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Zechariah 10:1. Ask the Lord for rain in the season, early and late. Just as the wheat in the fields cannot be born without labor, and the vineyard cannot produce many grapes and wine; Likewise, spiritual fertility is impossible in us if God does not send down into our soul and heart, like rain, the revelation of His words and sprinkles us with the knowledge of the old and new Scriptures, that is, with the knowledge of the law and the Gospel; for they were the early and late rains. And that the knowledge of the law and spiritual contemplation was not useless, but on the contrary leads through the image and shadows to the mystery of Christ, the Savior himself will attest to this, saying to the Jewish people: “Do not remember that I am a river against you to the Father; If they believed quickly in Moses, they also believed in Me: for that is written about Me” (John 5:45–46); and nowhere did he say about the scribes and Pharisees, as those called from legal education to the gospel: “For this reason, every scribe, having learned the kingdom of heaven, is like a housewife, who wears out of his treasure the new and the old” (Matthew 13:52). So, asking God for legal and gospel knowledge and showing ourselves worthy of receiving it, we will certainly receive it and fill the soul with treasures, collecting ancient and new and producing very great spiritual fertility in the soul. Zechariah 10:1–2. Lord create ghosts, and the winter rain will give them, to whomever there is grain in the village. For the foreshadowing of labors, and false visions of hostility, and lying dreams of lies, with vain consolations: for this reason they died, as if they had no rain, and were embittered, like sheep, without healing. The passage read contains some hidden thought, which, I think, must first be fully clarified; because only in this case can the inquisitive understand the purpose of the prophet’s sayings. He had a word about the saints, whom he called holy stones and about whom he said that wheat was especially fitting for them, as for those who strive courageously, or for young men, and “fragrant wine” because they are virgins, that is, holy and blameless, for “they are the same as Christ, having crucified the flesh with the passions and lusts,” as the divine Paul says (Gal. 5:24); commanded them to ask for the early and late rain. Then, inserting a reminder about those who are mistaken, in these words he seems to indicate the reason why they have neither wheat nor wine and are not watered by spiritual rains, so that therefore they do not have plants in the field. And this conversation is conducted as if about sensual objects; but they contain very subtle speculation and contain a lot of lofty thoughts; for when God, he says, created ghosts, that is, lightning, and poured winter rain on the earth, which is beneficial, and obviously gave a sign to everyone in the fields; then those who prophesied, that is, liars and deceivers and those who spoke from the heart of their divination, led them astray. These “verbal works”, that is, not something that brings peace to believers, but something through which those who insult and despise God are inevitably exposed to suffering. The false prophets also spoke false dreams, obviously announced pleasant things to them and amused them with good hopes, but did not say anything true, but led them into deception and delusion and did not at all point them to the Giver and Distributor of spiritual benefits, on the contrary, they convinced them to ask for prosperity from false gods. Therefore, he says, “they fell like those who had no rain and became embittered like sheep”; without grain, “without healing”; for among them there was no “one who binds the broken”, who restores the castaway and comforts the embittered (Ezek. 34:4). So, we need to listen to those who do not speak vain things, not to liars and flatterers of the crowd, and not to dreamers; but on the contrary - to God, who illuminates our mind with the light of true knowledge of God and pours out spiritual rains, that is, consolations sent through the Holy Spirit, and who grows grain in the field, that is, again giving us the infallible knowledge of the divinely inspired Scripture, as it were, the most luxurious pasture. But “a man who has no understanding of honor, has become like the foolish beasts, and has become like them” (Ps. 48:13). However, if he accepts into his soul the knowledge of the words of the divine and eats spiritual food, then, having put aside laziness and being guided in his life by prudent thoughts and rising to the mood of the spirit that is appropriate for a person, he will again be in honor. Zechariah 10:3. My wrath is upon the shepherds and upon the lambs. Here he calls shepherds, as I think, false prophets and false soothsayers and teachers of error, who were destruction and a snare for those who, having deviated from the true concept of God, gave the honor and service due to Him to creatures and worshiped the works of their own hands, as it is written (Ps. 113:12). It is not contrary to the truth to add to the false prophets some of the great Greek people, who, considered very wise, misled with their eloquence the people who were carried away by them and, like some unkind shepherds, fed them with thorns and many unreasonable and empty thoughts; for do they have anything that contributes to the knowledge of the truth? May divine wrath befall such people, and quite rightly so! for they not only destroyed their own souls, but also misled the souls of others, as if blaspheming lies, as I said, by the brilliance of their speeches and using the gift of words to deceive. He visits the lambs, obviously out of pity for them and turning them from error to knowledge of the truth and from the paths of error leading them to the right path. As oppressors, they should have been subjected to appropriate punishment for their untruths; so, on the other hand, a humane judgment over those who suffered (from them) could in no way deprive them of God’s characteristic mercy and righteous sentence. After all, it was necessary, it was absolutely necessary to save those who were offended, because God has no memory of malice and delivers from punishment those who were subjected to their dominion, perhaps involuntarily. Zechariah 10:3–5. And the Lord God Almighty will visit his flock, the house of Judah, and he will make his horse splendid in battle. And from him 141 look away, and from him make 142 a bow in the spirit of rage: and from him will come everyone who drives out in that. And they will be like warriors, trampling the dirt on the roads in battle, and they will take up arms, 143 The Lord is with them. He clearly shows how he will bring his wrath upon the shepherds, visit and save the lambs. Having chosen from among the Jews the teachers of the universe, the holy apostles and evangelists, through them He defeated the Hellenic sages, delivered the lambs from their insolent speeches and, freeing them from the networks of error, led them to the true and blameless knowledge of God. So, “he will visit, he says, his flock, the house of Judah,” and make of it, as it were, a beautiful and very warlike horse, on which, as if sitting spiritually, he will master, as I said, master the language of the Greeks and expose the ugliness and uselessness of their inherent wisdom. And that the divine disciples scattered among the Greeks became, as it were, some kind of horses, as if neighing against their idle talk and against the lies hated by God, who can doubt this when Christ speaks of the blessed Paul Ananias: “Go, for this vessel is chosen by me, to carry my name before the tongues, both to the kings and to the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). And Habakkuk nowhere said, as if to our Lord Jesus Christ: “For you are all on your horses, and your cavalry is salvation” (Hab. 3:8). So, he says, “he will make a horse like a splendid one in battle, and from him he will take care.” As if he were saying this: as God, He saw those capable of serving the Gospel preaching, made a selection from the descendants of Judas, and placed them in this ministry; He determined for them to be executors of His will, helpers and servants, and, as it were, mediators of the grace emanating from Him. And he also says that “from him,” that is, Judas, in rage, drew a bow against his enemies. From him again “he will come forth and drive him out”; I think he calls the one who causes devastation and captivity an exile. This is what the divine disciples did, kidnapping the sons of the Greeks and bringing them to the great king, I say, Christ, so that they would be subject to Him and have the same sentiments with Him after they had finally, with difficulty, thrown off the yoke of the devil’s dominion. Thus, the divine disciples appeared as conquerors of the Hellenic sages, so that it seemed as if they were trampling on the dirt scattered at the crossroads; for the Lord was with them, “doing great things that cannot be found, and things that are glorious and abundant, beyond number” (Job 5:9). And Christ somewhere proclaimed to those who believed in Him: “Behold, I give you power to tread on the serpent, and on the scorpion, and on all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). It should be noted that we say this, pointing to the spiritual meaning of the words being explained. But the Jews do not want to understand them in this way; on the contrary, they take them in a historical sense and say that after the time of captivity Antiochus, nicknamed Epiphanes, fought against them, gathering a very large number of soldiers from the Hellenic country and being proud of the auxiliary troops of other nations. But, as they themselves say about this, Israel won and gained glory from its cruelty; for then it happened that the Maccabees, having appeared as martyrs, were clothed with a crown of glory (Mac. 6:7). In support of their opinion, they cite what we recently and a little earlier said, namely: “I have tightened thee before a miracle, like a bow, full of Ephraim, and I will raise up thy children, O Zion, against the children of Greece, and I will wield thee like the sword of a warrior: and the Lord will be upon them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning: and the Lord God Almighty will sound the trumpet and go forth in the noise of rebuke. his. The Lord Almighty will protect them” (Zechariah 9:13–14). Zechariah 10:5–6. And the horsemen of the horse will be ashamed. And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will inhabit those whom I have loved. Those who agree with the Jewish explanations say again that when the battle began against the Greeks, their horsemen died, and the descendants of Israel were victorious, so that they lived in the land of Judah, free from all fear, and no one was displaced, and no one was made captive. But we, wanting to give an explanation of thoughts corresponding and related to what was said before, call shamed horsemen none other than the defenders of Hellenic teachings and those accustomed to fight for the God-hating error. When they were overthrown, Judah was victorious and the house of Joseph was saved. These words indicate the descendants and tribe of Israel, or the multitude of those justified in Christ, bearing Judaism in their minds and hearts, having received spiritual circumcision and having a mind contemplating God; for this is how Israel is interpreted. since they were loved by God, they were infused, that is, they began to have an unshakable attachment to everything beautiful; for it is written that the Lord “dwells like-minded people into a house” (Ps. 112:9). And the divine Isaiah nowhere said about the one leading an excellent life: “walk in righteousness, hate iniquity and unrighteousness, and shake your hands from gifts; make your ears heavy, so that the blood does not hear judgment; close your eyes, so that you do not see unrighteousness; this one will dwell in a high cave of a strong stone” (Is. 33: 15-16). It will not be contrary to the truth to say that the house given by God to the saints is the church or the highest monasteries, and blessed David considers this worthy of all surprise, thus speaking to the Savior of all God: “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, forever and ever they will praise you” (Ps. 83:5). Zechariah 10:6–7. And they will 144 have not turned them away: for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear 145, and they will be like the warriors of Ephraim. When the Hellenic wise men, who were also called horsemen, were put to shame, he makes a promise that he will strengthen and give mercy to those who have received mercy, adding: “I have loved you the more.” And what benefit they will receive from the fact that they were loved by God, he explains again, saying: “and if I had not turned them away”; for I did not despise them altogether, but looked upon them when they were in distress; “Before I am the Lord their God,” that is, I will make their prayers pleasant, “and they will be like the warriors of Ephraim.” He seems to say this again: those who were once, as a result of weakness of mind and soul, as if relaxed and lying down, will achieve such spiritual strength that they will turn out to be equal to the glorified Ephraimites, that is, the apostles and evangelists from the Jews; because they became spiritual warriors, overcoming enemies and overthrowing opponents and defeating principalities and authorities and dominions and spirits of wickedness (Eph. 6:12) and easily overpowering opponents of the sacred preaching. And from among the multitude of the pagans those who were called through faith to the knowledge of Christ became holy men and full of the Spirit, and as if they were warriors of Ephraim; for they also became warriors; Having adopted the way of life of the apostles and imitating their virtues, they courageously fought against the enemies of truth and passions and sin. Zechariah 10:7. And their hearts will rejoice like wine 146: and their children will see them and be glad, and their hearts will rejoice in the Lord. The mind of those who drink wine always seems to lose its harmony and neglects worries, for it does not allow anything that causes sorrow to come to itself, but, as it were, is freed from it and dominates all worries. So, he says, if they become “like the warriors of Ephraim,” then they will feel joy within themselves and, like brilliant and glorious ones, will rejoice in the hope of future blessings and will have imitators of their excellent way of life, sons born from them, obviously spiritual. Such was the divine Paul, who wrote to those who were called through him and said: “Even though there were many who cared for Christ, but the fathers were not many, for in Christ Jesus I gave birth to the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). So, those who come from them “children will see and rejoice”; for having been born through contemplation of the works of Christ and having comprehended the power of the sacrament and being enlightened by the abundant gifts of the Spirit, they will live happily and receive joy in the Savior Christ himself and make Him joy and delight and exultation of the heart and soul. And this will serve as clear evidence that they have decided to lead a life pleasing to God; for those who have their souls disposed to engage in worldly affairs, and are inclined towards shameful things, rejoice in themselves and make themselves an object of joy, are amused by carnal pleasures, and, having become accustomed to indulging in other pleasures of this life, completely neglect the divine; those who seek Him with all their hearts and indulge in the contemplation of Him and direct their mental gaze to Him, such find pleasure only in Him alone. Zechariah 10:8–9. I will proclaim 147 to them, and I will receive them, I will redeem them, and they will multiply like many, and I am among all people, and those who are far away will remember me, and they will raise their children and be converted. Again he remembers his love for the Jews and promises to gather them from the dispersion and bring them from all countries to Judea, so that no one will be in exile. And then he indicates how this meeting will take place. They say that beekeepers make some kind of signs, either by whistling or doing something else, usually in this way they collect swarms of bees that have left their hives. Something similar was said through the mouth of Isaiah: “And in that day the Lord will call the flies that rule part of the river of Egypt, and the bees that are in the land of the Assyrians” (Is. 7:18). Others say that if during a war it happens that the soldiers scatter, either pursuing others, or being persecuted themselves; then the military leaders put some sign on an elevated place, looking at which they gather and return to one place. Something similar is indicated by what was said by the prophet Isaiah: “And he will be like a goldfinch on the mountain, and like a banner he will carry on the hill” (Is. 30:17). So, the similarity is taken from what usually happens. “I will proclaim,” he says to them, and I will receive; for a great and glorious sign was raised for us - the cross of the Savior, through which we became acceptable to God and the Father and were redeemed and, having believed, grew into an innumerable multitude. since he added: “and all the people and those far from them will come and remember me”; then we will say the following again, without moving away from the purpose of the prophecy (for this has a high probability). The divine disciples and preachers of the Holy Gospel were, as it were, sown among many nations and in every country and city, and those who were very far from God as a result of the sin and error that caused division remembered Him and received into their souls the Savior and Creator of all things, although they had once worshiped creatures and were deprived of communion with God. Therefore, the divine Paul spoke about those called through him to the knowledge of Christ, saying: “Now you who were sometimes far off have become near” (Eph. 2:13). So, remembering God, they will come. The blessed prophet Jeremiah also hints at something similar, saying to Israel: “Even from afar, remember the Lord, and let Jerusalem come into your hearts” (Jer. 51:50). When they remember the One who is God by nature, then they will achieve such spiritual strength that they will become fathers of children and raise their own children with the words of piety and will be magnified by this very thing. And the divine Paul nowhere writes to his pupils and those who have reached “perfect manhood and have come to the measure of the stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), saying to them: “my joy and crown” (Phil. 4:1), then: “I am testified by our 148 praise, even imam in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 15:31); for “the crown of old children is children, but their fathers praise their children,” according to what is written (Proverbs 17:6). Zechariah 10:10. And I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and I will receive them from the Assyrians, and I will bring them into Gilead and into Lebanon, and not one will be left of them. When Nebuchadnezzar subjugated Judea to his power and the divine temple and Jerusalem itself were burned, then all of Israel was exposed to disaster; for some of them were taken captive to the Assyrians and Medes, others, who escaped their cruelty and found the opportunity to escape, fearing and trembling to be exposed to the same disasters, of their own free will went to the Egyptians and they were subjected to the involuntary and forcibly imposed yoke of slavery on them. So, when He promised to gather them from everywhere, He also mentioned the places to which they were taken: some, as I said, became captives, others were driven by unbearable fear to a fate unexpected for them. Since people who are devoted to God and spiritual should resort to spiritual interpretation, we say that He promises to deliver them from the country or from the hand of invisible enemies and free them from all fear, and transform those who were in captivity and subject to others into free ones. Or in another way, he says, they will be freed from darkness and confusion; for Egypt is interpreted as darkness, and Babylon as confusion. Very often Scripture does not distinguish between the Assyrians and Babylonians, considering them to be one people for the sake of the fact that they were under the same authority and constituted one kingdom. So, he promises to bring those delivered from the hand of the oppressors into Gilead (this was a very abundant and fruitful part of the land of Judah) and into Lebanon (which was rich in forests and a large mountain, lying on the borders of the land of Judea and Phoenicia). Both indicate, I think, the following. Having freed us, as it were, from Egypt and Assyria, from the cruel rule of those who captivated us (and these are crafty and wicked demons), our Lord Jesus Christ led us, as it were, into a land rich in forests and fruitful - into the Church, in which there was much fruit of very glorious people, innumerable heads of saints, highly exalted in virtue and grown like a cedar; about them, in the words of David, one can very rightly say to the God of all: “the cedars of Lebanon, which you have nurtured” (Ps. 103:16); for the divine Paul also clearly called those justified by faith God’s field (1 Cor. 3:9). Zechariah 10:11–12. And they will pass through the narrow sea, and they will smite the waves of the sea, and all the depths of the river will dry up, and every insult of the Assyrians will be taken away, and the scepter of Egypt will be taken away. And I will strengthen them in the Lord God, and in His name they will praise, says the Lord. Here, as if in the likeness of what was given to the ancients, a promise of help is given to those who believe in Christ. How Israel crossed the Red Sea, overcoming the waves in it (for the waters stood like a wall, because God performed this miracle), and how they crossed the Jordan on foot; so, he says, those who are called through Moses to the foot of Christ and through the secret teaching of the holy apostles, saved, will pass, as it were, through some sea, raising the fierce waves of real life, and having freed themselves from worldly turmoil, they will serve the real God without hindrance, and will pass through temptations, as if through some troubled rivers, so that, rejoicing in this very thing, they say: “If the Lord were not in us, He would never arise.” man against us, for they would have devoured us alive, for their wrath would never have been angry with us: for the water would have drowned us, the flood would have passed over our soul: for our soul would have passed through the fickle waters” (Ps. 124:2-5). Then: how Israel, he says, having been in captivity and taken to the Assyrians and Medes, escaped the pride or cruelty of those who always loved and acquired the habit of fighting against them; so exactly, he says, those redeemed by Christ will defeat enemies, obviously visible and invisible, who, as it were, forcibly subjected them to unwanted slavery and kept them in bonds as captives due to their own foolishness. But they will also overcome these and escape the arrogance and dominion of those, because God strengthens them, in whom they “will praise”; for we boast in Christ and have made Him our strength: in Him we dare and place our trust in Him for the continuation of our entire lives, for “not an intercessor, not an angel, but the Lord Himself saved” us (Is. 63:9), and, as the blessed hymnist says: “God is our refuge and strength, a helper in the afflictions of those who have found us great” (Ps. 45:2). εξ αυτου, like Alex. and others, but Vat: απ αυτου, Slav.: from him. So alone, Slav. approx.: from him, Vat. etc. διοτι, like some, but Slav: like - οτι, like others. Greek ον τροπον. Greek επακουσομαι. ως ἐν ὀινω – Vat. Syn. Al. other plural, but no. Slav.: ἀπὸ οινου - from wine. So Al. code. and many. min. also Origen; but Slavs. and Russian: yours, like Sin. Wat. most of the ancients, also Zlat., Ambr. Honey. and many others You might be interested in: