Zechariah 9:12

Strong hold. — Better, steepness of their own land. Those who still remained in Babylon are exhorted to come forth. Somewhat similarly, in Zechariah 8:8 (which is on all sides admitted to be written after the return from the captivity) we read: “And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.” They are “prisoners of hope,” being prisoners still in Babylon, and “of hope,” because, if they chose to accept them, they are the subjects of glorious hopes and promises.

Double. — Recompense for all these sufferings (Isaiah 61:7).