Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Zechariah 9:1
A historical reference excerpt for this verse.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.
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 the Lord”; a carrying of it about: which was made in the land of Hadrach; this is either the name of a man; of some king, as Aben Ezra observes; and some Jewish writersf166 say the King Messiah, who is dj “sharp” to the nations of the world, and Ær “tender” to the Israelites: or rather the name of a place, and may design Syria, to which Damascus belonged; (see <230708>Isaiah 7:8) or some place near it: says R. Josef167, “I am of Damascus, and I call heaven and earth to witness that there is a place there, the name of which is Hadrach.” Hillerusf168 takes it to be the same with Coelesyria, or hollow Syria, a vale which lay between Libanus and Antilibanus, and goes by many names; the same that is called Hoba, (<011415>Genesis 14:15) the plain of Aren, and the house of Eden, (Amos 1:5) and here Hadrach; and thinks it had its name from Hadar, a son of Ishmael, (<012515>Genesis 25:15) and observes what is said, (<012518>Genesis 25:18), that the “Ishmaelites dwelt from Havilah”, which is to the south of Palestine, “unto Shur”, a town situated over against Egypt, “as you go to Assyria”; that is, to the Agra of Ptolemy in Susiana. The Targum renders it “in the land of the south.” There was a city in Coelesyria, called Adra by Ptolemyf169; which, as Jerom saysf170, was distant from Bostra twenty five miles; since called the city of Bernard de Stampis; where were Christian churches in the fourth and fifth centuries, whose bishops were present at councils held in those timesf171; and, according to this prophecy, here the word of the Lord was to be published; and it may have respect to the conversion of the inhabitants of it in future times: though some take it to be not the proper name of a place, but an appellative, and render it, “the land about”, or “the land about thee”f172; that is, about Judea; the nations round about it, particularly Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine. And Damascus [shall be] the rest thereof; either of the Lord himself; his glorious Shechinah shall rest there, as Kimchi interprets it; and so the Targum paraphrases it, “and Damascus shall be converted, that it may be of the house of his Shechinah;” (see <231110>Isaiah 11:10) or of the word of the Lord, which should be declared and published there, as it was by the Apostle Paul, who was converted near it, and preached in it, (<440903>Acts 9:3,19,20) or of Hadrach, or the adjacent country: unless it is to be understood of the burden of the Lord resting on it, or of the taking of this city in the times of Alexander the great; which, with the destruction of the cities after mentioned, some make a type or symbol of the abolition of Paganism in the Roman empire; but the former sense seems best. When the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall] be towards the Lord; or, “when the eye…
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