Zechariah 13:7

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Zechariah 13:7-9

Here is a prophecy, I. Of the sufferings of Christ, of him who was to be pierced, and was to be the fountain opened. Awake, O sword! against my Shepherd, Zech. 13:7. These are the words of God the Father, giving order and commission to the sword of his justice to awake against his Son, when he had voluntarily made his soul an offering for sin; for it pleased the Lord to bruise him and put him to grief; and he was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, Isa. 53:4, 10. Observe, 1. How he calls... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zechariah 13:7

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd ,.... Not Judas Maccabeus, slain in battle by Bacchis F23 Vid. Joseph. Antiqu. l. 12. c. 11. sect. 2. , as Grotius fancies; but Christ, Jehovah's Shepherd; for these are the words of Jehovah the Father, concerning his Son, whom he calls "my Shepherd"; because he has a property in him, as well as in the flock; and he was chosen, called, set up, and sent as such by him; on whom he laid the straying of all the sheep; and who as such died and rose again,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 13:7

Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd - This is generally understood of Jesus Christ. The sword is that of Divine justice which seemed to have been long asleep, and should long ago have struck either Man, or his Substitute, the Messiah. Jesus is here called God's Shepherd, because he had appointed him to feed and govern, as well as to save, the whole lost world. This is a prosopopoeia, and the address to the sword is very poetic. There is a fine passage in Aeschylus to the same effect: - ... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zechariah 13:7

Verse 7 It was pleasant and delightful to hear what the Prophet said at the beginning of the chapter, for he promised that a fountain would be opened, by which the Jews might cleanse away all their filth, and that God, having been reconciled, would be bountiful to them. As then he had promised so blessed and happy a state, what he had said before might have been so taken, even by the true and faithful servants of God, as though the condition of the Church were to be after that time free from... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 13:7

Awake, O sword. Zechariah proceeds to show the course of the purification of the people. The mention of the false prophet and the shameful wounds in his flesh leads him to the contrast of the true Prophet and the effects of his "piercing." The abruptness of the commencement of the verse is dramatic, and gives no sufficient cause for supposing that this paragraph ought to be transferred (as Ewald and others desire) to the end of Zechariah 11:1-17 . (For a similar apostrophe, comp. Jeremiah... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 13:7

The sword. There is here something of heaven and earth. Jehovah speaks. He lays his command on the sword of justice, to awake and "smite." This implies death, and death not of a common sort, but as a judicial act, under the sanction of law. We take the scene to illustrate the tragedy of Calvary ( Matthew 26:31 ; John 16:32 ). Three questions may be asked. I. WHO ? The rebellious Babylon, Rome, Jerusalem? No. "The man that is my fellow." Who is this? Search, and where can you... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 13:7-9

§ 4. For the smiting of the good Shepherd Israel is punished, passes through much tribulation, by which it is refined, and in the end (though reduced to a mere remnant) is saved. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 13:7-9

A wonderful sentence. "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow," etc. The prophet here seems again to "hark back," as at the openings of Zechariah 9:1-17 . and 11. (where see remarks and references), from the "glory" that was to "follow" to the "sufferings" that were to precede. At any rate, we have the highest authority ( Matthew 26:31 , Matthew 26:56 ) for understanding this passage of the "sufferings" and death of our Lord himself. This being so,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zechariah 13:7-9

God's government of the world. "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts' smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Zechariah 13:7

Awake, O sword - So Jeremiah apostrophises the sword, “O thou sword of the Lord, when wilt thou be quiet?” Jeremiah 47:6. The prophets express what “will be,” by a command that it should be; “Make the heart of this people heavy” Isaiah 6:10. But by this command he signifies that human malice, acting freely, could do no more than His “Hand and” His “counsel determined before to be done” Acts 4:28. The envy and hatred of Satan, the blind fury of the chief priests, the contempt of Herod, the... read more

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