Commentary on Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah and Malachi John Calvin (continued)
Zechariah 9
Zechariah 9:1
1. The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord
1. Onus sermonis Iehovae in terra Chadrak, et Damascus quies ejus; quia ad
Iehovam oculus hominis et omnium tribuum Israel.
One thing had escaped my notice in the words of the Prophet --- that great people and strong nations would come. We have said that ``great'' rather than ``many'' ought to be adopted. The latter meaning may indeed be allowed that the worshipers of God would come from various cities; but as the word {,}עצומיםotsumim properly signifies strong, and as it is certain that the Prophet means the same thing by the two words, it is more probable that he speaks of strong and valiant people, as they are not so easily subdued; for the more any one excels in prowess, the more stiff is his neck to undertake the yoke. As then the strong and the brave, and such as are eminent in the world, are not so easily brought to submit to God, the Prophet expressly says, that they shall become teachable, and be made willing, so that pride, as it is usually the case, shall not be a hindrance to them. 246
I come now to the passage in which the Prophet announces a heavy burden, or a severe and fearful prophecy respecting Syria and other neighboring nations. I prefer to retain the word ``burden,'' rather than to render it prophecy, as many expositors have done; for though {,}משאmesha, is sometimes taken simply for prophecy, yet there is here, as it appears to me, something particular intended; for the Prophet denounces God's judgment both on Syria and on the surrounding countries, and the word prophecy is not suitable; for to say ``the prophecy of the word,'' would 246There seems to be no good reason for considering the two adjectives as describing the same thing. On the contrary, the reverse is most probable. Their number as well as their character is evidently here set forth; they were "many," and "strong," or mighty or powerful. The Septuagint and Jerome render the word "many," and so do most interpreters. — Ed.