Zacarias 12
Jerome · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Zacarias 12:1
(Chapter 12, Verse 1) The burden of the word of the Lord over Israel: says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, and Judah shall be in siege against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. LXX: The Assumption of the word of the Lord upon Israel, says the Lord, stretching out the heavens and founding the earth, and forming the spirit of man within it: Behold, I will bring Jerusalem to be a threshold that is moved in a circuit by all peoples, in Judah and around Jerusalem. And there will be a siege around Jerusalem, and it will be in that day, I will make Jerusalem a stone to be trampled upon by all nations: whoever tramples upon it will mock it, and I will gather all the nations of the earth against it. There are three interpretations of this passage, from the place where we read: Behold, I will place Jerusalem as a cup of intoxication to all the peoples around, until the place where it is written (Ch. XIII, v. 7): Stir up the sword against my shepherd, and against the man who stands beside me, says the Lord of hosts: Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. Others among the Jews believe that this has already been partially fulfilled by Zerubbabel, up to C. Pompey, who was the first of the Romans to capture Judea and the temple, as Josephus writes. But others maintain that when Jerusalem has been rebuilt, it will be at the end of the world: which promise is made to the wretched Jewish people, along with their blinded shepherd, whom we read about above. But others, that is, we who are called by the name of Christ, in the Church until the end of the world, remember daily to be fulfilled and to fulfill. And lest we extend the length of the volume with details, we present it in the following way: These say this, others suspect this, we feel this way, and we have presented three opinions so that the diligent reader can understand what should be fittingly attributed to whom, based on the diversity of interpretation. Therefore, the Lord who stretched out the heavens like a skin, and solidified the earth with a high mass, and formed the spirit of man within it, is the same Creator of all souls, so that he might form one living being from two substances, the soul and the body. For the spirit is often understood as the soul, as it is said: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46). And: You will take away their spirit, and they will die and return to their dust (Psalm 104:29). Therefore, this Creator of the universe and Lord testifies that He will set Jerusalem as a threshold of stumbling for all the surrounding peoples, so that whoever touches its threshold will be intoxicated and fall, or if the threshold itself falls upon him from whom it is touched. But even Judas, besieged Jerusalem, is captured by the Gentiles, and in passing into their fellowship, he will be compelled to besiege his own metropolis. Moreover, not only will the Lord make Jerusalem a threshold of stumbling for all peoples, but He will also make it a stone of burden for all peoples, and whoever wants to lift it will be torn apart by laceration. For all the kingdoms of the earth will gather against Jerusalem. It is a custom in the cities of Palestine, and even to this day throughout all Judaea, that in villages, towns, and fortresses, large stones of great weight are placed, for young men to exercise themselves and lift them according to their strength. Some lift them up to their knees, some up to their waist, some up to their shoulders and head, and some even above their heads, demonstrating the magnitude of their strength with straight and joined hands. In the citadel of the Athenians, near the statue of Minerva, I saw a bronze sphere of immense weight, which I could hardly move due to my own weakness. When I asked what it was for, I was told by the city's inhabitants that it was used to test the strength of athletes, and no one was allowed to participate in the games until their ability to lift the weight was determined. Therefore, the meaning is this: I will set Jerusalem as a heavy stone for all nations to lift. Indeed, they will lift it up, and, according to the variety of their strength, they will devastate it; but it is necessary that, while it is being lifted up, in the very exertion and elevation of the weight, the heaviest stone leaves some crack or scrape on the bodies that are lifting it. The Church can be interpreted in this way, that all persecutors who have fought against the house of the Lord will be intoxicated by the same cup with which Jeremiah offers to drink to all nations, so that they may drink, and be intoxicated, and fall, and vomit, and go mad (Jer. XXV). I know that in a time of persecution many of our people are being forced to fight against the Church; but whoever desires to lift this burden, will indeed lift it, and with his own hands will support it, for he will not go unpunished, with the sword of the Lord fighting against him. The stone of burden, which we have interpreted as best we could, the Seventy have translated as a stone trampled on by all nations. Whoever tramples on it (that is, Jerusalem) will be mocked. The meaning is clear, that Jerusalem is to be trampled upon and mocked by both enemy nations and persecutors as they please. But the higher meaning is better and truer. We will briefly explain each point, so that we may finally come to the conclusion, lest if we have written at length, the mind of the Reader be confused by the obscurity of events and the length of the discourse. — Commentary on Zechariah
Zacarias 12:4
(Vers. 4.) On that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with dismay, and its rider with madness; but upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, and all the horses of the peoples I will strike with blindness. LXX: On that day, says the Lord Almighty, I will strike every horse with astonishment, and its rider with madness; but upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes, and all the horses of the peoples I will strike with blindness. At that time (for that is what 'day' signifies) when Jerusalem is besieged, so that even Judas is compelled to besiege it, the Lord will strike down all the enemies' horses, both carnally and spiritually, causing them to be amazed, so that all who see them being struck down will be astonished, and their riders, under the weight of their misfortune, will be driven to madness. And the Lord will open His eyes upon the house of Judah, who were being forced to do something against their own city, so that He may have mercy on them and make them worthy by His gaze and enlighten them by the light of His eyes. But He will strike down all the horses of the peoples with eternal blindness. We have already mentioned who the spiritually understanding horses are: The deceitful horse leads to salvation (Ps. 32:17). And: Some trust in chariots and some in horses (Ps. 20:8), and similar things to these. We have also called their riders, either demons or false teachers, who will all be amazed and proven to be foolish, so that they are shown to know nothing. But palpable darkness shall overwhelm them, such as when the firstborn of the Egyptians were struck down (Exod. 11). But the house of Judah, that is, the people who confess God, appears to be among the number of persecutors, broken by the anxieties of persecution and frightened by fear. The Lord will open His eyes to look upon many, saying to Himself: Look upon me and have mercy on me (Psalm 85:16), and may they deserve to hear: The Lord will be your eternal light (Isaiah 60). This is the crushing of a very heavy stone that the Lord threatens against His adversaries, who have attempted to raise up and trouble Jerusalem. — Commentary on Zechariah
Zacarias 12:5
(Verse 5) And the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts: Let the inhabitants of Jerusalem be strengthened in the Lord their God. LXX: And the tribunes, that is, the commanders, will say in their hearts: Let us find for ourselves, those who dwell in Jerusalem, in the Almighty Lord their God. When the Lord opens His eyes upon Judah and strikes all the horses of the nations with blindness, the leaders of Judah, of whom it was said above, will be besieged against Jerusalem. They will make vows in their hearts, because they will not dare to speak freely, so that Jerusalem may overcome and Judah, defeated by the enemies, may conquer with its own citizens. For this reason, as we have said, let them be strengthened, and let them translate εὐρήσομεν ἑαυτοῖς as inveniemus nobis in Latin, as it is written in Hebrew Emsa LI (), which Aquila translated as καρτέρησον μοι, that is, comfort me, so that the meaning is: The chiliarchs, tribunes, and leaders of Judea will desire, and they will make their wishes in the secret place of the mind, that God may strengthen the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord their God, and they may overcome their adversaries. According to the tropology, the apostles are the leaders and tribunes, and all the apostolic men and teachers who have been in charge of Christ's army, who would not find others for themselves except those who live in Jerusalem, in the vision of peace, and who live in the Lord Almighty their God. Among these leaders was the apostle Paul, who found Titus and Timothy, Luke and Silvanus: Peter also instructed Mark, the writer of the Gospel, and the other apostles who filled the whole world with their teaching and education, so that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would have disciples. — Commentary on Zechariah
Zacarias 12:6-7
(Vers. 6, 7.) On that day, I will make the leaders of Judah like a fiery furnace among wood, and like a burning torch among hay. They will consume all the surrounding peoples to the right and to the left, and Jerusalem will be inhabited again in its own place, in Jerusalem. And the Lord will save the dwellings of Judah, just as in the beginning, so that the glory of the house of David and the pride of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be exalted over Judah. LXX: On that day, I will make the commanders of Judah like a flaming firepot among wood, and like a burning torch among straw, and they will devour all the peoples of the Lord around them, to the right and to the left, and Jerusalem will still be inhabited in its own place, and the Lord will save the dwellings of Judah, just as at the beginning, so that the glory of the house of David may not be magnified, and the pride of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not be lifted up over Judah. When the leaders of Judah said in their hearts: Strengthen me, Lord, those who were oppressed in Jerusalem, so that those who were overcome by their own weakness may overcome with your help. Then I, the Lord Almighty their God, will make the leaders of Judah like a fiery furnace in wood, and like a torch in straw, to devour the adversaries with whom they were joined through feigned friendship. Let them devour from the right and from the left, and let them kill all the peoples around, so that Jerusalem may once again be inhabited in its place, and may not fear hostile attacks. Let the cities, towns, villages, and hamlets of the three tribes of Judaea, which were plundered and devastated, be restored as they were before being ravaged. And let not the royal house, and the distinguished and magnificent tribe of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem boast against the tribe of Judah, for it is ruled by its own authority, governed by its own counsel; but let them know that victory belongs to the Lord in both. Whether these things are according to history or they are future events, leaving the faith of the affairs to the judgment of the Lord, and to those who have received the sacred spirit of wisdom and truth from him. We say that during the time of the Church's persecution, the leaders and officers bearing the name of Christians, about whom we have spoken above, when the Lord brings peace to Jerusalem and destroys the adversary by the breath of His mouth, will be like a blazing furnace in the wood, devouring fruitless trees, and like torches in the straw, consuming whatever grain it does not have, and carried by every wind of doctrine, they will be handed over to the fire. And the princes of Judah and the officers at their right and left will devour those who refuse to walk in the middle of the road and do not know. To be excessive in wickedness, from which the people of God refrain, we will not turn to the right or to the left, but we will walk the straight path (Numbers 20). The right path is called frugality, which the Greeks call φειδολία (sparcity); the left path is luxury; the middle path is rectitude and frugality. Therefore, all those on the right path, to whom it is said: Do not be overly righteous (Ecclesiastes 7:17): and on the left, those who hear: The ways that turn to the left are perverse (Proverbs 4:27), the devouring flame will consume, and with the enemies defeated and removed, Jerusalem, that is the Church, will regain its former glory and be in its proper state, and the tents of Judah will be saved, while the gatherings of Christians scattered throughout the world, which we desire to leave like tents and tabernacles for the house that is not made by human hands, and for the heavenly Jerusalem. Therefore, the dwellings of the common people and everyone who is called by the name Christian, and who are considered in the public eye, received the old peace when the princes of the Churches were besieged and turned to flight, so that the masters and teachers do not think that it was due to their own teaching and wisdom, but that peace was restored to the Churches by the help of the Lord. — Commentary on Zechariah
Zacarias 12:8
(Verse 8.) On that day, the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and there will be those among them who stumble on that day, like David. The house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. LXX: And on that day, the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and the one who is weak among them on that day will be like the house of David; and the house of David will be like the house of God, and the angel of the Lord before them. With Judah achieving victory, and the Lord restoring its tents as they were in the beginning, so that the royal house does not boast against the people, on that day and at that time, the Lord (whose help Judah will use to devour its adversaries on the right and on the left) will also protect the besieged Jerusalem; and things will change to such great happiness and blessedness, that the one who was considered lowly will be like a royal house; and the one who was from the royal house will be like a house of God, that is, like a messenger of the Lord and of angelic dignity before those who are saved at that time. According to the anagogy: The Lord will protect the inhabitants of the Church, with peace restored to the Churches after the most severe persecution, when it will also be adorned with the interpretation of its own name: for Jerusalem is expressed as the vision of peace. And blessed will be those who fought for the Church, and confessed the Lord in persecution: so that even the least among them, who may have sinned and offended in some way, should be placed in the order of masters: and let the masters who have kept their rank be like the house of God, and like the angel of the Lord; for this is what we strive for with all our effort, placed on earth, and sweating with various labors, so that we may be transformed into angelic glory. — Commentary on Zechariah
Zacarias 12:9
(Verse 9) And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications. LXX: And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem, and I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of mercy. In that day, when the Lord protects the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Lord will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. But He will crush not for destruction, but for correction, so that they may cease to wage war against Jerusalem and begin to be of Jerusalem. For if He created all things out of nothing, He did not create them in order to destroy what He created; but so that through His mercy, those things which were created may be saved. Hence, in the book of Wisdom, which is attributed to Solomon (if anyone, however, is pleased to receive the book), we find it written: He created all things that they might exist, and the generations of the world might be preserved; and there will be no deadly poison for them (Wisdom 1). For just as the Lord came to seek what was lost and saved the human race, so he also destroyed the nations, because the nations were adversaries. Therefore it follows: I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and mercy. Concerning this grace, Paul also writes: The love of God has been poured out into our hearts (or yours) through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Rom. V, 5). And in the aforementioned volume it is contained: Who shall explore the things that are in heaven, unless you have given wisdom, and sent your Holy Spirit from on high? And thus the paths of those who are on earth have been corrected, and men have been taught what pleases you (Wisdom 9:16). And in Isaiah God speaks: I have given my Spirit upon you (Isaiah 42:1). And again, the same Scripture mentions: I have given my Spirit upon him (ibid). However, the word effusion implies a sense of abundance or generosity, as is evident in what we have said: 'The love of God has been poured out into our hearts' (Romans 5:5). And in another place, speaking as if in the person of God, it is said: 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people' (Joel 2:28). The Apostle also speaks of the spirit of grace in his letter to the Hebrews: 'How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?' (Hebrews 10:29). And the Holy Spirit is said to have different graces. And the greeting of the Apostle: Grace (he says) be multiplied unto you, and peace (I Tim. I, 1): that after he hath forgiven us our sins, then peace may by mercy follow. These things the Jews partly already accomplished, and more fully commemorate in the consummation of the world. But we understand and approve that they are daily fulfilled after the advent of Christ. — Commentary on Zechariah
Zacarias 12:10
(Vers. 10.) And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him, as one grieves over a firstborn. LXX: And they shall look upon me, because they have insulted me; and they shall mourn over him with mourning, as over a dearest one; and they shall grieve with sorrow, as over a firstborn. The Hebrew letters Daleth and Res, that is, D and R, are similar and are distinguished only by a small mark. From which it happens that the same word, when read by different people, is translated differently. Let us give one example for the sake of understanding: And the clothing, he says, was a Linen Ephod (I Sam. II, 18), that is, a linen garment, for linum is called 'linen': hence, Baddim are called 'linen garments'. In the Hebrew and Latin language, some read Ephod Bar wrongly: for Bar can mean either 'son', 'bundle of grain', 'chosen', or 'curly'. What happened there due to an error in interpretation, we have also detected here. For if it is read as Dacaru (), it is understood to mean 'they pierced or nailed', but if the order is reversed, with the letters transposed, it is understood to mean 'they danced', as Racadu (). And the error arose due to the similarity of the letters. However, the beloved disciple John, who drew wisdom from the heart of the Lord and was a Hebrew among the Hebrews (John 19), did not greatly care about what the Greek letters contained; but he translated word for word, as he had read it in Hebrew, and said that it was fulfilled at the time of the Lord's passion. But if someone does not accept it, let him bear witness, from whom John has brought forth these words in the place of the Holy Scriptures: and when he does not find, he will be forced to accept the truth with ingratitude. But the Jews will mourn as over an only begotten and firstborn, signifying the same in the Lord Savior, both only begotten and firstborn. He is called only begotten, because of the nature's property: Firstborn, according to the Apostle, of those who rise from the dead (Colossians 1). For the only-begotten, most beloved, the Septuagint translated, about whom we read in the Gospel: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Then they will grieve for having crucified Him when they see Him reigning in glory. The word κατωρχήσαντο, among the Greeks, is composed not from illusion, but from dance, namely that they danced against the Lord as if in jest, when they said in jest and laughed: Ah! You who destroy the temple, and in three days rebuild it: save yourself, coming down from the cross (Matthew 15:29, 30). They were speaking these and other mocking words, and dancing with a certain madness and mockery. — Commentary on Zechariah
Zacarias 12:11-12
(Verse 11, 12.) On that day there will be great lamentation in Jerusalem, like the lamentation of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land will mourn, family by family: the families of the house of David separately, and their women separately (for the Hebrew word Nese, that is, γυναῖκες, signifies both). The families of the house of Nathan separately, and their women separately. The families of the house of Levi separately, and their women separately. The families of the house of Shimei separately, and their women separately. All the remaining families, each family separately, and their women separately. LXX: In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning for a bitter fruit that is cut down in the field, and the land will mourn by tribes and tribes: the tribe of David separately, and their women separately; the tribe of the house of Judah separately, and their women separately; the tribe of the house of Nathan separately, and their women separately; the tribe of the house of Levi separately, and their women separately; the tribe of Simeon separately, and their women separately; all the remaining tribes separately, and their women separately. Adadremmon, for which LXX translated as Rhoonos, is a city near Jerusalem, which was once called by this name and is now called Maximianopolis in the field of Megiddo, where Josiah, a just king, was wounded by Pharaoh Nechao (2 Kings 23:29). It is on this occasion that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations, which are read in the Church, and the book of Chronicles testifies that he wrote them (2 Chronicles 35). Just as at that time, after wicked kings, all the people's hope was in Josiah, and when he was killed, a great mourning was stirred in the city, as we read in Hebrew: The spirit of our mouth, the Lord Christ, was taken captive in our sins, to whom we said: In your shadow we will live among the nations (Lamentations 4:20) (although others, according to spiritual understanding, relate this to the Lord Jesus). In the same way, with the crucified Savior, mourning will be renewed in Jerusalem, just as it once was in the city of Adadremmon, in the field of Megiddo. And what follows: Families and families, or tribes and tribes separately: the families of the house of David separately, and their wives or women separately. This signifies that in times of tribulation and mourning we should not be concerned with marriage and wedding ceremonies. Hence in Joel, when captivity was near, it is said to the Jews: Let the bridegroom come out of his chamber, and the bride out of her room (Joel 2:16). And with the flood approaching, Noah is commanded: Enter into the ark, you and your sons, and your wife, and the wives of your sons (Gen. VII, 1). And afterwards, when the flood had ended, it is said to him: Come out, you and your wife, and your sons, and their wives (Gen. VIII, 16), so that those who were separated in the ark during the impending danger could be restored to the world and serve the future generation and their children. And this not only happens in times of distress, but also in times of prayer: when we want to supplicate the Lord, as the Apostle says to the Corinthians: Do not defraud one another, unless perhaps by agreement for a limited time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer (I Cor. VII, 5). Therefore, now the three houses of David, and the three houses of Nathan, and the three houses of Levi, and the three houses of Semei, are separated from their wives: so that they may mourn the only-begotten and first-born Lord Jesus, of whom it was said: His blood be upon us, and upon our children (Matt. 27:25). In the royal house of David, the tribe of Judah is included. In the prophetic order, the house of Nathan is described. The house of Levi pertains to the priests, from whom the priesthood originated. In Semei, teachers are accepted: for from this tribe swarms of masters have sprung up. He is silent about the other tribes, which do not have any privilege of dignity. In that which he says, 'All the other tribes, each tribe separately, and their wives separately, he includes them all without naming them. Let us say, according to the Septuagint, it is called a grove, not one tree of pomegranates, that is, of the pomegranate tree, but a place planted with these trees, about which the Bridegroom says, according to the spiritual understanding, in the Song of Songs: I went down to see in the generative stream if the vineyard had blossomed, if the pomegranates had blossomed (Song of Songs 6:10).' For the Savior descended to the stream of this world and its troubled waters, from which even in the type of him Elias is said to have drunk (III Kings 17): so that after the flowers of the vineyard and the fruit of the pomegranate tree, he might receive both, and, inebriating his Church, be heard by her, saying: 'You will give me to drink the wine of aromatics, of pomegranates of my orchard.' (Song of Solomon 8:2). Such a potion not only drives away the heat of the stomach, but is also said to heal a corrupted bowel and benefit the other viscera. Nothing is more beautiful than this apple; in its redness, it signifies the modesty of the Church: in the order of its seeds, it represents the degrees and members of the whole body, distributed through individual functions. When the Savior did not find fruit on such a vineyard and on the apple tree, he will say: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2). And in another place, John the Baptist proclaims: And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees (Matthew 3:10). Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Luke 3:9). In the gathering of vices or evils, when on the day of judgment all the names of dignities will be set aside, and that which is written will be fulfilled: Behold the man and his works (Matthew 3, Luke 3); and the chaff separated from the wheat, there will be great mourning not in another place, but in Jerusalem. For indeed the plague and judgment will begin with the saints, and kings and priests and prophets and teachers will strike their chests with their hands when they see that the most beautiful evils have been cut down, and the one whom they had pierced reigning in the majesty of the Father and his own (1 Peter 4). — Commentary on Zechariah