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Text -- Zechariah 14:20 (NET)
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Written as it were on every common thing.
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Wesley: Zec 14:20 - -- Their persons shall bear the dedicating inscription of holiness to the Lord, and by their study of holiness they shall make good their motto.
Their persons shall bear the dedicating inscription of holiness to the Lord, and by their study of holiness they shall make good their motto.
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Wesley: Zec 14:20 - -- Which were used in the kitchens of the temple, and were not accounted so sacred as the utensils near the sacrifices, and altar.
Which were used in the kitchens of the temple, and were not accounted so sacred as the utensils near the sacrifices, and altar.
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Wesley: Zec 14:20 - -- Which received the blood of the sacrifices, were esteemed more holy; so shall thy holiness in these days exceed the holiness of those former days.
Which received the blood of the sacrifices, were esteemed more holy; so shall thy holiness in these days exceed the holiness of those former days.
JFB: Zec 14:20 - -- Namely, this inscription, "Holiness to the Lord," the same as was on the miter of the high priest (Exo 28:36). This implies that all things, even the ...
Namely, this inscription, "Holiness to the Lord," the same as was on the miter of the high priest (Exo 28:36). This implies that all things, even the most common, shall be sacred to Jehovah, and not merely the things which under the law had peculiar sanctity attached to them. The "bells" were metal plates hanging from the necks of horses and camels as ornaments, which tinkled (as the Hebrew root means) by striking against each other. Bells attached to horses are found represented on the walls of Sennacherib's palace at Koyunjik.
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JFB: Zec 14:20 - -- The vessels used for boiling, for receiving ashes, &c., shall be as holy as the bowls used for catching the blood of the sacrificial victims (see on Z...
The vessels used for boiling, for receiving ashes, &c., shall be as holy as the bowls used for catching the blood of the sacrificial victims (see on Zec 9:15; 1Sa 2:14). The priesthood of Christ will be explained more fully both by the Mosaic types and by the New Testament in that temple of which Ezekiel speaks. Then the Song of Solomon, now obscure, will be understood, for the marriage feast of the Lamb will be celebrated in heaven (Rev. 19:1-21), and on earth it will be a Solomonic period, peaceful, glorious, and nuptial. There will be no king but a prince; the sabbatic period of the judges will return, but not with the Old Testament, but New Testament glory (Isa 1:26; Eze. 45:1-25) [ROOS].
Clarke: Zec 14:20 - -- Upon the bells of the horses - They appear, formerly, to have had bells on horses, camels, etc., as we have now, to amuse the animals, and encourage...
Upon the bells of the horses - They appear, formerly, to have had bells on horses, camels, etc., as we have now, to amuse the animals, and encourage them in their work. In some very fine Asiatic paintings now before me, I see bells both on horses, mules, and camels; little bells tied to their legs, and larger ones about their necks, particularly in the representation of a caravan passing through the valley of serpents, in the island of Serendib, now Ceylon. The margin reads bridles
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Clarke: Zec 14:20 - -- Holiness Unto The Lord - As the Gospel is a holy system, preaching holiness and producing holiness in those who believe, so all without, as well as ...
Holiness Unto The Lord - As the Gospel is a holy system, preaching holiness and producing holiness in those who believe, so all without, as well as within, shall bear this impress; and even a man’ s labor shall be begun and continued, and ended in the Lord; yea, and the animals he uses, and the instruments he works with, shall be all consecrated to God through Christ
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Clarke: Zec 14:20 - -- The pots - "The meanest utensil in the house of God, Neh 10:29, shall be as the vessels of silver, and gold used in solemn sacrifice; they shall be ...
The pots - "The meanest utensil in the house of God, Neh 10:29, shall be as the vessels of silver, and gold used in solemn sacrifice; they shall be like the bowls before the altar."- See Newcome.
Calvin -> Zec 14:20
Calvin: Zec 14:20 - -- Zechariah teaches us in this verse, that God would become the king of the world, so that all things would be applied to his service, and that nothing...
Zechariah teaches us in this verse, that God would become the king of the world, so that all things would be applied to his service, and that nothing would be so profane as not to change its nature, so as to be sanctified for the service of God. This is the import of the whole. There is some obscurity in the words; but interpreters for the most part have been led astray, because they have not sufficiently attended to the design of the Prophet; and thus they have wrested the words to their own views, while they did not understand the subject.
There will be, he says, an inscription on the shades or head coverings of horses, Holiness to Jehovah. No interpreters have perceived that there is here an implied comparison between the mitre of the high priest and all profane things; for since the high priest was a type of Christ, there was inscribed on his tiara, Holiness to Jehovah,
What now does the Prophet mean? There shall be, he says, that inscription which the high priest bears on his head, Holiness to Jehovah; there shall be, he says, this inscription on the stables of the horses
As to the word
The meaning then is, that no place was so profane which would not be made holy when God reigned through the whole world. But if any one prefers trappings, or warlike harness, I do not object; for this view also is not unsuitable. Nothing is less holy than to shed human blood; and hence the Scripture says, that their hands are polluted who justly slay an enemy in war; not because slaughter is of itself sinful, but because the Lord intended to strike men with terror, that they might not rashly commit slaughter. It would not then ill suit this place to say, that the Lord would make holy the trappings of horses, so that nothing disorderly would hereafter be done in war, but that every one putting on arms would acknowledge God to be a judge in heaven, and would not dare, without a just cause, to engage with his enemy.
Ridiculous and puerile is what Theodore says in the first book of his Ecclesiastical history. He quotes this passage, and says that it was fulfilled when Helena, the mother of Constantine, adorned the trappings of a horse with a nail of the cross; for her purpose was to give this to her son as a sort of charm. One of those nails by which she thought Christ was crucified, she put in the royal diadem; of the other she caused the bit of a bridle to be made, or according to Eusebius, to be partly made; but Theodore says that the whole was made of it. These are indeed rank trifles; but yet I thought proper to refer to them, that you might know how foolish that age was. Jerome indeed rejects the fable; but as it was believed by many, we see how shamefully deluded at that time were many of those who were accounted the luminaries of the Church. I now return to the words of the Prophet.
He says, that upon the stables, or upon the trappings of the horses, there would be this inscription — Holiness to Jehovah —
But most go astray in supposing that the trappings would be made into pots; for the Prophet meant another things that holiness would exist among men in peace as well as in war, so that whether they carried on war, or rested at home, whether they ate or drank, they would still offer a pure sacrifice to God, both in eating and drinking, and even in warfare. Such then is the view we ought to take of the Prophet’s words — that all the pots in the house of Jehovah shall be like the vessels before the altar; that is, “whatever has hitherto been profaned by the intemperance and luxuries of men, shall hereafter become holy, and be like the vessels of the temple itself.”
Jerome philosophises here with great acuteness, as the Prophet intimated that the sacrifices offered under the law would be of no account, because God would no longer require the fat of beasts, nor any of the ritual observations, but would desire only prayers, which are the sacrifices approved by him; and hence he renders
We now see that what Zechariah meant was this — that God would so claim the whole world as his own, as to consecrate men and all their possessions wholly to his own service, so that there would be no longer any uncleanness, that whether they ate or drank, or engaged in war, or undertook any other work, all things would be pure and holy, for God would always be before their eyes. Let us proceed -
TSK -> Zec 14:20
TSK: Zec 14:20 - -- shall there : Pro 21:3, Pro 21:4; Isa 23:18; Oba 1:17; Zep 2:11; Mal 1:11; Luk 11:41; Act 10:15; Act 10:28, Act 11:9, Act 15:9; Rom 14:17, Rom 14:18; ...
shall there : Pro 21:3, Pro 21:4; Isa 23:18; Oba 1:17; Zep 2:11; Mal 1:11; Luk 11:41; Act 10:15; Act 10:28, Act 11:9, Act 15:9; Rom 14:17, Rom 14:18; Col 3:17, Col 3:22-24; Tit 1:15, Tit 1:16; 1Pe 4:11
bells : or, bridles, Exo 28:33-35
HOLINESS : Exo 28:36, Exo 39:30; Lev 8:9; Psa 110:3; 1Co 3:16, 1Co 3:17; 1Pe 2:5, 1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6; Rev 5:10, Rev 20:6
and the : Lev 6:28; 1Sa 2:14; Eze 46:20-24
the bowls : Zec 9:15; Exo 25:29, Exo 37:16; Num 4:7, Num 4:14, Num 7:13, Num 7:19, Num 7:84, Num 7:85; 2Ch 4:8 *marg.
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collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Zec 14:20
Barnes: Zec 14:20 - -- In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the Lord - He does not say only, that they should be consecrated to God,...
In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the Lord - He does not say only, that they should be consecrated to God, as Isaiah says of Tyre, "Her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord"Isa 23:18; he says that, "the bells of the horses,"things simply secular, should bear the same inscription as the plate on the high priest’ s forehead. Perhaps the comparison was suggested by the bells on the high priest’ s dress ; not the lamina only on his forehead, but bells (not as his, which were part of his sacred dress), bells, altogether secular, should be inscribed with the self-same title, whereby he himself was dedicated to God.
Holiness to the Lord - He does not bring down what is sacred to a level with common things, but he uplifts ordinary things, that they too, should be sacred, as Paul says, "whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"1Co 10:31.
And the pots of the Lord’ s house shall be like bowls before the altar - The pots are mentioned, together with other vessels of the Lord’ s house Eze 38:3; 1Ki 7:45; 2Ki 25:14; 2Ch 4:11, 2Ch 4:16; Jer 52:18-19, but not in regard to any sacred use. They were used, with other vessels, for dressing the victims 2Ch 35:13 for the partakers of the sacrifices. These were to be sacred, like those made for the most sacred use of all, "the bowls for sprinkling,"whence, that sacrificial blood was taken, which was to make the typical atonement.
Poole -> Zec 14:20
Poole: Zec 14:20 - -- In that day when the nations are converted to God, as it is Zec 14:16 .
Shall there be upon the bells of the horses written as it were on every com...
In that day when the nations are converted to God, as it is Zec 14:16 .
Shall there be upon the bells of the horses written as it were on every common thing; such as the bells, bridles. or collars, or stables of horses; in these very things, i.e. the use of them, they should make it appear they were for God and for his worship, wheresoever these things may serve or promote it.
Holiness unto the Lord: this was the inscription on the rich mitre of the Jewish high priest, denoting the great holiness of his office, and how lie was dedicated to God, and that he ought to keep himself holy in all things, especially in things of Divine worship. Now in these days of the gospel, when Gentiles are converted to Christ, made priests unto God, are made holy nations, a royal priesthood, the grace of God shall so abound and prevail, that common, ordinary things in the hands of Christians, much more their persons, shall hear the dedicating inscription of
Holiness to the Lord and by their study of holiness they shall make good their motto.
The pots which were used in the kitchens of the temple, for the use of the priest, and were not accounted so sacred as the utensils nearer to the sacrifices and altar.
Shall be like the bowls which received the blood of the sacrifices, and retained it, until the ministering priest had finished his service, and sprinkled it as commanded: now these, as appropriated to be used nearer to the altar, were more esteemed as more holy; so should holiness in these days spoken of exceed the holiness of those former days.
MALACHI
THE ARGUMENT
Concerning this prophet, some have thought (but without good and sufficient ground) that he was an angel in the form of a man; others think him to be Ezra; but as it is the plainer, so the surer, opinion that he was a prophet of that name, and a man distinct from Ezra, and sent the last of all the prophets. His time of appearing among the Jews cannot be determined precisely, but it is best guessed to have been about the times of Nehemiah’ s reforming the strange marriages, Neh 13:23,28 , with Mal 2:11 , and when he reformed the sacrilegious detaining of tithes, Neh 13:10,11 , with Mal 3:8 , as Doctor Lightfoot observeth. Now this reformation of Nehemiah was about A.M. 3519, as Doctor Lightfoot, or 3545, as Helvicus, or 3589, as Archbishop Usher’ s Annals. Whatever was his time of appearing, it is certain he lived in a very vicious age, in which priests as well as people were leavened with either perverse thoughts of the Divine Providence, or brutish atheism, denying the Deity and Providence, contemptuous thoughts of the worship of God, sacrilegious practices, robbing God of tithes and offerings, shameless justifying these their practices, boundless or monstrous unfaithfulness to their wives, casting off Jewish to marry Gentile wives, or else superinducing the Gentile women, and enslaving the Jewish to them; casting off the law of God, or, which is equally bad, if not worse, wresting it to their own sinful sentiments. All which he doth severely reprove, and requires them to reform, and foretells the day of the Messiah’ s coming to sit as a refiner and purifier; whose appearing such sinners and sins would not be able to bear; and tells them of his forerunner, who in the spirit and power of Elias should come, and prepare a people for the Messiah: till then, (as their duty was,) he commands them in the name and by authority from God, that they remember the law of Moses, which God commanded in Horeb; hereby intimating some great change in the law at the coming of the Messiah; and intimating also, that they should expect no more prophet till the Great Prophet himself should come unto them.
MALACHI CHAPTER 1
God by Malachi complaineth of Israel’ s ingratitude, Mal 1:1-5 and of the profane disrespect shown to God’ s worship, Mal 1:6-13 . The curse of corrupt offerings; Mal 1:14 .
The burden: see Zec 9:1 Nah 1:1 . Usually it imports sad threats against those concerned in it, though sometimes it may be no more than the message of God.
Of the word of the Lord: the authority was Divine on which this prophet spake.
Malachi: my messenger, (saith the Lord,) so the Hebrew sounds. My angel, as some, though they err who take him to be an angel conversing with Jews in the form of a man; but angel, taken in the grammatical sense, i.e. messenger, he was, and God’ s messenger, the last of the prophets sent to Israel before the great Prophet Messiah came. That he was Mordecai, or Ezra, as some conjecture without good ground, or who he was, of what tribe or family, the Scripture gives us no account, and we make no guess. His prophecy is of Divine authority, and so cited by three of the four evangelists, Mat 11:10 Mar 1:2 Luk 1:16 ; and by St. Paul, Rom 9:13 .
MALACHI
THE ARGUMENT
Concerning this prophet, some have thought (but without good and sufficient ground) that he was an angel in the form of a man; others think him to be Ezra; but as it is the plainer, so the surer, opinion that he was a prophet of that name, and a man distinct from Ezra, and sent the last of all the prophets. His time of appearing among the Jews cannot be determined precisely, but it is best guessed to have been about the times of Nehemiah’ s reforming the strange marriages, Neh 13:23,28 , with Mal 2:11 , and when he reformed the sacrilegious detaining of tithes, Neh 13:10,11 , with Mal 3:8 , as Doctor Lightfoot observeth. Now this reformation of Nehemiah was about A.M. 3519, as Doctor Lightfoot, or 3545, as Helvicus, or 3589, as Archbishop Usher’ s Annals. Whatever was his time of appearing, it is certain he lived in a very vicious age, in which priests as well as people were leavened with either perverse thoughts of the Divine Providence, or brutish atheism, denying the Deity and Providence, contemptuous thoughts of the worship of God, sacrilegious practices, robbing God of tithes and offerings, shameless justifying these their practices, boundless or monstrous unfaithfulness to their wives, casting off Jewish to marry Gentile wives, or else superinducing the Gentile women, and enslaving the Jewish to them; casting off the law of God, or, which is equally bad, if not worse, wresting it to their own sinful sentiments. All which he doth severely reprove, and requires them to reform, and foretells the day of the Messiah’ s coming to sit as a refiner and purifier; whose appearing such sinners and sins would not be able to bear; and tells them of his forerunner, who in the spirit and power of Elias should come, and prepare a people for the Messiah: till then, (as their duty was,) he commands them in the name and by authority from God, that they remember the law of Moses, which God commanded in Horeb; hereby intimating some great change in the law at the coming of the Messiah; and intimating also, that they should expect no more prophet till the Great Prophet himself should come unto them.
MALACHI CHAPTER 1
God by Malachi complaineth of Israel’ s ingratitude, Mal 1:1-5 and of the profane disrespect shown to God’ s worship, Mal 1:6-13 . The curse of corrupt offerings; Mal 1:14 .
The burden: see Zec 9:1 Nah 1:1 . Usually it imports sad threats against those concerned in it, though sometimes it may be no more than the message of God.
Of the word of the Lord: the authority was Divine on which this prophet spake.
Malachi: my messenger, (saith the Lord,) so the Hebrew sounds. My angel, as some, though they err who take him to be an angel conversing with Jews in the form of a man; but angel, taken in the grammatical sense, i.e. messenger, he was, and God’ s messenger, the last of the prophets sent to Israel before the great Prophet Messiah came. That he was Mordecai, or Ezra, as some conjecture without good ground, or who he was, of what tribe or family, the Scripture gives us no account, and we make no guess. His prophecy is of Divine authority, and so cited by three of the four evangelists, Mat 11:10 Mar 1:2 Luk 1:16 ; and by St. Paul, Rom 9:13 .
Haydock -> Zec 14:20
Haydock: Zec 14:20 - -- Bridle. The golden ornaments of the bridle, &c., shall be turned into offerings in the house of God. And there shall be an abundance of cauldrons a...
Bridle. The golden ornaments of the bridle, &c., shall be turned into offerings in the house of God. And there shall be an abundance of cauldrons and phials for the sacrifices of the temple; by which is meant, under a figure, the great resort there shall be to the temple, that is, to the Church of Christ, and her sacrifice. (Challoner) ---
It is of a different nature, being the body and blood of Christ. But it shall not be confined to one place, nor the priesthood to one family, ver. 21. Hebrew, "they shall inscribe on the stables, Holy," &c. The most filthy places shall be purified and changed into temples; or, "what is upon the little bells for horses shall be sanctified;" or, on these "bells shall be inscribed, sacred to the Lord." (Calmet) ---
Metsilloth may signify a bell or bridle, &c. (Haydock) ---
The bits were often of gold. (Virgil, Æneid vii., and viii.) (Calmet) ---
St. Jerome's master said the word should be motsiluth, "trappings" and armour. (Haydock)
Gill -> Zec 14:20
Gill: Zec 14:20 - -- In that day,.... After the destruction of antichrist and all the antichristian party, and a new state of things will take place, either the spiritual ...
In that day,.... After the destruction of antichrist and all the antichristian party, and a new state of things will take place, either the spiritual or personal reign of Christ:
shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS TO THE LORD; as was upon the mitre of the high priest, Exo 28:36 to which there seems to be an allusion here: or, "upon the trappings of the horses" e, as the Targum renders it; and this intends either the horses slain in war, whose bells or trappings should be devoted and applied to holy uses; or the horses that carried the people up to Jerusalem to worship there, or horses in common. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it, "on the bridle of the horse shall be Holiness to the Lord"; that is, they should be devoted to his service, which sometimes were very richly adorned; yea, were of gold; as those described by Virgil f; nay, they were adorned with precious stones, with pearls, emeralds, and jacinths, insomuch that the Romans were obliged to restrain this luxury by a law g. The conceit of some of the fathers, that this refers to one of the nails in the cross of Christ, which Constantine put into his horse's bridle, is justly ridiculed and exploded by most commentators. It seems best to render the word as we do, "bells", as Kimchi and Jarchi interpret it; since it is used of cymbals made of brass, which were to make a sound to be heard, 1Ch 15:19 and of the same metal were the horses' bells made; though those which the mules at the funeral of Alexander had at each jaw were made of gold h; as were those Aaron had at the hem of his robe. The use of these bells on horses, according to Gussetius i, in the eastern countries, where they travelled through deserts, and had no beaten track, was to keep them together, and that they might be known where they were when parted; and of like use are they now to horses of burden or packhorses with us; though in common use they seem to serve to give horses a pleasure, and quicken them in their work: but the original of them seems to be for the training of horses for war, and therefore they hung bells to their bridles, to use them to a noise, and to try if they could bear a noise, and the tumult of war, so as not to throw their riders, or expose them to danger k; hence one that has not been tried or trained up to anything is called by the Greeks
And the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar; the "pots" in which they boiled the sacrifices shall be like "the bowls before the altar", which held the blood of the sacrifices to be sprinkled; either like them for number; they shall be many, like them, as the Targum paraphrases it; or for goodness, being made of the same metal: and the whole denotes the number, holiness, and excellency of the saints in the latter day, who will direct all their actions to the glory of God, whether in eating or drinking, or in whatever they do.
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Zec 14:20 In the glory of the messianic age there will be no differences between the sacred (the bowls before the altar) and the profane (the cooking pots in th...
Geneva Bible -> Zec 14:20
Geneva Bible: Zec 14:20 In that day there shall be upon the ( r ) bells of the horses, HOLINESS TO THE LORD; and the ( s ) pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls be...
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Zec 14:1-21
TSK Synopsis: Zec 14:1-21 - --1 The destroyers of Jerusalem destroyed.3 The coming of Christ, and the graces of his kingdom.12 The plague of Jerusalem's enemies.16 The remnant shal...
MHCC -> Zec 14:16-21
MHCC: Zec 14:16-21 - --As it is impossible for all nations literally to come to Jerusalem once a year, to keep a feast, it is evident that a figurative meaning must here be ...
Matthew Henry -> Zec 14:16-21
Matthew Henry: Zec 14:16-21 - -- Three things are here foretold: - I. That a gospel-way of worship being set up in the church there shall be a great resort to it and a general atte...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Zec 14:20-21
Keil-Delitzsch: Zec 14:20-21 - --
Zec 14:20. "In that day there will stand upon the bells of the horses, Holy to Jehovah; and the pots in the house of Jehovah will be like the sacri...
Constable: Zec 9:1--14:21 - --V. Oracles about the Messiah and Israel's future chs. 9--14
This part of Zechariah contains two undated oracles ...
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Constable: Zec 12:1--14:21 - --B. The burden concerning Israel: the advent and acceptance of Messiah chs. 12-14
This last section of th...
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Constable: Zec 14:1-21 - --3. The reign of Messiah ch. 14
"The cosmic, eschatological sweep of this last portion . . . is a...
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