7.- And I took unto me, two slaves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands;] These staves or crooks the Prophet assumed as a badge of his office; and gave them appropriate names, which are explained yerse 10, 14. The one called" Beauty" was the staff of mercy, and gracious protection; the other called" Bands," was the staff of unity for keeping the flock or Church together, or of correction and just censure of the offenders.

8. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month;] We may probably explain these, of the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the Jews. Christ exposed these as blind guides, and thereby lessened their authority among the people. One month" seems a proverbial expression for a short time.

9. Then said I, I will not feed you" &c.] When Christ found a great part of His sheep proving untractable, He resolved to be their shepherd no longer, but to leave them to be consumed by the common calamities of death, famine, &c; or to be cut off by their enemies, the Romans; or to destroy one another by their civil discords. See verse 6,

11.-and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew &c.]The few believing Jews, the meek and humble, who conscientiously waited on me, were convinced that this was agreeable to the will and pleasure of God.

13.-Cast it unto the potter:] As a reward only suitable to his labour, and a price only fit for such wares as he sold, which were of the meanest value. See Lament. iv. 2.

-a goodly price] He means ironically that it was a pitiful price, that he and his care were valued at.

And I took the thirty pieces of silver, &c.] I cast them back into the treasury of the temple, where afterwards they were laid out for the purchase of the potter's field.

This whole transaction, performed by Zechariah in a vision, was designed to be an exact representation of the several circumstances, that attended the betraying of the Messiah by Judas; the price put upon Him by the chief priests, to whom, as the governors of the temple, the money was returned; and the use to which the money was applied; see Matt. xxvij. 6, 10. The Jews themselves have expounded this prophecy of the Messiah.

14. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands,] As they refused to be united under me their head, so in breaking my other staff I foreshewed the destruction of Jerusalem, the bond and cement of all their tribes, being the seat and cen tre both of their civil power, and of the Divine worship.

15,-Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd,] The Prophet, having hitherto represented the good shepherd, is now directed to assume the dress and style of one of a contrary character. In Scripture language "foolish" and "wicked" are words of the same meaning; for wickedness is folly in the extreme. The instruments of such a shepherd must be suitable to his character: such as a crook made to push and hurt the flock, not to defend them.

16.-1 will raise up a shepherd] Meaning succession of shepherds, or governors,

CHAP. XII.

1

བ་་་

This and the two following chapters contain prophecies, which relate entirely to the circumstances of the Christian dispensation. They begin with the assurance of some final victories to be ob tained over the enemies of Jerusalem, verse 1,-9, compared with Ezex, xxxviii. xxxix.; and Rev. xx. 9: they describe the restoration of the Jews, their conversion and bitter compunction for having pierced the Messiah, verse 10; their admission by baptism to the privileges of the Gospel corenant, Chap. xiii. 1; and their deliverance from the delusions of false prophets. The Prophet then reverts to foreshew the dispersion of Christ's disciples, Chap. xiji, 7, compared with Matt. xxvi, 31. and Mark xiv. 27; and the preservation of a small remnant of His converts, whose faith should be tried by affliction. In the last chapter he represents the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under Vespasian, Chap. xiv, 1, 2; the subsequent discomfiture of its enemies, verse 3; and the final and triumphant establishment of Christ's righteous kingdom, who should be King over the whole earth.

Verse 2.-a cup of trembling] The nations, that besiege Jerusalem, shall be in a like condition with those that are overcome by intoxicating liquors, and thereby bereaved of their strength and understanding.

3.—will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone &c.] Jerusalem is here compared to a stone of great weight, which, being too heavy for those who attempted to lift it up or remove it, falls back upon them, and crushes them to pieces. Thus Christ saith," on whomsoever this stone shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Matt.

xxi. 44.

4.-1 will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah,] I will look down graciously upon My people.

6.-like an hearth of fire among the wood,] As coals on the hearth, while their enemies are as a fagot laid upon it.

7. The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, Or, "as" He ever did" from the beginning:" that is, by Himself and His own power and wisdom, that the honour may be His own, and man may have no part in it.

10. And I will pour upon the house of David, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, &c. I will endue them with the sanctifying graces of My Spirit, and with the spirit of prayer and supplication: and they shall by a lively faith look up to Me their Saviour and Redeemer, whom they have pierced upon the cross: and they shall mourn for that violence, which was offered to the Lord of life, dying for them, even as one mourneth for bis only son, &c. The Jews themselves have applied this text to the Messiah. David before described His sufferings under the figure of " piercing His hands and His feet," Ps. xxii. 16; and Isaiah' foretold He should be "wounded for our transgressions," chap liii. 5. See John xix. 34, 37.

11.-as the mourning of Hadadrimmon] Probably the general mourning for the death of the good king Josiah, who was slain in the valley of Megiddo, 2 Kings xxiii. 29. Hadadrimmon is said to have been a place near Jezreel. The mourning for Josiah became a proverb for a publick and solemn lamentation. Such a national humiliation it is here said, shall the Jews one day observe for having crucified the Messiah.

12. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; &c.] The whole land shall mourn in the most solemn manner; the inhabitants secluding themselves from all social and domestick intercourse, as in a time of general humiliation.

The different families here mentioned may be intended to denote the different orders of men among the Jews.

2.-the prophets and the unclean spirit] False prophets, and those that prophesy by means of an unclean spirit, (see Acts xvi. 16,) or other false pretences.

4.-neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:] They shall not affect the dress of the old Prophets, in order to pass off their impostures.

5. But he shall say, I am no prophet, &c.] Disclaiming all pretensions to the character of a Prophet, he shall profess to be no other than a plain labouring man.

6. What are these wounds in thine hands? &c.] It was an ancient custom, for masters to set a mark on their slaves or goods; and there was sometimes a particular character imprinted upon the worshippers of certain idols; such impressions were often made upon the hands: see Rev. xiii. 16. The accused person is represented as justifying himself by alleging, that the marks upon his hands were not the character of any idol, but only a token of the family, to which he belongs.

7. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, &c.] O thou, My sword of affliction, arise, and smite Him, that is nearest and dearest unto Me; even Him, that is My coequal and coeternal Son, saith the Lord of hosts: smite thou this great Shepherd of My Church; and His sheep, His disciples and followers, shall be scattered, and shall both forsake Him, and be severed from each other; for even against those disciples also, as well as against their Master, will I stir up enmity and opposition in the world. Our Lord applies this to His disciples being "scattered every man to his own," upon His apprehension and death, Matt. xxvi. 31; John xvi. 32.

8.-two parts therein shall be cut off and die ;] The severe judgments, foretold by our Saviour, Matt. xxiv. shall consume two parts in three of the nation; but a third part shall escape the general destruction, and be left to be dispersed over the world, to preserve a posterity to future generations.

9. And I will bring the third part through the fire, &c. I will cause them to undergo great afflictions, till at last they shall repent of their unbelief of Christ, and of His Gospel, and truly turn unto Me by faith in Christ, and so may be then compared to gold or silver refined by the fire. This prophecy will be fulfilled on the conversion of the Jews to Christianity.

CHAP. XIV.

Verse 1.-the day of the Lord cometh,] The day in which the Lord will take vengeance on the Jews for the death of Christ.

2.-I will gather all nations &c.] The Romans, being lords of the then known world, had the strength of all nations united in their forces.

3. as when he fought in the day of battle.] Alluding probably to the overthrow of the Egyptians in the Red sea.

There is great difficulty in this and the following verses, and commentators are much divided in the interpretation of them.

7.—at evening time it shall be light.] The expressions are most probably figurative. The final prevalence of Christianity after a period of spiritual twilight appears to be intended.

8.-living waters] By "living waters," there is good reason to believe, are meant the gifts and graces of the gospel dispensation.

toward the former sea, and· the hinder sea:] The expression imports, that the whole land shalĺ have a plentiful share of those blessings, which are here described under the metaphor of "living waters."

9.-shall there be one Lord, and his name one.] Upon the conversion of the Jews, and the coming in of the fulness of the Gentiles, idolatry shall be utterly abolished, and God shall be glorified "with one mind and one mouth" throughout the world.

10. All the land shall be turned as a plain &c.] The expression may signify, that all impediments shall be removed that oppose the advancement of Christ's kingdom.

15. And so shall be the plague of the horse, &c.] This is to be joined to the twelfth verse, the thirteenth and fourteenth being in a parenthesis. Both man and beast in that army shall be consumed in one common destruction. It is very much in the style of this writer to digress, and after a while to return again to his subject, as if nothing had intervened.

16.-to keep the feast of tabernacles.] See the note on Isa. lxvi. 23.

17.-of all the families of the earth] According to the opinion of many learned commentators, by

going up to Jerusalem to worship, and to keep the feast of tabernacles, is only meant a conformity to the established worship of the one true God, or, which is the same thing, to the Christian religion.

18. And if the family of Egypt go not up, &c.] Though the fruitfulness of Egypt depends not upon rain, yet if the Jews that dwell there, or the rest > of the inhabitants, do not join in the solemn acts of Christian worship, they shall suffer the same plague and famine, with which others are threatened; meaning that the Nile should not overflow, whence a famine will ensue.

20. upon the bells of the horses,] Horses are spoken of in Scripture as almost exclusively used for war. Bells probably made part of their trapping. War horses not being wanted, their ornaments shall be converted to sacred uses.

and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls] The meanest utensil in the house of God shall be as the vessels of silver and gold used in solemn sacrifices.

21. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem &c.] Every thing shall be equally holy, and therefore the ceremonial law abolished.

there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord] There shall be no more profane persons, unbelievers, enemies to the true religion, to interrupt the worship of the true God.

CHAP. 1.

Verse 1. The burden of the word of the Lord] The word "burden" may be taken here in its larger sense, as the message or import of the word of the Lord.

2. I have loved you, saith the Lord, &c.] I have all along shewn a particular kindness for Jacob and his family, above that of Esau, though they were both the sons of Isaac: and I have lately given a signal proof of it, in having restored you to your own country again after your captivity, whereas I have scattered the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, and dispossessed then of mount Seir, their ancient inheritance.

By" hating Esau" is meant, that God shewed him less love than He did Jacob. I comparatively hated him, by giving him an inferior lot; and now I have not only laid waste the dwellings of the Edomites, by the incursions of their enemies; but (verse 4) they shall remain the perpetual monument of My vengeance.

4.-they shall call them, The border of wickedness, &c.] People, seeing how ill things succeed with the Edomites, and how heavily God's judg ments oppress them, shall call them, "The border of wickedness," a land of sinful people, cursed for the sins of its inhabitants.

5. And your eyes shall see, &c.] Your very eyes shall be witnesses, both of these My favours to you, and of this My severity to the sons of Exau;

and ye shall be forced to say, The Lord hath well deserved to be praised and magnified from all the coasts of Israel. "yet ye say."

Or,

6. And ye say, &c.] From this verse to chap. ii. verse 9, the Prophet reproves the priests and the people for sacrificing the refuse of beasts, which according to the law ought to have been rejected; and denounces punishment against the priests for not teaching the people their duty in this respect.

7. In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.] They said in effect, that the altar of Jehovah was vile and comtemptible, by offering on it torn, blind, lame, and sick victims.

8.-offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, &c.] If you give a lame or blind beast as a present even to an earthly governor, he will think it a disrespect to his person. How much more shall the Lord, the great Governor of the world?

9. And now, I pray you, beseech God &c.] Therefore now I pray you to repent, and beseech God that He will be gracious to us in not punishing the former sins, as they deserve. This you, the priests, are especially concerned to do, because the wickedness before mentioned has been chiefly occasioned by your means. Will God regard your persons, though ye he His priests, unless ye repent?

10.

Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? &c.] Or," that doth

shut," &c. They are here reminded, that they received abundant wages even for their least services; and therefore ought, if not in love, yet in justice, to be careful.

11. For from the rising of the sun &c.] A prophecy of what should be done at and after Christ's coming, when by the preaching of the Gospel the knowledge of God should be com. municated to all nations. The incense" of the converted Gentiles, and their "pure offering" are devout prayers and praises. The conversion of the Gentiles is here prophesied of, as usual, under Jewish images; see Zech. xiv. 16.

13.-ye have snuffed at it, &c.] Ye say that attendance on the altar and partaking of its sacrifices are a burdensome task, and ye turn from them with disgust.

14. But cursed be the deceiver, &c.] The hypocrite, who thinks to deceive God by offering an imperfect animal as a sacrifice, when he has in his flock such as are perfect in their kind.

CHAP. II.

Verse 2.-I will curse your blessings:] I will turn your blessings into curses; or rather, remove your blessings, and send curses and calamities in their stead.

3.-I will corrupt your seed,] I will destroy the fruits of the earth; Or, I will cut off your posterity.

➡and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts;] Your holiest sacrifices shall be as loathsome in My sight as dung; and I will reject you with as much contempt, as if I threw the very dung of your sacrifices in your faces.

and one shall take you away with it.] You shall be esteemed as a nuisance, only fit to be removed out of sight as dung is.

5. My covenant was with him of life and peace;] The Prophet speak of the succession of the ancient priests, as of one single person, under the name of Levi, and says, I gave him My covenant of happiness and security, or I promised him a secure enjoyment of his office of the priesthood. The words allude to Numb. xxv. 12,13.

7. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, &c.] Preserve it, store it up; so as to distribute it. As it is the priest's duty to understand the meaning of the law, so the people ought to resort to them for instruction in any difficulty, that arises concerning the sense of it.

9.-have been partial in the law.] Not delivering the truth, but wresting the law, either in declaring its meaning, or in determining any thing according to it, from respect to the persons, in whose cases they were to pronounce judgment: See Levit. xix. 15.

10. Have we noi all one father? &c.] This verse seems to contain the argument which the people used, to justify their conduct in marrying women of another country, (which was forbidden Deut. vii. 3,) saying that God was the Father of all, Gentiles as well as Jews.

From this to the end of verse 16, the Prophet censures inter-marriages of Israelites with women of other countries, and also divorces, which seem to have been multiplied for the purpose of contracting these prohibited marriages.

11.-the daughter of a strange god,] That is, the worshipper of a different god from Jehovah.

12.-the master and the scholar,] Him that persuades or instructs others, that such marriages are lawful; and him that follows such advice. The expression seems to comprehend both the priest and the people.

14.-Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, &c.] The Lord hath been witness of the solemn contract or matri. monial promises, made "between thee and the wife of thy youth," her whom thou tookest in thy youth, but with whom thou now dealest treacherously, in forsaking her for another woman.

15. And did not he make one? &c.] Among various interpretations of the words, this seems most probable: That the Prophet puts the Jews in mind of the first institution of marriage in paradise, as Christ did afterwards upon a like occasion, (Matt. xix. 5,) and tells them that God made but one man at first, and made the woman out of him, when He could have created more women, if He had pleased, since "He had the residue of the spirit," or was the Father of spirits, and so could at His will have created more spirits or souls; but He acted as He did, in order to instruct men, that this was the true pattern of marriage, ordained for true love and undivided affection; and best serving the chief end of matrimony, namely, the religious education of children; whereas in polygamy the children are brought up with more or less care, in proportion to the affection men bear to their several wives.

Therefore take heed to your spirit,] Do not give way to an irregular and inordinate passion.

16.for one covereth violence with his garment,] The meaning perhaps may be, that God hateth such an one, as he doth him that endeavoureth to conceal under his garment what he hath taken by violence. The second marriage is an act of violence and injustice to the wife that is divorced,

17. Ye have wearied the Lord with your words.] You have tried His patience by your blasphemous speeches; urging an objection against Providence, taken from the prosperity of the wicked, which implied, as the objector thought, either that their works were pleasing to God, or else that le