King James Version
Zechariah 6
15 verses with commentary
The Vision of the Four Chariots
And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.</strong> Zechariah's eighth and final night vision presents four war chariots emerging from between two bronze mountains. The Hebrew <em>nechoshet</em> (נְחֹשֶׁת, brass/bronze) indicates strength and judgment—bronze symbolizes d...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. shall they be overflown ... before him--**Antiochus Epiphanes shall invade Egypt with overwhelming forces.
**prince of the covenant--**Ptolemy Philometer, the son of Cleopatra, Antiochus' sister, who was joined in covenant with him. Ptolemy's guardians, while he was a boy, sought to recover from Epiphanes Coelo-Syria and Palestine, which had been promised by Antiochus the Great as Cleopatr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
An exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 6:1-3) Israel's instability and breach of the covenant. (Hos. 6:4-11)
**Verses 1-3** Those who have gone from God by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should, by consent and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory, and their good. It will be of great use for support under afflictions, and to encourage our repentanc...
Read full commentary →In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses.</strong> The color symbolism of the horses carries theological significance. <em>Adomim</em> (אֲדֻמִּים, red horses) likely symbolize bloodshed, war, and judgment—the color of blood. Red appears elsewhere in prophetic visions representing war and slaughter (Revelation 6:4, where the red horse brings war and remov...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
23. Tregelles notes three divisions in the history of the "vile person," which is continued to the end of the chapter: (1) His rise (Da 11:21, 22). (2) The time from his making the covenant to the taking away of the daily sacrifice and setting up of the abomination of desolation (Da 11:23-31). (3) His career of blasphemy, to his destruction (Da 11:32-45); the latter two periods answering to the "w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
An exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 6:1-3) Israel's instability and breach of the covenant. (Hos. 6:4-11)
**Verses 1-3** Those who have gone from God by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should, by consent and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory, and their good. It will be of great use for support under afflictions, and to encourage our repentanc...
Read full commentary →And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. bay: or, strong
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.</strong> The <em>levanim</em> (לְבָנִים, white horses) symbolize victory, conquest, and triumph—white being associated with purity, righteousness, and divine glory. In Revelation 6:2, the white horse's rider goes forth conquering. Christ Himself rides a white horse at His second coming (Revelation 19:1...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. peaceably--**literally, "unexpectedly"; under the guise of friendship he seized Ptolemy Philometer.
**he shall do that which his fathers have not done--**His predecessors, kings of Syria, had always coveted Egypt, but in vain: he alone made himself master of it.
**scatter among them ... prey--**among his followers (1 Maccabees 1:19).
**forecast his devices against ... strongholds--**He...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
An exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 6:1-3) Israel's instability and breach of the covenant. (Hos. 6:4-11)
**Verses 1-3** Those who have gone from God by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should, by consent and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory, and their good. It will be of great use for support under afflictions, and to encourage our repentanc...
Read full commentary →Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?</strong> Zechariah's humble question demonstrates proper response to divine revelation. The prophet doesn't presume to understand symbolic visions independently but seeks interpretation from the revealing angel. The address <em>adoni</em> (אֲדֹנִי, my lord) shows reverence—Zechariah recognizes the angel a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
25. A fuller detail of what was summarily stated (Da 11:22-24). This is the first of Antiochus' three (Da 11:29) open invasions of Egypt.
**against the king of the south--**against Ptolemy Philometer. Subsequently, Ptolemy Physcon (the Gross), or Euergetes II, was made king by the Egyptians, as Ptolemy Philometer was in Antiochus' hands.
**great army--**as distinguished from the "small people"...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. spirits: or, winds
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.</strong> The angel identifies the chariots as <em>arba ruchot hashamayim</em> (אַרְבַּע רֻחוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם, four spirits/winds of the heavens). <em>Ruchot</em> can mean spirits, winds, or divine powers—likely angelic agents executing God's will....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. they that feed of ... his meat--**those from whom he might naturally have looked for help, his intimates and dependents (Psa 41:9; Joh 13:18); his ministers and guardians.
**his army shall overflow--**Philometer's army shall be dissipated as water. The phrase is used of overflowing numbers, usually in a victorious sense, but here in the sense of defeat, the very numbers which ordinarily en...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.</strong> The angel specifies the chariots' destinations. <em>Eretz hatsafon</em> (אֶרֶץ הַצָּפוֹן, the north country) consistently refers to Mesopotamia—Assyria and Babylon—though geographically northeast, invading armies approached Israe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. both ... to do mischief--**each to the other.
**speak lies at one table--**They shall, under the semblance of intimacy, at Memphis try to deceive one another (see on Da 11:3; Da 11:25).
**it shall not prosper--**Neither of them shall carry his point at this time.
**yet the end shall be--**"the end" of the contest between them is reserved for "the time appointed" (Da 11:29, 30).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
In Zechariah's vision of four chariots, 'the bay horses went forth and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth.' These horses represent divine agents patrolling the earth (similar to 1:10). When told 'Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth,' they immediately 'walked to and fro through the earth.' This activity recalls Job 1:7 where Satan goes 'to and fro in the ear...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
28. (1 Maccabees 1:19, 20, &c.).
**against the holy covenant--**On his way back to Syria, he attacked Jerusalem, the metropolis of Jehovah's covenant-people, slew eighty thousand, took forty thousand prisoners, and sold forty thousand as slaves (2 Maccabees 5:5-14).
**he shall do exploits--**He shall effect his purpose. Guided by Menelaus, the high priest, he entered the sanctuary with bla...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country</strong>—Following the seventh vision of four chariots (6:1-7), the angel declares the northern chariot's mission accomplished. The Hebrew <em>hinnēh hayyōtsə'īm el-'eretz tsāphōn hēnīchū et-rūchī be'eretz tsāphōn</em> (הִנֵּה הַיֹּצְאִים אֶל־אֶרֶץ צָ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29. At the time appointed--**"the time" spoken of in Da 11:27.
**return--**his second open invasion of Egypt. Ptolemy Philometer, suspecting Antiochus' designs with Physcon, hired mercenaries from Greece. Whereupon Antiochus advanced with a fleet and an army, demanding the cession to him of Cyprus, Pelusium, and the country adjoining the Pelusiac mouth of the Nile.
**it shall not be as the f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →The Crowning of Joshua
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying</strong>—Transition from visions (chapters 1-6:8) to symbolic action and prophecy (6:9-15). The formula <em>vayəhī dəḇar-Yahweh 'ēlay lē'mōr</em> (וַיְהִי דְּבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר, 'and the word of the LORD came to me saying') marks authoritative revelation, used over 100 times in the prophets. This introduces one of Zechariah's most importan...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30. ships of Chittim--**the Roman ambassadors arriving in Macedonian Grecian vessels (see on Jr 2:10). Chittim, properly Cyprian, so called from a Phoenician colony in Cyprus; then the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean in general.
**grieved--**humbled and dispirited through fear of Rome.
**indignation against the holy covenant--**Indignant that meantime God's worship had been restored ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah</strong>—God commands Zechariah to receive an offering from three men recently arrived from Babylon: Heldai (חֶלְדַּי, possibly 'worldly/enduring'), Tobijah (טוֹבִיָּה, 'Yahweh is good'), and Jedaiah (יְדַעְ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**31. arms--**namely, of the human body; not weapons; human forces.
**they--**Antiochus' hosts confederate with the apostate Israelites; these latter attain the climax of guilt, when they not only, as before, "forsake the covenant" (Da 11:30), but "do wickedly against" it (Da 11:32), turning complete heathens. Here Antiochus' actings are described in language which reach beyond him the type to A...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest</strong>—Zechariah must use the Babylonian Jews' offering to fashion <em>'atārōt</em> (עֲטָרוֹת, 'crowns,' plural) from silver and gold, then crown Joshua (<em>Yehōshūa'</em>, יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, 'Yahweh saves') son of Jehozadak (<em>Yəhōtsāḏāq</em>, יְהוֹצָדָק, 'Yahweh is righteou...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
32. (1 Maccabees 1:52).
**corrupt--**seduce to apostasy.
**by flatteries--**promises of favor.
**people that ... know their God--**the Maccabees and their followers (1 Maccabees 1:62, 63).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11** Sometimes Israel and Judah seemed disposed to repent under their sufferings, but their goodness vanished like the empty morning cloud, and the early dew, and they were as vile as ever. Therefore the Lord sent awful messages by the prophets. The word of God will be the death either of the sin or of the sinner. God desired mercy rather than sacrifice, and that knowledge of him which ...
Read full commentary →And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: grow: or, branch up from under him
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH</strong>—While crowning Joshua, Zechariah must declare this isn't about Joshua but about <strong>the man whose name is THE BRANCH</strong> (<em>hinnēh-īsh Tsemach shəmō</em>, הִנֵּה־אִישׁ צֶמַח שְׁמוֹ, 'Behold the man, Branch is his name'). <em>Tsemach</em> (צֶמַח, 'branch/sprout/sh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33. they that understand--**who know and keep the truth of God (Is 11:2).
**instruct many--**in their duty to God and the law, not to apostatize.
**yet they shall fall--**as Eleazar (2 Maccabees 6:18, &c.). They shall be sorely persecuted, even to death (He 11:35, 36, 37; 2 Maccabees 6, 7). Their enemies took advantage of the Sabbath to slay them on the day when they would not fight. Tre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
An exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 6:1-3) Israel's instability and breach of the covenant. (Hos. 6:4-11)
**Verses 1-3** Those who have gone from God by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should, by consent and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory, and their good. It will be of great use for support under afflictions, and to encourage our repentanc...
Read full commentary →Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both</strong>—The prophecy intensifies with emphatic repetition: <strong>Even he shall build the temple of the LORD</strong> confirms verse 12. <strong>And he shall bear the glory</strong> (...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34. a little help--**The liberty obtained by the Maccabean heroes for the Jews was of but short duration. They soon fell under the Romans and Herodians, and ever since every attempt to free them from Gentile rule has only aggravated their sad lot. The period of the world times (Gentile rule) is the period of depression of the theocracy, extending from the exile to the millennium [Roos]. The more...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
An exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 6:1-3) Israel's instability and breach of the covenant. (Hos. 6:4-11)
**Verses 1-3** Those who have gone from God by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should, by consent and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory, and their good. It will be of great use for support under afflictions, and to encourage our repentanc...
Read full commentary →And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD</strong>—After the symbolic crowning, the crowns become a permanent memorial. <em>Vəhā'atārōt tihyeh ləChēlem ūləTōḇīyāh vəlīḏa'yāh ūləChēn ben-Tsəphanyāh ləzikkārōn bəhēyḵal Yahweh</em> (וְהָעֲטָרוֹת תִּהְיֶה לְחֵלֶם וּלְטוֹבִיָּה וְלִידַעְיָה וּלְחֵן...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**35. to try them--**the design of affliction. Image from metals tried with fire.
**to purge--**Even in the elect there are dregs which need to be purged out (1Pe 1:7). Hence they are allowed to fall for a time; not finally (2Ch 32:31; Lu 22:31). Image from wheat cleared of its chaff by the wind.
**make ... white--**image from cloth (Re 7:9).
**to ... time of ... end--**God will not suffer H...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
An exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 6:1-3) Israel's instability and breach of the covenant. (Hos. 6:4-11)
**Verses 1-3** Those who have gone from God by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should, by consent and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory, and their good. It will be of great use for support under afflictions, and to encourage our repentanc...
Read full commentary →And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you</strong>—The prophecy's scope expands: <em>ūrəchōqīm yāḇō'ū ūḇānū bəhēyḵal Yahweh</em> (וּרְחֹקִים יָבוֹאוּ וּבָנוּ בְהֵיכַל יְהוָה, 'and those far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD'). The 'far off' (<em>rəchōqīm</em>, רְחֹקִים) are dista...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**36. The wilful king here, though primarily Antiochus, is antitypically and mainly Antichrist, the seventh head of the seven-headed and ten-horned beast of Re 13:1-18, and the "beast" of Armageddon (Re 16:13, 16; 19:19). Some identify him with the revived French emperorship, the eighth head of the beast (Re 17:11), who is to usurp the kingly, as the Pope has the priestly, dignity of Christ--**the...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
An exhortation to repentance. (Hos. 6:1-3) Israel's instability and breach of the covenant. (Hos. 6:4-11)
**Verses 1-3** Those who have gone from God by consent, and in a body, drawing one another to sin, should, by consent and in a body, return to him, which will be for his glory, and their good. It will be of great use for support under afflictions, and to encourage our repentanc...
Read full commentary →