Zechariah 1:21

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...

And who are these smiths? They are also horns; for they all wish to destroy as much as they can the Church; but God does not permit them; on the contrary he excites them to mutual wars to destroy one another. Though then all these are horns, ready to assault the Church, and though it appears evident from the comparison that they are as it were furious and vicious bulls, and as much as they can unite together to scatter the Church, yet God gives hammers to two or three of them, and bids them to check the ferocity of their associates. While all these are intent on striking and dispersing the Church by their horns, the Lord calls them to a different work, and as I have said, bids them to be smiths that they may strike and break in pieces these horns, even their associates, with whom they had previously wickedly conspired. And it is certainly a wonderful instance of God’s providence, that am...

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 Zechariah 1:21. _THESE ARE COME TO FRAY THEM_] To break, pound, and reduce them to powder. _Fray_, from the French, _frayer_, to _rub_. חרשים charashim signifies either _carpenters_ or _smiths_; probably the latter are here intended, who came with _hammers,_ _files_, and such like, to destroy these _horns_, which no doubt seemed to be of _iron_. From a sensible correspondent I have received the following note: - "The word we translate _carpenters_, חרשים charashim, is a root which, according to Mr. _Parkhurst_, denotes _silent thought_ or _attention_; and in _kal_ and _hiphil_, to _contrive, devise_ _secretly_, or _in silence_; hence applied as a noun to an _artificer_ of any kind, and to any work which disposes to silent attention. Thus, to potte

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 SAID I, WHAT COME THESE TO DO?.... That is, these four carpenters; for, being artificers or workmen, as the Targum renders the word, the prophet concluded there was some work for them to do: AND HE SPAKE, SAYING; meaning the angel that talked with him, and interpreted the visions to him: THESE [ARE] THE HORNS WHICH HAVE SCATTERED JUDAH; not that the carpenters were the horns, for these two are distinct from, and opposite to, one another. The words should rather be rendered, "these horns which have scattered Judah", as before said, Zechariah 1:19: SO THAT NO MAN DID LIFT UP HIS HEAD; or, as the Targum paraphrases it, "did not suffer" (a man) "to go with an erect stature"; but, through oppression, sorrow, and misery, was obliged to stoop, and bow, and hang down his head: BUT THESE ARE COME TO FRAY THEM; the

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....

HE: i.e. the angel, THESE: i.e. these four smiths (or it may denote the supernatural princes over the kingdoms). They repre sent the Divine agencies raised up, by which Jehovah will overthrow them. FRAY. Short for affray-to terrify; hence English, afraid and affright. So the Hebrew _harad_. terrify. put in consternation (Hebrew. _Hiphil,_ causative). Compare Zephaniah 3:13. THEM: i.e. the kingdoms represented by the horns. GENTILES. nations....

_he spake_ i.e. the interpreting angel. _have scattered_ Rather, SCATTERED, R.V. _to fray them_ Either the wild animals bearing the horns, or more probably the nations symbolised by them, are here spoken of as being "frayed," or "panic-stricken." In the following word, "to cast out," the figure of the horns is perhaps resumed. The Third Vision. _The man with the measuring line_. Zechariah 2:1-13. (Heb., 2:5 17.) The vision which describes the destruction of her enemies is followed by another, in which the consequent growth and prosperity of Jerusalem are depicted, and which in the largeness of its predictions extends into the more distant future. The prophet sees now upon the stage, or field of view, a young man with a measuring line in his hand, Zechariah 1:1