Book of the Prophet Zechariah

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 “And the Lord showed Jesus the great priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and the devil standing at his right hand to resist him” (Zechariah 3:1). The devil harmed the Jews in every possible way, surrounding them with enemies on all sides and oppressing them. Just as he opposed Aaron, the father of Jesus, in the person of the Magi, so now he opposes the priest, the son of Aaron, and plots against him, trying to denigrate the name of the saint of God. By saying that the devil stood at the right hand of the priest, it is shown that he is trying, as much as possible, to corrupt the morals of the righteous. “And the Lord spoke to the devil... the Lord rebuke you, you who have chosen Jerusalem” (Zechariah 3:2). Since you came to tempt the priest of Jerusalem and to destroy Jerusalem at the very time when the Lord chose it and promised to preserve it unharmed, then for this “may the Lord rebuke you,” whose loyalty you wanted to humiliate, thinking that you could upset His advice. “This... main thing was plucked out of the fire” (Zechariah 3:2), that is, this people are like a brand, plucked out of the fire of Babylon after seventy years. The prophet calls the people of Israel and the priest a burnt brand, because they were plucked from captivity as if from fire. And you, says the prophet to the devil, came again to draw them into sins, so that, having been delivered from the fire of the Chaldeans, they would be consumed by the fire of the tribe of Gog. “Take away his vile garments... and put on... good garments” (Zechariah 3:4). The vile garments taken from the high priest Jesus are humiliation and Babylonian impurity, the cessation of sacred rites, being without priestly service and (other) reproaches of captivity, when he was deprived of sacred vestments and removed from the altar. In another sense, the High Priest Jesus, the son of Jozedek, appointed by God to serve as priest among the Israelites upon their return from captivity, as well as the Angel of the Lord near him and the devil standing on his right side, “he who resisted him” (Zech. 3:1), were images of the future, namely: Jesus the High Priest depicted the high priestly ministry of the Word of God, Jesus Christ, Who was appointed and sent by God His Father to be for us the great and faithful Priest of our confession, and Who, having shed His Blood, became cleansing for us. By the fact that the devil stood at the right hand of Jesus the son of Josedek, the image of Jesus our God, the son of Josedek, is represented, that is, the Son of the righteous God, who by the Holy Spirit, this Angel of the Lord, “was raised up... into the wilderness to be tempted by the enemy the devil" (Matthew 4:1). And what is meant by putting Him in “loathsome garments” (Zech. 3:4), Isaiah explains in his prophecy, saying that the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all (Is. 53:4). Finally, the Angel commanded to remove from “him... the loathsome garments” (Zech. 3:4); this presents us with the image of Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself the sins of the whole world, bore them and became a cleansing “for our sins, not for ours only, but for the whole world” (1 John 2:2), for by such cleansing, perfect in Him, the vile garments were taken off from us, and Jesus was clothed in good clothes and “a clean turban was placed on his head” (Zech. 3:5), which depicts. the grace of the Holy Spirit, bestowed upon us by sonship. The angel “spoke to those who stood before him” (Zechariah 3:4), that is, to the fellow servants of Jesus who accompanied Jesus for the magnificence of the priesthood. “Place a clean mitre on his head” (Zechariah 3:5). The priest who served before the onset of captivity was told: “I will take away your ornament and the miter” (Ezek. 21:26), which was on his head. Now the Angel commands, saying: “Place a clean turban on the head of the priest returning from captivity” (Zechariah 3:5). “If you walk in My ways, and keep My commandments, and judge My church, and if you keep My court” (Zech. 3:7), that is, you will be a ruler in My house, and I will give you sons who will serve before Me by succession. “Listen... Jesus... and your sincere... men of wonder... who sit before you:... behold, I am the leader of My servant of the East” (Zech. 3:8), that is, Zerubbabel, who will be like the rising sun, for I will illuminate him with the brilliance of victories. In a mysterious sense, this applies to Jesus, the true Savior, Who is here called a slave, because He humbled Himself, became incarnate, clothed in our likeness, and for our salvation, taking upon Himself, by His will, the image (image) of a slave; The prophet calls Him the East, because He is “the radiance of the glory of the Father and the image of His Person” (Heb. 1:3). “The men of wonder,” who were with Jesus the High Priest, the son of Josedek, mysteriously introduce to us the holy apostles, the disciples of Christ, to whom the prophetic spirit clearly points to Christ, saying: “Behold, I am the leader of My servant of the East” (Zechariah 3:8). And according to others, prophets are called men of wonder here. “For the stone which he gave before the face of Jesus, upon one stone there are seven combs” (Zechariah 3:9). The prophet calls royal dignity a stone; the stone was given (revealed) before the face of Jesus in the same sense in which the royal dignity was given before the face of Samuel. “On the stone we unite the seven essence.” These are seven wondrous men who stood guard over the kingdom, who, like the eyes of the ruler of the kingdom himself, look to all the ends of his domain. In a mysterious sense, seven eyes on a single stone depict the Church, to which seven spiritual contemplations are open. “Behold, I will open the door of it, that is, Jerusalem, forever” (Zechariah 3:9), that is, it (Jerusalem) will enjoy peace and tranquility. In the highest sense, the doors of the Church are open, as the prophet Isaiah said: “Your gates will be opened forever, day and night they will not be shut, to bring to you those saved by the Lord” (Isaiah 60:11). “Behold, I will open the door, says the Lord Almighty, and I will touch and take away the iniquity of the land on that day...you will call every one of yours under the vine and under the fig tree” (Zech. 3:9-10), that is, I will devastate the earth and again make it rich and populous, but I will do it for Me, that is, I will return the earth to serving and worshiping Me. According to another translation it is written: “Behold, I will dig a ditch, says the Lord Almighty, and I will wipe away all the offense of this land in one day. On that day, says the Lord Almighty, you will call every one of your sincere men under the vine and under the fig tree” (Zech. 3:9-10). In the sense of a mysterious excavation of a ditch, the prophet calls the perforation of the holy ribs, and by this act the Lord felt (saw), that is, he revealed and revealed to everyone the malice and wickedness against Christ that was hidden in the cursed and frantic people of the Jews. So, in a mysterious sense, the prophet refers to the piercing of the ribs of Christ as the digging of a ditch, just as the psalmist David in his psalm says: “the digging of a ditch,” that is, they pierced, “my hands and my nose” (Ps. 21:17). By this piercing of the holy ribs the sins of the whole world were blotted out, but all the wickedness of Israel was revealed “on that day one" (Zech. 3:9), on which Christ was ascended to the Cross. On that day, its former workers were driven out of the vineyard, and new workers entered. Wanting to point out this work of the vineyard, the prophet mentions the vineyard and the fig tree and says: “You will call every one of his sincere under the vine and under the fig tree” (Zech. 3:10). This means that everyone will contribute to the good of his sincere person with those virtues that he collects for himself, and thereby delight his neighbor. “And he said, “I saw, and behold, the whole candlestick was golden, and the lamp on top of it, and the seven lamps on top of it” (Zechariah 4:2). The golden candlestick, according to the usual interpretation, means royal dignity on which everything rests; “the light on top of it” means the priesthood; the seven lampstands signify the seven king's associates, similar to those who were under Hezekiah. Such associates now became Holdai, Tobiah, Adai, Jasia, Haggai, Malachi and Zechariah himself. In a spiritual sense, “the candlestick of gold” presents us with the image of the Holy Cross; “the light above it” is the Church; The seven lamps signify the leaders of the Church of God, which are the apostles, prophets, teachers and those who received the gift of miracles, healing, government and intercession (1 Cor. 12:28). “And seven bowls for the lamp thereof...And two olive trees on top thereof, one on the right hand of the lamp thereof, and one on the side” (Zechariah 4:2-3). “And he said, These two sons of fatness stand before the Lord of all the earth” (Zechariah 4:14). The seven bowls of the lamp indicate that the work that one of the seven followers will undertake will be the work not of one, but of many, for all others will be co-operators with him. The two olive trees, one on the right side of the lamp and the other on the left, signify the two rulers of the people of Judah - Jesus and Zerubbabel, one of whom is anointed to the kingdom, and the other to the priesthood. In a spiritual sense, the seven cups of the lamp mean that church teaching is the common property of both those who edify and those who are edified; two olive trees, one on the right and the other on the left, represent the two Testaments, as well as the priesthood and kingship. The two sons of fatness, that is, the sons of the anointing, are the people of Judah and the nations of the pagans. “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying: “Not in great power, nor in strength, but in My soul,” says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). What Zerubbabel intended, he will do, but not with his own strength and not with his strength, but with My Spirit working in him, as it worked before in Samson and promoting him. “Who are you, O great mountain, before Zerubbabel, you must correct it” (Zechariah 4:7). “You are nothing more than a plain.” Why do you, the tribe of Gog, consider yourself a great mountain? Why do they liken you to a great mountain? What are you plotting against Zerubbabel? Before Zerubbabel you are a broken mountain; although you consider yourself a great mountain, you are really plain. “And I will remove the first stone of equality and grace” (Zech. 4:7). “The Stone of Equality” - because all the tribes will unanimously submit to Zerubbabel; and “the stone ... of grace” - because his reign will be desirable to them for his glorious victories and meekness. “The hand of Zerubbabel founded this church, and with his hand they will finish it, and you will understand that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you” (Zechariah 4:9). In a historical and transformative sense, the prophet speaks here about Zerubbabel, with whose hands the Jerusalem Temple was rebuilt and completed within forty years after the return from captivity. In a spiritual and real sense, the prophet speaks here of Christ, Who came forth through Zerubbabel from the seed of David according to humanity. And in the image of a church, the prophet represents the Church, created by faith among all peoples who believed in Christ and, freed from the devil and death, united into a single church, that is, the Church of Christ. “This seven toe of the Lord is the essence, looking down upon the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10), that is, those seven eyes that you see on the stone represent the seven national rulers, obeying the will of God, fulfilling their ministry as the righteous should. In the spiritual sense, the seven eyes of the Lord, looking at the whole earth, supported by the mania (movement of the eyes) of the Lord, mean the seven actions of the Holy Spirit, in which He reveals His presence. “And they will see a stone... a plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel” (Zechariah 4:10), that is, you Jews will see a plumb stone made of tin, which building builders use to determine the straightness of the walls of a building. In a spiritual sense, with these words the prophet expresses that the Jews will see powers and signs performed by the hand of Zerubbabel. And in my opinion, this stone means the Spirit of the Lord, for after this it is said: “the seven toes of the Lord are” (Zech. 4:10). “Golden tongs pouring out” (Zechariah 4:12), that is, the lips of priests and kings when they proclaim the truth. “I saw... a scroll flying... to the length of twenty lactays, and to the breadth of ten lactays. And he said to me: this is an oath that comes upon the face of all the earth” (Zech. 5:1-3), that is, to destroy the earth for the sins of its inhabitants. What the prophet said about the sickle (scroll) he saw points to the incarnate Emmanuel, Who was taken up on the Cross. If anyone objects that the prophet is speaking here about an oath (curse), then let him understand the words of the apostle, who said: “Christ... was a curse upon us” (Gal. 3:13). The fact that the length and breadth of the sickle (scroll), taken together, amounted to thirty cubits, and that the land of Judea was desolate for seventy years, seems mysterious to us. a depiction of the sin that the Jews committed by giving the traitor thirty pieces of silver, and the eternal desolation that befell Jerusalem as predicted by Daniel (Dan.9:27). “And he said... because of this every thief will be avenged even to death” (Zechariah 5:3), that is, he will be subjected to righteous condemnation. “And I will wear him out, says the Lord Almighty, and the thief will come into the house... and he will finish him off, both his wood and his stones” (Zechariah 5:4). These words indicate the purpose that the prophet had in mind. The Jews, upon returning from captivity, although they again heard the words of the Law from the priests who proclaimed it to them, but listened with their ears stopped and allowed themselves to be thieves (robbery), perjury, deception, and of their own free will they explained the commandments of the Lord, saying: “We are not sinners, because because of poverty and poverty we are forced to be thieves and deceive; but whoever happens to be a fool and deceives out of poverty, God will not exact it from him.” That is why God showed a sickle (scroll) sent from Him flying through the air, on which was written about punishment for thieves and perjurers. “And the angel showed me a word in me and a speech to me... this is the measure that goes out. And he said: this is their iniquity throughout all the earth. And behold, the talent of the tin men is taken up: and behold, one woman sits in the middle of the measure” (Zechariah 5:5-7). In the image of the measure, in a mysterious sense, the number, severity and measure of human sins is shown, as in another In the passage of Scripture we read: “The sins of the Amorites were not fulfilled” (Gen. 15:16). And our Lord said to the Jews: “And you will fulfill the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:32). nations, in cowardice they said: “Our sins and the sins of our fathers are still upon us. God does not show us mercy, does not destroy the enemies who harm us, and does not deliver us from them. Why should we torture ourselves with vain labor? Why should we rebuild the city and the church? That is why God shows the prophet the measure and the woman sitting in the middle of the measure, who represented iniquity; at the same time, he reveals that the wife will not remain in Judea, but will be taken to Babylon, where the children of Israel suffered: there they will build a church for her, there she will remain until the time of destruction and destruction destined for her comes. However, although what was said about the wife expelled and transported forever to Babylon most closely points to God’s private decree about the destruction of the sins of the Israelites, the same words mysteriously signify the destruction of the sins of the whole world. The tin stone placed in the woman’s mouth represents to us our Lord, who closed and stopped the mouth of sin so that it would no longer swallow up the souls of the living. “And behold, two women went forth, and a spirit was in their wings” (Zechariah 5:9). The two wives who took sin and carried it to Babylon depict to us Divine truth and vengeance; in a different sense, they depict the apostles and prophets who took up sin on their wings and plunged it into mental Babylon. “The name of the krill, like the krill of widows... And he said to the Angel who spoke to me: To whom do they refer this measure? And he said to me: build a church for it in the land of Babylon and prepare it, and they will put it there” (Zechariah 5:9-11). The wings of the women, like the wings of a stork, depict the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, which, by their own will (will) and evil custom, indomitably strived for sins. And the prophet shows that at every opportunity they hurry and, as if on wings, fly towards lies and idolatry. The angel answers: “Create a church for her in the land of Babylon.” This means that Jewish wickedness and idolatry, although they will be driven out from them by the hand of the apostles and prophets, will nevertheless remain part of them and continue until the coming of the Antichrist, who will become king in the land of Babylon. “And he showed me four chariots coming out of the middle of two mountains, and those mountains were mountains of copper” (Zech. 6:1). In my opinion, the vision of the four chariots is similar in meaning to the vision of the four living creatures of the Cherubim chariot (Ezek. 1:5–20) and the mystery of the four rivers coming out of Eden (Gen. 2:10–14). The mysterious meaning of the vision was explained by the Angel, saying: “These are the four winds of the heavens” (Zechariah 6:5). Under the image of the four heavenly winds are represented four kingdoms, which by the truth of God will be used (claimed) to punish people for their sins and, like the winds, meeting each other, will die from the collision. They “stand before the Lord of all the earth” (Zechariah 6:5), that is, they are ready to go wherever they are sent. “And I saw, in the first chariot the horses were red” (Zech. 6:2), - these are the Babylonians, who founded the first kingdom; “and in the second chariot, the horses of lies” (Zech. 6:2), - these are the Persians, going to the land of Babylon; “and they went out after them” (Zech. 6:6), - this Macedonians. These two peoples, the Persians and the Macedonians, overthrew the kingdom of Babylon and destroyed Babylon itself. Such images were presented to the prophet in a revelation in order to encourage the faint-hearted people of Judah and assure them that the Babylonians would not be afraid of them later, “And the Pestrians went out to the land of the south” (Zech. 6:6), - that is, to the nations. those who lived in the south - to the Edomites, Arabians and Egyptians. In the image of motley horses, the leaders of the people of Judah, the kings of Rome and other alien nations were represented, from whom the peoples of the south were defeated, that is, the Edomites, Arabians and Egyptians, who took revenge on them for preventing the restoration of Jerusalem. It is known how much oppression the Jews suffered from them. upon his return from captivity. “And the red-haired ones spied upon Ozirah, and it was commanded unto them, Renew the land” (Zechariah 6:7). This is in accordance with these words: “I will give My vengeance on Idumea” (Ezek. 25:14). With the words “ruin the earth,” the prophet gives a sign to the Jews that the time has come for revenge on their enemies, the Edomites and other nations. “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Take from the captivity of Heldai, and from Tobiah, and from Jedai, and go into the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah, who comes from Babylon. And thou shalt take the silver and the gold thereof, and make a crown, and put it on the head of Joshua, the son of Josedek, the great priest” (Zechariah 6:9-11). The prophet again turns to the priesthood to honor him with a crown of gold donated by righteous men; that crown should adorn Jesus, and the gold for the crown was taken from righteous men who returned from Babylon. The construction of this crown began in the house of Josiah; but to accomplish it, the men mentioned here added both labor and gold, wanting partly to glorify the high priest, and partly to leave a monument for themselves in the church of the Lord. “Behold, a man, His name is East” (Zechariah 6:12). This is Zerubbabel, whom the Spirit exalted and glorified in the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah. “And it will shine under it” (Zechariah 6:12). This means either that Zerubbabel at that time did not yet receive full power from Darius, but received it later, or that he will become famous and exalted by the destruction of the tribe of Gog. “And he will build the church of the Lord” (Zechariah 6:12) from what was taken as spoil from the tribe of Gogah. “And he will receive glory, having destroyed the tribe of Magog, and he will sit and rule on his throne,” because no one will take away his power, and Jesus “will be a priest... on his throne... and the council will be peaceful between both” (Zech. 6:13). The prophet speaks this way about that unanimity and that peace, established on the fear of God, which was among the high priest Jesus, the son of Jozedek, and among Zerubbabel, the head and leader of the people of Judah. But everything that was said about Zerubbabel under various images points to Christ, relates to Him and was fulfilled in Him. He is the true East and the Father's radiance; He shone forth to us in the flesh and is called the East. He is called Man because He became incarnate; shining from the ground, because he was born of the Virgin. He created the church of the Lord, that is, the Church, received glory and superiority (greatness), sat down and prevailed on His throne forever. The words: “and the priest will be... on his throne... and the council will be peaceful between both,” - in a spiritual sense, we refer to the disciples of Christ of the East, whom He made priests and called His friends, and to whom He promised that they would sit in His Kingdom on thrones and judge “the tribe of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). The crown of gold and silver, taken from the four leaders of the people, means the saving word of the Gospel, which was written and proclaimed by the four evangelists and contains a sermon about two natures in Christ: human - pure and similar to pure silver, and Divine - given here in the form of shining gold. “And from afar... they will come and build... the church of the Lord” (Zechariah 6:15), that is, the Arabians, the Ammonites and the inhabitants of Ashdod will come, who laughed at the Jews and said: “How and with whose help will you build a church?” In a mysterious sense, pagan peoples are meant here who were far from the knowledge of God, but came (to Him) and through faith were created (united) into the Church of Christ. “And ye shall understand that the Lord Almighty hath sent me unto you: and it shall come to pass, if ye listen to the voice of the Lord your God” (Zechariah 6:15). In these words see all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity: the Spirit, Who speaks on behalf of the Son; the Son, who calls himself the Sent; and the Father of the Lord Almighty, who sent Him. “And it came to pass in the fourth year, under Darius the king, that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah in the fourth month of the ninth month, which is Konun” (Zech. 7:1), that is, Haslev (December). The Jews who remained in Babylon established certain fasts for themselves, namely: in the fifth month of Fammuz or Tammuz (June), in memory of the fact that the church was burned then; in the seventh month - in memory of the fact that at that time the compatriots killed Gedolius, whom the Babylonians had appointed as commander over those who remained in Judea. Now they are sending ambassadors to Jerusalem so that the prophets and priests will instruct them on whether they should observe the indicated fasts, for they considered it unpardonable for themselves to mourn in the land of Babylon, when their brothers rejoice and have fun in the land of Judea. The Lord answers the ambassadors through the prophet and commands them to tell those who sent them that they are in error, thinking that they remain in captivity only for observing what was not God’s command; He admonishes them, saying that the cause of captivity was neglect and non-observance of the Lord's commandments and laws. For this is the meaning of the following words: “If you have fasted or wept in the fifth month, as you say, for seventy years, have you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5). I did not command you to fast, nor did I preach to you about fasting through the prophets who were before and after the captivity, but I spoke about righteous Judgment and proclaimed to your fathers: “Judge righteousness, and show mercy and kindness to each one of his brothers” (Zechariah 7:9). Because they did not do this, I was angry with them and drove them out of their land. I called to them before the captivity, but they did not listen to Me; now, during captivity, they cry out to Me, but I do not listen to them. For he says: “You have despised the lashes, and have carried away your burdens so that you cannot hear, and have made your heart like adamant” (Zech. 7:11–12). “Thus says the Lord: I will be comforted in Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:3). These words are added after what was said above: “zealous for... Zion, which is humiliated,... zealous for her desolators with great wrath” (Zechariah 8:2). “I will turn to Zion” (Zechariah 8:3) with My compassions to help it in sorrows and disasters, and I will dwell in Jerusalem. “The elders will be multiplied in it... and the ways of Zion will be fulfilled” (Zechariah 8:4–5). The prophet of the Jews, who are in misery in captivity and slavery, consoles them with the fact that their enemies will be destroyed, proclaims deliverance from persecution and violent death, proclaims that they will be as numerous as before the captivity, that their life will be long, there will be many elders among them, Jerusalem will be populated and filled with them, and young men and maidens will rejoice on its streets, and all prosperity will be given to them, barrenness will cease, and they will be freed from the fear and horror of extermination. “Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west... and I will bring them into their land... and they will become My people” (Zech. 8:7-8) in Jerusalem, the same ones who were slaves of all nations. “But I will show peace: the grapes will yield their fruit” (Zechariah 8:12). Just as you were cursed even before the day in which the pillars of the house of the Lord fell, so hereafter you will be blessed, your hands will be strengthened and you will not fear your enemies. The Prophet, having said this to the ambassadors of the Jews, according to the word of the Lord, as a parting word to them, resolves the question with which they came, and says: “The fourth fast and the fifth fast, and the seventh fast and the tenth fast will be for the house of Judah joy and gladness and good holidays” (Zechariah 8:19). So, the fourth, fifth and other fasts will not be the cause of sorrow and lamentation, but of joy and gladness, and not for the pagans, but for the Jews. “Many people will come, and those who dwell in many cities: and those who dwell in five cities will dream of one city, saying: Let us come and pray to the face of the Lord” (Zechariah 8:20–21). Here the prophet begins to speak about the zeal with which the peoples will turn to God after the fall of Gog. “In those days there were ten men... for the robe of a man of Judah” (Zechariah 8:23). In those days, that is, when the news spreads to all ends that the tribe of Gog was defeated in Jerusalem, then, in those days of joy, ten men from the pagans who turned to the faith will take hold of the robe of Judah, as during the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, when men died from the sword, hunger and plague, and the wives were taken into captivity, seven wives took hold of the robe of one Judah ( Isa.9:1). “The prophecy of the word of the Lord in the land of Shadrach and Damascus is his sacrifice,” the prophet calls the inhabitants of Shadrach and Damascus a sacrifice offered to the Lord, “for the Lord looks upon men and upon all the tribes of Israel” (Zechariah 9:1). Divine Providence cares for the entire human race as well as for the tribes of Israel. “And... Imath will be with its border” (Zechariah 9:2), that is, this city will take part in the atrocity that the inhabitants of Damascus committed. “And Tire made a stronghold for itself, and gathered up silver like dust... For this reason the Lord will destroy it and smite its strength into the sea” (Zechariah 9:3-4), that is, the Lord will give Tire first to be destroyed by the red horses that went around the land, and then into slavery by the white horses, that is, the Macedonians, subject to Alexander, - for Tire abandoned the Lord and placed its trust in the strongholds theirs. But all the wealth that he collected among the seas with the hands of sailors and traders, he will destroy in the waters, in the sea surrounding him. “And the king will perish from Gaza” (Zechariah 9:5). The Prophet explains what he said earlier: “Gaza... will hurt a lot”; therefore she will leave the iniquities that she has committed; “And Ascalon shall not be inhabited” (Zechariah 9:5), that is, its inhabitants will flee, foreseeing that the same thing that has already befallen Tire will befall them. “And the foreign women will dwell in Ashdod, and I will destroy the quarrel of the foreigners: and I will put away their blood from their mouths, and their abominations from the midst of their teeth, and these also will be left to our God... and Ekron, like (Jebusites) Hebron” (Zechariah 9:6-7). The Prophet announces the conversion to the Church of Christ of the inhabitants of Ekron, Ashdod and the Philistines, about whom he had previously said that they would be ashamed and their pride would be disgraced; They will be ashamed of the trust they placed in their idols, seeing that their gods, idols, are going into captivity with them. “And I will put guards in My house against everyone who passes by and returns” (Zechariah 9:8) - to strike the one who passes by and returns to engage in battle with him. “Rejoice greatly, daughters of Zion” (Zechariah 9:9). Here the name Zion is taken (used) in two senses: it refers both to sensual (manifest) Zion, the city of David, which is annexed to Jerusalem and called the city of David, and in a mysterious sense it refers to the Church: both earthly and heavenly. The words: “Rejoice greatly, daughters of Zion,” the prophet addressed to the Zion that was before his eyes. He proclaimed to this Zion and above that the cities of the Philistines would be devastated and destroyed: Ashdod, Ascalon (the same as Ekron) and others, who persecuted the sons of the people of God and oppressed the inhabitants of Jerusalem, preventing them from restoring the church of the Lord and the Zion buildings that were in ruins. But he also proclaims the joy and joy of the Church about her salvation, predicting that the Lord Himself will come for the salvation of the entire human race, rest among people, inhabit and establish His Kingdom. “Behold, your King is coming to you” (Zechariah 9:9). Indeed, He came and entered Jerusalem, but Jerusalem did not receive Him; That’s why He moved into the Church among the pagan peoples, who knew Him and believed in Him, and accepted Him with joy. “Righteous,... meek... and one who saves” (Zechariah 9:9). He is righteous, “for thou shalt not commit iniquity, lest flattery be found in His mouth” (Is. 53:9), as Isaiah testified about Him, and as He spoke to the Jews about Himself: “Who of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). He is meek because he rightly said about Himself: “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). He is a saver because he saved all nations and the people of Judah. “And there is always a young man on the yoke and the stallion” (Zechariah 9:9). This was witnessed by the Jews and pagans themselves, who gathered in Jerusalem for the holiday and saw how He, in His humility, sat on the colt of a donkey. This lot further represents a new people, gathered from pagans who believed that He came for our salvation, humbled Himself and condescended to our misery; Having believed, they bowed their necks under the yoke of His sovereignty, which justified what was said, that He would rest on them and dwell among them. “And he will consume chariots from Ephraim, and horses from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 9:10). They themselves were to blame for this, for they did not want to rejoice at the coming of Christ, although everything called for it. By the image of horses and chariots, the prophet means the power and strength of the kingdom, namely military forces and treasures. It is known that at the time of the coming of Christ, the royal power was taken away from the Jews, the pagans reigned over them, and they imposed tribute on them. Thus, the prophecy was justified, for then the proud “bow of the fortress of Brann was taken from them” (Zech. 9:10). Here the prophet adds Ephraim to Jerusalem. Although they previously constituted two separate kingdoms, then, before the coming of Christ, they united into one. For when in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon, the children of Israel were divided, and the ten tribes threw off the yoke of the kingdom of Judah and the righteous house of David, then they set Jeroboam over them as king, who established his royal throne in Samaria. Rehoboam remained king in Jerusalem and was forced to imprison himself within the tribes that did not break away from him. But then the tribe of Ephraim and the others united with the tribe of Judah, and they all formed one people. “And... he will speak peace to the nations” (Zech. 9:10). This is evidenced by the Cross on which Christ was exalted for the sins of men. Peace was also spoken through the disciples of Christ, sent to preach the saving Gospel to the people and baptize them. Thus, Christ, by His crucifixion, reconciled Jews and pagans, those on high and those below. “And in the blood of your covenant you brought forth prisoners... from the ditch having no water” (Zechariah 9:11). You freed Adam and Eve, imprisoned in Sheol, where there is no life, and with Your most pure Blood, flowing from Your side on the Cross of Your covenant, You brought them out of the pit of destruction. “Sit in the stronghold, bind the host, and for one day of Your coming I will repay you” (Zechariah 9:12). The Lord beautifully calls the building of His commandments firmaments, and prisoners - those who, by faith and love for Him, have, as it were, enclosed themselves in the body of the Church. And He justly gives special rewards to such keepers of His Law. “I have flexed thee before myself, O Judah, like a bow to fill Ephraim, and I will raise up thy children, O Zion, against the children of Greece” (Zechariah 9:13), that is, I gave my bow to the sons of Judah, to exalt the sons of Zion over the sons of Greece, over the soldiers of Antiochus. I made you, Judah and Ephraim, like a sharp sword, so that you would courageously and fearlessly overcome and defeat the pagan nations. “And the Lord will appear against them, and His arrow will go out like lightning” against the nations hostile to the people of God (Zechariah 9:14). “And they will go and... they will... trample them down like stones... slings,” that is, they will destroy the nations and scatter them, as stones are scattered with a sling. “And like the horns of the altar” (Zechariah 9:15). Just as there was a cover over the altar, where the purification was located over the ark, so the Lord will be the cover of the nations. “The stone is holy” (Zechariah 9:16). Previously, the Jews appeared as chosen and holy stones, because they were cut out of the holy mountain - from the root of Abraham, but now, for their sins, like simple stones, they lie on the ground and suffer the punishment that befell them according to righteous judgment. “Whatever is good, and whatever is good, wheat is good for the young men, and wine is sweet-smelling for the virgins” (Zechariah 9:17), that is, for souls who have eradicated the seed of the devil from within themselves and have not damaged their beautiful nature. They are prepared with wine from the Grapple ascended to the Cross, which will fill them with unspeakable delight. “They who proclaim wickedness without words, and those who are enemies of false visions... take vain comforts” (Zechariah 10:2), that is, they consoled My people with false dreams, the vain hope of the world. “My wrath is upon the shepherds, and I will visit the lambs,” that is, I will punish the shepherds when I visit My flock, the house of Judah, to pour out My good deeds on them. “For the Lord God Almighty will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and I will make like His splendid horse in battle” (Zechariah 10:3), that is, He will make the Jews fearless, like a splendid horse in battle. “From them is the horn, that is, the priesthood, from... from them is the nail, that is, royal dignity, from them is the bow, that is, leaders and armies, and from them come all their princes” (Zechariah 10:4). In a mysterious sense, this points to the disciples of our Lord and to those dispensers of blessings sent down by the manifold grace of God, whom the divine Paul also mentions (1 Cor. 12:7-11). “And the horsemen will be ashamed of the horse... And I will save the house of Joseph” (Zechariah 10:5–6). The horsemen are the enemies of the Jews - the Greeks who owned Syria. The prophet calls the tribe of Ephraim and the other tribes that were under the authority of the kings of Samaria the house of Joseph. God promises them deliverance from the Greek invasion and a victorious return to Jerusalem; He tells them that they will receive help from above from the Lord, by His power they will overcome and put to shame the horsemen on horseback, and by victory over them they will be glorified like Joshua, a strong man from the same tribe of Ephraim, the destroyer of the Canaanites. “And they will multiply like many people” (Zechariah 10:8), that is, the Jews will multiply from childbearing, as in the days of David. “And they will raise their children and be converted” (Zech. 10:9), so that they will increase into thousands of thousands. “And I will bring back from the land of Egypt, where they were exiled, and from the Assyrians,” and from all lands. “And I will gather them, and bring them into Gilead and into Lebanon, and they will not have enough” (Zechariah 10:10), that is, they will multiply so much that the land of their inheritance will not be enough to accommodate them, due to the large population. “And the distress will pass by the sea,” that is, the Lord will bring disasters on the pagan nations, represented here in the image of the sea; “and the waves of the sea will be struck” - just as the wind will raise the waves in the seas, so God’s command will force all nations to return the people of God; “and all the depths of the river will dry up”, that is, the decrees issued by the kings who captured the Jews will turn into nothing, in which it was commanded that none of the Jews should leave their possessions; “and all annoyance will be taken away Assyrian”, which the Assyrians were proud of before the Jews when they were in their land; “and the scepter of Egypt will be washed away” (Zech. 10:11), - that is, the Egyptians will be deprived of the power with which they had hitherto kept the Jews in slavery. “Open, O Lebanon, your doors,” - you, pagan people, open the doors that were closed for me, the prophet; “And let fire girdle your cedars” (Zechariah 11:1), - those cedars that, with the weight of their dominion, oppressed My people and caused them grief. In these words, the prophet means the kings of Assyria from the house of Seleucus, who hated the Jews and caused them many disasters with their weapons. Their power was first weakened by the Maccabees, and then completely crushed by the Romans. According to the prophet, they were, as it were, consumed by fire. “Let Pitis cry, because the cedar fell” (Zechariah 11:2), - let your kingdom weep like a spruce tree, for all the kingdoms like cedars have fallen: Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian. “The nobles are impoverished,” that is, the powerful kingdoms of Assyria and Babylonia, which held the people of Judah under their rule, will be plundered after their liberation. “Weep, O oaks of Basanitis, for the planted oak grove has been cut” (Zechariah 11:2), and the dominion of the Greek kings and the peoples who were under their dominion has been crushed, the height and strength of which the prophet represents in the image of tall and solid oak trees and a planted oak grove. “The voice of the weeping shepherds, the kings, as if their greatness had been overcome. The voice of roaring lions” (Zechariah 11:3), that is, after the liberation of My people, their greatness was humbled and, struck by grave disasters, they weep and groan like roaring lions. “Feed the meager flock" (Zech. 11:4). These and subsequent words, firstly, refer to our Lord, Whom the prophet below clearly calls the Shepherd. And our Lord Himself calls Himself the Shepherd, sent to seek the lost sheep of the “house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). Here the speech is addressed to the wicked shepherds, the wicked priests who at the time The Maccabees bought priestly dignity from the Greeks and, with their vile example, destroyed the people. That is why the prophet, due to the small number of the people and the multitude of sins, calls them a meager flock, that is, a flock of sheep appointed for slaughter. In a mysterious sense, this can also be applied to the people who believe in Christ, whom Our Lord Himself calls “a small flock” (Luke 12:32). “Even those who acquired sacrifice and did not repent, and those who sold, I said: Blessed is the Lord, and we are rich” (Zechariah 11:5), for the Levites who bought them from the Greco-Syrian kings, demanding gifts from them, cruelly tortured and killed them; and the Greek kings who sold them did not blame or punish the Levites for this, but blessed them, because they were enriched by the gifts of the priests. “For this reason I will not have mercy on anyone living on the earth” - I will not spare the inhabitants of the land of Israel, because they have sinned; “And behold, I will deliver a man, every man in his sincere hand, and in the hand of his king” (Zechariah 11:6), that is, the priests who buy the priesthood, I will deliver into the hands of the assemblies of their priests, so that each of his neighbors will be deprived of the priesthood as wickedly as he wickedly acquired it himself. In the words: “in the hand of the king,” the prophet means either the kings of Syria from the house of Seleucus, or Caesar, for those priests said: “not the imams of the king, only of Caesar” (John 19:15). “And they will cut up the land for the sins of ... the inhabitants, ... and the imam will not take it out of their hand” (Zechariah 11:6). The Greek kings plundered the land of Judea. The Romans completed the plunder, depriving Judea of ​​its inhabitants and turning it into a desert. “And he shepherded the meager flock” (Zech. 11:7). The people are called a meager flock of sheep, either for the reasons presented earlier, or in accordance with what Moses explained and proclaimed to the Hebrews, saying: “For the Lord has not chosen you for the sake of the assembly of all languages.” sheep,” that is, for the sake of the righteous among them who pleased God. “And I had two rods with me, the people and the king; “And I will destroy three shepherds in one month” (Zechariah 11:8). It was not I who destroyed them, but the Jewish people themselves, through their sins, destroyed the ranks of priests, kings and prophets. This, perhaps, should be understood about the wicked princes and priests who bought the priesthood, as well as about the Greek kings and the leaders of the people who sold it, for the power of the people of Judah gradually diminished over time and years, until our Lord came, with whose coming all the glory of this people perished and disappeared. In another sense, the words: “I will destroy three shepherds” indicate that the Lord on the day of the crucifixion abolished, together with the old law, the royal, priestly and prophetic dignity of His people. “And My soul is heavy against her: for their souls roar against Me” (Zechariah 11:8), that is, their souls roared (murmured) against Me, because it seemed to them that I was destroying and not shepherding them. “And he said: It is not for me to shepherd you” (Zechariah 11:9). Paul and Barnabas said the same thing to the Jews: “You should not have spoken the word of God first: but since you reject it, and are unworthy of creating for yourself an eternal life, behold, we are turned into tongues. For this is the Lord’s commandment to us” (Acts 13:46–47). So, the lost sheep of the house of Israel will not be recovered at the hands of the apostles, because the apostles themselves were counted for them “as sheep of the slaughter” (Rom. 8:36). “Let him that dies, let him die... and let every man lay down the flesh of his neighbor” (Zechariah 11:9). This is what Moses also said to the judges of Israel: “Beat every man of yours who served Beelphegor” (Numbers 25:5). In the desert only an image was presented, but this was completely fulfilled in the Promised Land, when the Jews were exterminated by the Romans, and when those who remained of them, being besieged and in poverty in Jerusalem, robbed and killed each other. “And I took my good rod and broke it.” The good rod signifies the meek rule of the princes and the treaties concluded during their reign that were very beneficial for the Jews. “To destroy My covenant, which I commanded to all people” (Zech. 11:10), that is, the covenant about the exaltation of their kingdom over all kingdoms, concluded by God through Moses, when he said: “You shall be the highest tongue of the earth” (Deut. 26:19), and fulfilled in the days of Solomon, who, according to what is written, “be exalted... above all the kings of the earth” ( 1 Kings 10:23). “And it will be ruined on that day” - on the day when the good rod is broken, the promise given to the Jews will be abolished. “And the lowly ones of the assembly, who are kept by Me, will understand that the word of the Lord is” (Zechariah 11:11), that is, the righteous in the assembly will understand that this has been determined and spoken by Me. “And I say to them: if there is good before you, give My reward, or deny” (Zechariah 11:12), - give the price of My Blood. Thus the prophet speaks on behalf of Christ Himself, sent to seek the sheep of the house of Israel. “And you set my price at thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me: put it... in the storehouse" (Zechariah 11:12-13). This was done by Judas the traitor, who received thirty pieces of silver for it and then threw them into the church. “And I broke the second rod... which destroyed the covenant in the midst of Judah and in the midst of Israel” (Zechariah 11:14). The second rod signifies the people; The Lord crushed him, separating Israel from Judah under the kings. But just as he crushed the kingdom of David through the discord of the tribes even before the price given for the Blood, and therefore the kingdom was taken away from the house of David even before the coming of the Son of David, so he then crushed the people, for after the crucifixion of Christ the Jews were exterminated by the Romans, and the remainder of them were scattered to all ends of the world. “Receive for yourself the vessels of a shepherd, the shepherd is unskilled” (Zechariah 11:15). This refers to Lysimachus, who did not come from the glorious seed of Aaron. He will do everything that can be expected from an unskillful shepherd; for that shepherd is unskilled who “is not able to restore the scattered... is not able to strengthen the broken, does not heal the sick, does not nourish the healthy” (Zech. 11:16). “Therefore his gum muscle will wither, and his gum eye will become blind” (Zech. 11:17), that is, he will be deprived of God’s help, his eye will become blind, so that he cannot see God and know the truth. So it was with the shepherds of the Jewish people after the crucifixion of Christ. The prophet says that the right eye will go blind and the right hand will wither, for both before and now their left eye has not gone blind and their left hand has not withered - for earthly things. In the image of this shepherd, the Antichrist is represented, an unskillful shepherd, who “will girdle the flesh of the elect, that is, take the silver of the rich, and twist their eyeballs” (Zechariah 11:16), that is, he will not spare the remains of the flock, represented in the image of eyeballs (ankles). “Behold, I set Jerusalem as the threshold of all the people around” (Zechariah 12:2). The prophet shows an alliance of alien peoples, which, with the assistance of the kings of Egypt and Syria, they will enter against Jerusalem. “And against Judah and...Jerusalem...there will be conflict” (Zechariah 12:2). “And it will come to pass on that day that I will lay in Jerusalem a stone to be trodden underfoot by all the nations: whoever tramples it underfoot will be cursed—that is, will be punished and feel the blow—and all the nations of the earth will be gathered together” (Zechariah 12:3). “On that day,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will strike every horse into terror and its rider into madness,” that is, I will make all preparations for battle useless, “and I will open My eyes against the house of Judah” (Zech. 12:4) in order to preserve and enrich (convert) it. “And the thousands of Judah all said in their hearts: We will find them that dwell in Jerusalem, not by their own strength, but by the Lord Almighty their God” (Zechariah 12:5). The prophet speaks this way about the Maccabees, who, strengthened by God's power, overcame and defeated the Greeks who invaded their land, drove them out and overthrew them. “And the Lord will save the villages of Judah” (Zech. 12:7), that is, He will save the Jews from the Greeks, as He first delivered them from the tribe of Gog. “And Jerusalem shall still be inhabited in its place in Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:6). In the image of Jerusalem inhabited in Jerusalem, the prophet represents a soul that has received its former glory from our Lord and will dwell in the heavenly Jerusalem, which “is freedom” (Gal. 4:26). “And it shall come to pass on that day that the Lord will protect those who dwell in Jerusalem: and the weak among them shall be... like David” (Zechariah 12:8). The power of God will overshadow and deliver them, therefore the weak and weak on the day of battle will become like David, who defeated Goliath. “And the house of David is like God,” that is, the descendants of David, helped by God, will be like Him, who brought the Jews out of Egypt, “like the Angel of the Lord who was before them” and struck the Canaanites (Zech. 12:8). In the mysterious sense, the weak means in the prophet the Church, this spiritual Jerusalem, or the one who is an opinion in the assembly of believers, about whom our Lord says that he is “more than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11); here it is also called David. The House of David depicts the primates of our Church - the apostles, who are given thrones in the assembly of the righteous, to sit on them like God, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. In another sense, these images represent the high dignity of human flesh, which it will achieve on the day when it rises to spiritual nature. And the mental “house of David” (Zech. 12:8) is a soul that will one day acquire such splendor that it will become like God. All this, understanding who is the opinion (Matthew 11:11) in the Church, and about the apostles, was fulfilled during the Gospel sermon; and according to another understanding, this will be fulfilled on the day of resurrection. “And I will pour out on the house of David... the spirit of grace and generosity, and they will look upon Nan, who has given birth” (Zech. 12:10), that is, I will pour out on the nations who believed in Christ after His crucifixion, and on the priests of the Church, Divine grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. They will look and place their trust in Christ, whose ribs are pierced. In another sense, this applies to the Jewish crucifiers, who on the day of resurrection will look at Christ, and then it will become completely known and obvious to them that He, whose side they pierced with a spear, is the very same one. In the historical sense of the words: “they will mourn for Him as for a beloved (firstborn...) and they will look at Nan, who gave birth to Him” - mean that those who loved Judas Maccabee will weep and weep when the pagans pierce and kill him, and will weep for him as for their only begotten. “They will mourn,” says the prophet, “...and they will grieve for him with illness as for the firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10), that is, they will cry like a mother lamenting for her firstborn. “On the day there will be great lamentation in Jerusalem, like the lamentation of Hadadrimon in the land of Magedon” (Zechariah 12:11). At that time the groaning will be as great as on the day when the Egyptians killed Josiah in the field of Magedon. Such, indeed, were the crying and sobbing for Judas Maccabee, who became famous for his brilliant victories in wars with the peoples who fought with Jerusalem and with the people of Judah. When Judas was killed, then Jerusalem and its inhabitants wept bitterly for him. This was completely fulfilled in our Lord. On the day of His suffering, all creation mourned as for the firstborn. The stones fell apart, the earth shook, the sun darkened in the firmament, hell itself groaned, left behind by the dead coming out of it. “The land will mourn according to the tribes of the tribes” (Zech. 12:12), that is, all the tribes will mourn, and everyone in each will mourn. “The tribe of the house of David for themselves, and their wives for themselves: the tribe of the house of Nathan for themselves” (Zech. 12:12-13), that is, in each tribe the men wept separately from the wives, and the wives separately from their husbands. So, according to what we said, it really happened at the death of Judas Maccabee. In a spiritual sense and in its entirety, this should be attributed to the death of our Lord. “And the fountain of salvation was opened for the house of David and for them that dwell in Jerusalem” (Zechariah 13:1). The usual meaning of these words is this: To the Jews, immersed in sadness at the thought that they no longer have hope for salvation, the source of salvation will be revealed by Jonathan, the brother of Judas Maccabee. According to spiritual understanding and in the true sense, by the name of the source of salvation we mean the outpouring of the most pure Blood and holy waters flowing on the Holy Cross from the side of our Lord “for sprinkling and cleansing” (Zech. 13:1) - for sprinkling for washing from defilements and for cleansing for the blotting out of sins. “And it shall come to pass, if a man prophesy again, and his father and his mother speak to him... you shall not live” (Zechariah 13:3), that is, if there is a false prophet among them, then his parents, who tend to pray for the lives of their children, will curse him. “The false prophets will be ashamed,” for the parents themselves will reproach them, “and they will not put on hair skin” (Zechariah 13:4), so as to cover up deception with the guise of truth. The false prophet will proclaim about himself “and say: I am not a prophet,” that is, “I am not a true prophet,” as you considered me to be. “For I am a man who works the earth, but a certain man aroused jealousy in me from my youth” (Zechariah 13:5), that is, he seduced me, a simple farmer, into posing as a prophet. “And they say: Why are these plagues in the midst of your hand? And he says: these are the plagues in which they were wounded in the house of my beloved” (Zechariah 13:6). This is said about the One who was previously called the source of salvation, but in all its fullness refers to the Son of God. The Heavenly Powers and the friends of the bridegroom of Christ and His servants asked Him about the wounds inflicted on Him by the crucifiers, and about the wounds of nails on His hands, and He seemed to answer them and say: “I received these wounds not from my enemies, but in the house of My friends and forefathers, who, out of hatred for the false prophets, thought that I too was a flatterer and a false prophet.” A similar question is asked by the Heavenly Powers, as it is written in the prophet Isaiah, where, secretly seeing His flesh, sprinkled with the Blood of suffering, they say: “Who is this who came from Edom, whose scarlet robe was from Bozrah?” (Isa.63:1). “To the sword, arise against My shepherd and against the husband of My friend, says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 13:7), that is, against My true Son and friend according to the flesh He took upon Himself. The prophet allegorically calls the insidious and deceitful tongue of the Jews a sword, but he calls Jesus Christ the Shepherd. In the simple sense of the word they refer to the high priest Onias; he is called a friend of God because he loved God and did His will. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7). The Lord explained these words, saying: “I will strike the shepherd” (Matthew 26:31), that is, I will not strike Himself, but I will not hinder those who struck the shepherd. The defeat began from the hour when our Lord was taken; it ended when they pierced Him with a spear. A herd is a society of people taught by Him. So, God the Father calls His Son Shepherd, and His disciples His flock. “And I will bring My hand upon the (little) shepherds” (Zechariah 13:7). Here the holy apostles are called shepherds - the sheep of Christ's flock, but also the shepherds of all churches. On the night when Christ was taken by the Jews, they scattered in fear and horror, and subsequently separated from each other and dispersed throughout the entire universe. “And it will be ... in all the earth, says the Lord, two parts of it will be consumed and disappear” (Zechariah 13:8), that is, in the land in which the Jews lived, and in their royal city of Jerusalem, two parts of the inhabitants will perish by the sword, or will be scattered and wander throughout the universe. “And... the third, which remains on it, I will make... through the fire” (Zech. 13:9), that is, I will cast “into the cave of misery,” as Isaiah predicted (Is. 48:10). “And I will kindle them as silver is liquified” (Zech. 13:9), I will melt them with suffering, as silver melts in fire. “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,” that is, the day predetermined for Jerusalem is approaching, “and your gain will be divided within you” (Zechariah 14:1). The prophet points to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, when the Greeks divided the spoils taken in Jerusalem within its walls. “And the houses shall be spoiled, and the women shall be defiled: and half the city shall go into captivity” (Zechariah 14:2). This was fulfilled at the time when eighty thousand Israelites were slain with the sword, and eighty thousand were taken captive, as it is written in the book of Maccabees (2 Maccabees 5:14). “But the remains of My people will not be consumed” (Zechariah 14:2), that is, the third part will remain, about which it was said above that it will not be destroyed. “The Lord will go out” from his church after such a multitude of Jews have been destroyed and taken into captivity, “and will take up arms against their languages, that is, against the Greeks and Syrians, just as the day of His host in the day of battle” (Zechariah 14:3), that is, just as He took up arms and destroyed the tribe of Gog on the day of battle. “And the Mount of Olives will be divided, its field to the east and its field to the west, and there will be a great abyss in it” (Zechariah 14:4). The vision of the divided mountain was shown to the Jews before the Antiochus persecution - to console them and to terrify the pagan peoples who heard about it. The Greeks, wanting to take possession of Jerusalem, occupied the Mount of Olives with a large army. Just as the appearance of two fighting men described in the Book of Maccabees was a sign of the future, so this, probably shown at the same time, the vision of a divided mountain foreshadowed the strife and disagreement that would divide the Greek people into two parts, as well as the great disasters that Antiochus and the kings who followed him would inflict on them; finally, those battles in which the Maccabees acquired for their compatriots the right to freely live according to their own laws and customs. “And... you will flee into the wilds of the mountains" (Zechariah 14:5), because the wilds of the mountains will extend to the gorge. The Mount of Olives will split, a great wilderness will form in the middle, and this will squeeze both parts of the city. The fact is that the city had two parts: one was built by the Jebusites, and the other was added by David and called his city. “And... you will flee... as you fled from the face of the coward in those days Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God will come” (Zechariah 14:5). Just as Mount Sinai was lifted up by God’s descent upon it, so the Mount of Olives will shake and fall apart from the strength of God’s feet that will stand on it. “And on that day there will be no light, but winter and darkness” (Zechariah 14:6), that is, that day will bring with it not salvation, but confusion, fear and trembling. “And the Lord will know that day” (Zechariah 14:7). Although on this day there will be consolation during sorrow, this is known only to the Lord, just as the Lord alone knows how long the disaster will continue. “Neither is it day nor is it night, that is, not complete disaster, nor complete rest, but in the evening there will be light” (Zechariah 14:7). All this depicts the precarious and changing position of the Jews in the time of the Maccabees, as mentioned earlier. But an attentive and intelligent researcher will see in the prophecy that it precisely and clearly refers to the day of the Lord’s suffering, when the light of day was hidden for three hours because the sun was darkened. The prophet says about that darkness that it is “neither day nor night” (Zech. 14:7), because “from the sixth... hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45), and at evening, that is, from the ninth hour until evening, there was light. “And... living water will come out of Jerusalem, and flow into the eastern sea and... the western sea” (Zechariah 14:8), that is, after this, a saving law will come out of Jerusalem, as our Lord said, that the law comes from Jerusalem and will stretch to the nations surrounding Jerusalem, represented in the image of the eastern sea, which in Scripture is called “the great sea” (Joshua 12:3), and the sea the western, which is the great sea. In another, mysterious sense, the prophet calls the eastern sea the peoples who are in the region of the light, and the western sea means that the people of the Jews would not have been deprived of the light of the Gospel if they had not deprived themselves of it. For although the Jews are allegorically likened to the west and the night, the living waters of the holy teaching of Christ would not have ceased to irrigate their hearts, if only they had turned. “And there will be... summer and winter as before” (Zech. 14:8). For the peoples who believed, summer and winter will return in the same order and bring the same benefits as it was before, under the pious ancestors. “And the Lord will be king over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9). This obviously dates back to the time of the Maccabees, when the entire land of Judea turned to the service of the Lord and the idolatry introduced by Antiochus was banished. However, although, according to what has been said, this was fulfilled during the time of the Maccabees in the land of Judea, in a mysterious sense everything refers to the time of the coming of Christ. The prophet calls summer the time of Christ's appearance, as joyful for the whole world as the month of Nissan is joyful for the earth - the end of winter and the beginning of summer filled with blessings. Winter refers to the darkness that reigns over the devil. With the words: “as before” (Zech. 14:8), the prophet points to the time of deliverance of Moses and the entire Israeli people, when God, having led them through the sea unharmed, gave them a joyful summer, and a sorrowful winter for the Egyptians, plunging and drowning all their army in the waves. “In the day he will be one Lord, and his name is one” (Zechariah 14:9). Thus it was fulfilled, when His Gospel was preached throughout the whole world, all nations believed and knew that He was God and the true King. “The land will turn into a plain from Hawaii to Remmon, south of Jerusalem” (Zech. 14:10). The prophet speaks of two borders of the possessions of Judah: Ehab (Eabaon) - the northern limit, and Remmon - the southern limit. “And in the day the terror of the Lord shall be great upon them: and each one shall clasp his neighbor’s hand for fear, and his hand shall be clasped together with his neighbor’s hand” (Zechariah 14:13). The Prophet proclaims peace and tranquility to the Jews, and fear and horror to their enemies, the Greeks and the wicked Jews, who abandoned the reverence of their fathers, therefore everyone will hold on to the hand of his neighbor, like a person overwhelmed by horror, who is afraid to let his loved one go from him out of fear. “On the day he will be in the bridle of the horse, holy to the Lord” (Zechariah 14:20), there will not be war and irritation, but holiness and peace. Isaiah foretold this, saying: “They will cleave their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, and the tongue will not take the tongue of the sword” (Is. 2:4). Thus both prophets foresaw the coming of our Lord. The prophet, in the spiritual sense, calls every servant of Christ a horse; bridle - Divine commandments, which, bridling the hearts of believers, do not allow them to rush towards sin, just as a bridle restrains a horse and subordinates it to the will of the master, that is, the rider. “And the horses in the house of the Lord will be like bowls before the altar. And every horse in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holy to the Lord Almighty: and all that eat shall come and receive of them, and boil them in them” (Zechariah 14:20–21). The holy furnishings of the house of the Lord will be honoured; even ordinary vessels (cauldrons) in which food is prepared will acquire in the eyes of strangers the same respect with which you, Jews, look at the bowls of the altar in the house of the Lord. And every konob not only in the sanctuary and in the holy city, but also in all Judea will be “holy to the Lord” (Zech. 14:21). Jews and pagans will honor it as a sacred thing. Mysteriously, these words indicated to the Jews, firstly, great respect for the saving law that would come from Judea, and, secondly, a change for the better after the waters of Holy Baptism for both Jews and pagans, who, having hitherto been fleshly vessels, after Holy Baptism will become bowls filled with incense. There is no interpretation for this chapter. You might be interested in: