4:7 “What are you, you great mountain? 2 Because of Zerubbabel you will become a level plain! And he will bring forth the temple 3 capstone with shoutings of ‘Grace! Grace!’ 4 because of this.”
12:1 The revelation of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: The Lord – he who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth, who forms the human spirit within a person 8 – says,
1 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn In context, the great mountain here must be viewed as a metaphor for the enormous task of rebuilding the temple and establishing the messianic kingdom (cf. TEV “Obstacles as great as mountains”).
3 tn The word “temple” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent (cf. NLT “final stone of the Temple”).
4 sn Grace is a fitting response to the idea that it was “not by strength and not by power” but by God’s gracious Spirit that the work could be done (cf. v. 6).
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
4 sn The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country. The Hebrew term can be translated “lowlands” (cf. ASV), “foothills” (NAB, NASB, NLT), or “steppes.”
4 tn Or “desirable”; traditionally “pleasant” (so many English versions; cf. TEV “This good land”).
5 tn Heb “who forms the spirit of man within him” (so NIV).
6 tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
7 sn This lamentation marked the occasion of the destruction of Solomon’s temple on August 14, 586
7 sn The fasts of the fifth and seventh months, mentioned previously (7:5), are listed here along with the observances of the fourth and tenth months. The latter commemorated the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians on January 15, 588
8 tn The Hebrew word תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim, “teraphim”) refers to small images used as means of divination and in other occult practices (cf. Gen 31:19, 34-35; 1 Sam 19:13, 16; Hos 3:4). A number of English versions transliterate the Hebrew term (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV) or simply use the generic term “idols” (so KJV, NIV, TEV).
9 sn Shepherd is a common OT metaphor for the king (see esp. Jer 2:8; 3:15; 10:21; 23:1-2; 50:6; Ezek 34).
9 sn On that day (referring to the day of the
10 tn Heb “a firepot” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “a blazing pot”; NLT “a brazier.”