, this is too early by many years; nor is this Zechariah the father of John Baptist, this is as much too late; but most likely it is that Zechariah whom the Jews slew between the temple and the altar, Mat_23:35.



Berechiah: this name is expressly mentioned Mt 23, and his time exactly suits the time pointed at by the evangelist.



Iddo: one of this name you have 2Ch_9:29, but this is too old to be this in the text, for there will be found (as Wolphius in Ezram notes) four hundred and fifty years' distance between Iddo the seer and this Iddo mentioned in the text.



The prophet; whether Zechariah or Iddo I determine not.