wonderful thing in those days, of which I never did the like."

7. "Thus saith

from the east country and from the west country;" i. e., the whole world, for Israel has been scattered in every part of the world.

8. "And I will bring them - in the midst of Jerusalem."-He mentions Jerusalem, as I have explained above, because it was the city of the royal residence, and on account of the temple whither all Israel was accustomed to come.

"In truth."-Similar to the promise, "I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness." (Hosea ii. 22, English 20.)

9. "Thus let your hands be strong."-As ye hear all these future consolations, let your hands be strong in the commandments of God and to build the temple, according as ye have begun, for ye see that in the day that the foundation of the temple was laid the blessing began to come upon you.

10. "For before these days;" i. e., Before the foundation of the temple was laid, which was in the second year of Darius, on the 24th day of the ninth month, ye know that the hire of man did not become (7), that is to say, did not become a blessing, but turned to a curse.

"And the hire of beast was not."-, as if the beast was not when its hire turned to a curse.

"For Iset."— signifies permitting a thing for evil,

beasts among you" (Lev. xxvii. 22); as the Targum has "I excited every man."

11. "But now."-This is clear.

12. "For the seed peace;"* that is to say, Your seed shall be peace and a blessing, so that they will call it " a seed of peace." Jonathan's interpretation is, "The seed shall be perfect."

"And I will cause the remnant of this people to * See marginal translation.

possess."It is possible that this may have been spoken of the second temple, on condition that they would keep the commandments of the Lord; or it is still future, referring to the days of Messiah; and this is proved by the following verse, which says, "O house of Judah, and house of Israel." During the second temple the house of Israel did not return.

13. "And it shall be as ye were a curse."-For the Gentiles curse you, yea in every famine or misfortune that comes upon this land, they say it is on account of the sin of the Israelites dwelling amongst them.

"And ye shall be a blessing."-For the Gentiles shall be blessed in you, like Gen. xii. 2, "And thou shalt be a blessing."

"Let your hands be strong."-At this time, on account of the good consolations which, ye hear, are to come upon Israel.

14. "For thus saith the Lord

and I repented

not."-For I did what I intended, even to the desolation of their land, and the leading them into captivity.

15. "Fear ye not."-Because of those that resist you, Sanballat and his companions, who think to cause your work to cease now.

speak ye truth."—

16. "These are the things Speak not with one thing in your mouth and another thing in your heart.

"And the judgment of peace."—y vayip, for if ye judge righteousness there will be peace between the parties in the lawsuit, according as our rabbies have said in a proverb of the children of men. "He that has his coat taken from him by the tribunal, let him sing and go

his way." "'* And they have adduced in proof that verse,

* Talm. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 7, col. i., about the middle of the page. Rashi explains "that he is to sing and go his way, because they have judged the judgment of truth, and have taken away that which would have been stolen property if he retained."

"And all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” (Exod. xviii. 23.) "All the people," even he that is condemned in judgment. And our rabbies, of blessed memory, have interpreted bw vw of reconciliation, for it is said, "What sort of judgment is that in which there is peace? They answered, That of arbitration."* is pointed with pathach, because it is in regimen. "In your gates."—For that was the seat of the elders; as it is said in the law, "To the gate to the elders." (Deut. xxv. 7.)

17. "And let none of you imagine evil against his neighbour."—The same is said above (vii. 10), and there it is interpreted.

"And love no false oath."-And afterwards he says, "That I hate ;" that is to say, Do not ye love that which I hate.

"For all these are things."-Imagining evil against a neighbour and false oaths, and that which is the opposite of the former things; i. e., Truth and peace. Therefore he says, "All these things."

18. "And the word of the Lord came to me."—If ye will do these things which I have commanded you, the God of hosts says, that the fasts concerning which ye have asked whether ye shall fast on those days, ye shall not fast, but ye shall rejoice in them, because of the abundance of good which shall be to you.

19. "The fast of the fourth month."-This is Tammuz in which they fasted in captivity, on the 17th of the

* i. e., Where the parties are brought to agree by means of arbitration. The whole passage is found in Sanhedrin, fol. 6, col. 2 :—“ R. Judah ben Korcha says, it is a commandment to put an end to a suit by arbitration; for it is said, 'Judge truth and the judgment of peace in your gates.' (Zech. viii. 16.) But how can there be peace in a place where there is judgment; or in a place where there is peace, how can there be judgment? The difficulty is solved by considering what sort of judgment is here intended: it is that of arbitration."

month, the day on which a breach was effected in the

city.

"The fast of the fifth month."-This is Av, in which they fasted on the 9th day.†

"The fast of the seventh month."-This is the fast of Gedaliah, as we interpreted above.

"The fast of the tenth month."-This is the tenth of Tevath, on which day the King of Babylon invested Jerusalem.

“Shall be.”—Every one of them shall be to the house of Judah during the second temple, for the ten tribes have not returned.

"Therefore love the truth and peace.”—And on condition that ye love the truth and peace, as I have commanded you.

20. "Thus saith the Lord there shall come people.”—There shall yet be a time when the people shall come, and this will be in the days of Messiah.

has

It is yet * עוֹד הַיּוֹם גָּדוֹל the same signification as in

high day" and again,

is, "I will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles" (Hcs. xii. 10, English 9): and other similar passages.

21. “I will go also.”—According to its Targum, "One shall say to the other, I will go also."

22. "Yea, many people and strong nations."- Strong in number: and we find this sense of in Jer. xv. 8 : "Their widows are strong (are increased) to me above the sand of the seas." It here refers to the matter of quantity. The same sentiment is repeated in different words. The Targum of Jonathan has "great kingdoms."

23. "Thus saith the Lord -— in those days that ten men shall take hold."-This that I have said to you shall happen in those days when they shall take hold. And afterwards these words, "even shall take hold," are * See the notes above on chapter vii. 3.

repeated on account of the length of the intervening sentence, as the words, na 2 O, "If truly and sincerely," are repeated in Judges ix. 16-19. There are many such passages.

"Ten men.”—Ten is not to be taken strictly, but it is a round number, like "Ten women shall bake your bread," and other similar passages. And according to the Drash, "Ten men out of all languages of the nations" means 700 to each skirt of the Arbah Kanphoth* (four corners).

* So the Jews call that particular garment on which they wear the fringes commanded in Numbers xv. 38, 39.

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