Zechariah 9:14

Zec 9:14 And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

Ver. 14. And the Lord shall be seen over them] Shall be conspicuous among them; he shall appear for them in the high places of the field, he shall make bare his arm, and bathe his sword in blood. How many do you reckon me at? said Antigonus to his soldier’s, when they feared the multitudes of their enemies. May not God say so much more to his? Hath ever any waxed fierce against him and prospered? If he but arise only, his enemies shall be scattered, and those that hate him shall flee before him, Psa 68:1.

His arrow shall go forth with the lightning] Here the former matter is illustrated by many lofty tropes and allusions either to those ancient deliverances at the Red Sea, and against the Canaanites and Philistines, by thunders, lightning, and tempest, or else, as Calvin rather thinks, to the terrible delivery of the Law, with thunderings and lightnings, and sound of trumpets, to the great amazement of the people, insomuch as Moses himself said, "I exceedingly fear and quake." He confers Hab 3:3-5, and further allegeth that Teman, here rendered the South, was the same with Sinai, and lies south from Judaea. Lightning, thunder, and whirlwinds are a part of God’s armies, which he can draw forth at his pleasure against his enemies. Such things as these happened often times in the wars of the Maccabees. And how the Lord mightily assisted his apostles, whose arrows went forth as the lightning, swiftly, suddenly, irresistibly, and whose thunder gave a loud alarm to all nations, I need not relate, Paulum quotiescunque lego, non verba mihi audire videor sod tonitrua.

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.

9:14 appear above his people: Zechariah borrows the image of a winged sun disk that artists pictured as protectively hovering over the Persian king. The Lord will protect Israel, go before them in battle, and show them his power. • The ram’s horn issues a summons (Num 10:2-3, 7-10; Isa 27:13) and declares God’s presence and power (Exod 19:19; 20:18). • The whirlwind depicts God as a warrior of devastating power and unpredictable swiftness (Ps 77:18; Isa 21:1; 29:6; 66:15). References to lightning bring Mount Sinai to mind (Exod 19:16) and with it God’s covenant promises to Israel.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Another image: "Jehovah shall be seen (conspicuously manifesting His power) over them" (that is, in behalf of the Jews and against their foes), as formerly He appeared in a cloud over the Israelites against the Egyptians (Exo 14:19, Exo 14:24).

his arrow . . . as . . . lightning--flashing forth instantaneous destruction to the foe (Psa 18:14).

blow . . . trumpet--to summon and incite His people to battle for the destruction of their foe.

go with whirlwinds of the south--that is, go forth in the most furious storm, such as is one from the south (Isa 21:1). Alluding, perhaps, to Jehovah's ancient miracles at Sinai coming "from Teman" ("the south," in the Margin).

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 14. The Lord shall be seen over them] Shadowing and refreshing them, as the cloud did the camp in the wilderness.

His arrow shall go forth as the lightning] They shall be conquered in a way that will show that God fights for his followers.

The description here is very sublime; we have a good imitation of it in Nonnus: -

Και τοτε γαιαν ἁπασαν επεκλυσεν ὑετιος Ζευς,

Πυκνωσας νεφεεσσιν ὁλον πολον· ουρανιη γαρ

Βρονταιοις παταγοισι Διος μυκησατο σαλπιγξ.

NONN. DIONYS., lib. 6. ver. 229.

"When heaven's dread trumpet, sounding from on high,

Breaks forth in thunders through the darken'd sky;

The pregnant clouds to floods of rain give birth.

And stormy Jove o'erwhelms the solid earth."

J. B. B. C.

In these two verses there is a fine image, and an allusion to a particular fact, which have escaped the notice of every commentator. I must repeat the verses:

Zec 9:13: When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.

Zec 9:14: And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrows shall go forth like lightning.

The reader will consult what is said on Ho 7:16, relative to the oriental bow, which resembles a [figure "C"] in its quiescent state, and must be recurved in order to be strung. Here, Judah is represented as the recurved bow; Ephraim, as an arrow placed on the string, and then discharged against the Javanites or Greeks with the momentum of lightning; the arrow kindling in its course through the air, and thus becoming the bolt of death to them against whom it was directed.

Volat illud, et incandescit eundo,

Et quos non habuit, sub nubibus invenit ignes.

"It flies apace; and, heating, mounts on high,

Glows in its course, and burns along the sky."

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

He goes on with the same subject, but explains what I have said — that victory is promised to the Jews, not that which they could gain by their own power, but that which should happen to them beyond their expectation; for this is what is meant when he says, that God would be seen over them. For though the events of all wars depend on God, yet he is said to be seen where there is a remarkable victory, which cannot be accounted for by men. When unequal armies engage, it is no wonder when one becomes victorious; and it may sometimes be that a less number overcomes a greater, even because it exceeded the other in courage, in counsel, in skill, or in some other way, or because the larger army fought from a disadvantageous position, or trusting in its own strength rushed on inconsiderately. But when consternation alone dejects one party and renders the other victorious, in this case the power of God becomes evident. And even heathens have thought that men are confounded from above when courage fails them; and this is most true. We now then understand why the Prophet says, that God would be seen over the Jews, even because they would conquer their enemies, not by usual means, not after an earthly manner, but in a wonderful way, so that it would appear evident to be the work of God.

He then adds, Go forth shall his arrow as lightning. He again repeats and confirms what we have already observed that there would be no movement among the Jews, no celerity, but what would be like the sword, which lies quiet on the ground, except it be taken up by the hand of man, and what also would be like the arrow, which can do no harm except it be thrown by some one. We then see that the victory mentioned before is ascribed to God alone. And for the same reason he adds what follows, that Jehovah would come with the shout of a trumpet, and also, with the whirlwind of the south. In a word, he means that the work of God would be evident when the Jews went forth against the enemies by whom they had been oppressed and would still be oppressed. That they might not then compare their own with their enemies’ strength, the Prophet here brings God before them, by whose authority, guidance, and power this war was to be carried on. And then, that he might extol God’s power, he says, that he would come with the shout of a trumpet, and with the whirlwind of the south

Interpreters take the whirlwinds of the south simply for violent storms; for we know that the most impetuous whirlwinds arise from the south. But as the Prophet joins the whirlwinds of the south to the shout of a trumpet, he seems to me to allude to those miracles by which God showed to the Jews in a terrific manner his power on Mount Sinai, for the desert of Teman and Mount Paran were in that vicinity. We have seen a similar passage in the third chapter of Habakkuk Habakkuk 3:1, “God,” he said, “shall come from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.” The Prophet’s object was to encourage the Jews to entertain hope; for God, who had long concealed himself and refrained from helping them, would at length come forth to their aid. How? He reminded them in that passage of the records of ancient history, for God had made known his power on Mount Sinai, in the desert of Teman, and it was the south region with regard to Judea; and we also know that trumpets sounded in the air, and that all this was done that the Jews might reverently receive the law, and also that they might feel certain that they would be always safe under God’s hand, since he thus shook the elements by his nod, and filled the air with lightnings and storms and whirlwinds, and also made the air to ring with the shouts of trumpets. It is for the same reason that the Prophet speaks in this passage, when he says, that God would make himself known as formerly, when he astonished the people by the shouts of trumpets, and also when he appeared in whirlwinds on Mount Sinai. He then adds —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(14) Shall be seen over them.—Perhaps better, on their behalf shall He manifest Himself.

Of the south.—Whence the most violent storms frequently came from over the desert. (Comp. Psa_21:1.)

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

14. whirlwinds of the south] which were the most vehement and destructive. Isa_21:1; Job_37:9.

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.

And the Lord shall be seen over them,.... His apostles and ministers: or, "shall appear to them" (q); and be seen by them, as he was in the days of his flesh; they saw his person, his miracles, his sorrows, and sufferings; they saw him after his resurrection, and some have seen him since his ascension, with the eyes of their bodies, as well as with the eyes of their understandings; and so were fit to be witnesses of him: or, "the Lord shall appear over them", or "upon them" (r); he was seen over, and above them, when he ascended up to heaven; and upon them, by the descent of his Spirit on them at the day of Pentecost, and in other miraculous gifts bestowed upon them: or, "the Lord shall appear unto", or "for them" (s); by giving strength of body, and fortitude of mind; by protecting and preserving them, and by succeeding their labours:

and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: meaning the Gospel, and the swift progress of it, as well as the light it communicates, and the glory that goes along with it, and the efficacy of it:

and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet; of the Gospel, so called, in allusion to the jubilee trumpet, which proclaimed liberty to servants, and restoration of inheritances: or to the trumpets made for the congregation of Israel to gather them together, and to express their joy at feasts: or to the trumpet used to proclaim war, and as an alarm for it; and this was blown by the Lord himself in person when here on earth, and by his ministers in his name:

and shall go with whirlwinds of the south; that is, the Lord in the ministration of the Gospel shall go forth with the efficacy and energy of the Spirit: the Spirit is compared to "wind", because he works in a sovereign way where he listeth, and oftentimes imperceptibly, and ever powerfully; and to the "south" wind, because that brings warmth, serenity, and calmness, produces rain, and makes fruitful; and he it is which makes the Gospel efficacious; see Sol 4:16.

(q) "aderit illis", Vatablus, Drusius. (r) "Super cos", V. L. Calvin; "super eis", Montanus, Piscator; "super illis", Cocceius. (s) So the particle is sometimes used; see Noldius, p. 690, 703.

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

And the Lord shall be seen over them - o “He will reveal himself,” protecting them. Cyril: “He says plainly, that the Lord God will be with them and will fight in serried array with them and will with them subdue those who resist them.” It is as if he would say, “When they go forth and preach everywhere, the Lord shall work with them and confirm the word with signs following” Mar 16:20. “And His arrow shall go forth as the lightning.” Habakkuk directly calls the lightnings the arrows of God: “at the light of Thine arrows they went” . Here it is probably of an invisible agency, and so compared to that awful symbol of His presence, the lightning.

And the Lord God shall blow with the trumpet - As their Commander, ordering their goings. The blowing of the trumpet by the priests in war was commanded, as a reminiscence of themselves before God, “If ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets, and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies” Num 10:9. Abijah said, “God Himself is with us for our captain, and His priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you” 2Ch 13:12.

And shall go with whirlwinds of the south - As being the most vehement and destructive. So Isaiah, “As whirlwinds in the south sweep by, He cometh from a desert, from a terrible land” Isa 21:1. Such smote the four corners of the house where Job’s children were , and they perished.

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

Seen. God miraculously interposed in favour of the Machabees, and his angels appeared at their head, 1 Machabees ii. 22., and v. 2., and x. 29., and xi. 8., and xv. 15. A handful of men thus routed vast armies, and asserted their independence, avenging religion and the state, which they restored to greater splendour. --- South, whence storms usually arise in that country, Job xxxvii. 9. The angels confounded the enemy, 1 Machabees x. 30.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The Lord, the Almighty God, the God of Israel, Lord of hosts,

shall be seen over them; shall manifestly appear for them by his works of power against their enemies.

His arrow; alluding to warriors, that then used the bow: God’s judgments, which slew his church’s enemies, were swift, irresistible, and sudden in striking and killing them.

Shall go forth as the lightning; which breaks forth with violence, and runs from east to west in a moment, which is very terrible many times.

The Lord God; their God, the God of Israel,

shall blow the trumpet, give the alarm to them to provide for the war, sound the call to bring them together, and the march also for their moving, and sound the charge too; God will infuse new courage, and give directions.

And shall go, in the head of them as Captain-general,

with whirlwinds, with fury and strength like that of whirlwinds,

of the south, in which the mightiest whirlwinds are raised; or whirlwinds of Teman: some think the prophet alludes to the tempest about Sinai at the delivery of the law, when all Israel, and Moses too, quaked for fear, Deu 5:23-25; yea, quaked exceedingly, and desired to see no more such sight.

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

14. Jehovah himself will take a hand in the conflict.

Shall be seen — Better, manifests himself.

Over them — Over the sons of Zion; he comes from heaven and fights for them (Psa_24:8; Hab_3:11). The imagery of the description is borrowed from the thunderstorm (compare Psa_18:7-15).

His arrow — Compare Zec_9:13.

As the lightning — Lightning flashes are called the arrows of Jehovah (Psa_18:14); here his arrow Ephraim (Zec_9:13) is likened, in speed and destructiveness, to lightning.

Trumpet — Better, horn (see on Hos_5:8). Jehovah gives the signal to advance; then he himself rushes, at the head of his forces, against the enemy.

With whirlwinds of the south — Instead of with we should perhaps read like, which involves the interchange of two similar letters, that are confused in other places in the Old Testament. The storms coming from the south, from across the broad desert, are peculiarly severe (compare Isa_21:1; Job_37:9). Some have thought that there is here an allusion to the south (Sinai) as the original dwelling place of Jehovah, from which he was thought to proceed to assist his people (see on Hab_3:3; compare Jdg_5:4-5).

Zec_9:15 contains a vivid description of the bloody conflict. The sons of Zion need have no fear, for Jehovah will be their shield.

Devour,… drink — Like wild beasts they will fall upon their enemies to consume their flesh and drink their blood. A picture of utter destruction (compare Num_23:24).

Subdue with sling stones — R.V., “tread down the sling stones.” A.V. follows LXX. in taking sling stones as an instrumental accusative; they will subdue the enemies by the use of sling stones. However, the Revisers are probably correct in taking sling stones as the object. They may be regarded as representing all the missiles and weapons that are hurled by the enemies; these the sons of Zion will disregard entirely and trample under foot, and thus they will subdue the enemy and make a complete end of him (compare Job_41:28). Drink is separated from devour, so as to bring it into close connection with the next clause, with which it is logically connected.

Make a noise as through wine — They roar, as if they were intoxicated, in wild excitement over the wonderful triumph. The close connection of this clause with the preceding would be brought out more clearly if it were rendered as a circumstantial clause, “They shall drink, while making a noise as through wine.”

And they shall be filled like bowls — The bowls in which the blood of the sacrificial victims was caught (Exo_38:3; Num_4:14). As these are filled with the blood of sacrificial animals, so the Jews will be filled with the blood of their enemies.

As the corners of the altar — The reference is not to the putting of blood on the horns (Exo_29:12), but to the sprinkling of blood against the altar (Lev_1:5; Lev_1:11). According to rabbinical tradition this was done in such a manner that the four sides were covered with two sprinklings. In order to do this the bowls containing the blood had to be swung against two opposite corners with considerable force; therefore the corners and the space on either side of them were covered most thickly. To be covered with blood is a symbol of triumph (Isa_63:1-3).

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

The Lord shall be seen over them. To encourage the chosen people in the contest, the Lord shall make iris presence manifest as their Leader. His arrow. God"s arrows are the judgments which he inflicts upon his enemies, which come forth suddenly as the lightning flash, and cannot be avoided. (Psa_18:14 Hab_3:11) Shall blow the trumpet. As the signal of battle and calamity. (Num_10:9 Jud_1:7:19, 20 Eze_7:14 Amo_3:6 Zep_1:16) Whirlwinds of the south. He shall come upon the enemy and sweep them away with irresistible force. Storms from the south were the most violent, coming from the Arabian desert. (Job_37:9 Isa_21:1 Hos_13:15) Septuagint, Poreusetai en salw apeilhv autou ," He shall go in the surge of his menace."

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

Shall be seen - Shall manifestly appear for them. His arrow - His judgments, swift, irresistible, and sudden. As the lightning - Which breaks forth with violence, and runs from east to west in a moment. The Lord God - Their God, the God of Israel, shall give the alarm to them, and sound the call to bring them together. Of the south - In which the mightiest whirlwinds are raised; some think the prophet alludes to the tempest at the delivery of the law.

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

General Information:

In verses 14-16, Zechariah describes how Yahweh will rescue Israel from their enemies.

will appear to them

The word "them" refers to God's people. AT: "will be seen in the sky by his people" or "will come to his people"

his arrows will shoot out like lightning!

The Israelites sometimes thought of lightning bolts as arrows that God shot. (See: Simile)

blow the trumpet

The trumpets were rams' horns. People blew into them to give signals in battle and on other occasions. Here the trumpet is blown as a military signal.

will advance with the storms from Teman

Team was located to the south of Judah. The Israelites sometimes thought of God as traveling on violent storms coming from the south. AT: "will march from Teman with the storm winds"

they will devour them

"the people of Judah will devour their enemies"

will devour

To completely defeat enemies is spoken of as devouring them as a wild animal eats its prey. AT: "will completely defeat" (See: Metaphor)

defeat the stones of the slings

Slings to throw stones were a common weapon in the days of Zechariah. Here the "stones of the slings" represent the soldiers who were using them to attack Israel. AT: "defeat the enemies who attack them with slings and stones" (See: Metonymy)

Then they will drink and shout like men drunk on wine

The people of Judah will shout and celebrate their victory over their enemies as if they were noisy drunks. AT: "Then they will shout and celebrate their victory as loudly as if they were drunk" (See: Simile)

they will be filled with wine like bowls

This probably refers to the bowls that the priests used to carry animal's blood to the altar. AT: "they will be as full of wine as the basins with which priests carry blood to the altar" (See: Simile and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

like the corners of the altar

Altars had projecting corners that were drenched in animal blood. AT: "they will be drenched as the corners of the altar are covered in blood" (See: Simile and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

Yahweh

Lord Yahweh

trumpet

Yahweh of hosts

devour

wine

altar

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And the Lord shall appear over them In the book of Josippon (chap. 18), we find that at that time a sign appeared to the people of Jerusalem.

shall sound the shofar He shall thunder.

and He shall go with the whirlwinds of the south To storm the people of the south; they are the Greeks. And some of our Sages interpreted [the phrase] as referring to Edom in the future.

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.