Yahweh of Armies will defend them; and they will destroy and overcome with sling stones; and they will drink, and roar as through wine; and they will be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh of Armies will defend them; and they will destroy and overcome with sling stones; and they will drink, and roar as through wine; and they will be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar.
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The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
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The LORD of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like the basins, like the corners of the altar.
Cross-references (22)
Passages linked to Zechariah 9:15 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Zechariah 12:6 In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they will devour all the surrounding peoples, on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem will yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem.
- Zechariah 10:7 Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their heart will rejoice as through wine; yes, their children will see it, and rejoice. Their heart will be glad in Yahweh.
- Exodus 27:2 You shall make its horns on its four corners. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with bronze.
- Psalms 78:65 Then the Lord awakened as one out of sleep, like a mighty man who shouts by reason of wine.
- Zechariah 10:5 They shall be as mighty men, treading down muddy streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Yahweh is with them; and the riders on horses will be confounded.
- Zechariah 12:8 In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and David’s house will be like God, like Yahweh’s angel before them.
- Leviticus 4:18 He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before Yahweh, that is in the Tent of Meeting; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
- Leviticus 4:25 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.
- Revelation 19:13-21 He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood. His name is called “The Word of God.” The armies which are in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in white, pure, fine linen. Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, small and great.” I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army. The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.
- Leviticus 4:7 The priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before Yahweh, which is in the Tent of Meeting; and he shall pour out the rest of the blood of the bull at the base of the altar of burnt offering, which is at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
- 1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
- Song of Solomon 1:4 Take me away with you. Let’s hurry. The king has brought me into his rooms. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! They are right to love you.
- Song of Solomon 5:1 I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends! Drink, yes, drink abundantly, beloved.
- Song of Solomon 7:9 Your mouth is like the best wine, that goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding through the lips of those who are asleep.
- Isaiah 37:35 ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’ ”
- Isaiah 55:1 “Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
- Micah 5:8 The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is no one to deliver.
- Zechariah 9:17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.
- Zechariah 14:20 In that day there will be on the bells of the horses, “HOLY TO YAHWEH”; and the pots in Yahweh’s house will be like the bowls before the altar.
- Acts 2:13-18 Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
- Ephesians 5:18 Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain He expresses again the same thing in other words…
He expresses again the same thing in other words — that God would be like a shadow to his people, so that he would with an extended hand protect them from their enemies. Since the Jews might have justly felt a distrust in their own strength, the Prophet continually teaches them that their safety depended not on earthly aids, but that God alone was sufficient, for he could easily render them safe and secure. He also adds, that there would be to them plenty of bread and wine to satisfy them. He seems here indeed to promise too great an abundance, as by its abuse luxury came, for he says, that they would be satiated and be like the drunken; they shall drink, he says, and shall make a noise as through wine. Certainly those who drink wine moderately, do not make noise, but they are as composed and quiet after dinner as those who fast. Zechariah then seems here to make an unreasonable promise, even that of excess in meat and drink. But we have elsewhere seen that wherever the Holy Spirit promises abundance of good things he does not give loose reigns to men’s lusts, but his object is only to show that God will be so bountiful to his children that they shall stand in need of nothing, that they shall labor under no want. Nay, the affluence of blessings is to try our frugality, for when God pours forth as it were with a liberal hand more than what is needful, he thus tries the temperance of each of us; for when in the enjoyment of great abundance, we of our own accord restrain ourselves, we then really show that we are grateful to God.
It is indeed true, that cheerfulness for abundance of blessings is allowed us, for it is often said in the law, “Thou shalt rejoice before thy God,” (Deuteronomy 12:18;) but we must bear in mind, that frugal use of blessings is required, in order that the gifts of God may not be converted to a sinful purpose.
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Then the Prophet does not here excite or stimulate the Jews to intemperance, that they might fill themselves with too much food, or inebriate themselves with too much wine; but he only promises that there would be no want of either food or drink when God blessed them as in former days. And this seems also to be specified at the end of the verse, when he mentions the horns of the altar. He had previously said, that they would be full as the bowls were; but when he adds, “the horns of the altar,” he no doubt reminds them of temperance, that they were to feast as though they were in God’s presence. They were indeed accustomed to pour out the wine and the oil on the horns of the altar; but, at the same time, since they professed that they offered from their abundance of wine and oil some first-fruits to God, it behaved them to remember that their wine was sacred, that their oil was sacred, as both proceeded from God. The Prophet then declares, that the Jews would be thus enriched and replenished with all good things, and that they were yet to remember, that they were to live as in God’s presence, lest they should by luxury pollute what he had consecrated to a legitimate end. He then adds —
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain He promiseth that the Jews shall destroy their enemies,…
He promiseth that the Jews shall destroy their enemies, and have abundance and excess of all things, as there is abundance on the altar when the sacrifice is offered: Which things are not to move them to intemperancy, but to sobriety, and a thankful remembrance of God’s great liberality.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Zec 9:15 The LORD of hosts shall defend them;…
Zec 9:15 The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, [and] make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, [and] as the corners of the altar.
Ver. 15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them] Heb. Shall hold his buckler over them, which none can strike through.
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And they shall devour] sc. Their enemies, that till then did eat up God’s people as they eat bread, Psa 14:5.
And subdue with sling stones] With weak means, as David did Goliath.
And they shall drink and make a noise] Tumultuabuntur quasi temulenti. It is a catechresis signifying the very great destruction of their enemies; so that they might be even drunk with their blood if they had any mind to it; the tongues of their dogs should be dipped therein, as Psa 68:23-24.
And they shall be filled like bowls, &c.] That held the blood of the sacrifices.
And as the corners of the altar] Which were all besprinkled with the blood of the sacrifices. A Lapide applies all this to those heavenly conquerors, and more, that is, triumphers, the apostles and martyrs.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The Lord of hosts shall defend them; in the…
The Lord of hosts shall defend them; in the most dangerous attempts the Jews, under their captains in the wars against the Grecians, were preserved to a miracle, according to this promise.
They shall devour; a few of them destroy many of their enemies.
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Subdue with sling stones: as we read this passage, it seems to refer to the slaughter of Goliath with a sling, by David, a stripling; so weak means, in the hand and trader the blessing of the great God, shall do mighty things: others read the words, they shall subdue the sling-stones, that is, conquer the Grecians, who in their wars used the sling, and that with great dexterity and success.
They shall drink, in their festivals, when they offered sacrifices of thanksgiving for their victories.
Make a noise, shout with shouts of triumph, make a great noise, as through wine; as men do whose hearts are glad with success, and cheered with wine.
They shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar; rather, they shall fill, i.e. with the blood of the sacrifices they offer, both the bowls and corners of the altars, all shall be full of the blood of eucharistical sacrifices.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The Lord of hosts shall defend them,.... Against all…
The Lord of hosts shall defend them,.... Against all their enemies; against Satan, and his temptations, and all the opposition made by him; against the world, and all the rage and reproach of men; this was remarkably verified in the apostles, who were preserved by the Lord amidst a thousand snares and dangers; and who was able to do it, being Jehovah, and the Lord of armies in heaven and in earth; he was as a shield unto them, as the word (t) used signifies; and to which he is often compared in Scripture. The Targum renders it,
"the Lord of hosts shall have mercy on them;''
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he encompassed them about with his favour as with a shield:
and they shall devour; or "eat" (u); spiritual food; Christ the bread of life; whose flesh is meat indeed, and who is lived upon by faith; the blessings and promises of the everlasting covenant, of which the meek eat, and are satisfied; the Gospel and the truths of it, the words of faith and good doctrine, with which faithful ministers are nourished; all which is necessary, that they may be strengthened, and qualified to feed others with knowledge and understanding:
and subdue with sling stones; such who are stouthearted, and far from righteousness; who become by their ministry penitent and humble, and subject to Christ, his Gospel and ordinances, even by the means of preaching of the word, which seem very unpromising and unlikely; being to men foolishness, and like the scrip and sling David took with him, and by which he brought Goliath down to the ground:
and they shall drink; of the love of God, which, for its antiquity, purity, and refreshing nature, is like the best wine; and of the blood of Christ, which is drink indeed; and of the grace of the Spirit, which revives, strengthens, and extinguishes thirst:
and make a noise as through wine; being full of joy and thankfulness for their spiritual food and drink; and so warm, zealous, and fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; free and open in their ministrations, loudly proclaiming the grace of God; bold, and fearless of danger:
and they shall be filled like bowls; that were full of the blood of the offerings, as Jarchi and Kimchi explain it; or rather, as the Targum, that were full of fine flour and oil; they having their souls filled with good things, as the first of the above writers observes; a comfortable view of interest in the love of God; a large measure of spiritual joy, and a fulness of the gifts and graces of the Spirit, qualifying them for their work:
and, as the corners of the altar; the Targum is,
"they shall shine as the blood that shines upon the wall of the altar;''
at the corners of which it was poured out; signifying that they should be as full of the Spirit, and spiritual things, as the altar was of blood: so the Jewish writers say, when the priest took the blood in the bowl, he sprinkled of it two sprinklings upon the two corners of the altar, on the diameter of it, and below upon the northeast horn, and upon the southwest horn; and he ordered it so, as to sprinkle the blood on the horn, that it might surround the corners, and that the blood might be on the four sides of the altar round about (w).
(t) "obteget", Burkius. (u) "ut comedant", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Tarnovius, "et edent", Burkius. (w) Maimon. Maase Hakorbanot, c. 5. sect. 6.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Devour - Destroy their enemies. With sling-stones - As…
Devour - Destroy their enemies. With sling-stones - As David did Goliath. Shall drink - In their festivals, when they offer sacrifices of thanksgiving for their victories. Make a noise - Shout with shouts of triumph, as men do whose hearts are glad with success, and cheared with wine. Shall fill - With the blood of the sacrifices they offer.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them]…
Verse 15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them] He alone is the sure trust of his Church.
Subdue with sling-stones] This was an ancient and powerful instrument in the hands of the Hebrews. See Clarke on Jdg 20:16.
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They shall drink] After the victory gained as above, thy people shall hold a feast, and drink and be filled with wine. There is no intimation here that they shall drink the blood of their enemies, as some barbarous nations were accustomed to do. When they have gained the victory, they shall banquet abundantly on the spoils taken from the enemy.
As the corners of the altar.] They shall pour out libations of wine at the foot of the altar, as the priests were accustomed to pour out the blood of the victims.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The Lord of hosts, shall defend them - As…
The Lord of hosts, shall defend them - As God says, “I will defend this city to save it, for Mine own sake and for My servant David’s sake” . The word is used by Isaiah only before Zechariah, and of the protection of Almighty God. The image of the complete protection on all sides stands first in God’s words to Abraham, “I am thy shield” Gen 15:1; David thence says to God, “Thou, O Lord, art a shield around me” (Psa 3:4, (Psa 3:3 in English)).
And they shall devour, and subdue - Or more probably (as in the margin), “shall tread on, the stones of the sling,” as in the image of leviathan in Job, “The son of the bow will not make him flee; sling-stones are to him turned into stubble; clubs are counted as stubble; he laugheth at the shaking of a spear” (Job 41:20-21 (28, 29 English)). Their enemies shall fall under them, as harmless and as of little account as the slingstones which have missed their aim, and lie as the road to be passed over. It is not expressed what they shall devour, and so the image is not carried out, but left indefinite, as destruction or absorption only; as in that, “thou shalt consume (literally, eat) all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee” Deu 7:16; and, “they are our bread” Num 14:9; and in that, “they shall devour (literally, eat) all the people round about” Zec 12:6, where the image is of fire, not of eating. The one thought seems to be, that their enemies should cease to be, so as to molest them any more, whether by ceasing to be their enemies or by ceasing to be. There is no comparison here, (as in Balaam) with the lion; or of eating flesh or drinking blood, which, apart from the image of the wild beast, would be intolerable to Israel, to whom the use of blood, even of animals, was so strictly forbidden. They should disappear, as completely as fuel before the fire, or food before the hungry. The fire was invigorated, not extinguished, by the multitude of the fuel: the multitude of the enemies but nerved and braced those, whom they sought to destroy.
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And they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar - They shall be consecrated instruments of God; they shall not prevail for themselves, but for Him; they shall be hallowed like the bowls of the temple, from which the sacrificial blood is sprinkled on His altar, or “as the corners of the altar” which receive it.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Sling. At first the Machabees had no other weapon,…
Sling. At first the Machabees had no other weapon, 1 Machabees iv. 6. The sling was much used, Judges xx. 16. --- Wine. They will shed blood of the enemy so abundantly, and be all besmeared with it. They would never drink it, like the pagans, Leviticus xvii. 10. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain devour--the flesh of their foes.
devour--the flesh of their foes.
drink--the blood of their foes; that is, utterly destroy them. Image (as Jer 46:10) from a sacrifice, wherein part of the flesh was eaten, and the blood poured in libation (compare Isa 63:1, &c.).
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subdue with sling-stones--or, "tread under foot the sling-stones" hurled by the foe at them; that is, will contemptuously trample on the hostile missiles which shall fall harmless under their feet (compare Job 41:28). Probably, too, it is implied that their foes are as impotent as the common stones used in slinging when they have fallen under foot: in contrast to the people of God (Zac 9:16), "the (precious) stones of a crown" (compare Sa1 25:29) [MAURER]. English Version is good sense: The Jews shall subdue the foe at the first onset, with the mere slingers who stood in front of the line of battle and began the engagement. Though armed with but sling-stones, like David against Goliath, they shall subdue the foe (Jdg 20:16; Ch1 12:2) [GROTIUS].
noise--the battle shout.
through wine-- (Zac 10:7). The Spirit of God fills them with triumph (Eph 5:18).
filled--with blood.
like bowls--the bowls used to receive the blood of the sacrifices.
as . . . corners--or "horns" of the altar, which used to be sprinkled with blood from the bowls (Exo 29:12; Lev 4:18).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them] See,…
15. The Lord of hosts shall defend them] See, for examples of the first fulfilment, 1Ma_3:16-24; 1Ma_4:6-16; 1Ma_7:40-50.
devour] It is not said what they shall devour. Calvin takes this and what follows literally of eating and drinking, i.e. of enjoying plenty: “Adjungit etiam fore illis copiam panis et vini, ut saturentur.” Others, as Pusey, supply “their enemies” after “devour” and take it as an image of “destruction or absorption only, as in that, thou shall consume [lit. eat] all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee, Deu_7:16.” Comp. Num_14:9. But then no adequate sense is given to the following clauses, Thou shalt drink, &c. It seems best to regard the whole as a figurative description of a wild beast devouring its prey: they shall devour (the flesh of their enemies, comp. Num_23:24); they shall tread on (them, as on) sling stones; they shall drink (their blood) and make a noise as through wine; they shall be filled (with it) like bowls (which hold the blood of the sacrifices), like the corners of the altar (round which it is copiously poured). See Lev_4:7; Lev_4:18; Lev_4:30.
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sling stones] Comp. Job_41:28-29. The comparison of the Israelites to the precious “stones of a crown” in the next verse favours the view that their enemies themselves, and not the weapons which they hurl at them, are here compared to the “stones of a sling.” “Their enemies shall fall under them, as harmless and as of little account, as the sling-stones which have missed their aim (or spent their force), and lie as the road to be passed over.” Pusey.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (15) Subdue with sling stones.—Better, trample on sling stones…
(15) Subdue with sling stones.—Better, trample on sling stones in their valorous onslaught on the enemy. For the figures “devour” and “drink,” comp. Num_23:24; Mic_5:8; Eze_14:20; Eze_39:16-17.
Be filled.—With the blood of their enemies, like the bowls in which the priests caught the blood of the victims, and then sprinkled it on the corners of the altar.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Shall defend them; uperaspiei autouv , "shall put his…
Shall defend them; uperaspiei autouv , "shall put his shield over them" (Septuagint). There are numerous examples, in the Books of Maccabees, of God"s special interposition in his people"s favour, and thus far and in part fulfilling this prophecy. (see RAPC 1Ma 3:16-24 4:6-16 7:40-50 2Ma 2:21, 22 3:24, etc.; RAPC 2Ma 5:2-4 11:8 12:11, 15, 22, 28, 37 15:7, etc.) They shall devour. The prophet seems to have had in view Num_23:24, where Israel is compared to a lion, eating of the prey and drinking the blood of the slain. So here he says they shall "devour," i.e. the flesh of their enemies. (comp. Mic_5:8) Subdue with sling stones. So the Vulgate, and virtually the Septuagint, taking the case of the noun as instrumental; but it is best to take it as accusative of the object, as in the margin of the Authorized Version, "They shall tread down the stones of the sling." The "slingstones" are the enemies, as in the next verse "the stones of a crown" are the Jews; and the sentence means that the Jews shall tread their enemies underfoot like spent slingstones, which are of no account. Or it may signify simply and without metaphor that they shall despise the enemies" missiles, which shall fall harmless among them. (Job_41:28, Job_41:29) They shall drink the blood of the slain, like lions. Make a noise. As men exhilarated with wine. Vulgate, Bibentes inebriabuntur quasi a vino. (Isa_49:26 Eze_39:17-19) Shall be filled like bowls. They shall be filled with blood like the sacrificial vessels in which the blood of victims was received. (Zec_14:20) The corners of the altar. The blood was also sprinkled on the corners or sides of the altar. (Lev_1:5, 11 3:2) There may be included the notion that the war against God"s enemies was a sacred war, and accepted by him as a sacrifice. In the Maccabean struggle the bloodshed was often very considerable. (see RAPC 1Ma 7:32, 46 11:47 2Ma 8:30 10:17, 23, 31, etc.)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 9:15 In ancient battles, great stones (literally sling-stones) were…
9:15 In ancient battles, great stones (literally sling-stones) were hurled at defenders on city walls and catapulted onto the inhabitants inside. The Maccabees’ triumph over the Hellenistic Seleucids in the 100s BC might have partially fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy of Israel’s defeat of the Greeks (see 1 Maccabees 3:16-24; 4:6-16; 7:40-50). • They will be filled with blood . . . drenched with blood: When the Lord unleashes his armies against the Greeks, the amount of bloodshed will be vast. • like a bowl: Ceremonial sprinkling bowls filled with animal blood were used in the rituals of sacrifice. This image almost suggests that the vanquishing of the Lord’s enemies is in some sense an offering to him (see Exod 24:6; Lev 1:5; 16:18).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.