6 The black H7838 horses H5483 which are therein go forth H3318 into the north H6828 country; H776 and the white H3836 go forth H3318 after H310 them; and the grisled H1261 go forth H3318 toward the south H8486 country. H776
Then the LORD H3068 said H559 unto me, Out of the north H6828 an evil H7451 shall break forth H6605 upon all the inhabitants H3427 of the land. H776 For, lo, I will call H7121 all the families H4940 of the kingdoms H4467 of the north, H6828 saith H5002 the LORD; H3068 and they shall come, H935 and they shall set H5414 every one H376 his throne H3678 at the entering H6607 of the gates H8179 of Jerusalem, H3389 and against all the walls H2346 thereof round about, H5439 and against all the cities H5892 of Judah. H3063
Set up H5375 the standard H5251 toward Zion: H6726 retire, H5756 stay H5975 not: for I will bring H935 evil H7451 from the north, H6828 and a great H1419 destruction. H7667
O ye children H1121 of Benjamin, H1144 gather yourselves to flee H5756 out of the midst H7130 of Jerusalem, H3389 and blow H8628 the trumpet H7782 in Tekoa, H8620 and set up H5375 a sign H4864 of fire in Bethhaccerem: H1021 for evil H7451 appeareth H8259 out of the north, H6828 and great H1419 destruction. H7667
Behold, I will send H7971 and take H3947 all the families H4940 of the north, H6828 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 and Nebuchadrezzar H5019 the king H4428 of Babylon, H894 my servant, H5650 and will bring H935 them against this land, H776 and against the inhabitants H3427 thereof, and against all these nations H1471 round about, H5439 and will utterly destroy H2763 them, and make H7760 them an astonishment, H8047 and an hissing, H8322 and perpetual H5769 desolations. H2723
For this is the day H3117 of the Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts, H6635 a day H3117 of vengeance, H5360 that he may avenge H5358 him of his adversaries: H6862 and the sword H2719 shall devour, H398 and it shall be satiate H7646 and made drunk H7301 with their blood: H1818 for the Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts H6635 hath a sacrifice H2077 in the north H6828 country H776 by the river H5104 Euphrates. H6578
And I looked, H7200 and, behold, a whirlwind H7307 H5591 came H935 out of the north, H6828 a great H1419 cloud, H6051 and a fire H784 infolding H3947 itself, and a brightness H5051 was about H5439 it, and out of the midst H8432 thereof as the colour H5869 of amber, H2830 out of the midst H8432 of the fire. H784
Then the heaven H8064 and the earth, H776 and all that is therein, shall sing H7442 for Babylon: H894 for the spoilers H7703 shall come H935 unto her from the north, H6828 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
And behold H718 another H317 beast, H2423 a second, H8578 like H1821 to a bear, H1678 and it raised up H6966 itself on one H2298 side, H7859 and it had three H8532 ribs H5967 in the mouth H6433 of it between H997 the teeth H8128 of it: and they said H560 thus H3652 unto it, Arise, H6966 devour H399 much H7690 flesh. H1321 After H870 this H1836 I beheld, H1934 H2370 and lo H718 another, H317 like a leopard, H5245 which had upon H5922 the back H1355 of it four H703 wings H1611 of a fowl; H5776 the beast H2423 had also four H703 heads; H7217 and dominion H7985 was given H3052 to it.
And a mighty H1368 king H4428 shall stand up, H5975 that shall rule H4910 with great H7227 dominion, H4474 and do H6213 according to his will. H7522 And when he shall stand up, H5975 his kingdom H4438 shall be broken, H7665 and shall be divided H2673 toward the four H702 winds H7307 of heaven; H8064 and not to his posterity, H319 nor according to his dominion H4915 which he ruled: H4910 for his kingdom H4438 shall be plucked up, H5428 even for others H312 beside those. And the king H4428 of the south H5045 shall be strong, H2388 and one of his princes; H8269 and he shall be strong H2388 above him, and have dominion; H4910 his dominion H4475 shall be a great H7227 dominion. H4474 And in the end H7093 of years H8141 they shall join themselves together; H2266 for the king's H4428 daughter H1323 of the south H5045 shall come H935 to the king H4428 of the north H6828 to make H6213 an agreement: H4339 but she shall not retain H6113 the power H3581 of the arm; H2220 neither shall he stand, H5975 nor his arm: H2220 but she shall be given up, H5414 and they that brought H935 her, and he that begat H3205 her, and he that strengthened H2388 her in these times. H6256
So the king H4428 of the south H5045 shall come H935 into his kingdom, H4438 and shall return H7725 into his own land. H127
And at the time H6256 of the end H7093 shall the king H4428 of the south H5045 push H5055 at him: and the king H4428 of the north H6828 shall come against him like a whirlwind, H8175 with chariots, H7393 and with horsemen, H6571 and with many H7227 ships; H591 and he shall enter H935 into the countries, H776 and shall overflow H7857 and pass over. H5674
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Zechariah 6
Commentary on Zechariah 6 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 6
The two kingdoms of providence and grace are what we are all very nearly interested in, and therefore are concerned to acquaint ourselves with, all our temporal affairs being in a necessary subjection to divine Providence, and all our spiritual and eternal concerns in a necessary dependence upon divine grace; and these two are represented to us in this chapter-the former by a vision, the latter by a type. Here is,
Zec 6:1-8
The prophet is forward to receive this vision, and, as if he expected it, he turned and lifted up his eyes and looked. Though this was the seventh vision he had had, yet he did not think he had had enough; for the more we know of God and his will, if we know it aright, the more desirous we shall be to get a further acquaintance with God. Now observe here the sight that the prophet had offour chariots drawn by horses of divers colours, together with the explication of the sight, v. 1-5. He did not look long before he discovered that which was worth seeing, and which would serve very much for the encouraging of himself and his friends in this dark day. We are very much in the dark concerning the meaning of this vision. Some by the four chariots understand the four monarchies; and then they read (v. 5), These are the four winds of the heavens, and suppose that therein reference is had to Dan. 7:2, where Daniel saw, in vision, the four winds of the heavens striving upon the great sea, representing the four monarchies. The Babylonian monarchy, they think, is here represented by the red horses, which are not afterwards mentioned, because that monarchy was now extinct. The second chariot with the black horses is the Persian monarchy, which went forth northward against the Babylonians, and quieted God's Spirit in the north country, by executing his judgments on Babylon and freeing the Jews from their captivity. The white, the Grecians, go forth after them in the north, for they overthrow the Persians. The grizzled, the Romans, who conquered the Grecian empire, are said to go forth towards the south country, because Egypt, which lay southward, was the last branch of the Grecian empire that was subdued by the Romans. The bay horses had been with the grizzled, but afterwards went forth by themselves; and by these they understand the Goths and Vandals, who with their victorious arms walked to and fro through the earth, or the Seleucidae and Lagidae, the two branches of the Grecian empire. Thus Grotius and others.
But I incline rather to understand this vision more generally, as designing to represent the administration of the kingdom of Providence in the government of this lower world. The angels are often called the chariots of God, as Ps. 68:17; 18:10. The various providences of God concerning nations and churches are represented by the different colours of horses, Rev. 6:2, 4, 5, 8. And so we may observe here,
Zec 6:9-15
God did not only at sundry times, but in divers manners, speak in time past by the prophets to his church. In the former part of this chapter he spoke by a vision, which only the prophet himself saw; here, in this latter part, he speaks by a sign, or type, which many saw, and which, as it was explained, was an illustrious prediction of the Messiah as the priest and king of his church. Here is,