1The establishment of Christ's kingdom; 3the peace of it. 6The restoration, 11and victory of the church.
1BUT ina the 1last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the 2top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
a Isa. 2:2, etc.
1 In the time of the New Testament, or, of the coming of the promised Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. See Isa. 2:2, 3, 4, 5, where this prophecy is recorded almost in the very same words. See the annotations there.
2 Hebr. head.
2And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3¶And he shall judge among 3many people, and 4rebuke strong nations 5afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,b and their spears into pruninghooks: 6nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
3 Or, great.
4 Or, punish.
5 Unto the ends of the earth. See Psalm 2:8, with the annotation.
b cutting blades of a plough
6 Hebr. nation against nation shall lift up no sword.
47But they shall sit every man under his vinec and under his fig tree; and 8none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath 9spoken it.
7 By these metaphorical figures of speech (taken from 1 Kings 4:25) it is portrayed the spiritual trust and the peace of conscience which the church of Christ has through faith in Him; of which the state of Solomon’s kingdom was a type. Compare Psalm 72:7, etc.; Zech. 3:10.
c 1 Kings 4:25.
8 Compare Lev. 26:5, 6; Isa. 11:6, etc.
9 Therefore it shall surely come to pass.
5For 10all people will walk every one in the name of his 11god, and 12we will walk in the 13name of the LORD our God 14for ever and ever.
10 Other nations, which do not submit to the obedience of Christ.
11 That is, idols. Compare Jonah 1:5.
12 We, who are of Christ’s church and who believe in Him, and follow Him.
13 That is, religion, service, prayer, faith, confidence, etc. See 1 Kings 8 on verse 16; 2 Kings 2 on verse 24.
14 That is, both in this life and in that to come.
6In that day, saith the LORD, will I assembled her 15that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have 16afflicted;
d Deut. 30:3, 4, 5.
15 Who shall have sat in affliction and suffering for a long time. See Psalm 35:15; Jer. 20:10; Zeph. 3:19, with the annotations. The Hebrew words halting, driven out are put in the feminine case. Understand the daughters of Zion, from verse 8, that is, the remnant of the Jewish church.
16 Hebr. done ill, that is, had ill-treated, and vexed.
7And I will 17make here that halted a 18remnant, and her that was cast far off a 19strong nation: and the LORD 20shall reignf over them in mount Zion from 21henceforth, even for ever.
17 Hebr. set or put.
e Zeph. 3:19.
18 Insomuch that a part of the Jews, or Israel, shall believe in and be saved by the Messiah. See Rom. 11:5.
19 By the calling and addition of the Gentiles, as verses 1, 2.
20 Or, shall be King.
f Dan. 7:14; Luke 1:33.
21 That is, from the time that the LORD executes this work of grace, that is, there shall be no end of His Kingdom, as Luke 1:33. Likewise Isa. 9:7.
8¶And thou, O 22tower of the flock, the 23strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the 24first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the 25daughter of Jerusalem.
22 Hebr. Migdal-Eder, which some take it to be the place mentioned in Gen. 35:21, whereabouts Jacob pitched his tents, situated close by, or within Jerusalem. Others understand it of a tower built upon the sheep gate, spoken of in Neh. 3:1, 32. See there, and understand by this and the next mentioned place Jerusalem itself, and consequently the church of God, Christ’s sheep fold.
23 Hebr. ophel, that is, hill. See 2 Chron. 27:3; 33:14; Neh. 3:26, 27. It may be that the church of God or the spiritual Jerusalem has both these names given her in regard of the strength and firmness of the sheep fold of Christ, and the exultation or excellence of the church in the world. See Mat. 5:14, 16.
24 The Kingdom of Christ, the Kingdom of heaven, the church, whose King is Christ, typified in the past by the kingdom of David, and especially by the flourishing and peaceable kingdom of Solomon. Compare verse 4, with the annotation.
25 That is, of the people, of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that is, of the church.
9Now why dost 26thou 27cry out aloud? is there no 28kingg in thee? is thy 29counseller perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.
26 Thou halting daughter of Zion.
27 Hebr. crying cry, or, cry with crying, that is, make such a noise of groans and complaints, on account of the sufferings that shall first happen to you.
28 As if God would say: It shall nevertheless appear as if ye had neither King nor Counselor left, when ye shall be carried away into the Babylonian captivity; but your King is not lost, therefore He shall in due time come forth again, and re-establish His Kingdom among you.
g Jer. 8:19.
29 Compare Isa. 9:6 on the word Counseller.
10Be in pain, and labour 30to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for 31now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the 32field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the 33LORD shall redeem thee from the 34hand of thine enemies.
30 When a woman is in labor to bring forth her fruit into the world, there is a reason for it. It must first be so, but the issue shall be happiness. Compare Isa. 26:17, 18, 19.
31 That is, ere long. See Hosea 10 on verse 3. Likewise Micah 5:4; 7:10.
32 Straying and wandering forth out of your land, and be scattered abroad.
33 As evidence that your King is safe still, and to typify or shadow forth the spiritual redemption and the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ, the true and only Redeemer and Ransomer of His people. See Gen. 48:16; Job 19:25; Isa. 59:20.
34 Hebr. palm.
11¶Now also many nations are gathered against 35thee, that say, Let her be 36defiled, and let our eye 37look upon Zion.
35 O Zion, or daughter of Zion.
36 By bloodshed, abuse, plunder, and all manner of destruction. See Num. 35:33; Psalm 106:38, and compare Ezek. 7:21, with the annotation.
37 Namely, our wish or delight in their ruin and destruction. Compare Psalm 22 on verse 17.
12But 38they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the 39sheaves into the floor.h
38 The heathen, Jerusalem’s enemies.
39 After He shall have made use of the enemies for the chastening and humbling of His people by them, then shall He execute a terrible judgment upon those enemies. Compare Isa. 21 on verse 10; Jer. 51:33; Joel 3:13, 14, with the annotations.
h Jer. 51:33.
1340Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will 41make thine 42horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their 43gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lordi of the whole earth.
40 To trample and to destroy your oppressors and enemies through the power of thy Head and King Jesus Christ. Compare Isa. 41:15, 16.
41 Hebr. put or set, and so in the sequel.
42 That is, to make thy power unconquerable. See Deut. 33 on verse 17.
43 This refers to the use of what was banned of a nation, at which time the people were destroyed, and their goods belonged to the Lord. See Deut. 2 on verse 34; Joshua 6:17, 18, 19, and compare further Zech. 14:20.
i Zech. 4:14; 6:5.