Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Zechariah 5:9
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, etc.] This is not a new vision, but a continuation of the former, as appears from the “ephah” seen in it: and, behold, there came out two women; out of the same place the “ephah” did. The Targum explains these “two women” by two provinces; and Kimchi interprets them of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who had been carried captive into Babylon; and others of the two kings, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, who were the cause of the captivity; but Jarchi understands by them the Babylonians and Chaldeans, two nations as one, joined in Nebuchadnezzar’s armies, which carried them captive: others think the two reformers, Ezra and Nehemiah, are meant, who were instruments of purging the Jews, returned from captivity, though but weak ones, and therefore are compared to “women”; yet what they did they did swiftly, and therefore are said to have “wings”, and under the influence of the Spirit of God; hence the “wind”, or “spirit”f103, is said to be in their wings; and they acted from a tender regard to the glory of God and the good of their country; and therefore their wings were like the “wings of a stork”; a bird of passage, as appears from (<240807>Jeremiah 8:7) and so a fit emblem to be used in the transportation of the “ephah”; of whom Plinyf104 says, from whence they come, and whither they betake themselves, is yet unknown; and adds, there is no doubt that they come from afar; as it is plain they must, if that relation be true, which seems to have good authority, that one of these creatures, upon its return to Germany, brought a green root of ginger with it; which must come from the eastern part of the world; from Arabia, or Ethiopia, or the East Indies, where it growsf105: and as it is a bird that takes such long flights, it must have wings fitted for such a purpose; and which are taken notice of in (<183913>Job 39:13) to which the wings and feather of the ostrich are compared; for so Bochartf106 there renders the word, “the wing of the ostriches rejoices, truly the wing” as of “a stork, and the feather”; or, as others, “who gave wings to the stork and ostrich?” both remarkable for their wings: and Vatablus renders the word here an “ostrich”; which, according to Plinyf107, is the largest of birds, and almost as big as a beast. In Ethiopia and Africa they are taller than a horse and his rider, and exceed the horse in swiftness; and their wings seem to be given them to help them in running; but which are not sufficient to lift them much above the earth, and so can not be meant here; but rather the stork, whose wings are black and white; and when they fly, they stretch out their necks forwards, and their feet backwards, and with these direct their course; when a tempest rises, standing on both feet, they spread their wings, lay their bill upon their breast, and turn their face that way the storm comesf108. The Targum renders it an eagle, which is the swiftest of birds, and whose wings are very strong to bear anything upon them, as they do their young, to which the allusion is, (<053211>Deuteronomy 32:11) and so, if meant here, to lift up and bear away the ephah between the earth and the heaven; but the word is never used of that bird. The Harpies or Furies, with the Heathens, are represented, as women having wingsf109 as these women are said to have; but these are very different women from them. Though some think the Romans, under Vespasian and Titus, are intended; but it may be that the two, perfections o…
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