Zechariah 9:3

And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. AND TYRUS DID BUILD HERSELF A STRONG HOLD. The pagan historian, Diodorus Siculus (17: 40) confirms this: 'Tyre had the greatest confidence, owing to her insular position and fortifications, and the abundant stores she had prepared.' New Tyre was on an island 700, paces from the shore. As Isaiah's and Ezekiel's (Ezekiel 27:1) prophecies were directed against Old Tyre, on the mainland, and were fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar; so Zechariah's are against New Tyre, which was made seemingly impregnable by a double wall 150 feet high, as well as the sea on all sides....

_For Tyrus has for herself built a fortress_. The Prophet shows by these words how very cautious or prudent the Syrians had been; for they fortified themselves by strongholds, and thought themselves to be beyond the reach of danger. He then adds, _and heaped to herself silver as dust, and gold as the mire of the streets_, that is, accumulated wealth above measure; for he mentions “dust” and “mire” as signifying an immense heap; as though he had said, “They have worthless heaps of silver and gold for their vast abundance”. He no doubt includes silver and gold in the fortress which he mentions; for I do not confine the word fortress only to towers and strongholds; but the Prophet, as I think, states generally, that Tyrus was so furnished and fortified with wealth, forces, and all kinds of defences, that it thought itself impregnable. There is a striking correspondence between צור, _tsur_,...

1-8 Here are judgements foretold on several nations. While the Macedonians and Alexander's successors were in warfare in these countries, the Lord promised to protect his people. God's house lies in the midst of an enemy's country; his church is as a lily among thorns. God's power and goodness are seen in her special preservation. The Lord encamps about his church, and while armies of proud opposers shall pass by and return, his eyes watch over her, so that they cannot prevail, and shortly the time will come when no exactor shall pass by her any more....

Verse Zechariah 9:3. _AND TYRUS DID BUILD HERSELF_] The rock on which Tyre was built was strongly _fortified_; and that she had abundance of _riches_ has been already seen, Ezekiel 28:1, c....

AND TYRE DID BUILD HERSELF A STRONGHOLD - She built it for herself, not for God, and trusted to it, not to God, and so its strength brought her the greater fall. The words in Hebrew express yet more. “Tyre” (Zor) literally, “the rock,” “built herself mazor, tower,” a rock-like fort, as it were, a rock upon exceeding strength, binding her together. . “The walls, 150 feet high and of breadth proportionate, compacted of large stones, embedded in gypsum,” seemed to defy an enemy who could only approach her by sea. “In order to make the wall twice as strong they built a second wall ten cubits broad, leaving a space between of five cubits, which they filled with stones and earth.” Yet high walls do not fence in only; they also hem in. Mazor is both “a stronghold” and “a siege.” Wealth and strength, without God, do but invite and embitter the spoiler and the conqueror.” And she heaped up silver...

EXPOSITION VERSE 1-14:21 Part III. THE FUTURE OF THE POWERS OF THE WORLD AND OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. VERSE 1-11:17 A. THE FIRST BURDEN. ZECHARIAH 9:1 § 1. _To prepare the land for Israel, and to prove God's care for his people, the neighbouring heathen shall be chastised, while Israel shall dwell in safety and independence._ ZECHARIAH 9:1 THE BURDEN (see not

AND TYRUS DID BUILD HERSELF A STRONG HOLD,.... Tyre was built upon a rock, and was a strong fortress itself, from whence it had its name; and, besides its natural defence, it had a wall one hundred and fifty feet high, and its breadth was answerable to its height e; but yet, as it could not defend itself against Alexander the great, who took it; so neither against the Gospel of Christ, which found its way into it, and was mighty to pull down strong holds in a spiritual sense: AND HEAPED UP SILVER AS THE DUST, AND FINE GOLD AS THE MIRE OF THE STREETS; the riches of these cities, especially Tyre, are often made mention of; they were famous for their wealth, being places of great trade and merchandise; see Isaiah 23:2 all which were to be holiness to the Lord, and for the sufficient feeding and durable clothing of them that dwell before him,...

As we read these ancient prophecies, we will not only notice how exactly they have been fulfilled, but we will also try to learn the lesson that they are intended to teach us. Zechariah 9:1. _The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD. And Hamath also shall border thereby, Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise. And Tyrus did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire._ Alexander the Great besieged Tyre, and utterly overthrew it. The citizens thought that their «strong hold» was impregnable, but they had at last to surrender to the mighty monarch whose attacks t

II. THE TWO PROPHETIC BURDENS--THE GREAT PROPHECIES OF THE FUTURE I. The First Burden (9-11) CHAPTER 9 _ 1. The burden of the land of Hadrach (Zechariah 9:1) _ 2. Zion's King of Peace (Zechariah 9:9) 3. The near-event of the invasion by Antiochus Ephiphanes (Zechariah 9:13; Zechariah 10:1) Zechariah 9:1. The final section of Zechariah is of still greater interest. The Deliverer, King Messiah, is revealed in this section as suffering, rejected, pierced, slain. The great finale leads us up to the

This paragraph, of which the beginning is mutilated and the text is otherwise corrupt, is written in verse, lines of three beats each, arranged in tristichs. This form of verse is unusual, the more common consisting of lines of six beats falling into two parallel members of three beats each arranged in distichs. The burden of the word of the Lord is the editorial heading (_cf._ 12:1, Malachi 1:1). The greater part of the first tristich is lost. It has been conjectured that it ran originally somewhat as follows: The Ló rd hath sé nt a wó rd, And it hath lí ghted on the lá nd of Há drach (_cf._ Isaiah 9:8) And Damá scus hath becó me its ré sting place. The land of Hadrach (probably the place called Hazrach in an Aram, inscription _c_. 800) is mentioned on the Assyrian monuments in connex