[Master] of Armies: He constantly uses this title for Himself throughout the book, and here it is repeated three times, showing its extreme seriousness. This is a military title, and its heavy usage warns the hearer to fear because those who go against this “supreme commander’s” wishes will get hurt. He has the power to enforce this authority. Evil: from a root meaning to be corrupt, because indeed these practices do “spoil” our relationship with Him.

6. “However, My words and My customs which I prescribed for My servants the prophets—didn’t they overtake your ancestors? And they repented and said, ‘Just as YHWH [Master] of Armies planned to deal with us according to our ways and our practices, that is how He has dealt with us.’”

They are acknowledging that He did warn them and they did not obey, and recognizing His justice in doing exactly what He had said He would do. The Northern Kingdom, too, has been removed from our Land for the same reason, and though many individually have repented, we need to do so corporately in order to be His people once again.

8. “I had a vision of the night, and behold! A man riding a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle [trees] that [were] in the [deep dark] ravine, and behind him [were] red, sorrel, and white horses.”

Red: without the vowel pointing, this says “Adam’s horse”. The root terms are the same, so together with this depiction of one in Adam’s position, the fact that in v. 11 he is called the “messenger (or angel) of YHWH” (a specific title for the Messiah), and that what Z’kharyah said had come to him (v. 7) was the “Word of YHWH” (another title for the Messiah), and he calls Him his master (v. 9), we must surmise that this is Y’shua Himself speaking to Z’kharyah about the restoration of Yerushalayim—a subject near and dear to His heart. (Mat. 23:37) The fact that Z’kharyah had made the long trek to a hostile place for this purpose shows that he was a pure vessel fit for YHWH to use for this purpose. Sorrel: literally, “fox-colored”, but from a root meaning “whistlingly red”—a color that would immediately grab the viewer’s attention. Compare Revelation 6:4.

10. And the man who stood among the myrtle [trees] responded and said, “These are [the ones] whom YHWH has sent to walk back and forth throughout the Land.”

Walk back and forth: Compare Iyov (Job) 1:7.

12. Then the messenger of YHWH responded and said, “O YHWH, [Master] of Armies, how long will You not have pity on Yerushalayim or on the cities of Yehudah, which You have expressed Your indignation these seventy years?”

13. And YHWH answered the messenger who was talking with me [in] pleasant words and comforting words.

14. So the messenger who was speaking with me said to me, “Call out, saying, ‘This is what YHWH, [Master] of Armies, says: “I am jealous for Yerushalayim and for Tzion with a great jealousy.

15. “‘“And with furious anger I am angry at the nations who are at ease [in their security], in that I was slightly enraged, but they abetted the evil.

16. “Therefore, this is what YHWH says: ‘I have returned to Yerushalayim with compassions; My House will be built in it,’ declares YHWH [Master] of Armies, ‘and a measuring line will be stretched out over Yerushalayim.

Compassions: strong, passionate “gut” feelings. (See note on 2:17.)

1. Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, four horns!

2. And I said to the messenger who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he answered me, “These are the horns that have dispersed Yehudah, Israel, and Yerushalayim!”

These are the series of four military powers listed in Daniel 7, or perhaps Assyria, Bavel, Greece, and Rome, since the Medes and Persians did no actual plundering of the Holy Land, and Assyria, which did not disperse Yehudah, did disperse Israel (the Northern Kingdom). Rome was responsible for the last dispersion of Yerushalayim, which is listed separately, though part of Yehudah, because that is especially where YHWH’s heart is (v. 12) and where Messiah’s Davidic throne will be placed over both peoples (Y’hezq’El/Ezek. 34:23). This threefold cord is not easily broken. Our task is to bring these three strands back together. Rome again dispersed Israel, too, after the Northern tribes had begun to come back in, by muddying the knowledge of their identity through the admixture of the concept of believers not being part of a literal Israel. Rome still has much influence today in less obvious ways.

Engravers: or possibly plowmen; the term means “one who cuts into”.

Scattered: or, sown. Rout: Heb., from the root kharad, a word-play on the term for engraver in v. 3, which is kharash. Word: literally, mouth. Lift up a horn: an idiom for threatening militarily. What has been is what will again take place (Koheleth/Eccles. 1:9), so this prophecy, like all, has a secondary fulfillment that is yet to come.

6. So I said, “Where are you going?” And he told me, “To measure Yerushalayim, to see what its width is and what its length is.”

7. Then, indeed, the messenger who was speaking to me left, and another messenger came out to meet him,

8. and told him, “Hurry! Speak to this young man, to say, ‘Yerushalayim will remain unwalled because of the great number of men and beasts within her,

9. “‘and I will become for her,” declares YHWH, “a wall of fire all around, and I will serve as a reputation within her.’

A reputation: what is important, that which is honored or authoritative, or possibly, in this context, what is weighty or threatening enough to keep enemies from attacking. A physical wall is therefore not necessary. Part of Yerushalayim is already unwalled today.

10. “Alas! Alas! Escape, then, out of the land of the north,” says YHWH, “because I have spread you abroad [in many pieces] like the four winds of the heavens,” declares YHWH.

Then: in the hope of the promise of Yerushalayim’s restoration (v. 8). North: where the trade route from Bavel entered Israel, following the Fertile Crescent. It was often called the Land of the North for this reason, though it is technically east of Israel. But the meaning of the Hebrew word for north (tsafon) really means a treasure hidden in a dark place. He has hidden His people among the nations, which are concerned with treasure and security. He tells us to flee from there.

Tzion…who inhabit [or remain as] the daughter of Bavel: Those who are truly Israel and love YHWH, but who, by remaining in the Church because she has deceived them, are acting and living just like the ancient Babylonian-Greco-Roman culture, having unwittingly carried on their traditions under a thin coat of quasi-biblical paint. The meaning of the name Bavel is “confusion due to mixing”, a punishment for trying to get a step ahead of YHWH. A “daughter” of a city was often one of the hills surrounding it, especially those that had suburbs. The Vatican sits on one of Rome’s seven hills. Rome is one of the empires that continued the Babylonian philosophy and it accepted into its pantheons whatever deity the conquered peoples served. But Israel’s Elohim will not be one of many, and tells His people to come out of Bavel. (Rev. 17-18) The first step in doing so is to end the confusion through the straightforward clarification His Word brings.

Pupil: i.e., the part of one’s body that anyone will defend at all costs. Birds of prey pick at the eye because they know that if something has even an ounce of life left in it, it will defend the pupil of its eye.

14. “Give a ringing shout [of victory] and be glad, O daughter of Tzion, because look! I am coming, and will settle in your innermost part,” declares YHWH.

Daughter of Tzion: those who act like Hebrews, in contrast to those who still live as the daughter of Babylon. (v. 11) Will settle: Leviticus 23 tells us over and over that His appointments would be never-ending statutes wherever we may dwell. That term for “dwell” stems from the word used here for “settle” (or sit). When we are following His instructions regarding His set times, He can truly settle among His people who form His spiritual dwelling place. (1 Kefa/Peter 2:5)

This is the Messiah, who will indeed establish His throne in Yerushalayim, speaking, for He at the same time identifies Himself with and distinguishes Himself from YHWH. Indeed, the king was the only one permitted to sit down in the Temple precinct, and the seat reserved for him was at the entrance to the innermost courtyard, close to the altar. A people: here, a collective term which relates directly to the restoration of what He removed from us in punishment. (Hos. 1:9, 10) This prophecy has never yet been fulfilled, though He restored the city of Yerushalayim once before.

17. “Keep silent, all flesh, because of the presence of YHWH, because He has been aroused from His set-apart place of marital cohabitation!”

He has selected Yerushalayim as His bride. (v. 16; Rev. 21:9-10) At last He will have her, and He hangs a “do not disturb” sign outside His private nuptial chamber; no one else is allowed in.

1. And He showed me Y’hoshua the high priest standing in front of the Messenger of YHWH, and the Adversary standing at his right hand in order to prosecute him.

Y’hoshua: referred to by his shorter, Aramaic form, Y’shua, in Ezra and Nekhemyah. He came out of Babylon with Zerubavel to help rebuild the Temple. Adversary: or opponent; Heb., satan, used in modern Hebrew courts to mean the prosecuting attorney.The other Yahshua is our defense attorney (1 Yochn. 2:1):

The first YHWH mentioned here is the Messenger of YHWH, whom we have already seen is Yahshua. He also bears His Father’s Name within His own. Firebrand: from a root meaning “to rake together”. Snatched out: in the sense of rescuing.

Filthy: from a root word meaning “to issue”; in other words, dirtied by running sores or other bodily secretions that render one ritually impure.

Rescued in war: the root term means drawn out, taken off, saved, made strong, braced, equipped, and armed. It appears to be a reference to the garments of privilege and beauty won back from none other than this very same Adversary (see Y’hezq’El/Ezek. 28:13-15) through the war fought by Yahshua when He plundered haSatan through His own death (by making haSatan legally a murderer and thus divested of any rights). Indeed, the high priest’s breastplate bears much resemblance to haSatan’s former vesture. (Compare Ex. 28:17ff and Rev. 21:19-20.)

6. Then the Messenger of YHWH solemnly warned Y’hoshua, saying,

7. “This is what YHWH [Master] of Armies says: ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will keep watchful guard over what I [have given you to] protect, and you also judge My House and guard My courts, then I will give you free access to walk among these who are standing firm.

8. “‘Listen now, Y’hoshua the high priest—you and your fellows who are sitting before you, because symbolic men they are, since I am indeed bringing in My servant the Offshoot!

Symbolic: a sign or token of a wondrous display of YHWH’s power that was yet to come. The Offshoot: one who would also have the same name as Y’hoshua (6:12). The term can denote a new shoot that grows from the stump of a tree that was cut down, as the throne of David was. (Yirmeyahu 22:30) Yahshua restored it after a 600-yeargap. (Luke 1:32)

Seven eyes: or perhaps, seven springs or fountains. Engrave its facet: or, open up (free, loosen) its engraving. In one day: Legally this was accomplished through Yahshua’s death, though it has not yet been fully played out physically. Perhaps this will be the day He returns to rid Yerushalayim of the usurper’s throne. (Daniel 7:9; 11:41-45)

Under a fig tree: This is what Y’shua was referring to when He said He had seen Nathan’el under the fig tree (hence his astonished response in Yochanan 1:48). He was saying that He had already seen him here in His Kingdom, where there is no guile. “Under one’s vine and under one’s fig tree” is also an idiom for dwelling in safety (1 Kings 4:25; compare Micha 4:4, which is clearly in the context of the Messianic Kingdom), because both require peacetime to tend properly, as they ripen at different times and need constant attention to keep the birds from eating them.

1. Then the messenger who was speaking to me came back and roused me like a man who is awakened from his sleep,

2. and he said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I have given [it] consideration, and indeed [it is] a menorah completely of gold with a [spherical] bowl on its top, and its seven lamps are above it, with seven conduits to each of the seven lamps that are on top of it,

Seven conduits to each of the seven: the seven-times-seven pattern shows up in the seven weeks leading up to Shavuoth (Lev. 23:15) and the seven cycles of shmittah that lead up to the year of Yovel (Lev. 25:4, 10). Alt., simply, seven conduits to the seven lamps. Compare the seven congregations of Yahshua that are described as menoroth (Rev. 2, 3).

The oil comes from these trees into the bowl, then through the conduits to the seven lamps. (v. 12)

5. And the messenger who was speaking to me answered and said, “Don’t you know what these are?” And I said, “No, my master!”

6. So he began to answer by telling me, “This is the word of YHWH to Zerubavel, and I quote: ‘Not by an army and not by [human] strength, but by My Spirit instead’, says YHWH [Master] of Armies.

Began to answer: or, started singing. Not by strength: With these olive trees, no pressing or crushing is mentioned as in Lev. 24:2. Perhaps this is because when this vision is fulfilled, YHWH’s Spirit will have so refined His people to maturity that the pure oil will come forth willingly.

Favor: acceptance, elegance, gracious charm. YHWH will be pleased with the result.

9. “The hands of Zerubavel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that [it is] YHWH [Master] of Armies [who] has sent me to you!

Zerubavel: the immediate reference is to a particular man who led in this venture, but his name means “sown in Babylon”, and that is the condition of all who are returning to our identity as the scattered House of Israel—born outside His Land and within the system that rules the rest of the world. We are being called back out of Babylon (Rev. 18:4) to be His set-apart people again. This is how “Zerubavel” will complete the task of building a proper dwelling place for YHWH.

Small things: Even the Holy of Holies, where YHWH dwells, is the smallest room in the Temple. Plummet stone: literally, stone of tin alloy, from a root word meaning separation or making a distinction. Again, judgment is being taken up and justice is finally brought about. Earth: or simply, Land. Seven eyes: perhaps symbolic of the completeness of YHWH’s vision, from which nothing can be hidden (Heb. 4:13); alt., seven springs. The imagery refers back to 3:9, in which the seven eyes are part of a stone. This plummet stone is the stone being spoken of there.

Him: The antecedent is the Word of YHWH in v. 8. Thus again, this is Y’shua Himself speaking.

Shimmering: the root meaning of “golden”, the usual translation for the word used here.

14. So He said, “These are the two sons of fresh oil who are standing over the Master of the whole earth.”

Fresh oil: based on a root meaning “shining”, so this can also refer to those who return to the state Adam was in before he lost the light in which he was clothed, and was covered with flesh instead. Standing: or, stationed. The Master of the whole earth: a poetic parallel for YHWH’s Name in Micha 4:13. Sons of fresh oil: sometimes interpreted “anointed ones” by extension. Revelation 11:3-4 identifies these two olive trees as YHWH’s two witnesses who prophesy 1,260 days. The subsequent verses describe them by the deeds which Moshe and Eliyahu did. Thus, they may represent the entirety of the Torah and the Prophets, an idiom for the whole Scripture (Luke 16:29-31; Acts 28:23), which all pointed to Yahshua. (Luke 24:27, 44; Yochanan 1:45; 5:46), thus contributing to and giving authority to His Anointing, as these two trees did for the menorah. On another level, they are the two houses of Israel (Yehudah and Efrayim), which have borne witness to different aspects of YHWH’s truth over the centuries. Often they have been seen in separate light—Torah and redemptive grace—but now these are being shown to truly be in agreement, for all the congregations need both in order to be robust and mature. While Israel was in the wilderness, there was only one “olive tree”, but the nation became separated, so both must be reestablished as identifiable entities before they can be reunited. The oil represents the Spirit of YHWH (1 Shmuel 16:13), which enlivens those who in turn feed all the congregations.

Hovering about: or, flying.

These are the exact dimensions of the Holy Place, the first room the priests entered in the Tabernacle. So this is something that correlates to that room. This is the room that was opened up when the veil in front of the Temple was torn at Y’shua’s death. (Luke 23:45) So there is open access to that room. However, the dimensions of the Holy of Holies, where YHWH’s presence dwelt, are excluded. So what it represents will have part of YHWH’s truth, but be lacking the most intimate aspects of His presence.

The whole earth: This gives us another clue as to what it is—something that claims to be universal. This is what the term “catholic” means. And going unpunished (alt., purged or cleaned out)—this is the message of grace. But why is this a curse? Because it is so profaned by being offered to those who know nothing about holiness, that it is distorted to the point of making people think that they can do whatever they want, then say, “I’m sorry” on their deathbed, and that all would be well for them in the hereafter. This is a curse to the rest of society, which will suffer from their unpunished crimes, because there will be no logical deterrent to sinning. This goes against the Torah. Y’shua brought an amnesty for those who would return to the Covenant, and He knows we cannot do everything perfectly while in exile, but that is the purpose of grace; it is not intended to let everyone go scot-free so that they can return to their own selfish ways.

Compare the laws regarding house-leprosy in Lev. 14:34ff. This extreme grace will ruin any household. It also “tears down the Temple” again by opposing its rebuilding, which was Z’kharyah’s task. This parody of YHWH’s true grace is still all done in His Name, and steals away the appointed times He set.

6. So I said, “What is it?” And He said, “This is the ephah that goes forth.” He also said, “This is their eye throughout the whole earth.”

Their eye: or, wellspring, the fountain from which a counterfeit “truth” flows. Ephah: a dry measure equivalent to ten omers (Ex. 16:36). Since an omer is the amount needed to feed one man for one day (16:16), it represents one man. Ten men represents a minyan (quorum), and thus symbolizes a complete congregation. So this measuring basket represents a congregation just as the flying scroll did, focusing us even more clearly to the conclusion that this whole chapter is speaking about the Church as the counterfeit tabernacle, overemphasizing YHWH’s grace and underemphasizing the holiness YHWH requires where His presence is to dwell. To a lesser degree it also represents rabbinic Judaism, another twisting of the Torah for the purposes of convenience and a lust for power (originally).

Round talent-weight: all one term in Hebrew. In the context of the flying scroll, it probably represents the winged sun-disk so common as a pagan symbol, the spirit of which the Church adopted by emphasizing the “day of the Sun”. This came about by allowing the woman to teach Y’shua’s servants. (Rev. 2) She is the spirit of Yisabel (Jezebel), which means “exalted husband”, and one who exalts herself over her husband. By claiming the right to change the Sabbath and the festivals, the Church also steals Y’shua’s authority. Singular: or unified. But YHWH is building a unified man. (Eph. 2:15)

The Lawlessness: a “mystery” which is held back at present, but will not always be. (2 Thess. 2:7) But when it is released, it will be judged.

Stork: an unclean bird, but the same word as the Hebrew term for a faithful, pious woman. They represent those in both houses of Israel who are returning to YHWH’s covenant, while still unclean and in exile, yet doing the job YHWH has for us now. Between the earth and the heavens: a plane where visions are seen (1 Chron. 21:16; Y’hezq’El/Ezek. 8:3) Place was found in neither for it. (Dan. 2:35)

11. and he told me, “To build a house for her in the land of Shinar, and it will be fastened and left there on its own base.

Shinar: where the Tower of Bavel, the seat of the first unification of mankind--against YHWH--after the Flood. It was a place designed to withstand another flood, and corresponds with the sense the Church has of being above and immune to judgment, and even having authority greater than the Torah, which Y’shua would not claim for Himself. Base: or, resting-place. Note that this is not a foundation YHWH designed, but its own creation. So it is going back to where it belongs, and will not be permitted to move from there. Babylon is also called a woman in Rev. 17 and 18. Perhaps this correlates with haSatan’s being bound for 1,000 years. (Rev. 20:2)

2. With the first chariot were red horses, and with the second chariot, black horses;

These horses may correspond to and give the context for those in Revelation 6.

Dappled: from a word for strong. It may mean “bright-colored”. The fourth horse in Revelation 6 is called “pale” or “sickly green”.

5. And the messenger answered and told me, “These are the four spirits of the heavens that proceed out from stationing themselves over the Master of the Whole Earth.

Spirits of the heavens: or, winds of the skies.

North: or, the place where hidden treasure is stored, but also often an idiom for Babylon (Bavel). South: place of the right hand (when oriented eastward), and also the Hebrew name for Yemen. Compare Yeshayahu/Isa. 43:6.) Black and white together symbolize removing the gray areas and making clear judgments and rulings rather than leaving individuals to each go their own way. The result of this must be that Y’shua’s own come out of Bavel. (v. 10; Rev. 18:4)

8. Then He summoned me and spoke to me, saying, “See, those that go out toward the land of the north have caused My Spirit in the land of the north to rest.”

9. Then the Word of YHWH came to me to say,

10. “Take up [a collection] from the exiles—from Khelday, from Toviyah, and from Y’da’yah, who have come from Bavel, and on that day you come in and enter the house of Yoshiyah the son of Tz’fanyah,

Khelday means “worldly” or “my swift gliding”, Toviyah, “YHWH is beneficent”, and Y’da’yah, “YHWH has known”.

Note the plurality of crowns; Y’shua is seen wearing “many crowns” in Rev. 19:12. Take up: The exiles are not only those who crown Him their king; they themselves will also be taken up and form a crown for Y’shua as well. (See Yeshayahu/ Isaiah 18:7; compare Tz’fanyah 3:10.) Silver represents redemption by blood, and gold represents the highest quality.

Here is a man: The same phrase Pontius Pilatus used when referring to Y’shua (Yochanan 19:5), who was also wearing a “crown” at that time with a sign revealing His kingship soon thereafter posted above his head. To those who knew prophecy, this scenario would bring this very passage to mind. We are told in 3:8 that this Y’hoshua is a symbol of YHWH’s Servant (a specific title for the Messianic King in Yeshayahu 52:13) who is there called the Offshoot, as throughout the rest of Scripture he turns out to be in some special way an extension of YHWH Himself. Now we are told that Y’hoshua’s name is “Offshoot”. In Ezra and Nekhemyah, Y’hoshua is usually called Y’shua. For those who have “eyes to see”, this is a prophecy about what the Messiah’s name would be.

Majesty: Heb., hod, which comprises both splendor and vigor. Peace: Heb., shalom, which means complete well-being and soundness. A priest while on His throne: an abnormal situation in Israel, where the division between these two offices is clear since they are from different tribes. (2 Chron. 26:18) Melchitzedeq and Y’shua are the only ones that legally hold both posts. Deliberation: exchange of counsel, purpose, even conspiring. In other words, the proper, most healthy balance of earthly rule and relationship with Heaven will at last be achieved as a result of His holding both of these positions in the Kingdom. Compare Y’hezq’El 45:17; 46:4, where we see the Prince responsible for offering sacrifices in the Temple. So Y’shua, who in one sense superseded the sacrificial system (Heb. 9:11 et al), will be the very one to restore it.

Khelem: another name for Kheldai (v. 10). It means “dream”. Khen (favor): another name for Yoshiyah (v. 10), or possibly his brother.

Those who are far off: a reference to Israel—particular, those of “all Israel” (not just Yehudah, which is mentioned separately) who were driven into other nations because of disobedience to YHWH. (Daniel 9:7; compare Yeshayahu 57:19; Eph. 2:13.)

2. Now Shar’etzer and Regem-melekh and his men sent off to Beyth-El to beseech the face of YHWH--

Beseech: to beg in a way that expresses deep grief to the point of sickness.

The way they sought YHWH was to speak to His messengers, rather than mediums that circumvented the order He had set up. Fifth month: a reference to the traditional “Tesha’ b’Av” fast on the day when the Temple was destroyed. (The wall of the Temple Mount would again be breached on this date when the Romans came against it, and the Temple burned the next day.) This fast had not been ordered by YHWH, and now that the Temple was being rebuilt, they wondered whether it was still meaningful, or whether it might even be an affront in light of YHWH’s intervention.

5. “Speak to all the people of the Land, as well as to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and wailed in the fifth and seventh [months]—indeed these seventy years—was it really for Me that you fasted?

Fast of the seventh month: not Yom Kippur (which YHWH does not change), but the fast of Gedalyah, the Jewish governor under the Babylonians who was assassinated by his fellow Jews in the seventh month. (2 Kings 25:25)

Ate and drank: i.e., on YHWH’s feast days. They only had the food and the personal enjoyment in mind, not the fact that it was an appointment with YHWH.

Their ancestors had been exiled for ignoring these very proclamations.

9. “This is what YHWH [Commander] of Armies says, and I quote: ‘Make [your] rulings with verified judgment, and let [each] man practice kindness and compassion toward his brother.

Verified judgment: not by the mouth of only one witness uncorroborated by at least one or two others.

No wrong: the term especially connotes extortion, oppression, defrauding, violence, or deceit. Sojourner: a temporary visitor who has come to learn from Israel, or a newcomer who lacks inherited rights. Devise evil: or possibly, do not take into account the evil of his brother, or do not esteem one’s brother as evil.

Dull: literally, heavy.

Sharp: one that pricks and thus serves as an unmoving guard against. Instruction: Heb., Torah.

14. “and I drove them by a storm onto all the nations with which they were unfamiliar, and the Land is left desolate behind them from passing through and from returning, because they turned the desirable Land into a horrifying wasteland.”

Leviticus 26:31-35 predicted this; now it is stated as a historical fact.

2. “This is what YHWH [Commander] of Armies says: ‘I have been jealous for Tzion with a great jealousy, and was zealous for her with great heat.’

3. “This is what YHWH says: ‘I have come back to Tzion and have settled within Yerushalayim. And Yerushalayim will be called “a reliably faithful city”, and the Mountain of YHWH [Commander] of Armies, “the set-apart mountain”.’

4. “This is what YHWH [Commander] of Armies says: ‘There will again be old men and old women sitting in the open plazas of Yerushalayim, each one also [having] a support in his hand from the great number of [his] days.

5. ‘And the open plazas of the city will be full of boys and girls playing [and laughing] in her plazas.’

6. “This is what YHWH [Commander] of Armies says: ‘Just because it will be extraordinarily difficult in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, must it also be extraordinarily difficult in My eyes?’ says YHWH [Commander] of Armies.

7. “This is what YHWH [Commander] of Armies says: ‘Watch Me liberate My people from the land of the sunrise to the land of the setting of the sun!

8. “‘And I will bring them in, and they will inhabit the inner part of Yerushalayim, and they will serve as a people for Me and I will be an Elohim to them—genuinely and in the right way.

The inner part: the Old City, and more specifically, the area closest to the Temple Mount—the very area threatened today by both Palestinians and those who want to make it an internationally-neutral zone. Genuinely and in the right way: for centuries we have had many genuine followers of Y’shua who nonetheless were not following in the right way as YHWH had prescribed.

In those days: They are soon to come, so this may be speaking directly to us.

No reward: much like our confession as those having lived as Gentiles, that our fathers had inherited things “in which there is no ascending” (or profit. (Yirmeyahu 16:19) This “letting loose” of all humanity began at the Tower of Bavel, where the communal selfishness was shown for what it really was and everyone now had to fend for themselves. This was to set the stage with a backdrop of darkness so His light would stand out in the optimal contrast. Mankind: literally “the Adam”, and the beast is the nickname for the counterfeit Messiah, the successor to Bavel’s spirit in its latter-day resurgence. There is no progress for either until YHWH determines it is time…

12. “‘because for the seed [there will be] the prosperity: the vineyard will yield its fruit, the earth will yield its produce, and the heavens will give their mist, and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

Yield…mist: clues that conditions will be like those in the Garden of Eden before the fall of Adam (the Hebrew word for mankind and humanity in the preceding verses.) Compare Gen. 2:6; 3:17-19; 4:12. So now there is a reward for “the Adam”. (v. 10)

Strong: resolute. Finish the task at hand in light of the coming blessings. Compare v. 9 and v. 19.

15. “‘to the same extent I have come back; I have devised a plan to benefit Yerushalayim and the House of Yehudah in those days. Do not be afraid.

16. “‘These are the things that you must do: Let each [man] speak truth to his fellow. Truth and complete justice must rule in [the judgment-courts of] your gates.

17. “‘A man must not invent evil plans against your neighbor in your heart, nor love a deceitful oath, because I hate all such [things as] these,’ declares YHWH.

18. Then the Word of YHWH [Commander] of Armies came to me, saying,

19. “This is what YHWH [Commander] of Armies says: ‘The fast of the fourth [month] and the fast of the fifth, as well as the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall come to be for rejoicing, celebration, and rich [pleasant] appointed [feast]s for the House of Yehudah. So love the truth and the soundness.

The fast of the fourth month: when the famine was most severe and the wall of Yerushalayim had been breached by the Babylonians. (2 Kings 25:3-4) The fast of the tenth: when Nevukhadnetzar had begun this same siege of Yerushalayim (25:1). For each of these, there will apparently be a tikkun (an event that brings reparation for the particular damage done on that specific date) of such profound impact that there will be a new festival celebrated regularly for each.

21. “and the inhabitants of one will go to [another] one to say, ‘Let’s depart to go beseech the [favor of the] face of YHWH, and to seek YHWH [Commander] of Armies; I myself will go too!’

22. “Then many peoples and vast nations will come to seek YHWH [Commander] of Armies and to beseech the [favor of the] face of YHWH.

The face of YHWH: mirrored in Y’shua as the moon reflects the sun (2 Cor. 3:18; Yochanan 1:18)--the only way we can see His face and survive. (Ex. 33:20)

Ten men: a minyan (quorum) for a congregation to be considered complete. According to Asquith Michael, it was with this intent in mind that King Shlomoh married 700 wives—ten from each of the 70 nations—to have a son with each so that this remnant could be ready in all nations when the right time came. A Jewish man: perhaps not exclusively, but especially Y’shua the Messiah. Corner of the garment: where the tzitzit (identifying fringe-tassel with a thread of blue) is to be worn, reminding Israelites of who we are and who we are to obey. (Num. 15:38)

Hadrakh: an Aramean region north of Damaseq (Damascus) and Hamath and south of Aleppo; called Hataraka in the annals of Assyrian kings when detailing the campaigns of 750-730 B.C.E., and Hatarikka in an Aramaic inscription by Zakur of Hamath around 780 B.C.E. It was once the seat of a district governor. Also the name of the deity of that region.

Set limits on it: in the sense of forming a border it cannot pass. Tzur: often known as Tyre, 40 km. South of Tzidon, the earlier port city of which it was a “daughter”. It was a principal Phoenician seaport that worshipped Ba’al and Astarte, as evidenced in nearly all the names of its rulers. Under Persian rule (current at the time of this writing), Tzidon provided the majority of the empire’s fleet.

Siege-entrenchment: Heb., matzur, a play on the name Tzur. Fine gold: the poetic use of a word meaning sharp, diligent, strict, or a moat or trench.

Though Tzur was conquered on numerous occasions (most notably by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.E.) and revived after each conqueror’s decline, there was no recorded destruction during the time frame of this writing (just before 500 B.C.E.). This is sandwiched between references to the dawning of the Millennial Kingdom of Messiah, so it should be read as relating to that time.

The Hebrew words for “see” and “be afraid” here sound alike except for the pitch of one vowel.

An alien ruler will sit: or, an illegitimate child will dwell. Pride of the Philistines: apparently, at this point, something derived from Tzur. But the Palestinians of today carry on the name and occupying position of the Philistines, though there appears to be no racial connection. So these prophecies may relate to them.

Bloods: possibly the other nations they devour, or favorite delicacies that involved eating blood, in the context of the abominations between his teeth. A docile chief: or friend, intimate, guide, or even an ox, but the particular term often used of Edomite dukes. Yevusite: the pre-Davidic inhabitants of Yerushalayim who were conquered but mostly left alive to serve Israel.

9. “Be extremely glad, O daughter of Tzion! Give a shout of triumph, O daughter of Yerushalayim! Look! Your King will come to you, righteous and being delivered, humble and mounted on a donkey and on a beast of burden, the son of a [dependable] she-ass.

On a donkey: as opposed to a horse. This indicates that His chief purpose is to serve those He rules, not show off His royal glory. (Luke 22:25) Both Yehudah (Gen. 49:11) and Efrayim (Hos. 8) are both described as donkeys in Scripture.

Chariot…horse: what all other nations depend on, but what Israel is not to rely on. But modern Israel does depend on another nation’s power, and so is a vassal state still. The United States has taken control of Babylon’s palaces (in Iraq), and so the scepter of ancient Babylon has passed to it, so the references to Ashur (whose scepter Babylon/Bavel took over) and Babylon in this passage may relate tothis present “Babylon” in which much of Israel is still exiled. River: the Ferath (Euphrates): these are the borders YHWH promised to Avraham (Gen. 15:18).

You: the pronoun is feminine in Hebrew. Cistern in which there is no water: hewn out of their own doing (Yirmeyahu 2:13).

13. “because I have bent Yehudah [with My feet]; I have filled the bow with Efrayim, and stirred up your sons, O Tzion, against your sons, Yavan, and appointed you [to be] like the sword of a valiant man!”

Yavan: Greece. The two sons of Tzion, Yehudah and Efrayim, together will defeat the Greek ways that so permeate the financial, political, and religious systems of global society today.

15. YHWH [Commander] of Armies will bring about a covering over them [that will surround and defend them], and they will devour and bring sling stones into subservience. Then they will drink and make a commotion as [with] wine, and will be full like a pitcher, like the prominent parts of the altar.

Sling stones: What the enemy intended to use against Israel, YHWH will make part of Israel’s captured arsenal. Prominent parts of the altar: where wine was indeed poured with water on the last day of Sukkoth during the water-pouring ceremony during which Yahshua stood up and invited all who thirst to come to Him for living water. The covering can be a reference to Yom Kippur, and the shofar in the previous verse alludes to Yom T’ruah (Rosh haShanah). All three of these festivals foreshadow the latter days, so these allusions reemphasize the time in history this prophecy refers to.

17. For how pleasant and beautiful is the young men’s grain, and fresh wine will make the virgins blossom!

CHAPTER 10

Latter rains: related to the word for gathering in, so they are the rains that come in the late spring to bring the crops to maturity.

Household idols: today, the most common all around the world is the crucifix. Disappointing: the term means a deception that makes one feel betrayed when the truth is revealed. This is why so many who served the church most fervently are now leaving her.

In this transition from the context of livestock to one of military terminology, the middle clauses have a double meaning, and could also read, “…and I have been passing the chiefs in review, because YHWH [Commander] of Armies has mustered His ranks…” There was no true shepherd, because those posing as leaders kept YHWH’s congregations docile by mishandling and browbeating them until they were like dumb sheep (the meaning of “weakened” in v. 2), He is searching out those He misses and making them disciplined (additional meanings of the word for “mustered” or “passed in review”), so those once under the “opiate of the masses” will surprise their oppressors by being strong after all once He has trained them to be the troops He sometimes needs them to be. (Compare Yirmeyahu/Jer. 50:6; Y’hezq’El/Ezek. 34.) Alt., I have punished the he-goats—contrasted with sheep in Mat. 25, as they tend to go their own way rather than huddling together as a close community.

5. “And they will be like strong [men] who trample down the mud of the streets in the battle, and they will fight, because YHWH is with them, and they will put to shame those mounted on horses.

I.e., they will have the vigor to outrun them as Eliyahu did King Ahav’s chariots. (1 Kings 18:44-46)

As though: We will pick up where our ancestors left off, and in retrospect it will be as if we had never skipped a beat.

8. “I will whistle for them and assemble them, and they will multiply as they multiplied [before].

9. “Though I sow them among the peoples, they will remember Me [while] in the far-off [places], and they will survive along with their children, and come back.

Survive: or, be revived (restored to life or health). I.e., those who are hearing YHWH’s call to come back to being Israelites after being Gentiles for so many generations, not just their children, will have the strength to participate in the restored Kingdom in the Land, as Kalev was as able at eighty to enjoy his inheritance after his whole generation had died off, because he had confidence in YHWH.

No room will be found: This is also very steep, hilly terrain that receives ample snow, so in this sense also the land would be unable to sustain a large population.

It appears that in this way, more land will be created for Israel. A satellite photo clearly shows a huge sand bar off the coast northwest of Israel, which, if further filled in, could move Israel’s coast far westward, leaving a large lake between it and the present coast, which might also bless Israel with a new source of countless minerals. Dry up: possibly not completely, but, like the malaria-ridden swamps of Israel a century ago, the excess water of the swampland may be removed, making the amply-watered land much more habitable. The part of Egypt that branches off: probably the Nile delta; a change in the river’s course could make Israel, rather than Egypt, its beneficiary. Waves of the sea, the Nile, Ashur (Assyria), and Egypt are also symbols of Israel’s Gentile oppressors over the centuries. Raised parts: additional terrain within the scope of the land promised to Avraham (9:10; Gen. 15:18) will be leveled to provide farm and pastureland; or, figuratively, Assyria’s pride will be brought down. (Compare Yeshayahu/Isa. 40:4) Part of Egypt that branches off: or, figuratively, the scepter of Egypt.

Levanon: where the best quality of building materials came from. The same variety of cedars do not grow as well in Israel. Yet YHWH says their pride will be brought low.

Bashan: called the Golan Heights today.

Magnificent cloak: They have been known as “men of the cloth”! Pride of the Yarden: Its own name means “descender”.

5. “whose purchasers slay them and do not acknowledge that they are guilty, and those who sell them say, ‘May YHWH be blessed, because I will be rich!’, and their [own] shepherds do not show them pity--

6. “because I will no longer show pity on the inhabitants of the Land,” declares YHWH. “But look here! I will cause every man to be discovered by his neighbor’s hand and by his king’s hand, and they will cause the Land to be pounded, and I will not rescue them from their hand.

Pounded: hammered, or shattered by blows.

The one that binds: as in a rope that ties things together.

Annihilate: efface, conceal, or destroy. It can have the sense of firing or sending someone off, and this may be how Z’kharyah acted out the picture. These three shepherds may even be a prophecy of the demise of the doctrine of the trinity, which, though misconstrued from some passages, does not stand up to the overall tone of Scripture, being the last vestige of polytheism that survives where the Elohim of Israel is known.

10. “And I have taken My rod, ‘Pleasantness’, and chopped it in two, to cause the covenant that I had cut with all the peoples to be broken.

YHWH therefore no longer has covenant with any nation but Israel. In context, this also symbolizes the end of YHWH’s relationship of any sort with the Church, which is made up of people from all nations. Any last illusion of protection outside the fold of Israel is removed. They have to recognize that they are actually Israel if they are His, in order to retain covenant with Him and benefit from the blessing to all the families of the earth that was promised to Avraham’s seed. (Gen. 22:18) The Renewed Covenant, as well, is made with the House of Israel and the House of Yehudah. (Yirmeyahu 31:31)

In That Day: an idiom for the Messianic Kingdom, which is exactly the time frame being described here.

This is also the price the owner of an ox that gores someone else’s slave is responsible to pay his master. (Ex. 21:32) Thus it is the price of a servant—the very title of Messiah (Yeshayahu/Isa. 52:13). And indeed thirty pieces of silver is the exact price paid to Yehudah (Judas) for his betrayal of Y’shua. (Mat. 27)

The money Judas was paid for tips leading to Y’shua’s capture was in fact returned to the priests in YHWH’s house, but they could not use it for anything holy, since it was blood money, so they used it to buy the Potter’s Field as a place to bury foreigners. (Mat. 27:3-10) The Greek version of Matithyahu says this was from the prophet Yirmeyahu. Yirmeyahu 18 indeed speaks of the potter, but this passage of Z’kharyah is what is paraphrased there. The Aramaic and Syriac versions of Matithyahu, which are older than the Greek, do not specify which prophet was being quoted, but the Hebrew (Shem-Tov) version—most likely the earliest—does correctly specify that it was Z’kharyah.

Though at this point Israel as a nation had been gone for 200 years, it is still fresh in mind for YHWH. He will not talk about Yehudah’s welfare without that of his brother, for until Israel (the lost tribes of the Northern Kingdom) is back as well, there can be no Kingdom, for both houses of Israel must together enthrone the same Shepherd who will reign in David’s line. (Y’hezq’El 34:23; 37:22-25) Then the two sticks will be joined back together into one. (Y’hezq’El 37:16-19)

16. “because indeed, I Myself will raise up a shepherd in the Land. He will not care for those that are being annihilated. He will neither seek the scattered nor nurse what is crippled nor nourish the one that stands still. Rather, he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear off their hooves.

This is the Counterfeit Messiah, who has had many predecessors in Antiochus IV, Herod, Aqiva, and Constantine. Those who wait just a little longer will be given the real remedy for their lack of a shepherd. (Gen. 49:17-18)

Worthless: or, imaginary. Perhaps this will be one further way to identify the Counterfeit Messiah—by a withered arm and a patch over one eye? But this also applies to many other “pastors” who are more concerned with what the sheep can do for them than what they can do for the sheep. (Yochanan 10:12-13)

2. “Here I am, making Yerushalayim a goblet of reeling to all the peoples that surround [it], when they are entrenched for siege against both Yehudah and against Yerushalayim!

3. “And [what] will take place in That Day,” declares YHWH, “[is that] I will make Yerushalayim a burdensome stone for all the peoples; all who burden themselves with her will severely lacerate themselves, though all the nations of the earth assemble against her.

4. “In That Day,” declares YHWH, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and its rider with madness, and I will open My eyes over the House of Yehudah, but every horse belonging to the peoples, I will strike with blindness.

In a mere moment YHWH can remove the threat from any army, however massive. (2 Kings 6:14ff; compare Gen. 19:11.)

6. “In That Day I will make the chiefs of Yehudah like a pan of fire among the sticks, and like a torch of light on a swatch of fallen grain—that is, they will devour all the peoples that surround [them] on the right hand and on the left, and Yerushalayim will again remain in her place—at Yerushalayim.

In her place: literally, under herself—a probable allusion to the fact of the heavenly and earthly Yerushalayims corresponding exactly to one another. Eden hovers directly above this place where the stairway descended for Yaaqov (Gen. 28). The misalignment of the two since Adam fell, or at least since the Temple was destroyed, is due to the incongruities between the two, which will vanish as the ancient foundations are rediscovered and it is rebuilt exactly where it was.

Tents of Yehudah first: this is the order in which Israel was always to pitch or break camp. (Num. 2:3) But tents are also an idiom for places of learning. So it appears that it will be the Torah scholars who will be saved before the majority of the Jewish population in the Land, and this is only just because many of the rest are secular and are not paying YHWH much attention, while many of the scholars truly are.

The House of David includes the Messiah, who is indeed “like Elohim” (the very status Adam had been offered the wrong way to achieve but which Y’shua achieved the right way), and whose title often is “the Messenger of YHWH”.

I will: Yet when He said He would drive out the inhabitants of Kanaan, He made it possible but told the Israelites to do the physical driving out. It may be the same in this case.

Over a firstborn: This is the ultimate in weeping. Y’shua is indeed called the “firstborn”. (Luke 2:7; Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 11:28; 12:23) And this is what is being described—the mass acceptance of Y’shua by the Jews in the Land, for He must be king over all of Israel. Inteyrestingly, while it was the tribe of Yehudah that first crowned Y’shua’s ancestor David, Yehudah was the last tribe to accept him back after the rebellion of Avshalom, who is a picture of the Counterfeit Messiah. (2 Shmuel 2:4; 19:11) Note that Y’shua is both called “Me”—showing an identity with YHWH—and “Him”, showing His distinction from Him as well. (Compare Yochanan 1:18; 10:30; 14:28)

Hadad-Rimmon: a place named after two Syrian deities. It was here that there was a national lamentation for the righteous king Yoshiyahu, who was killed while needlessly meddling in the battle of Pharaoh Nekho, who was simply passing through the Land. (2 Kings 23:29-30) The Plain of Megiddo is the area in front of the tel known as “Har-megiddo” (from which the name Armageddon is derived).

The House of Nathan: either the son of David through whom the Messiah came physically, or the prophet who brought David many messages.

Shim’i: a descendant of Gershon the Levite, whose name means “exile”, so he represents those “sons of the exiles” who will yet return to the Land “in That Day”. This pattern corresponds with the command that “the descendants of Israel shall pitch their tents, each with his own camp, and each with his own banner, according to their companies.” (Numbers 1:52)

These who mourn separately from their wives were the analogy behind the decision to build a special balcony in the Court of Women during Sukkoth to keep men and women separate while the celebration became more and more intense.

Flow: used of a flow of blood in a woman in her monthly cycle or after childbirth, which is alluded to here, but also of a wellspring that gushes out when opened up. In the context of the preceding verses, it appears related to the piercing of Y’shua (12:10), after which blood and water flowed from His side (Yochanan 19:34), for it relates to the purification of Israel from her uncleanness. A woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years (representing all twelve tribes) was healed by her faith in the promise that Y’shua had healing in His wings. (Mat. 9:20) But the particular separation that this flow is to cover is that detailed in Yeshayahu/Isa. 64:4ff, in which the standard of righteousness that Israel choose for ourselves is described as like the clothing an ancient Hebrew woman wore in public when in her monthly period so that men would know not to touch her. We are saying in effect to YHWH, our Husband, “Keep Your distance; I am not available to You.” Yahshua has made a way for us to be relieved of that sort of “righteousness”.

3. “In fact, if a man prophesies again, then his father [who begot him] and his mother, who gave birth to him, will tell him, ‘You cannot remain alive, because you are speaking fraudulently in the Name of YHWH.’ And his father [who begot him] and his mother, who gave birth to him, will when he prophesies.

4. “And what will take place in That Day [is that] each of the prophets will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not wear a hairy garment in order to deceive.

Hairy garment: what some true prophets, like Eliyahu and Yochanan the Immerser, wore.

Tiller of the soil: literally, man who serves the ground. The wording in Hebrew suggests an allusion to Qayin, since he was called a man from the day of his birth (Gen. 4:1), was a tiller of the soil, and killed his brother, a shepherd (v. 7), and the word “man” in the second phrase is Adam in Hebrew. The term for “acquire” here is qanah, the root word for Qayin’s name.

Stripes between your hands: possibly a common mark of a pagan prophet. But Qayin was also permanently marked after he killed Hevel.

On account of: or, against, for it was YHWH’s will to bruise Him. (Yeshayahu 53:6, 10) Associate: companion, friend, fellow, suggesting a deep similarity. According to Mat. 26:31, this is a prophecy about Yahshua. Brought low: or made insignificant, those that have grown small. Not until Hevel was killed and Chavvah conceived again does Scripture say Adam had a son in his likeness, allowing the process of repair of the scattered image of Elohim to begin. Yahshua clinched the victory, and we are to finish the mop-up.

9. “And I will cause the third to come through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and I will scrutinize them as gold is scrutinized, and that [third] will call on My Name, and I will answer it. I will say, ‘This is My people!’ and it will say, ‘YHWH is my Elohim!’”

A third: compare Y’hezq’El 5. YHWH always preserves a remnant for Himself. Refine: to test by smelting. Scrutinize: to examine by trial. In other words, He will prove who is really on His side through many difficult tests. This is what is alluded to in 1 Kefa/Peter 1:6-9. (Compare 1 Cor. 3:13; Yaaqov 1:3) It: literally, “he”, yet called “they” as well, for it will be unified by the smelting into an entity that operates as a unit. My people: the full reversal of the curse the Northern Kingdom brought upon herself. (Hoshea 1:9-10). After the fire has done its work they are again spoken of as a unified entity.

CHAPTER 14

Innermost part: literally, nearest; when speaking of Yerushalayim, this is the Temple Mount, which is both nearest to YHWH’s heart, and the place Israel and the nations come to draw near to Him.

Half of the city: possibly the Old City, which, as before 1967, is indeed cut off from the rest of the city by the deep valley of the sons of Hinnom and is where the Temple Mount—YHWH’s most treasured property and therefore that which His enemies want--lies. See photo below:

3. “Then YHWH will go forth and fight against those Gentiles, like the day He waged war in the time of drawing near [for battle].

From where will He go forth? From the Bridegroom’s canopy (Ps. 19:5), as Yahshua (who embodies YHWH’s feet, v. 4) completes the seven days in the chamber with His bride and comes with her to reconquer His rightful throne. When YHWH went before Israel to battle in the past, not a man was lost.

He leads a united Israel back into the Land together in a raid to rescue the remnant in the city and retake it as the first Y’hoshua did. When a present-day hotel was being built for tourists on the Mount of Olives, it had to be redesigned because a fault line was found running directly through the initially-planned site.

The now-sealed Eastern Gate may open up to allow them to escape. Atzal: where the “scapegoat” was cast off the cliff in the wilderness some twelve miles east of Yerushalayim in the days of the Second Temple. This would open a passage all the way to the Great Rift Valley, from which united Israel, returning from the days in the wedding chamber with Yahshua, can approach from the other direction to meet them. (Compare Luke 21:21.)

Precious stones: Compare Mal’akhi 3:17. Congeal: or thicken, condense, curdle.

One day: an allusion to “day one” when YHWH said “Let there come to be light”—a return to Genesis 1, for Eden will return to earth as this “city which is coupled together in unity” is manifested physically once again and the river that divides rather than merging (Gen. 2:10) will be reopened, a sign that the Kingdom has been realized “on earth as it is in Heaven:

Living waters: an idiom for running water, and this is what is required for a ritual cleansing (such as the “flow” in 13:1). Literally, half toward the former sea and half toward the latter. Y’hezq’El (Ezekiel) 47 provides more detail about this event.

This is what we allude to when we say while putting on tzitziyoth, binding t’fillin, or shaking the lulav at Sukkoth, “For the sake of the unification of the holy One… in fear and love to unify the Name YH with WH in perfect unity…” No other names for YHWH will be substituted. During the thousand years that follow, the full physical realization of the reunification of His image in mankind (which was divided when Chavvah was taken out of Adam and further scattered when they sinned) will be completed.

Turned around: possibly transformed (changed to become as green and well-watered as this Yarden River Valley) or overturned, as indeed the Great Rift Valley (the Aravah) was when YHWH destroyed S’dom and Ghamorah. (Gen. 19:25-29) Geva: a city in Benjamin, modern ‘Jeba’, which stands on the top of a steep terraced hill, six miles or ten kilometers north east of Jerusalem. Rimmon: a town in the southern portion of Judah allotted to Shim’on. In other words, the whole region surrounding and including Yerushalayim, but this particular section of Yerushalayim will still be higher in altitude. (Compare Micha 4:1) Tower of Hanan’El: then located at the site of where the Fortress of Antonia stood during the Roman occupation. Gate of the Corners: at the approximate location of today’s Jaffa Gate. (Custance) Gate of Binyamin: close to the Temple, the site where Yirmeyahu was held in stocks. (20:2) First (or original) gate: possibly the Eastern Gate, the most direct route by which one could enter the Temple, compared to the roundabout way in required once it was sealed off—a reminder of the long, circuitous route by which we have to come back to YHWH’s presence after the direct way available in the Garden of Eden was closed off to us.

Penetration: i.e., by besiegers. Alt., anything devoted to destruction, or an enclosure that sets something off-limits.

This is a complete decomposition within seconds with the structure left intact—a perfect description of the effects of a neutron bomb—a form of nuclear weapon. It rids the area of undesirables but does not destroy the city. Yehudah is indeed amassing such weapons now, and the evil nations were all brought together so YHWH can destroy them all in one fell swoop (Ps. 92:7), and this is another reason those in the besieged city are allowed to escape. By fleeing to a much lower altitude, the radiation will go over their heads.

14. “And Yehudah, too, will involve itself in battle at Yerushalayim, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be amassed—gold, silver, and garments until it is very abundant.

15. “And the plague will be the same as this plague for the horse, the mule, the camel, and the donkey, or any beast that may be in those camps.

16. “And [the end result] will be that anyone who is left [alive] from any of the nations that came up against Yerushalayim will ascend year by year, as often as [prescribed], to bow before the King, YHWH [Commander] of Armies, and to make a pilgrimage [to celebrate] the Feast of Sukkoth.

17. “And what will be the case for anyone from among the clans of the earth who does not go up to Yerushalayim to bow before the King, YHWH [Commander] of Armies, is that there will be no rain on them.

18. “And if [the] family of Egypt will not ascend or will not enter in, then no [rain will come] on them. [This] will be the plague with which YHWH will strike the Gentiles who do not come up to celebrate the Feast of Sukkoth.

19. “This will be [the offering required for] Egypt’s sin or the sin of any Gentile [nation] that will not come up to celebrate the Feast of Sukkoth.

20. “On That Day, there will be [engraved] on [the] bells [on] the horse’s [bridle], ‘Set apart for YHWH’, and the cooking pots in the House of YHWH will become like the pitchers [used] before the altar,

‘Set apart for YHWH’: the same thing that was engraved on the high priest’s turban-crown. (Ex. 28:36) Pitchers: used to toss the blood of the sacrificial animals against the side of the altar. In other words, everything will take on a higher level of holiness, or the holiness of the altar will extend to everything in the Temple, and that of the Temple will extend to everything in the city. The reason for this may be that there are so many people returning to bring offerings that there are simply not enough of the vessels prescribed as set apart to go around. The Messiah Himself will perform some of these ritual slaughters (Y’hezq’El 45:17-22), so the presence of renewed “sacrifices” in no way contradicts the Messiah’s finished work. One key to understanding this is the fact that the blood of bulls and goats never did take away sin. (Heb. 10:4) It atoned for sins, which means it effected a covering over them for our sakes so we would not have to live with constant guilt, but could have a sense of closure. With so many people who know little or nothing about YHWH now being required to come up for His feast, the sacrifices are, as they were in the past, a means of teaching us the multifaceted aspects of what Yahshua’s death accomplished for us and what it means to draw near to YHWH, for “drawing near” is really what the Hebrew term often rendered “sacrifice” really means.

Kanaanite: or a merchant or trader. When Yahshua drove out the moneychangers from the Temple, He was foreshadowing this Day.