OF THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
Z E C H A R I A H.
THIS
prophet was colleague with the prophet Haggai, and a worker together
with him in forwarding the building of the second temple
(Ezra 5:1);
for two are better than one. Christ sent forth his disciples two and
two. Zechariah began to prophesy some time after Haggai. But he
continued longer, soared higher in visions and revelations, wrote more,
and prophesied more particularly concerning Christ, than Haggai had
done; so the last shall be first: the last in time sometimes
proves first in dignity. He begins with a plain practical sermon,
expressive of that which was the scope of his prophesying, in the
Zechariah 1:1-5;
but afterwards, to the end of
Zechariah 6:1-15,
he relates the visions he saw, and the instructions he received
immediately from heaven by them. At
Zechariah 7:1-14,
from an enquiry made by the Jews concerning fasting, he takes occasion
to show them the duty of their present day, and to encourage them to
hope for God's favour, to the end of
Zechariah 8:1-23,
after which there are two sermons, which are both called burdens of
the word of the Lord (one begins with
Zechariah 9:1-17,
the other with
Zechariah 12:1-14 ),
which probably were preached some time after; the scope of them is to
reprove for sin, and threaten God's judgments against the impenitent,
and to encourage those that feared God with assurances of the mercy God
had in store for his church, and especially of the coming of the
Messiah and the setting up of his kingdom in the world.
Matthew Henry "Verse by Verse Commentary for 'Zechariah' Matthew Henry Bible Commentary".
.