the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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King James Version
Zechariah 9:1
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This is the Lord 's message against the land of Hadrach and against the city of Damascus. The tribes of Israel are not the only people who know about the Lord . Everyone looks to him for help.
The pronouncement of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of mankind, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD),
This message is the word of the Lord . The message is against the land of Hadrach and the city of Damascus. The tribes of Israel and all people belong to the Lord .
The burden of the word of Yahweh on the land of Hadrach, and Damascus [shall be] its resting-place (for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Yahweh);
The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus [shall be] the rest of it: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall be] towards the LORD.
The oracle (a burdensome message) of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach [in Syria], with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD),
The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and Damascus is its resting place. For the Lord has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel,
An oracle. The word of Yahweh is against the land of Hadrach, And will rest upon Damascus; For the eye of man And of all the tribes of Israel is toward Yahweh;
The birthun of the word of the Lord, in the lond of Adrach, and of Damask, the reste therof; for `of the Lord is the iye of man, and of alle lynagis of Israel.
The burden of the word of the LORD upon the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be its resting place: for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward the LORD:
An Oracle: The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus-for the eyes of men and of all the tribes of Israel are upon the LORD-
This is a message from the Lord : His eyes are on everyone, especially the tribes of Israel. So he pronounces judgment against the cities of Hadrach and Damascus.
The burden of the word of Jehovah upon the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be its resting-place (for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah);
A word of the Lord: The Lord has come to the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is his resting-place: for the towns of Aram are the Lord's,
A prophecy, the word of Adonai : In the land of Hadrakh and Dammesek is where [God] comes to rest, for the eyes of humankind are directed toward Adonai , as are those of all the tribes of Isra'el,
The burden of the word of Jehovah, in the land of Hadrach, and [on] Damascus shall it rest; (for Jehovah hath an eye upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel;)
The burden of the word of the LORD. In the land of Hadrach, and in Damascus shall be His resting-place; for the LORD'S is the eye of man and all the tribes of Israel.
The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall bee the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel shalbe toward the Lord.
This is the message from the Lord against the land of Aram and the city of Damascus, for the eyes of humanity, including all the tribes of Israel, are on the Lord .
The Word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus. For the eyes of men and all the family groups of Israel are on the Lord.
An Oracle. The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus. For to the Lord belongs the capital of Aram, as do all the tribes of Israel;
The burden of the worde of the Lorde in the land of Hadrach: and Damascus shalbe his rest: when the eyes of man, euen of all the tribes of Israel shalbe toward the Lord.
THE word of the LORD against the land of Hadrach and against Damascus, which shall be a gift to him; for to the LORD are revealed the ways of men and of all the tribes of Israel;
The oracle of the word of Yahweh on the land of Hadrach, and, Damascus, shall be the resting-place thereof, - For, Yahweh, hath an eye - to mankind, and to all the tribes of Israel;
The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadrach, and of Damascus the rest thereof: for the eye of man, and of all the tribes of Israel is the Lord’s.
An Oracle The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus. For to the LORD belong the cities of Aram, even as all the tribes of Israel;
The burden of the word of the lord in the lande of Hadrach: & Damascus shalbe his rest, when the eyes of man, euen of all the tribes of Israel shalbe towards the Lorde.
The burden of the word of the Lord, in the land of Sedrach, and his sacrifice shall be in Damascus; for the Lord looks upon men, and upon all the tribes of Israel.
This is the Lord 's message: He has decreed punishment for the land of Hadrach and for the city of Damascus. Not only the tribes of Israel but also the capital of Syria belong to the Lord .
A pronouncement:
An oracle. The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrakh, And will rest upon Dammesek; For the eye of man And of all the tribes of Yisra'el is toward the LORD;
An oracle. The word of Yahweh is against the land of Hadrach, and Damascus is its resting place. For to Yahweh belongs the eye of humankind, and all the tribes of Israel,
The burden of the Word of Jehovah against the land of Hadrach, and its resting place, Damascus, (when the eye of man, and all the tribes of Israel shall be toward Jehovah),
The burden of a word of Jehovah against the land of Hadrach, and Demmeseh -- his place of rest: (When to Jehovah [is] the eye of man, And of all the tribes of Israel.)
The worde of the LORDE shalbe receaued at Adrach, & Damascus shalbe his offerynge: for the eyes of all me and of the trybes of Israel shall loke vp vnto the LORDE.
War Bulletin: God 's Message challenges the country of Hadrach. It will settle on Damascus. The whole world has its eyes on God . Israel isn't the only one. That includes Hamath at the border, and Tyre and Sidon, clever as they think they are. Tyre has put together quite a kingdom for herself; she has stacked up silver like cordwood, piled gold high as haystacks. But God will certainly bankrupt her; he will dump all that wealth into the ocean and burn up what's left in a big fire. Ashkelon will see it and panic, Gaza will wring its hands, Ekron will face a dead end. Gaza's king will die. Ashkelon will be emptied out, And a villain will take over in Ashdod. "I'll take proud Philistia down a peg: I'll make him spit out his bloody booty and abandon his vile ways." What's left will be all God's—a core of survivors, a family brought together in Judah— But enemies like Ekron will go the way of the Jebusites, into the dustbin of history. "I will set up camp in my home country and defend it against invaders. Nobody is going to hurt my people ever again. I'm keeping my eye on them. "Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion! Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem! Your king is coming! a good king who makes all things right, a humble king riding a donkey, a mere colt of a donkey. I've had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim, no more war horses in Jerusalem, no more swords and spears, bows and arrows. He will offer peace to the nations, a peaceful rule worldwide, from the four winds to the seven seas. "And you, because of my blood covenant with you, I'll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells. Come home, hope-filled prisoners! This very day I'm declaring a double bonus— everything you lost returned twice-over! Judah is now my weapon, the bow I'll pull, setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string. I'll wake up your sons, O Zion, to counter your sons, O Greece. From now on people are my swords." Then God will come into view, his arrows flashing like lightning! Master God will blast his trumpet and set out in a whirlwind. God -of-the-Angel-Armies will protect them— all-out war, The war to end all wars, no holds barred. Their God will save the day. He'll rescue them. They'll become like sheep, gentle and soft, Or like gemstones in a crown, catching all the colors of the sun. Then how they'll shine! shimmer! glow! the young men robust, the young women lovely!
An oracle of the word of the Lord concerning the land of Hadrach, with its focus on Damascus: The eyes of all humanity, especially of the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord ,
The burden [fn] of the word of the LordAgainst the land of Hadrach,And Damascus its resting place(For the eyes of menAnd all the tribes of IsraelAre on the Lord);
The burden of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD),
The oracle of the word of Yahweh is against the land of Hadrach, with Damascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward Yahweh),
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Cir, am 3494, bc 510
burden: Isaiah 13:1, Jeremiah 23:33-38, Malachi 1:1
Damascus: Genesis 14:15, Isaiah 17:1-3, Jeremiah 49:23-27, Amos 1:3-5, Amos 3:12
the rest: Zechariah 5:4, Isaiah 9:8-21
when: Zechariah 8:21-23, 2 Chronicles 20:12, Psalms 25:15, Isaiah 17:7, Isaiah 17:8, Isaiah 45:20-22, Isaiah 52:10, Psalms 145:15, Jeremiah 16:19
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 3:13 - which was called Jeremiah 25:22 - isles which are beyond the sea Ezekiel 26:3 - Behold Nahum 1:1 - burden Zechariah 12:1 - burden Acts 9:31 - the churches Revelation 7:4 - all
Cross-References
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
Praise ye the Lord . Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord , that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
The burden of the word of the Lord,.... A prophecy, as in
Proverbs 31:1 which is sometimes of things sorrowful and distressing, as the destruction of people, as in Isaiah 31:1 and sometimes of things joyful, as in Zechariah 13:1 and here it contains good news to the church of Christ, Zechariah 9:9, c. and is called a "burden", because the word of the Lord is often so to carnal men; see Jeremiah 23:33 the words may be rendered, a "declaration", or "a publication", of "the word of the Lord" u; it signifies a publishing of it or bringing it forth; and so the Arabic version renders it "a revelation of the word of the Lord"; a carrying of it about: which was made
in the land of Hadrach; this is either the name of a man; of some king, as Aben Ezra observes; and some Jewish writers w say the King Messiah, who is ×× "sharp" to the nations of the world, and ×¨× "tender" to the Israelites: or rather the name of a place, and may design Syria, to which Damascus belonged; see Isaiah 7:8 or some place near it: says R. Jose x,
"I am of Damascus, and I call heaven and earth to witness that there is a place there, the name of which is Hadrach.''
Hillerus y takes it to be the same with Coelesyria, or hollow Syria, a vale which lay between Libanus and Antilibanus, and goes by many names; the same that is called Hoba, Genesis 14:15 the plain of Aren, and the house of Eden, Amos 1:5 and here Hadrach; and thinks it had its name from Hadar, a son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:15 and observes what is said, Genesis 25:18, that the "Ishmaelites dwelt from Havilah", which is to the south of Palestine, "unto Shur", a town situated over against Egypt, "as you go to Assyria"; that is, to the Agra of Ptolemy in Susiana. The Targum renders it
"in the land of the south.''
There was a city in Coelesyria, called Adra by Ptolemy z; which, as Jerom says a, was distant from Bostra twenty five miles; since called the city of Bernard de Stampis; where were Christian churches in the fourth and fifth centuries, whose bishops were present at councils held in those times b; and, according to this prophecy, here the word of the Lord was to be published; and it may have respect to the conversion of the inhabitants of it in future times: though some take it to be not the proper name of a place, but an appellative, and render it, "the land about", or "the land about thee" c; that is, about Judea; the nations round about it, particularly Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine.
And Damascus [shall be] the rest thereof; either of the Lord himself; his glorious Shechinah shall rest there, as Kimchi interprets it; and so the Targum paraphrases it,
"and Damascus shall be converted, that it may be of the house of his Shechinah;''
see Isaiah 11:10 or of the word of the Lord, which should be declared and published there, as it was by the Apostle Paul, who was converted near it, and preached in it, Acts 9:3 or of Hadrach, or the adjacent country: unless it is to be understood of the burden of the Lord resting on it, or of the taking of this city in the times of Alexander the great; which, with the destruction of the cities after mentioned, some make a type or symbol of the abolition of Paganism in the Roman empire; but the former sense seems best.
When the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, [shall] be towards the Lord; or, "when the eyes of men shall be to the Lord, and to all the tribes of Israel"; so Kimchi and Ben Melech; that is, as they interpret it, when the eyes of all men shall be to the Lord, and not to their idols; and also to all the tribes of Israel, to go along with them in their ways; as it is said above Zechariah 8:23, "we will go with you": or they shall look to the Lord, even as the tribes of Israel themselves do; and which is true of sinners when converted, whether Jews or Gentiles; and particularly was true of that great man, the Apostle Paul, who was converted near Damascus, when the eyes of his understanding being enlightened, and he seeing the insufficiency of all other objects, looked to the Lord alone for pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation; even as all true Israelites do, who are after the Spirit, and not after the flesh. Though some understand these words of the eyes of the Lord being upon every man, as well as upon the tribes of Israel; upon wicked men to punish them, as upon his people to protect and defend them: and to this sense the Targum inclines, paraphrasing the words thus,
"for before the Lord are manifest the works of the children of men, and he is well pleased with all the tribes of Israel.''
u ××©× ××ר "prolatio verbi Jehovae", Cocceius. w R. Judah in Jarchi, R. Benaiah in Kimchi in loc. R. Nehemiah in Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 24. 1. x Shirhashirim ib. Siphre in Yalkut Simeoni in loc. y Onomast. sacr. p. 578. z Geograph. l. 5. c. 15. a De locis Hebr. fol. 97. I. b Reland. Palestina Illustrata, l. 3. p. 548. c ××רץ ×××¨× "in terram circumstantem te", Junius & Tremellius, Tarnovius "super terram quae te circuit", Grotius "in terra circa te", Cocceius; "ad verbum, in terram circuitus tui", De Dieu.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The burden - o of the word of the Lord in (or, upon) the land of Hadrach The foreground of this prophecy is the course of the Victories of Alexander, which circled round the holy land without hurting it, and ended in the overthrow of the Persian empire. The surrender of Damascus followed first, immediately on his great victory at the Issus; then Sidon yielded itself and received its ruler from the conqueror, Tyre he utterly destroyed; Gaza, we know, perished; he passed harmless by Jerusalem. Samaria, on his return from Egypt, he chastised.
It is now certain that there was a city called Hadrach in the neighborhood of Damascus and Hamath, although its exact site is not known. âIt was first found upon the geographical tablets among the Assyrian inscriptions.â âIn the catalogue of Syrian cities, tributary to Nineveh, (of which we have several copies in a more or less perfect state, and varying from each other, both in arrangement and extent) there are three names, which are uniformly grouped together and which we read Manatsuah, Magida (Megiddo) and Duâar (Dor). As these names are associated with those of Samaria, Damascus, Arpad, Hamath, Carchemish, Hadrach, Zobah, there can be no doubt of the position of the citiesâ . In the Assyrian Canon, Hadrach is the object of three Assyrian expeditions , 9183 (b.c. 818), 9190 (811) and 9200 (801). The first of these follows upon one against Damascus, 9182 (817). In the wars of Tiglath-pileser II. (the Tiglath-pileser of Holy Scripture,) it has been twice deciphered;
(1) In the war b.c. 738, 737, after the mention of âthe cities to Saua the mountain which is in Lebanon were divided, the land of Bahalzephon to Ammanaâ (Ammon), there follows Hadrach ; and subsequently there are mentioned as joined to the league, â19 districts of Hamath, and the cities which were round them, which are beside the sea of the setting sun.â
(2) In his âWar in Palestine and Arabiaâ , âthe city of Hadrach to the land of Saua,â and six other cities are enumerated, as âthe cities beside the upper sea,â which, he says, âI possessed, and six of my generals as governors over them I appointed.â No other authority nearly approaches these times. The nearest authority is of the second century after our Lord, 116 a.d. : âR. Jose, born of a Damascene mother, said,â answering R. Yehudah ben Elai, , âI call heaven and earth to witness upon me, that I am of Damascus, and that there is a place called Hadrach.â Cyril of Alexandria says that âthe land of Hadrach must be somewhere in the eastern parts, and near to Emath (now Epiphania of Antioch) a little further than Damascus, the metropolis of the Phoenicians and Palestine.â A writer of the 10th century says that there was âa very beautiful mosque there, called the Mesjed-el-Khadra, and that the town was named from it.â The conjecture that Hadrach might be the name of a king , or an idol , will now probably be abandoned, nor can the idea, (which before seemed the most probable and which was very old), that it was a symbolic name, hold any longer.
For the prophets do use symbolic names ; but then they are names which they themselves frame. Micah again selects several names of towns, now almost unknown and probably unimportant, in order to impress upon his people some meaning connected with them , but then he does himself so connect it. He does not name it (so to say), leaving it to explain itself. The name Hadrach would be a real name, used symbolically, without anything in the context to show that it is a symbol.
The cities, upon which the burden or heavy prophecy tell, possessed no interest for Israel. Damascus was no longer a hostile power; Hamath had ever been peaceable, and was far away; Tyre and Sidon did not now carry on a trade in Jewish captives. But the Jews knew from Daniel, that the empire, to which they were in subjection, would be overthrown by Greece Daniel 8:20-21. When that rapid attack should come, it would be a great consolation to them to know, how they themselves would fare. It was a turning point in their history and the history of the then known world. The prophet describes (see below at Zechariah 9:8) the circuit, which the conqueror would take around the land which God defended; how the thunder-cloud circled round Judaea, broke irresistibly upon cities more powerful than Jerusalem, but was turned aside from the holy city âin going and returning,â because God encamped around it.
âThe selection of the places and of the whole line of country corresponds very exactly to the march of Alexander after the battle of Issus, when Damascus, which Darius had chosen as the strong depository of his wealth, of Persian women of rank, confidential officers and envoys, , was betrayed, but so opened its gates to his general, Parmenio. Zidon, a city renowned for its antiquity and its founders, surrendered freely; Tyre, here specially marked out, was taken after a 7 monthsâ siege; Gaza too resisted for 5 months, was taken, and, as it was said, âplucked up.ââ
And Damascus shall be the rest thereof - Godâs judgment fell first upon Damascus. But the word âresting-placeâ is commonly used of quiet peaceful resting, especially as given by God to Israel; of the ark, the token of the Presence of God, after its manifold removals, and of the glorious dwelling-place of the Christ among people . The prophet seems then purposely to have chosen a word of large meaning, which should at once express (as he had before) Zechariah 6:8, that the word of God should fall heavily on Damascus and yet be its resting-place. Hence, about the time of our Lord, the Jews interpreted this of the coming of the Messiah, that âJerusalem should reach to the gates of Damascus. Since Damascus shall be the place of His rest, but the place of His rest is only the house of the sanctuary, as it is said, âThis is My rest for ever; here will I dwell.â Another added, , âAll the prophets and all prophesied but of the years of redemption and the days of the Messiah.â Damascus, on the conversion of Paul, became the first resting-place of the word of God, the first-fruits of the Gentiles whom the Apostle of the Gentiles gathered from east to west throughout the world.
When (or For) the eyes of man - As (literally, and that is, especially beyond others) âof all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the Lord.â This also implies a conversion of Gentiles, as well as Jews. For man, as contrasted with Israel, must be the pagan world, mankind . âThe eyes of all must needs look in adoration to God, expecting all good from Him, because the Creator of all provided for the well-being of all, as the Apostle says, âIs He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yea, of the Gentiles alsoâ Romans 3:29. Godâs time of delivering His people is, when they pray to Him. So Jehoshaphat prayed, âO our God, wilt Thou not judge them? For we have no strength against this great company, which is come against us, and we know not what we shall do; but our eyes are on Theeâ 2 Chronicles 20:12; and the Psalmist says, âThe eyes of all wait toward Thee; and, âtoward them that fear Him.â Psalms 33:18, or in Ezraâs Chaldee, âThe eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jewsâ Ezra 5:5., or, âthe eyes of the Lord thy God are upon itâ (the land), Deuteronomy 11:12; but there is no construction like âthe Lord hath an eye on (obj.) manâ (as 70: Jonathan, Syr.) The passages, âwhose eyes are opened upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give etc.â Jeremiah 32:19, âhis eyes behold the nations,â are altogether different. âThe eye ofâ must be construed as âhis own eye.â) âas the eyes of servants are unto the hand of their masters, add as the eyes of a maiden are unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are unto the Lord our God, until He have mercy upon us.â
âFor in those days,â says a Jew, who represents the traditional interpretation, (Rashi), man shall look to his Creator, and his eyes shall look to the Blessed One, as it was said above, we will go with you, and they shall join themselves, they and their cities, to the cities of Israel.â And another; (Kimchi), âIn those days the eyes of all mankind shall be to the Lord, not to idols or images; therefore the land of Hadrach and Damascus, and the other places near the land of Israel - shall be included among the cities of Judah, and shall be in the faith of Israel.â
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER IX
Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine, were conquered by
Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards by Alexander. Some apply the
beginning of this chapter (1-7) to the one event, and some to
the other. The close of the seventh verse relates to the number
of Philistines that should become proselytes to Judaism; (see
Joseph. Antiq. xiv. 15, 4;) and the eighth, to the watchful
providence of God over his temple in those troublesome times.
From this the prophet passes on to that most eminent instance
of God's goodness to his Church and people, the sending of the
Messiah, with an account of the peaceable tendency and great
extent of his kingdom, 9, 10.
God then declares that he has ratified his covenant with his
people, delivered them from their captivity, and restored them
to favour, 11, 12.
In consequence of this, victory over their enemies is promised
them in large and lofty terms, with every other kind of
prosperity, 13-17.
Judas Maccabeus gained several advantages over the troops of
Antiochus, who was of Grecian or Macedonian descent. But
without excluding these events, it must be allowed that the
terms of this prophecy are much too strong to be confined to
them; their ultimate fulfilment must therefore be referred to
Gospel times.
NOTES ON CHAP. IX
Verse Zechariah 9:1. The burden of the word of the Lord — The oracle contained in the word which Jehovah now speaks.
This is a prophecy against Syria, the Philistines, Tyre, and Sidon, which were to be subdued by Alexander the Great. After this the prophet speaks gloriously concerning the coming of Christ, and redemption by him.
Most learned men are of opinion that this and the succeeding chapters are not the work of Zechariah, but rather of Jeremiah; Hosea, or some one before the captivity. It is certain that Zechariah 11:12-13, is quoted Matthew 27:9-10, as the language of Jeremiah the prophet. The first eight chapters appear by the introductory parts to be the prophecies of Zechariah: they stand in connection with each other, are pertinent to the time when they were delivered, are uniform in style and manner, and constitute a regular whole; but the six last chapters are not expressly assigned to Zechariah, and are unconnected with those that precede:-the three first of them are unsuitable in many parts to the time when Zechariah lived; all of them have a more adorned and poetical turn of composition than the eight first chapters, and they manifestly break the unity of the prophetical book.
I conclude, from internal marks, that these three chapters, (Zechariah 9:0, Zechariah 10:0, Zechariah 11:0) were written much earlier than the time of Jeremiah, and before the captivity of the ten tribes. They seem to suit Hosea's age and manner; but whoever wrote them, their Divine authority is established by the two quotations from them, Zechariah 9:9; Zechariah 11:12-13. See below.
The twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth chapters form a distinct prophecy, and were written after the death of Josiah, Zechariah 12:11; but whether before or after the captivity, and by what prophet, is uncertain, although I incline to think that the author lived before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. See on Zechariah 13:2-6. They are twice quoted in the New Testament, Zechariah 12:10; Zechariah 13:7. -Newcome.
My own opinion is, that these chapters form not only a distinct work, but belong to a different author. If they do not belong to Jeremiah, they form a thirteenth book in the minor prophets, but the inspired writer is unknown.
The land of Hadrach — The valley of Damascus, or a place near to Damascus. Alexander the Great gained possession of Damascus, and took all its treasures; but it was without blood; the city was betrayed to him.
Damascus shall be the rest thereof — The principal part of this calamity shall fall on this city. God's anger rests on those whom he punishes, Eze 5:13; Eze 16:42; Eze 24:13. And his rod, or his arm, rests upon his enemies, Psalms 125:3; Isaiah 30:23. See Newcome.
When the eye of man — Newcome translates thus:
"For the eye of Jehovah is over man,
And over all the tribes of Israel."
This is an easy sense, and is followed by the versions.
