Zechariah 1:18

Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. The power of the Jews' foes shall be dissipated. Verse 18. BEHOLD, FOUR HORNS. To a pastoral people like the Jews the horns of the strongest in the herd naturally suggested a symbol of power and pride of conscious strength: hence, "horns" represent the ruling powers of the world (; ). The number four in Zechariah's time refers to the four cardinal points of the horizon. Wherever God's people turned there were foes to encounter (); the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Samaritan on the north; Egypt and Arabia on the south; Philistia on the west: Ammon and Moab on the east. But the Spirit in the prophet looked further-namely, to the four world-powers...

Now follows another vision, by which God confirms what he had before testified to his Prophet. He then says, that though enemies should on every side rise up against the Church and cause it many troubles, there was yet a remedy in God’s hand, as he would break in pieces all horns by his hammers. He compares the Gentiles, who had been hostile to the Jews, to horns; and he afterwards compares to workmen the other enemies, whose hand and labor God would use for the purpose of breaking down the efforts of all those who would be troublesome to the Church. The import of the whole then is, — that though the Church would not be exempt and free from troubles, and those many, yet God would have in his hand those remedies by which he would check all the assaults of the wicked, however impetuously and violently they may rage against his miserable Church. But let us see in the first place why the Pro...

18-21 The enemies of the church threaten to cut off the name of Israel. They are horns, emblems of power, strength, and violence. The prophet saw them so formidable that he began to despair of the safety of every good man, and the success of every good work; but the Lord showed him four workmen empowered to cut off these horns. With an eye of sense we see the power of the enemies of the church; look which way we will, the world shows us that; but it is only with an eye of faith that we see it safe. The Lord shows us that. When God has work to do, he will raise up some to do it, and others to defend it, and to protect those employed in doing it. What cause there is to look up in love and praise to the holy and eternal Spirit, who has the same care over the present and eternal interests of believers, by the holy word bringing the church to know the wonderful things of salvation!...

Verse 18. _AND BEHOLD FOUR HORNS._] Denoting _four powers_ by which the Jews had been oppressed; the _Assyrians, Persians, Chaldeans_, and _Egyptians_. Or these enemies may be termed _four_, in reference to the _four cardinal points of the heavens_, whence they came: - 1. NORTH. The Assyrians and Babylonians. 2. EAST. The Moabites and Ammonites. 3. SOUTH. The Egyptians. 4. WEST. The Philistines. See _Martin_....

AND I LIFTED UP MINE EYES - o. Cyril on Zechariah 2:1 : “Not those of the body (for such visions are invisible to the eyes of the flesh), but rather the inner eyes of the heart and mind.” It seems as though, at the close of each vision, Zechariah sank in meditation on what had been shown him; from which he was again roused by the exhibition of another vision. I SAW FOUR HORNS - The mention of the horns naturally suggests the thought of the creatures which wielded them; as in the first vision that of the horses following the chiefs, implies the presence of the riders upon them. And this the more, since the word “fray them away” implies living creatures, liable to fear. Cyril: “The horn, in inspired Scripture, is always taken as an image of strength, and mostly of pride also, as David said to some, “I said unt

EXPOSITION VERSE 1-6:15 Part I. A SERIES OF EIGHT VISIONS, AND A SYMBOLICAL ACTION. ZECHARIAH 1:1 § 1. _Title of the book, and author. _THE EIGHTH MONTH. This was called Bul before the Captivity (1 Kings 6:38), and afterwards Marchesvan (Josephus, 'Ant.,' 1.3 3); it answered to parts of October and November, and was a time of rain. Haggai had first prophesied two months earlier. THE SECOND YEAR OF DARIUS. Being now under foreign rule, the prophet uses the regnal years of the king to whom his people were subject (see note on...

THEN I LIFTED UP MINE EYES,.... To behold another vision which follows: AND SAW, AND BEHOLD FOUR HORNS; either iron ones, such as Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made to push the Syrians with, 1 Kings 22:11 or horns of beasts, as the horns of unicorns, to which the horns of Joseph are compared, Deuteronomy 33:17 and signify kingdoms or kings, and these very powerful and mighty; and so the Targum interprets them of "four kingdoms"; and which Kimchi and Abarbinel understand of the four monarchies, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman; so ten horns, in Daniel 7:24 design ten kings or kingdoms; unless rather, seeing these horns were such who had already distressed and scattered Judah, Israel, and J

HORN A "horn" is the symbol of a Gentile king (Daniel 7:24); (Revelation 17:12) and the vision is of the four world empires; (Daniel 2:36); (Daniel 7:3) which have "scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem" (Zechariah 1:19)....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS 1. THE NIGHT VISIONS CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The introduction (Zechariah 1:1) _ 2. The first night vision (Zechariah 1:7) 3. The second night vision (Zechariah 1:18) Zechariah 1:1. The first utterance of Zechariah concerns the past. “The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.” They were a disobedient, stiff-necked people. The pre-exilic prophets had called them to repentance, but they did not hearken. Then he gives the message to turn to the Lord, with the promise that He will turn to them; they should not be like their fathers. And their fathers, where w

The four horns which have scattered Judah and Jerusalem (Israel should probably be omitted) represent the whole world arrayed against Judah, and are perhaps iron horns like those made by Zedekiah (1 Kings 22:11); hence smiths are introduced to shatter them....