the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Haggai 2:23
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This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: "Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant, I have chosen you. I, the Lord , tell you that at that time I will use you like a signet ring to represent my authority!" This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.
'On that day,' declares the LORD of armies, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,'" declares the LORD of armies.
The Lord All-Powerful says, ‘On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,' says the Lord , ‘and I will make you important like my signet ring, because I have chosen you!' says the Lord All-Powerful."
In that day, says Yahweh of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, my slave, the son of Shealtiel, says Yahweh, and will make you as a signet; for I have chosen you, says Yahweh of hosts.
In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
'On that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, My servant,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you [through the Messiah, your descendant] like a signet ring, for I have chosen you [as the one with whom to renew My covenant to David's line],'" declares the LORD of hosts.
On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord , and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts."
In that day, says Yahweh of Hosts, will I take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says Yahweh, 'and will make you as a signet, for I have chosen you,' says Yahweh of Hosts."
In that dai, seith the Lord of oostis, thou Sorobabel, sone of Salatiel, my seruaunt, Y schal take thee, seith the Lord; and Y schal putte thee as a signet, for Y chees thee, seith the Lord of oostis.
In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.
On that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will take you, My servant, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and I will make you like My signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of Hosts."
But tell my servant Zerubbabel that I, the Lord All-Powerful, have chosen him, and he will rule in my name.
In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith Jehovah, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee, saith Jehovah of hosts.
In that day, says the Lord of armies, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you as a jewelled ring: for I have taken you to be mine, says the Lord of armies.
When that day comes,' says Adonai -Tzva'ot, ‘I will take you, Z'rubavel, my servant, the son of Sh'alti'el,' says Adonai , ‘and wear you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,' says Adonai -Tzva'ot."
In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, will I take thee, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant, saith Jehovah, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee, saith Jehovah of hosts.
In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.'
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my seruant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I haue chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.
"But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord , for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!"
On that day,' says the Lord of All, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,' says the Lord. ‘And I will make you like a ring for marking My name. For I have chosen you,' says the Lord of All."
On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the Lord , and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.
In that day, saith the Lord of hostes, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel my seruant, the sonne of Shealtiel, sayth the Lorde, and wil make thee as a signet: for I haue chosen thee, sayth the Lord of hostes.
On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the LORD, and I will make you as a signet; for I have chosen you, says the LORD of hosts.
On that day, declareth Yahweh of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel - my servant, declareth Yahweh, and will set thee as a signet-ring; For, thee, have I chosen, Declareth Yahweh of hosts.
In that day, says the Lord of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and will make you [through the Messiah, your descendant] My signet ring; for I have chosen you [as the one with whom to renew My covenant to David’s line], says the Lord of hosts. 2 Sam 7:12, 16.">[fn]
On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerub'babel my servant, the son of She-al'ti-el, says the LORD, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the LORD of hosts."
In that day, saith the Lord of hoastes, will I take thee Zorobabel my seruaunt sonne of Salathiel, sayth the Lord, & will make thee as a signet: for I haue chosen thee, sayth the Lorde of hoastes.
and I will overthrow the thrones of kings, and I will destroy the power of the kings of the nations; and I will overthrow chariots and riders; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword striving against his brother.
On that day I will take you, Zerubbabel my servant, and I will appoint you to rule in my name. You are the one I have chosen." The Lord Almighty has spoken.
On that day”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies—“I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you.” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.
In that day, says the LORD of Hosts, will I take you, Zerubbavel, my servant, the son of She'alti'el,' says the LORD, 'and will make you as a signet, for I have chosen you,' says the LORD of Hosts."
‘On that day,' declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,' declares Yahweh, ‘and I will make you a signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares Yahweh of hosts."
In that day, says Jehovah of Hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, says Jehovah, and will make you like a signet; for I have chosen you, declares Jehovah of Hosts.
In that day -- an affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, I take thee, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And have set thee as a signet, for on thee I have fixed, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts!
And as for the, o Zorobabel (saieth the LORDE of hoostes) thou sonne of Salathiel, my seruaunt: I wil take the (saieth the LORDE) at the same tyme, and make the as a seale: for I haue chosen the, saieth the LORDE of hoostes.
This Temple Will End Up Better Than It Started Out On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word of God came through the prophet Haggai: "Tell Governor Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak and all the people: ‘Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious? And what do you see now? Not much, right? "‘So get to work, Zerubbabel!'— God is speaking. "‘Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!' "‘Get to work, all you people!'— God is speaking. "‘Yes, get to work! For I am with you.' The God -of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking! ‘Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I'm living and breathing among you right now. Don't be timid. Don't hold back.' "This is what God -of-the-Angel-Armies said: ‘Before you know it, I will shake up sky and earth, ocean and fields. And I'll shake down all the godless nations. They'll bring bushels of wealth and I will fill this Temple with splendor.' God -of-the-Angel-Armies says so. ‘I own the silver, I own the gold.' Decree of God -of-the-Angel-Armies. "‘This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.' Decree of God -of-the-Angel-Armies." On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (again, this was in the second year of Darius), God 's Message came to Haggai: " God -of-the-Angel-Armies speaks: Consult the priests for a ruling. If someone carries a piece of sacred meat in his pocket, meat that is set apart for sacrifice on the altar, and the pocket touches a loaf of bread, a dish of stew, a bottle of wine or oil, or any other food, will these foods be made holy by such contact?" The priests said, "No." Then Haggai said, "How about someone who is contaminated by touching a corpse—if that person touches one of these foods, will it be contaminated?" The priests said, "Yes, it will be contaminated." Then Haggai said, "‘So, this people is contaminated. Their nation is contaminated. Everything they do is contaminated. Whatever they do for me is contaminated.' God says so. "‘Think back. Before you set out to lay the first foundation stones for the rebuilding of my Temple, how did it go with you? Isn't it true that your foot-dragging, halfhearted efforts at rebuilding the Temple of God were reflected in a sluggish, halfway return on your crops—half the grain you were used to getting, half the wine? I hit you with drought and blight and hail. Everything you were doing got hit. But it didn't seem to faze you. You continued to ignore me.' God 's Decree. "‘Now think ahead from this same date—this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Think ahead from when the Temple rebuilding was launched. Has anything in your fields—vine, fig tree, pomegranate, olive tree—failed to flourish? From now on you can count on a blessing.'" God 's Message came a second time to Haggai on that most memorable day, the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month: "Speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah: "‘I am about to shake up everything, to turn everything upside down and start over from top to bottom—overthrow governments, destroy foreign powers, dismantle the world of weapons and armaments, throw armies into confusion, so that they end up killing one another. And on that day'"—this is God 's Message—"‘I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my personal servant and I will set you as a signet ring, the sign of my sovereign presence and authority. I've looked over the field and chosen you for this work.'" The Message of God -of-the-Angel-Armies.
On that day,' says the Lord who rules over all, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,' says the Lord , ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,' says the Lord who rules over all."
"In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, "I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the LORD, "and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,' says the LORD of hosts."
'On that day,' declares the LORD of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,'" declares the LORD of hosts.
‘On that day,' declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,' declares Yahweh, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,'" declares Yahweh of hosts.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
O Zerubbabel: It seems evident that the Messiah is here described under the name of Zerubbabel, as elsewhere under that of David, whose kingdom, after these mighty convulsions, should supersede all others.
and will: Song of Solomon 8:6, Jeremiah 22:24, John 6:27, 2 Timothy 2:19
for: Isaiah 42:1, Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 49:1-3, Zechariah 4:6-14, Matthew 12:18, 1 Peter 2:4
Reciprocal: Ezra 3:2 - Zerubbabel Isaiah 49:16 - I have Zechariah 9:16 - as Matthew 1:12 - and
Cross-References
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.
Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts,.... When all these kingdoms, and their thrones and strength, are destroyed; which shows that what follows cannot be understood literally of Zerubbabel, who lived not to see these things done:
will I take thee, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord; that is, the Messiah, as is owned by Abarbinel; who says x,
"the King Messiah shall come, who is of the seed of Zerubbabel; and he shall be the seal of the structure, and the end of the kingdoms; as it is said, "I will make thee as a signet, for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts"; for this no doubt is said concerning the days of the Messiah:''
and another Jewish writer y, quoting the above author for the sense of this passage, and Ezekiel 37:25, adds,
"for the King Messiah he will be David, and he will be Zerubbabel, that he may be a rod going out of their stem;''
and another z on these words observes,
"without doubt this is said concerning the expected Messiah, who will be of the seed of Zerubbabel; and therefore this promise was not at all fulfilled in him; for in the time of this prophecy he was but governor of Judah, and he never rose to greater dignity than what he then had:''
indeed these writers wrongly suppose the Messiah yet to come, and whom they in vain expect; and apply this, as they do many other prophecies, to the coming of Christ in the flesh, which belong to his spiritual appearance in his churches, or to his personal coming at the last day: however, this shows the conviction on their minds of the application of this and such like prophecies to the Messiah, who may be called Zerubbabel, as he is sometimes David, because he sprung from him, was of his lineage, and because he was a type of him, in bringing the people of the Jews out of the Babylonish captivity, in rebuilding the temple, in the government of the people, and in being chosen of God, and precious; as well as a servant of the Lord, as here expressed, and which is often mentioned as a character of the Messiah, Isaiah 49:3:
and will make thee as a signet; preserve, protect and defend, love, value, and esteem, and advance to great honour and dignity, power and authority: the signet or seal on a man's right hand, being what he always wears, is ever in sight, and he is careful of; as well as is what he greatly esteems, and is dear unto him, and he highly values; and by which a prince signs his decrees and edicts; see Isaiah 49:2 Song of Solomon 8:6:
for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts; to be the Redeemer and Saviour of his people; to be their King and Governor, and the Judge of the world. Christ is peculiarly God's elect, and in whom all his people are chosen; be is the chosen of God, and precious, Psalms 89:19. The Targum is,
"for in thee I am well pleased;''
which is said by God the Father concerning Christ more than once, Matthew 3:17. It is a prophecy of the exaltation of Christ after he had done his work, as the Lord's servant, and especially in the latter day, when he shall be King over all the earth; all which cannot be so well applied to Zerubbabel; unless with Reinbeck we understand it of the time of his resurrection from the dead at the last day; when great honour shall be put upon him as a faithful servant, and great love and affection expressed to him; but that will be no other than what will be common to all the saints and chosen of God; Christ, in whom all prophecies terminate, and so this, is doubtless intended.
x Mayene Jeshuah, fol. 13. 4. Vid. & Mashmiah Jeshuah, fol. 67. 2. y Abendana in Miclol Yophi in loc. z R. Isaac, Chizzuk Emunah, par. 1. c. 34. p. 289, 290.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
I will make thee as a signet - God reverses to Zerubbabel the sentence on Jeconiah for his impiety. To Jeconiah He had said Jeremiah 22:24, âthough he were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life.â The signet was very precious to its owner, never parted with, or only to those to whom authority was delegated (as by Pharaoh to Joseph Genesis 41:42, or by Ahasuerus to Haman Esther 3:10 and then to Mordecai Esther 8:2.); through it his will was expressed. Hence, the spouse in the Canticles says, Song of Solomon 8:6. âSet me, as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm.â The signet also was an ornament to him who wore it. âGod is glorianfied in His saints;â 2 Thessalonians 1:10. by Zerubbabel in the building of His house. He gave him estimation with Cyrus, who entrusted him with the return of his people, and made him (who would have been the successor to the throne of Judah, had the throne been re-established) his governor over the restored people.
God promises to him and his descendants protection amid all shaking of empires. âHe was a type of Christ in bringing back the people from Babylon, as Christ delivered us from sin death and hell: he built the temple, as Christ built the Church; he protected his people against the Samaritans who would hinder the building, as Christ protects His Church: he was dear and joined to God, as Christ was united to Him, and hypostatically united and joined His Humanity to the Word. The true Zerubbabel then, i. e., Christ, the son and antitype of Zerubbabel, is the signet in the hand of the Father, both passively and actively, whereby God impresses His own Majesty thoughts and words and His own Image on men angels and all creatures.â âThe Son is the Image of God the Father, having His entire and exact likeness, and in His own beauty beaming forth the nature of the Father. In Him too God seals us also to His own likeness, since, being conformed to Christ, we gain the image of God.â âChrist, as the Apostle says, is Hebrews 1:3 âthe Image of the invisible God, the brightness of His Glory and the express Image of His Person,â who, as the Word and Seal and express Image, seals it on others. Christ is here called a signet, as Man not as God. For it was His Manhood which He took of the flesh and race of Zerubbabel. He is then, in His Manhood, the signet of God;
1) as being hypostatically united with the Son of God;
2) because the Word impressed on His Humanity the likeness of Himself, His knowledge, virtue, holiness, thoughts, words, acts and conversation;
3) because the Man Christ was the seal, i. e., the most evident sign and witness of the attributes of God, His power, justice, wisdom, and especially His exceeding love for man. For, that God might show this, He willed that His Son should be Incarnate. Christ thus Incarnate is as a seal, in which we see expressed and depicted the love power justice wisdom etc. of God;
4) because Christ as a seal, attested and certified to us the will of God, His doctrine law commands, i. e., those which He promulgated and taught in the Gospel.
âNo one,â John saith John 1:18, âhath seen God at any time: the Only-Begotten Son Who is the Image the Father, He hath declared Him.â Hence, God gave to Christ the power of working miracles, that He might confirm His words as by a seal, and demonstrate that they were revealed and enjoined to Him by God, as it is in John John 6:27, âHim hath God the Father sealed.â âChrist is also the seal of God, because by His impress, i. e., the faith grace virtue and conversation from Him and by the impress in Baptism and the other sacraments, âHe willed to conform us to the Image of His Son,â Romans 8:29. that 1 Corinthians 15:49, âas we have borne the image of the earthly Adam, we mnay also bear the image of the heavenly.â Then, Christ, like a seal, seals and guards His faithful against all temptations and enemies. The seal of Christ is the Cross, according to that of Ezekiel, âSeal a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh,â and in the Revelation Revelation 7:2, âI saw another Angel having the seal of the living God.â For the Cross guardeth us against the temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil, and makes us followers, soldiers, and martyrs of Christ crucified. Whence the Apostle says, Galatians 6:17. âI bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.â
âThis is said without doubt of the Messiah, the expected;â says even a Jewish controversialist , âwho shall be of the seed of Zerubbabel; and therefore this promise was not fulfilled at all in himself: for at the time of this prophecy he had aforetime been governor of Judah, and afterward he did not rise to any higher dignity than what he was up to that day: and in like way we find that God said to Abraham our father in the covenant between the pieces, Genesis 15:7, Genesis 15:18. âI am the Lord who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees to give thee this land to inherit it,â and beyond doubt this covenant was confirmed of God to the seed of Abraham, as lie Himself explained it there afterward, when He said, âIn that day God made a covenant with Abraham, saying, To thy seed have I given this land etc.,â and many like these.
Abarbanel had laid down the right principles, though of necessity misapplied. âZerubbabel did not reign in Jerusalem and did not rule in it, neither lie nor any man of his seed; but immediately after the building of the house, he returned to Babylon and died there in his captivity, and how saith he, âIn that day I will take thee?â For after the fall of the kingdom of Persia Zerubbabel is not known for any greatness, and his name is not mentioned in the world. Where then will be the meaning of âAnd I will place thee as a signet, for thee have I chosen?â For the signet is as the seal-ring which a man putteth on his hand, it departeth not from it, night or day. And when was this fulfilled in Zerubbabel? But the true meaning, in my opinion, is, that God showed Zerubbabel that this very second house would not abide, for after him should come another captivity, and of this he says, âI shake the heaven etc.,â and afterward, after a long time, will God take His vengeance of these nations âwhich have devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling place;â and so he says âI will overthrow the thrones, etc.,â and He sheweth him further that the king who shall rule over Israel at the time of the redemption is the Messiah of the seed of Zerubbabel and of the house of David; and God saw good to shew him all this to comfort him and to speak to his heart; and it is as if he said to him, âIt is true that thou shalt not reign in the time of the second temple, nor any of thy seed, but in that day when God shall overthrow the throne of the kingdoms of the nations, when He gathereth His people Israel and redeemeth them, then shalt thou reign over My people, for of thy seed shall he be who ruleth from Israel at that time forever, and therefore he saith, âI will take thee, O Zerubabbel etc.,â for because the Messiah was to be of his seed he saith, that he will take him; and this is as he says, Ezekiel 37:24. âAnd David My servant shall be a prince to them forever;â for the very Messiah, he shall be David, he shall be Zerubbabel, because he shall be a scion going forth out of their hewn trunkâ Isaiah 11:1.
For I have chosen thee - Godâs forecoming love is the ground of all the acceptableness of His creature 1 John 4:19. âWe love Him, because He first loved us.â Zerubbabel was a devoted servant of God. God acknowledges his faithfulness. Only, the beginning of all was with God. God speaks of the nearness to Himself which He had given him. But in two words He cuts off all possible boastfulhess of His creature. Zerubbabel was all this, not of himself, but âbecause God had chosenâ him. Even the sacred manhood of our Lord (it is acknowledged as a theological truth) was not chosen for any foreseen merits, but for the great love, with which God the Father chose it, and God the Son willed to be in such wise incarnate, and God the Holy Spirit willed that that Holy Thing should be conceived of Him. So God says of Him Isaiah 42:1, âBehold My Servant whom I uphold, Mine elect in whom My soul delighteth;â and God bare witness to Him Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5, âThis is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.â
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Haggai 2:23. In that day, saith the Lord — Some think, says this same learned writer, that Zerubbabel is put here for his people and posterity: but it may well be said that the commotions foretold began in the rebellion of Babylon, which Darius besieged and took; and exercised great cruelties upon its inhabitants. - Herod. lib. iii., sec. 220. Justin. i. 10. Prideaux places this event in the fifth year of Darius; others with more probability, in the eighth year. Compare Zechariah 2:9.
And will make thee as a signet — I will exalt thee to high dignity, power, and trust, of which the seal was the instrument or sign in those days. Thou shalt be under my peculiar care, and shalt be to me very precious. See Jeremiah 22:24; Cant. Song of Solomon 8:6; and see the notes on these two places.
For I have chosen thee — He had an important and difficult work to do, and it was necessary that he should be assured of God's especial care and protection during the whole.
ON the three last verses of this prophecy a sensible and pious correspondent sends me the following illustration, which I cheerfully insert. Though in many respects different from that given above, yet I believe that the kingdom of Christ is particularly designed in this prophecy.
"I think there is an apparent difficulty in this passage, because the wars of the Persians and Babylonians were not so interesting to the rising commonwealth of the Jews as many subsequent events of less note in the world, but which were more directly levelled at their own national prosperity; and yet neither the one nor the other could be termed 'a shaking of the heavens and the earth, and an overthrow of the throne of kingdoms.'
"I know not if the following view may be admitted as an explanation of this difficult passage. I take 'the shaking of the heavens and earth' here (as in Haggai 2:6) to have a more distant and comprehensive meaning than can belong to Zerubbabel's time, or to his immediate posterity; and that it extends not only to the overthrow of kingdoms then existing, but of the future great monarchies of the world; and not excepting even the civil and ecclesiastical establishments of the Jews themselves. For I take 'the heavens,' in the prophetic language, uniformly to denote the true Church, and never the superstitions and idols of the nations.
"What, then, are we to understand by the promise made to Zerubbabel, 'I will make thee as a signet?' In the first place, the restitution of the religious and civil polity of the people of Israel, conformably to the promises afterwards given in the four first chapters of Zechariah. And, secondly, as the royal signet is the instrument by which kings give validity to laws, and thereby unity and consistence to their empire; so Jehovah, the God and King of Israel, condescends to promise he will employ Zerubbabel as his instrument of gathering and uniting the people again as a distinguished nation; and that such should be the permanency of their political existence, that, whilst other nations and mighty empires should be overthrown, and their very name blotted out under heaven, the Jews should ever remain a distinct people, even in the wreck of their own government, and the loss of all which rendered their religion splendid and attractive.
"In confirmation of this interpretation, I would refer to the threatening denounced against Jeconiah, (called Coniah, Jeremiah 22:24,) the last reigning king of Judah, and the progenitor of Zerubbabel. I apprehend I may be authorized to read Jeremiah 22:24 thus: 'As I live, saith the Lord, though Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, be the signet upon my right hand, yet will I pluck thee thence, and I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life,' c.
"If it be considered that the kings of Judah were in an especial and peculiar manner the delegates of Jehovah, governing in his name and by his authority, a peculiar propriety will appear in their being resembled to signets, or royal seals contained in rings. Compare Genesis 41:42 Esther 3:10; Esther 3:12; Esther 8:2; Esther 8:8; Daniel 6:7. And the promise to Zerubbabel will be equivalent to those which clearly predict the preservation of the Jewish people by the Divine command. see Zechariah 2:4-13; and the faithfulness of God to his covenant concerning the Messiah, who should be born of the seed of Abraham, and in the family of David, of whose throne he was the rightful Proprietor.
"According to this view, by the promise, 'In that day; - I will make thee as a signet,' c., must be understood, that the preservation of the Jews as a distinct people, when all the great empires of the heathen were overthrown, would manifest the honour now conferred on Zerubbabel as the instrument of their restoration after the Babylonish captivity. Thus the promise to Abraham, Genesis 12:2-3, 'I will make of thee a great nation - and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed,' evidently referred to a very distant future period and the honour connected with it could not be enjoyed by Abraham during his mortal life." - M. A. B.
I think, however, that we have lived to see the spirit of this prophecy fulfilled. The earth has been shaken another shaking, and time shall be swallowed up in eternity.
