Commentary on Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah and Malachi John Calvin (continued)
Zechariah 6
Zechariah 6:1-3
1. And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
1. Et conversus sum, et levavi oculos meos, et aspexi; et ecce quatuor quadrigae egressae e mdio duorum montium; et montes illi, montes aenei.
2. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
2. In quadriga prima equi rufi, et in quadriga secunda equi nigri,
3. And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.
3. Et in quiadriga tertia equi albi, et in quadriga quarta equi grandinei. (vel, varii; ,{}םיצומאrobusti, sed potius subscribo eorum sententiae qui vertunt subrufos.)
Here we have another vision; and the Prophet distinguishes it from the former visions by saying, that he turned, as though he had said, that there had been some intervening time. They were not then continued visions, but he turned himself elsewhere, and then he raised up his eyes, and the Lord revealed to him what he now relates. But as the vision is obscure, interpreters have given it different meanings.
They who think that the four Gospels are designated by the four chariots, give a very frigid view. I have elsewhere reminded you, that we are to avoid these futile refinements which of themselves vanish away. Allegories, I know, delight many; but we ought reverently and soberly to interpret the prophetic writings, and not to fly in the clouds, but ever to fix our foot on solid ground. Others think that those changes are meant which we know happened in Chaldea and Assyria. As Nineveh was overthrown that Babylon might be the seat of the empire, they suppose that this is meant by the first chariot, the horses of which were red. Then they think that the Persian empire is intended by the second chariot, as the Jews had at the beginning suffered many grievous evils. Afterwards by the white horses are signified, as they suppose,