Zechariah 1:9

Zec 1:9 Then said I, O my lord, what [are] these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these [be].

Ver. 9. Then said I, O my Lord, what are these?] Thus the prophets inquired and searched diligently (as saith St Peter (ερευνωντες), 1Pe 1:11), for the truth of things, as hunters seek for game, and as men seek for gold in the very mines of the earth; who, not content with the first ore that offered itself to their view, dig deeper and deeper till they are owners of the whole treasure. See Pro 2:4; and rest not till ye see that blissful sight, Eph 1:18-19.

And the angel that talked with me] Or, in me, as the Vulgate rendereth it. This was some created angel, who might reveal things to the prophet by working on the phantasy and spirit, by way of information and instruction, as Dan 9:21 Luk 1:11 Rev 1:1.

I will show thee what these be] How ready are the holy angels to serve the saints, Heb 1:14, rejoicing more in their names of office than of honour, of employment than preferment, to be called angels, that is, messengers, or internuncios, than principalities, thrones, dominions, Eph 1:20; accounting it better to do good than to be great, to dispense God’s benefits than to enjoy them. Hence they are with and about the saints, as their companions, guides, protectors, monitors, and rulers of their actions, as here.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Zec 1:9-11. Then said I, O my Lord, what are these — What is the meaning of these appearances, or visions? And the angel that talked with me said — “This was another heavenly minister, sent, probably, to present the visions to the prophet’s imagination, as well as to explain them. Angelus comes et interpres, “an accompanying angel and interpreter.” And under his direction the prophet receives satisfactory information from the month of the first angel and his attendants.” — Blayney. I will show thee what these be — “I will cause that it shall be explained to thee by the angel who stands first among the myrtles. This may have been done by a sign given to that angel, or by words omitted in the relation.” — Newcome. And the man that stood among the myrtle-trees — This was an angel of an order superior to him mentioned in the preceding verse, who either prevents that angel, and takes upon him to return an answer to the prophet’s question, or else sends his answer to Zechariah by that angel, as Christ sent his revelation to St. John by an angel, Rev 1:1. These are they whom the Lord hath sent — They are the messengers or ministering spirits of Jehovah. And they — The rest of the angels, implied at the end of Zec 1:8, and who came after the first; answered, We have walked to and fro through the earth — We have been diligent to execute that office which was allotted to us. And behold all the earth sitteth still, &c. — This must be understood here, and in many other places, in a restricted sense, for all the nations with whom the Jews had a connection. It means here chiefly the Persian empire, which enjoyed peace at that time. But the state of the Jews was unsettled: see Zec 1:16: which circumstance gives occasion to the following intercession.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. The prophet, who does not understand the vision (compare Amo_7:1-9), seeks an explanation.

O my lord — The one here addressed must be the person who replies, the heavenly interpreter.

The angel that talked with me — He is the constant companion of the prophet throughout the entire series of visions; his office is to interpret to Zechariah what he sees and hears (Zec_1:9; Zec_1:13-14; Zec_1:19; Zec_2:3; Zec_4:1; Zec_4:4-5; Zec_5:10; Zec_6:4; see Introduction, p. 599).

I will show thee — The angel does not promise a direct answer, but assures the prophet that an explanation will be given.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

the angel that talked with me--not the "man upon the red horse," as is evident from Zac 1:10, where he (the Divine Angel) is distinguished from the "angel that talked with me" (the phrase used of him, Zac 1:13-14; Zac 2:3; Zac 4:1, Zac 4:4-5; Zac 5:5, Zac 5:10; Zac 6:4), that is, the interpreting angel. The Hebrew for "with me," or, "in me" (Num 12:8), implies internal, intimate communication [JEROME].

show thee--reveal to thy mental vision.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 9. O my lord, what are these] The angel here mentioned was distinct from those mentioned in the eighth verse; he who talked with the prophet, Zec 1:13.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(9) O my lord.—This is addressed to “the angel that talked with me,” or, perhaps, in me, according as we regard him as discharging the office of the Virgil of Dante, or the Daimon of Socrates (but, see Lawes’ History of Philosophy). LXX., ὁ λαλῶν ἐν ἐμοί. This is the angel-interpreter, whose office it was to interpret the visions (Zec_1:18; Zec_2:3; Zec_4:1; Zec_4:4-5; Zec_5:5-10; Zec_6:4), and who is often referred to simply as “he.”

I will shew thee.—viz., by the word of “the man who stood among the myrtles.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

9. O my lord] This question is addressed to the interpreting angel, of whose presence we are for the first time made aware by the fact that he replies to it.

the angel that talked with me] This is the title by which this angel is distinguished throughout the visions: Zec_1:13-14 (where the A. V. has “communed with me”), 19, Zec_2:3, Zec_4:1; Zec_4:4-5, Zec_5:10, Zec_6:4. The phrase has been variously interpreted. Some would render “in me,” “in that that angel formed in the spirit and imaginative power of Zechariah phantasms or images of things which were foreshown him, and gave him to understand what those images signified.” Others take it to mean “by me,” “the prophet being the channel through whom the divine revelations were made.” But there is no reason to depart from the rendering of the A. V., which accurately describes the office of the angel as actually discharged by him in explaining the visions, and which is supported by Hebrew usage. Comp. Num_12:8, where it is difficult to understand how God should speak “face to face,” either “in,” or “by,” a man.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then said I, O my Lord,.... These are the words of the Prophet Zechariah to the angel that showed him this vision:

what are these? what is the meaning of this vision? particularly who are meant by the horses, red, speckled, and white, and those upon them?

And the angel that talked with me; who seems to be different from the Angel of the Lord, the man among the myrtle trees, Zac 1:8 he was one of the ministering spirits; see Rev 17:1,

said unto me, I will show thee what these be; that is, give an interpretation of the vision, and point out the persons intended by the horses.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

What are these? - He asks, not who, but what they import.

The angel that talked with me - Literally, “spake in me.” The very rare expression seems meant to convey the thought of an inward speaking, whereby the words should be borne directly into the soul, without the intervention of the ordinary outward organs. God says to Moses, “If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make Myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak (literally) in him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so - In him will I speak mouth to mouth Num 12:6-9;” and Habakkuk says of the like inward teaching, “I will watch to see, what He will speak in me” . It is the characteristic title of one attendant-angel, who was God’s expositor of the visions to Zechariah (Zec 1:13-14, Zec 1:19, (Zec 2:2 Hebrew) Zec 2:3; (7) Zec 4:1, Zec 4:4-5; Zec 5:5, Zec 5:10; Zec 6:4). Dionysius: “By his ministry God showed me things to come, in that that angel formed in the spirit and imaginative power of Zechariah phantasms or images of things which were foreshown him, and gave him to understand what those images signified.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Then; so soon as he had seen and observed. Said I; Zechariah.

O my Lord: this was Christ the Lord of hosts.

What are these? what is the meaning of these appearances or visions?

The angel; Christ, the Angel of the covenant; so I take this Angel, that promiseth to inform the prophet, to be the same that appears, a man on the red horse among the myrtles.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

O my lord. The prophet speaks to the angel of the Lord, who answers briefly, and is succeeded by the interpreting angel. What are these? Not "who," but "what;" i.e. what do they signify? (comp. Amo_7:8) That talked with me; literally, as the LXX and Vulgate, that spake in me. So vers. 13, 14, and in the following visions. Hence some regard the expression as intimating a communication borne inwardly to the soul without the aid of external organs, or that the angel overpowered and influenced the prophet as the evil spirit possessed the demoniac. But the same term is used, as Dr. Wright points out, in the sense of to commune with a person, (Num_12:6, 8 1Sa_25:39) and to speak to a person. (Hos_1:2; and perhaps Hab_2:1) It may, however, be that the angel of the Lord presented matters objectively, and the prophet"s own angel interpreted subjectively. But the Authorized Version is probably correct. I will show thee. This he does through the chief angel (ver. 10).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

O my Lord - This was Christ, the Lord of hosts. What are these - What is the meaning of these appearances. The angel - Christ, the angel of the covenant.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

angel

(See Scofield "Heb 1:4").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And I said to one angel who showed me all this. “What are these, my lord?” He was the one riding on the red horse.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.