Zechariah 6:3

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Zechariah 6:2-3

Zechariah 6:2-3. In the first chariot were red horses This meant the Chaldean empire, the bloody cruelties of which were signified by the red colour of the horses. This empire being overthrown, and its power extinct, when the prophet had this vision, it is only mentioned by-the-by, for the sake of order, and nothing further is said of it. And in the second, black horses We find by the Apocalypse, Revelation 6:5, that a black horse was an emblem of famine, or dearth, so that the chariot... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Zechariah 6:1-8

Assurance of final victory (5:1-6:8)Previously God gave a promise that the Messiah will remove sin from the land (see 3:9b). This will come either through forgiveness (in the case of those who repent) or destruction (in the case of those who continue in their sin). This latter judgment is now pictured in the vision of a huge flying scroll that announces God’s judgment on all those who choose to ignore God’s law. No one has any excuse, because the scroll is large enough for all to read and it... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Zechariah 6:3

grisled = speckled, or dappled: i.e. like hail. Compare Genesis 31:10 , Genesis 31:12 . Grisled (now spelled grizzled) is from the French gris = iron-grey. bay = strong. Hebrew ' amuzzim . Occurs only here, and Zechariah 6:7 . The feminine noun "strength" only in Zechariah 12:5 . read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Zechariah 6:1-3

Zechariah 6:1-3. Behold, there came four chariots— These denote the four great empires which subdued the then known parts of the world. They are represented as coming from between two mountains, because mountains are the natural barriers which divide kingdoms; and which, though strong as brass, and here supposed to be broken through by those who invade and conquer their neighbours. This may expressly denote the narrow passage in Cilicia, through which the Babylonians and Persians, Alexander and... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Zechariah 6:3

3. white—implying joy and victory [CALVIN]. grizzled—piebald. Implying a mixed dispensation, partly prosperity, partly adversity. All four dispensations, though various in character to the Gentile nation, portended alike good to God's people. bay—rather, "strong" or "fleet"; so Vulgate [GESENIUS]. The horses have this epithet, whose part it was to "walk to and fro through the earth" ( :-). However, the Septuagint and Chaldee agree with English Version in referring the Hebrew to color, not... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 6:1-8

H. The four chariots 6:1-8There are several similarities between this last vision and the first one (Zechariah 1:7-17) indicating a return to ideas introduced at the beginning of this chiastic series of revelations. Again there is a group of horses of various colors, but their order and colors are somewhat different. Zechariah mentioned a rider in vision one but no chariots, but in vision eight chariots without horsemen appear. There is a similar emphasis on the fact that Yahweh controls... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Zechariah 6:2-3

The two horses pulling the first chariot were red. Black horses pulled the second chariot, white horses the third, and dappled horses the fourth. All of them were strong. These horses evidently represent angels who facilitate the work of other angels, represented by the chariots (cf. Zechariah 6:5). The colors of the horses may symbolize various aspects of judgment, perhaps war and bloodshed in the case of the red horses, famine and death for the black, victory and triumph for the white (cf.... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 6:1-15

The Eighth Vision. The Symbolic Crowning1-8. Four war-chariots, with variously coloured horses, go forth to execute God’s judgments against the enemies of oppressed Israel in different parts of the earth. Two, in particular, go. northwards, to ’quiet His spirit’ (i.e. to satisfy His anger) upon Babylon. 9-15. Zechariah is commanded to take gold and silver from the Temple offerings, and make a crown for Joshua the high priest. At the same time, the Messiah (’Branch’) is again promised. Under Him... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Zechariah 6:1-15

A SERIES OF SEVEN VISIONS.Zechariah 1:7 to Zechariah 6:15. Between the commencement of Zechariah’s prophetic labours and the incidents recorded in Zechariah 1:7 to Zechariah 6:15, the Prophet Haggai received the revelation contained in Haggai 2:10-23. On the four-and-twentieth day of the eleventh month, just five months after the re-building of the Temple was resumed, Zechariah sees a succession of seven visions in one night, followed by a symbolic action (Zechariah 6:9-15). read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Zechariah 6:3

(3) For grisled and bay, read only the first word, grey, as in Zechariah 1:8. It is necessary (with the Syriac Version) to make this conjectural emendation, because (as the Hebrew text now stands), in this verse the “grisled and bay horses” are spoken of as identical, while in Zechariah 6:6-7 they are distinguished from one another; and, moreover, the “red horses” are not mentioned again. LXX., ποικίλοι ψαροί. read more

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