Bible Commentaries

Introduction

1	The birth of Christ.
4	His kingdom.
8	His conquest.

Verse 1
Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

gather

Deuteronomy 28:49; 2 Kings 24:2; Isaiah 8:9; 10:6; Jeremiah 4:7; 25:9; Joel 3:9; Habakkuk 1:6; Habakkuk 3:16

he hath

Deuteronomy 28:51-57; 2 Kings 25:1-3; Ezekiel 21:21,22; 24:2; Luke 19:43,44

they

Job 16:10; Lamentations 3:30; Matthew 5:39; 26:67; 27:30; John 18:22; 19:3; Acts 23:2; 2 Corinthians 11:20

judge

1 Samuel 8:5,6; Isaiah 33:22; Amos 2:3

Verse 2
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

But thou

Matthew 2:6; John 7:42

Ephratah

Genesis 35:19; 48:7

Ephrath

Ruth 4:11; 1 Samuel 17:12; 1 Chronicles 2:50,51,54; 4:4; Psalms 132:6

among

1 Samuel 10:19; 23:23

thousands

Exodus 18:21,25; Deuteronomy 1:15; 1 Samuel 8:12; 17:18

yet

Isaiah 11:1; 53:2; Ezekiel 17:22-24; Amos 9:11; Luke 2:4-7; 1 Corinthians 1:27,28

that is

Genesis 49:10; 1 Chronicles 5:2; Isaiah 9:6,7; Jeremiah 13:5,6; Ezekiel 34:23,24; 37:22-25; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 28:18; Luke 1:31-33; 23:2,38; John 19:14-22; Revelation 19:16

whose

Psalms 90:2; 102:25-27; Proverbs 8:22; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 13:8; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 1:11-18; 2:8; 21:6

everlasting

or, the days of eternity.

Verse 3
Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Therefore

7:13; Hosea 2:9,14

give

6:14; 1 Kings 14:16; 2 Chronicles 30:7; Hosea 11:8

she

4:10; Isaiah 66:7,8; Matthew 1:21; Revelation 12:1,2

then

4:7; Isaiah 10:20,21; 11:11; Jeremiah 31:1,7-9; Romans 9:27,28; 11:4-6

his

Matthew 12:50; 25:40; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 1:11,12

Verse 4
And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

stand

7:14; Psalms 23:1,2; Isaiah 40:10,11; 49:9,10; Ezekiel 34:22-24; John 10:27-30

feed

or, rule.

Matthew 2:6; *marg:

in the majesty

Exodus 23:21; 1 Chronicles 29:11,12; Psalms 45:3-6; 72:19; 93:1; 145:12; Matthew 25:31; John 5:22-29; 10:38; 14:9-11; Revelation 1:13-18

the Lord

John 20:17; Ephesians 1:3

shall abide

Matthew 16:18; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 1:1

shall he be great

Psalms 22:27; 72:8; 98:3; Isaiah 49:5; 52:10; Zechariah 9:10; Luke 1:32; Revelation 11:15

Verse 5
And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

this

Psalms 72:7; Isaiah 9:6,7; Zechariah 9:10; Luke 2:14; John 14:27; 16:33; Ephesians 2:14-17; Colossians 1:20,21

when the

Isaiah 7:14; 8:7-10; 37:31-36; 65:8; Jeremiah 33:15

then

Isaiah 44:28; 59:19; Zechariah 1:18-21; 9:13; 10:3; 12:6; Revelation 17:14; 19:14

seven

Job 5:19; Proverbs 6:16; 30:18,29; Ecclesiastes 11:2; Amos 1:3,6

principal men

Heb. princes of men.

Verse 6
And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

they

Isaiah 14:2; 33:1; Nahum 2:11-13; 3:1-3

waste

Heb. eat up. the land of Nimrod.

Genesis 10:9-11; *marg:

in the entrances thereof

or, with her own naked swords. thus.

Isaiah 14:25; Luke 1:71,74

the Assyrian

2 Kings 15:29; 17:3-5; 18:9-15; 19:32-35; 2 Chronicles 33:11; Isaiah 10:5-12

Verse 7
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

the remnant

3,8; Ezekiel 14:22; Joel 2:32; Amos 5:15; Zephaniah 3:13; Romans 11:5,6

as a dew

Deuteronomy 32:2; Judges 6:36; Psalms 72:6; 110:3; Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; 66:19; Ezekiel 47:1; Hosea 6:3; 14:5; Zechariah 14:8; Matthew 28:19; Acts 9:15; 11:15; 13:46; Romans 11:12; 15:19,20; 1 Corinthians 3:6

tarrieth

Isaiah 55:10; Jeremiah 14:22; Acts 16:9; Romans 9:30; 10:20

Verse 8
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

as a lion

4:13; Psalms 2:8-12; 110:5,6; Isaiah 41:15,16; Obadiah 1:18,19; Zechariah 9:15; 10:5; Zechariah 12:3; Matthew 10:14; Acts 18:6; 2 Corinthians 2:15-17

sheep

or, goats. and none.

Psalms 50:22; Hebrews 2:3; 12:25

Verse 9
Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

hand

Psalms 21:8; 106:26; Isaiah 1:25; 11:14; 14:2-4; 26:11; 33:10; 37:36; Luke 19:27; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Revelation 19:13-21; 20:8,9

Verse 10
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

that I

Psalms 20:7,8; 33:16,17; Jeremiah 3:23; Hosea 1:7; 14:3; Zechariah 9:10

will cut

This seems to refer to those happy times when the Jews shall be converted and restored to their own land: and all their enemies being destroyed, they shall have no further need of cavalry or fenced cities.

Verse 11
And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

and throw

Isaiah 2:12-17; Ezekiel 38:11; Zechariah 4:6

Verse 12
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

Isaiah 2:6-8,18,20; 8:19,20; 27:9; Zechariah 13:2-4; Revelation 19:20; 22:15

Verse 13
Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

graven

Isaiah 17:7,8; Ezekiel 6:9; 36:25; 37:23; Hosea 2:16,17; 14:3,8

standing images

or, statues. no.

Isaiah 2:8

Verse 14
And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.

cities

or, enemies.

Verse 15
And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

8; Psalms 149:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:8

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