Zechariah 10:5

And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded. AND THE RIDERS ON HORSES SHALL BE CONFOUNDED - namely, the enemy's horsemen. Though the Jews were forbidden by the law to multiply horses in battle (), they themselves figuratively are made Yahweh's war-horse (; ), and so tread down on foot the foe, with all his cavalry (; ). Cavalry was the chief strength of the Syro-Grecian army ( 1Ma 3:39 )....

He confirms what I have already said — that the Jews would be victorious over all nations. Though the Church is fighting under the cross, she yet triumphs over all the wicked, partly by hope and partly by present success; for God wonderfully sustains it, and makes the faithful to possess their souls in patience; and he also protects them by his own power, and renders them safe amidst all the roarings and insatiable rage of their enemies. Since then God thus strengthens the minds of his people, and cherishes in them the hope of salvation, and also defends them against raging assaults, it is no wonder that the Prophet testifies that the church would be victorious, treading down, as a giant or a strong man, her enemies in the mire. He gives the reason, _For Jehovah will be with them_; and this he said, that they might know that nothing in this case would be their own, but that they might, o...

1-5 Spiritual blessings had been promised under figurative allusions to earthly plenty. Seasonable rain is a great mercy, which we may ask of God when there is most need of it, and we may look for it to come. We must in our prayers ask for mercies in their proper time. The Lord would make bright clouds, and give showers of rain. This may be an exhortation to seek the influences of the Holy Spirit, in faith and by prayer, through which the blessings held forth in the promises are obtained and enjoyed. The prophet shows the folly of making addresses to idols, as their fathers had done. The Lord visited the remnant of his flock in mercy, and was about to renew their courage and strength for conflict and victory. Every creature is to us what God makes it to be. Every one raised to support the nation, as a corner-stone does the building, or to unite those that differ, as nails join the diffe...

Verse Zechariah 10:5. _THEY SHALL BE AS MIGHTY MEN_] The Maccabees and their successors. _RIDERS ON HORSES_] The Macedonians, who opposed the Maccabees, and had much cavalry; whereas the Jews had none, and even few weapons of war; yet they overcame these horsemen....

AND THEY - (the house of Judah , of whom he had said, He hath made them as the goodly horse in the battle) shall be as mighty men, trampling on the mire of the streets Micah had said, “she shall be a trampling, as the mire of the streets” Micah 7:10, and David, “I did stamp them as the mire of the street” 2 Samuel 22:43. Zechariah, by a yet bolder image, pictures those trampled upon, as what they had become, “the mire of the streets,” as worthless, as foul; as he had said, “they shall trample on the sling-stones” Zechariah 9:15. And they shall fight, because the Lord is with them, not in their own strength, he still reminds them; they shall have power, because God empowers them; strength, be

EXPOSITION ZECHARIAH 10:1, ZECHARIAH 10:2 § 4. A connecting link between the last section and the next. _The condition for obtaining the promised blessings is that they are to be sought from the Lord, not from idols._ ZECHARIAH 10:1 ASK YE OF THE LORD RAIN. The promise of abundance at the end of the last chapter suggests to the prophet to make a special application to the practice of his countrymen. They must put their trust in God alone for the supply of temporal as well as spiritual bounties. THE LATTER RAIN was due at the time of the vernal equinox, and was necessary in

AND THEY SHALL BE AS MIGHTY [MEN],.... That is, the converted Jews shall be such; they shall be strong in faith, giving glory to the Messiah; they shall be strong in the grace that is in him; they shall be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; his strength shall be made perfect in their weakness: WHICH TREAD DOWN [THEIR ENEMIES] IN THE MIRE OF THE STREETS IN THE BATTLE; being victorious over sin, Satan, and the world, through Christ, in whom they will believe: AND THEY SHALL FIGHT; against all their inward and outward enemies, the good fight of faith, with great valour and courage: BECAUSE THE LORD [IS] WITH THEM; who is the Lord of hosts or armies; his presence gives boldness and intrepidity; for, if he is for them, who can be against them? the battle is theirs, success is certain: AND THE RIDERS ON HORSES SHALL BE CONFOUNDED; such that come up against them on them, and...

Zechariah 10:1. _Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field._ The atheistic philosopher of the present day laughs at such a verse as this, and sneeringly asks, « What possible connection can there be between men and women praying to God and the showers of rain which fall upon the earth?» «Why!» saith he, «according to the laws of nature, showers fall at such-and-such seasons; and if the atmosphere should not happen to be in such-and-such a state, all the praying in the world cannot produce a single drop of rain.» But faith can clearly see where reason is blind; and the prayer of faith moves the arm of God, and the arm of God controls what the philosopher calls the laws of nature, and so the rain descends. Let us learn, from this precept and promise, the power of bel

CHAPTER 10:1-12 _ 1. The apostasy of Israel in the last days (Zechariah 10:2) _ 2. The victory over the enemies (Zechariah 10:5) 3. Deliverance and restoration (Zechariah 10:8) Zechariah 10:1. Idolatry was the great sin of both Judah and Israel. They practiced the occult things of heathendom and worshipped their false gods; they had teraphim used for divination. On account of this the wrath fell upon the former generations, and the Lord's anger was kindled against their leaders, the shepherds, and they were dispersed. We have called attention before to...

This is made up of several fragments. Zechariah 10:3_ a_ is apparently the beginning of a denunciation of Israel's leaders founded upon Ezekiel 34, whereas Zechariah 10:3_ b_ describes the Lord as visiting His distressed sheep, and making them as his warhorse. The cue which has caused Zechariah 10:3_ b_ to be attached to Zechariah 10:3_ a_ is the word visit, which the EV renders punish in the first instance. The Jewish sheep became warhorses in the Maccabean struggle. Zechariah 10:4, which is a later insertion, pr