Bible Commentaries
Zechariah 10

Verse 1

Zec 10:1. The Lord is continuing his promise of temporal blessings. The land was given a rest for 70 years to compensate for the ones of which it was defrauded for years.

Verse 2

Zec 10:2. The false prophets had given the people assurances of peace which they said their idols would provide for them. Notwithstanding, all such promises had failed and the people had to go away into captivity. Now the chastisement is over and the true God is assuring them of prosperity.

Verse 3

Zec 10:3. God’s people have always been likened to sheep and the leaders to shepherds. But both shepherd and the flock had gone astray, so the Lord regarded the shepherds as worthy of condemnation and the sheep likened to goats. But the program has been changed and the people are now likened to the noble horse in battle against His enemies.

Verse 4

Zec 10:4. Corner Is defined in the lexicon as a chieftain and nail is a figurative term for a support or fastener. Oppressor is from a word that means a ruler. The verse means that God produced men of stability to uphold His nation who knew’ how to govern.

Verse 5

Zec 10:5. The terms are those stilt belonging to warfare and signify that God will assist his people in, their con¬tests with the enemy.

Verse 6

Zec 10:6. The captivity proper had been ended when Zechariah was writing, but much of the reconstruction work was still to come or was just under way. The verse Is a promise of the continued support of God.

Verse 7

Zec 10:7. Ephraim means the 10-tribe kingdom when not mentioned as a single tribe. (Isa 7:2 Isa 7:9 Isa 7:17; Eze 37:15-22.) That group is here promised God’s favor now,

Verse 8

Zec 10:8. Hiss for them means to whistle or call loudly and the clause means that God will call for the 10 tribes to be gathered at Jerusalem. I have redeemed them applies to the 10 tribes having been redeemed from the captivity. This all upsets the doctrine so popular in some groups about the "lost ten tribes."

Verse 9

Zec 10:9. Jews of the 10 tribes as well as those of the 2 tribes were scattered out through various countries. although the bulk of the nation had been in Babylon. All of these were assured of a return to the home land after the restoration.

Verse 10

Zec 10:10. This verse names some of the countries in which these displaced Jews had been living. Gilead and Lebanon were districts in Palestine or near it and forming parts of the home country. Place shall not be found means that the restoration of these scattered Jews will be so successful that they will fill all the space in these territories.

Verse 11

Zec 10:11. This verse promises that Ephraim will overcome alt his afflic-tions among the countries where he had been scattered. The heathen peo-ple who have oppressed them were doomed to feel the wrath of God because of their cruelties.

Verse 12

Zec 10:12. The strength of Ephraim was to come from the Lord.