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Selected Verse: Zechariah 6:6 - Strong Concordance
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Zec 6:6 |
Strong Concordance |
The black [07838] horses [05483] which are therein go forth [03318] into the north [06828] country [0776]; and the white [03836] go forth [03318] after [0310] them; and the grisled [01261] go forth [03318] toward the south [08486] country [0776]. |
| |
King James |
The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
north country--Babylon (see on Jer 1:14). The north is the quarter specified in particular whence Judah and Israel are hereafter to return to their own land (Zac 2:6; Jer 3:18). "The black horses" go to Babylon, primarily to represent the awful desolation with which Darius visited it in the fifth year of his reign (two years after this prophecy) for revolting [HENDERSON]. The "white" go after the "black" horses to the same country; two sets being sent to it because of its greater cruelty and guilt in respect to Judea. The white represent Darius triumphant subjugation of it [MOORE]. Rather, I think, the white are sent to victoriously subdue Medo-Persia, the second world kingdom, lying in the same quarter as Babylon, namely, north.
grizzled . . . toward the south--that is, to Egypt, the other great foe of God's people. It, being a part of the GrÃ&brvbr;co-Macedonian kingdom, stands for the whole of it, the third world kingdom. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
The black horses which are therein go forth - Literally, "That chariot wherein the black horses are, these go forth." Jerome: "Most suitably is the first chariot, wherein the red homes were, passed over, and what the second, third, fourth did is described. For when the prophet related this, the Babylonian empire had passed, and the power of the Medes possessed all Asia." Red, as the color of blood, represented Babylon as sanguinary; as it is said in the Revelation, "There went out another horse, red, and power was given to him that sat thereon, to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another, and there was given him a sharp sword" Rev 6:4. "The black" were to go forth to the north country, the ancient title of Babylon. For Babylon, though taken, was far from being broken. They had probably been betrayed through the weakness of their king's. Their resistance, in the first carefully prepared (Herodotus, iii. 150) revolt against Darius, was more courageous than that against Cyrus: and more desperate .
Since probably more Jews remained in it, than returned to their own country, what was to befall it had a special interest for them. They had already been warned in the third vision Zac 2:7 to escape from it. The color black doubtless symbolizes the heavy lot, inflicted by the Medo-Persians; as in the Revelation it is said, "the sun became black as sackcloth of hair" Rev 6:12; and to the beast in Daniel's vision which corresponded with it, it was said, "Arise, devour much flesh" Dan 7:5; and in the Revelation, "he that sat on the black horse" Rev 6:5-6 was the angel charged with the infliction of famine. Of the Medes, Isaiah had said, "I will stir up the Medes against them (Babylon), which shall not regard silver; and gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children" Isa 13:17-18.
The white went forth after them - For the Greek empire occupied the same portion of the earth as the Persian. White is a symbol of joy, gladness Ecc 9:8, victory Rev 6:2, perhaps also, from its relation to light, of acute intelligence. It may relate too to the benevolence of Alexander to the Jewish nation. "Alexander used such clemency to the conquered, that it seemed as though he might be called rather the founder than the destroyer of the nations whom he subdued."
And the grizzled - The Romans in their mingled character, so prominent in the fourth empire of Daniel, "go forth" Dan 2:41-43 to the south country, that is, Egypt; as Daniel speaks of "the ships of Chittim" Dan 11:30 and the intervention of the Romans first in regard to the expulsion of Antiochus Epiphanes from Egypt; in Egypt also, the last enduring kingdom of any successor of Alexander, that of the Ptolemies, expired. "30 years afterward, the Son of God was to bring light to the earth. The prophet so interweaves the prediction, that from the series of the four kingdoms it is brought to the Birth of the Eternal King" . |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| The black horses - The angels signified by the black horses are the executioners of God's just displeasure. Therein - In the second chariot. The north - country - Babylon. The grisled - The angels signified by these, managed the Roman power, which was sometimes favourable, sometimes fierce and severe, to those they had to do with. The south - country - Egypt and Arabia, which lay south of Judea. It may perhaps point at their invading Africa too, whose punishments were mixed, with kindness and mercy more than the punishments of Babylon were. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
The black horses - This refers to the second chariot; of the first the angel makes no mention, because the empire designed by it had ceased to exist. This had red horses, to show the cruelty of the Chaldeans towards the Jews, and the carnage they committed in the land of Judea.
The black - Cyrus, at the head of the Persians and Medes, bringing devastation and death among the Chaldeans, called the north in many parts of Scripture.
The white - Alexander, who was splendid in his victories, and mild towards all that he conquered.
The grisled - The Lagidae or Ptolemies, who founded an empire in Egypt; of these some were good, some bad, some despotic, some moderate, some cruel, and some mild, represented by the party-coloured horses. |
18 In those days [03117] the house [01004] of Judah [03063] shall walk [03212] with the house [01004] of Israel [03478], and they shall come [0935] together [03162] out of the land [0776] of the north [06828] to the land [0776] that I have given for an inheritance [05157] unto your fathers [01].
6 Ho [01945], ho [01945], come forth, and flee [05127] from the land [0776] of the north [06828], saith [05002] the LORD [03068]: for I have spread you abroad [06566] as the four [0702] winds [07307] of the heaven [08064], saith [05002] the LORD [03068].
14 Then the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto me, Out of the north [06828] an evil [07451] shall break forth [06605] upon all the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776].
30 For the ships [06716] of Chittim [03794] shall come [0935] against him: therefore he shall be grieved [03512], and return [07725], and have indignation [02194] against the holy [06944] covenant [01285]: so shall he do [06213]; he shall even return [07725], and have intelligence [0995] with them that forsake [05800] the holy [06944] covenant [01285].
41 And whereas thou sawest [02370] the feet [07271] and toes [0677], part [04481] of potters [06353]' clay [02635], and part [04481] of iron [06523], the kingdom [04437] shall be [01934] divided [06386]; but [04481] there shall be [01934] in it of [04481] the strength [05326] of the iron [06523], forasmuch as [03606] [06903] thou sawest [02370] the iron [06523] mixed [06151] with miry [02917] clay [02635].
42 And as the toes [0677] of the feet [07271] were part [04481] of iron [06523], and part [04481] of clay [02635], so the kingdom [04437] shall be [01934] partly [04481] [07118] strong [08624], and partly [04481] [07118] broken [08406].
43 And whereas [01768] thou sawest [02370] iron [06523] mixed [06151] with miry [02917] clay [02635], they shall mingle themselves [01934] [06151] with the seed [02234] of men [0606]: but they shall [01934] not [03809] cleave [01693] one [01836] to [05974] another [01836], even [01888] as iron [06523] is not [03809] mixed [06151] with clay [02635].
2 And [2532] I saw [1492], and [2532] behold [2400] a white [3022] horse [2462]: and [2532] he that sat [2521] on [1909] him [846] had [2192] a bow [5115]; and [2532] a crown [4735] was given [1325] unto him [846]: and [2532] he went forth [1831] conquering [3528], and [2532] to [2443] conquer [3528].
8 Let thy garments [0899] be always [06256] white [03836]; and let thy head [07218] lack [02637] no ointment [08081].
17 Behold, I will stir up [05782] the Medes [04074] against them, which shall not regard [02803] silver [03701]; and as for gold [02091], they shall not delight [02654] in it.
18 Their bows [07198] also shall dash [07376] the young men [05288] to pieces [07376]; and they shall have no pity [07355] on the fruit [06529] of the womb [0990]; their eye [05869] shall not spare [02347] children [01121].
5 And [2532] when [3753] he had opened [455] the third [5154] seal [4973], I heard [191] the third [5154] beast [2226] say [3004], Come [2064] and [2532] see [991]. And [2532] I beheld [1492], and [2532] lo [2400] a black [3189] horse [2462]; and [2532] he that sat [2521] on [1909] him [846] had [2192] a pair of balances [2218] in [1722] his [846] hand [5495].
6 And [2532] I heard [191] a voice [5456] in [1722] the midst [3319] of the four [5064] beasts [2226] say [3004], A measure [5518] of wheat [4621] for a penny [1220], and [2532] three [5140] measures [5518] of barley [2915] for a penny [1220]; and [2532] see thou hurt [91] not [3361] the oil [1637] and [2532] the wine [3631].
5 And behold [0718] another [0317] beast [02423], a second [08578], like [01821] to a bear [01678], and it raised up [06966] itself on one [02298] side [07859], and it had three [08532] ribs [05967] in the mouth [06433] of it between [0997] the teeth [08128] of it: and they said [0560] thus [03652] unto it, Arise [06966], devour [0399] much [07690] flesh [01321].
12 And [2532] I beheld [1492] when [3753] he had opened [455] the sixth [1623] seal [4973], and [2532], lo [2400], there was [1096] a great [3173] earthquake [4578]; and [2532] the sun [2246] became [1096] black [3189] as [5613] sackcloth [4526] of hair [5155], and [2532] the moon [4582] became [1096] as [5613] blood [129];
7 Deliver [04422] thyself, O [01945] Zion [06726], that dwellest [03427] with the daughter [01323] of Babylon [0894].
4 And [2532] there went out [1831] another [243] horse [2462] that was red [4450]: and [2532] power was given [1325] to him [846] that sat [2521] thereon [1909] [846] to take [2983] peace [1515] from [575] the earth [1093], and [2532] that [2443] they should kill [4969] one another [240]: and [2532] there was given [1325] unto him [846] a great [3173] sword [3162].