Zechariah 9:1

“The burden of the word of the Lord, etc.] A prophecy, as in (<203101>Proverbs 31:1) which is sometimes of things sorrowful and distressing, as the destruction of people, as in (<233101>Isaiah 31:1 15:1 17:1 19:1 21:1,11) and sometimes of things joyful, as in (<381301>Zechariah 13:1) and here it contains good news to the church of Christ, (<380909>Zechariah 9:9), etc.; and is called a “burden”, because the word of the Lord is often so to carnal men; (see <242333>Jeremiah 23:33-39) the words may be rendered, a “declaration”, or “a publication”, of “the word of the Lord”f165; it signifies a publishing of it or bringing it forth; and so the Arabic version renders it “a revelation of the word of…”

“NINTH TO FOURTEENTH CHAPTERS ARE PROPHETICAL. (Zec. 9:1-17) in . . . Hadrach--rather, concerning or against Hadrach (compare Isa 21:13). "Burden" means a prophecy BURDENED with wrath against the guilty. MAURER, not so well, explains it, What is taken up and uttered, the utterance, a solemn declaration. Hadrach--a part of Syria, near Damascus. As the name is not mentioned in ancient histories, it probably was the less-used name of a region having two names ("Hadrach" and "Bikathaven," Amo 1:5, Margin); hence it passed into oblivion. An ancient Rabbi Jose is, however, stated to have expressly mentioned it. An Arab, Jos. Abassi, in 1768 also declared to MICHAELIS that there was then a town of…”

“The burden - o of the word of the Lord in (or, upon) the land of Hadrach The foreground of this prophecy is the course of the Victories of Alexander, which circled round the holy land without hurting it, and ended in the overthrow of the Persian empire. The surrender of Damascus followed first, immediately on his great victory at the Issus; then Sidon yielded itself and received its ruler from the conqueror, Tyre he utterly destroyed; Gaza, we know, perished; he passed harmless by Jerusalem. Samaria, on his return from Egypt, he chastised. It is now certain that there was a city called Hadrach in the neighborhood of Damascus and Hamath, although its exact site is not known. “It was first…”

“Hadrach - This is the name of a city in Celosyria, and here signifies the country also. It was not far from Damascus. The rest thereof - This burden shall lie long as well as heavy on Damascus. Towards the Lord - For as all men's appeals in cases of wrong are to heaven, so they who have been wronged by Syrian injustice, look to heaven for right. Zechariah 9:2”

“9:1–14:21 The second part of Zechariah stands apart from the first in several ways. Zechariah 9–14 is distinctively apocalyptic, combining cryptic historical allusions with futuristic visions. The messages alternate between threats of judgment for other nations and promises of deliverance for Israel. The section contains no explicit references to Zechariah, but uses God’s direct speech. The messages probably date from a later period in Zechariah’s ministry. 9:1–11:17 This is the message: This is the superscription (introductory heading) for the entire section; it includes the technical term message (or oracle, burden), a prophetic pronouncement of judgment; the use of this word invests the…”

“Cir, am 3494, bc 510 burden: Isa 13:1; Jer 23:33-38; Mal 1:1 Damascus: Gen 14:15; Isa 17:1-3; Jer 49:23-27; Amo 1:3-5, Amo 3:12 the rest: Zac 5:4; Isa 9:8-21 when: Zac 8:21-23; Ch2 20:12; Psa 25:15; Isa 17:7, Isa 17:8, Isa 45:20-22, Isa 52:10; Psa 145:15; Jer 16:19 Zechariah 9:2”

“Judgment upon the Land of Hadrach; and Zion's King of Peace. - Zac 9:1. The true interpretation of this section, and, in fact, of the whole prophecy, depends upon the explanation to be given to the heading contained in this verse. The whole verse reads thus: "Burden of the word of Jehovah over the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting-place; for Jehovah has an eye upon the men, and upon all the tribes of Israel." There is a wide divergence of opinion concerning the land of חדרך. We need not stop to give any elaborate refutation to the opinion that Hadrach is the name of the Messiah (as some Rabbins suppose), or that it is the name of an unknown Syrian king (Ges., Bleek), or of an…”