About Zechariah

Zechariah encouraged the temple rebuilders with apocalyptic visions and messianic prophecies of the coming King.

Author: ZechariahWritten: c. 520-518 BCReading time: ~3 minVerses: 21
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King James Version

Zechariah 14

21 verses with commentary

The Coming Day of the Lord

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.</strong> This apocalyptic opening summons attention with the imperative <em>hinneh</em> (הִנֵּה, "behold")—alertness is required for what follows. <strong>"The day of the LORD"</strong> (<em>yom-Yahweh</em>, יוֹם־יְהוָה) is Scripture's most important eschatological concept, occurring throughout the pro...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. Bible Hub

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. what shall I do unto thee--**to bring thee back to piety. What more could be done that I have not done, both in mercies and chastenings (Is 5:4)? At this verse a new discourse begins, resuming the threats (Ho 5:14). See opening remarks on this chapter. **goodness--**godliness. **morning cloud--**soon dispersed by the sun (Ho 13:3). There is a tacit contrast here to the promise of God's gr...
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For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished ; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle</strong>—God Himself (<em>asaphti</em>, אָסַפְתִּי, "I will gather") orchestrates this climactic conflict. The phrase <strong>"all nations"</strong> (<em>kol-goyim</em>, כָּל־גּוֹיִם) indicates universal opposition to God's holy city, fulfilling patterns seen in Psalms 2:1-3 where nations rage against the LORD and His anointed. This...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. I hewed them by the prophets--**that is, I announced by the prophets that they should be hewn asunder, like trees of the forest. God identifies His act with that of His prophets; the word being His instrument for executing His will (Jr 1:10; Eze 43:3). **by ... words of my mouth--**(Is 11:4; Jr 23:29; He 4:12). **thy judgments--**the judgments which I will inflict on thee, Ephraim and Jud...
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Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.</strong> The Hebrew <em>ve-yatsa Yahweh</em> (וְיָצָא יְהוָה, "the LORD shall go forth") depicts divine military intervention—God personally entering combat as warrior-king. This <em>Yahweh tsava</em> (LORD of hosts) doesn't send proxies but fights directly, echoing Exodus 15:3's declarat...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. mercy--**put for piety in general, of which mercy or charity is a branch. **not sacrifice--**that is, "rather than sacrifice." So "not" is merely comparative (Ex 16:8; Joe 2:13; Joh 6:27; 1Ti 2:14). As God Himself instituted sacrifices, it cannot mean that He desired them not absolutely, but that even in the Old Testament, He valued moral obedience as the only end for which positive ordinan...
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And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east</strong>—this is Scripture's most geographically specific prophecy of Christ's return. The Hebrew <em>ve-amdu raglav</em> (וְעָמְדוּ רַגְלָיו, "his feet shall stand") indicates bodily, physical presence, not mere spiritual manifestation. The Mount of Olives was Jesus's frequent retreat duri...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7. like men--**the common sort of men (Psa 82:7). Not as Margin, "like Adam," Job 31:33. For the expression "covenant" is not found elsewhere applied to Adam's relation to God; though the thing seems implied (Ro 5:12-19). Israel "transgressed the covenant" of God as lightly as men break everyday compacts with their fellow men. **there--**in the northern kingdom, Israel.

And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. the mountains: or, my mountains for the: or, when he shall touch the valley of the mountains to the place he separated

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal</strong>—the newly-created valley (from verse 4's splitting) provides escape route for the besieged. The destination <em>Atsel</em> (אָצֵל, "Azal") is unknown geographically, mentioned nowhere else in Scripture. Some identify it with a place near Jerusalem; others see it as symbolic. The...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8. Gilead ... city--**probably Ramoth-gilead, metropolis of the hilly region beyond Jordan, south of the Jabbok, known as "Gilead" (1Ki 4:13; compare Ge 31:21-25). **work iniquity--**(Ho 12:11). **polluted with blood--**"marked with blood-traces" [Maurer]. Referring to Gilead's complicity in the regicidal conspiracy of Pekah against Pekahiah (2Ki 15:25). See on Ho 6:1. Many homicides were th...
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And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark : that the: that is, it shall not be clear in some places, and dark in other places of the world clear: Heb. precious dark: Heb. thickness

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KJV Study Commentary

This cryptic apocalyptic prophecy declares 'it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark' (the Hebrew text is difficult, with variant readings: 'precious lights will congeal' or 'lights will withdraw'). The vision depicts cosmic disruption accompanying the Day of the LORD. Verses 6-7 describe abnormal celestial phenomena: neither full light nor complete darkness, ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. company--**"association" or guild of priests. **murder by consent--**literally, "with one shoulder" (compare Zep 3:9, Margin). The image is from oxen putting their shoulders together to pull the same yoke [Rivetus]. Maurer translates, "in the way towards Shechem." It was a city of refuge between Ebal and Gerizim; on Mount Ephraim (Jos 20:7; 21:21), long the civil capital of Ephraim, as Shil...
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But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. it shall be: or, the day shall be one

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night</strong>—this mysterious phrase describes a unique day outside normal temporal categories. The Hebrew <em>yom echad</em> (יוֹם אֶחָד) uses the same "echad" (one) as Genesis 1:5 ("one day") and Deuteronomy 6:4 ("the LORD is one"), suggesting unified, unique quality. <strong>"Known to the LORD"</strong> (<em>yivvade...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10. horrible thing--**(Jr 5:30; 18:13; 23:14). **whoredom--**idolatry.

And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. former: or, eastern

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem</strong>—this stunning image depicts life-giving water flowing from God's holy city. The Hebrew <em>mayim chayyim</em> (מַיִם חַיִּים, "living waters") describes fresh, flowing spring water as opposed to stagnant cistern water. Jeremiah 2:13 contrasts God as "fountain of living waters" with broken cisterns that hol...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**11. an harvest--**namely, of judgments (as in Jr 51:33; Joe 3:13; Re 14:15). Called a "harvest" because it is the fruit of the seed which Judah herself had sown (Ho 8:7; 10:12; Job 4:8; Pr 22:8). Judah, under Ahaz, lost a hundred twenty thousand "slain in one day (by Israel under Pekah), because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers." **when I returned the captivity of my people--**w...
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The Lord's Reign

And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.</strong> This climactic eschatological vision declares universal divine kingship. "The LORD shall be king over all the earth" (ve-hayah Yahweh le-melekh al-kol-ha-aretz) announces Yahweh's reign extending beyond Israel to all nations. "In that day" refers to Messiah's return and kingdom es...
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All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. turned: or, compassed inhabited: or, shall abide

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem</strong> (יִסּוֹב כָּל־הָאָרֶץ כָּעֲרָבָה מִגֶּבַע לְרִמּוֹן נֶגֶב יְרוּשָׁלִָם)—<em>savav</em> (turn/change) and <em>aravah</em> (plain/desert flatland) indicate topographical transformation. Geba (northern Judah, 6 miles north of Jerusalem) to Rimmon (southern Judah, 35 miles south) marks Judah's extent. This ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 7 Ho 7:1-16. Reproof of Israel. Probably delivered in the interreign and civil war at Pekah's death; for Ho 7:7, "all their kings ... fallen," refers to the murder of Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, and Pekah. In Ho 7:8 the reference seems to be to Menahem's payment of tribute to Pul, in order to secure himself in the usurped throne, also to Pekah's league with Rezin of Syria, and...
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And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. shall be: or, shall abide

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction</strong> (וְיָשְׁבוּ בָהּ וְחֵרֶם לֹא יִהְיֶה־עוֹד)—<em>yashav</em> (dwell/inhabit) with security; <em>cherem</em> (utter destruction/devoted to destruction/ban) will never again threaten Jerusalem. <em>Cherem</em> is conquest/judgment language (Deuteronomy 7:2, Joshua 6:17)—cities under God's curse were utterly destro...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. consider not in their hearts--**literally, "say not to," &amp;c. (Psa 14:1). **that I remember--**and will punish. **their own doings have beset them about--**as so many witnesses against them (Psa 9:16; Pr 5:22). **before my face--**(Psa 90:8).

And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem</strong> (וְזֹאת תִּהְיֶה הַמַּגֵּפָה אֲשֶׁר יִגֹּף יְהוָה אֶת־כָּל־הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר צָבְאוּ עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִָם)—<em>magephah</em> (plague/stroke) is divine judgment against nations besieging Jerusalem (described in 14:2-3). This is supernatural destruction, not conventional warfare. ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. Their princes, instead of checking, "have pleasure in them that do" such crimes (Ro 1:32).

And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them</strong> (וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא תִּהְיֶה מְהוּמַת־יְהוָה רַבָּה בָּהֶם)—<em>mehumah</em> (confusion/panic/tumult) is divine psychological warfare. God causes Israel's enemies to turn on each other. <strong>And they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. who ceaseth from raising--**rather, "heating" it, from an Arabic root, "to be hot." So the Septuagint. Their adulterous and idolatrous lust is inflamed as the oven of a baker who has it at such a heat that he ceaseth from heating it only from the time that he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened; he only needs to omit feeding it during the short period of the fermentation of the bread...
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And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. Judah: or, thou also, O Judah shalt at: or, against

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem</strong> (וְגַם־יְהוּדָה תִּלָּחֵם בִּירוּשָׁלִָם)—Judah participates in defending Jerusalem, not as primary force but as co-belligerents with God. <strong>And the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance</strong>—defeated nations' wealth becomes Israel's spoil, fulfilling pro...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. the day of our king--**his birthday or day of inauguration. **have made him sick--**namely, the king. Maurer translates, "make themselves sick." **with bottles of wine--**drinking not merely glasses, but bottles. Maurer translates, "Owing to the heat of wine." **he stretched out his hand with scorners--**the gesture of revellers in holding out the cup and in drinking to one another's he...
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And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague</strong>—the supernatural plague (verse 12) affecting enemy soldiers also strikes their animals. Five animals listed—horse (war mount), mule (transport), camel (desert travel), donkey (burden-bearing), plus 'all beasts'—indicates comprehensi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. they have made ready--**rather, "they make their heart approach," namely their king, in going to drink with him. **like an oven--**following out the image in Ho 7:4. As it conceals the lighted fire all night while the baker sleeps but in the morning burns as a flaming fire, so they brood mischief in their hearts while conscience is lulled asleep, and their wicked designs wait only for a fai...
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The Nations Worship the King

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem</strong>—survivors from enemy armies, spared from the plague (verses 12-15). <strong>Shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles</strong> (וְעָלוּ מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת לְמֶלֶךְ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת וְלָחֹג אֶ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7. all hot--**All burn with eagerness to cause universal disturbance (2Ki 15:1-38). **devoured their judges--**magistrates; as the fire of the oven devours the fuel. **all their kings ... fallen--**See on Ho 7:1. **none ... calleth unto me--**Such is their perversity that amid all these national calamities, none seeks help from Me (Is 9:13; 64:7).

And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts</strong>—universal requirement: all nations must send representatives annually. <strong>Even upon them shall be no rain</strong> (וְלֹא עֲלֵיהֶם יִהְיֶה הַגָּשֶׁם)—<em>geshem</em> (rain) withheld as covenant curse for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:23-24). This ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8. mixed ... among the people--**by leagues with idolaters, and the adoption of their idolatrous practices (Ho 7:9, 11; Psa 106:35). **Ephraim ... cake not turned--**a cake burnt on one side and unbaked on the other, and so uneatable; an image of the worthlessness of Ephraim. The Easterners bake their bread on the ground, covering it with embers (1Ki 19:6), and turning it every ten minutes, to...
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And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. that have no: Heb. upon whom there is not

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain</strong>—special mention of Egypt, representative of nations. Egypt's unique geography (dependent on Nile flooding, not rain) might suggest exemption from rain-based curse. The verse addresses this: <strong>there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernac...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. Strangers--**foreigners: the Syrians and Assyrians (2Ki 13:7; 15:19, 20; 17:3-6). **gray hairs--**that is, symptoms of approaching national dissolution. **are here and there upon--**literally, "are sprinkled on" him. **yet he knoweth not--**Though old age ought to bring with it wisdom, he neither knows of his senile decay, nor has the true knowledge which leads to reformation.

This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. punishment: or, sin

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles</strong> (זֹאת תִּהְיֶה חַטַּאת מִצְרַיִם וְחַטַּאת כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יַעֲלוּ לָחֹג אֶת־חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת)—<em>chatta't</em> can mean sin, sin-offering, or punishment for sin. Here it's punishment/consequence. Egypt and all nations (<em>goyim</em>) face identical ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10. Repetition of Ho 5:5. **not return to ... Lord ... for all this--**notwithstanding all their calamities (Is 9:13).

In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. bells: or, bridles

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD</strong> (בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה עַל־מְצִלּוֹת הַסּוּס קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה)—<em>metzillot</em> (bells/cymbals) on horses inscribed with <em>qodesh la-YHWH</em>, the exact phrase on the high priest's golden headplate (Exodus 28:36). What was exclusively priestly now extends to common items—even war horses bear the h...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**11. like a silly dove--**a bird proverbial for simplicity: easily deceived. **without heart--**that is, understanding. **call to Egypt--**Israel lying between the two great rival empires Egypt and Assyria, sought each by turns to help her against the other. As this prophecy was written in the reign of Hoshea, the allusion is probably to the alliance with So or Sabacho II (of which a record h...
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Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts</strong>—extends beyond temple to every household pot. All cooking vessels throughout Jerusalem and Judah are holy, available for sacrificial use. <strong>And all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein</strong>—worshipers can use any pot for boiling sacrificial meat; all vessels a...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. When they shall go--**to seek aid from this or that foreign state. **spread my net upon them--**as on birds taken on the ground (Eze 12:13), as contrasted with "bringing them down" as the "fowls of the heavens," namely, by the use of missiles. **as their congregation hath heard--**namely, by My prophets through whom I threatened "chastisement" (Ho 5:9; 2Ki 17:13-18).

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