Prophecies against Neighboring Nations
The 1oracle of the word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach in Syria, with aDamascus as its resting place (for the eyes of men, especially of all the tribes of Israel, are toward the LORD), Nah 1:1I.e. an urgent message the prophet is under compulsion to give.Is 17:1; Jer 49:23-27; Amos 1:3-5
2 And aHamath also, which borders on it ,bTyre and cSidon, though they are dvery wise.Jer 49:23Ezek 28:2-5, 12Ezek 28:213 For Tyre built herself an impregnable astronghold on an island offshore,And she has bheaped up silver like dustAnd cgold like the mire of the streets.Josh 19:29; 2 Sam 24:7Job 27:16; Ezek 27:33; 28:4, 51 Kin 10:21, 274 Behold, the Lord will 1adispossess herAnd throw her wealth into the sea;And Tyre will be bdevoured by fire.In 332 B.C. after a siege lasting seven months, Tyre was conquered by Alexander the Great. At that time Tyre consisted of two urban sites, one on the mainland and the other on the island a half mile from the shore. In order to conquer Tyre Alexander built a causeway from the mainland to the island. History records that he killed everyone except those who fled to the temples, then he ordered the houses to be set afire. The modern city of Sur, Lebanon, is near the site of ancient Tyre.Ezek 26:3-5Ezek 28:185 1Ashkelon will see it and fear;Gaza will writhe in pain,And Ekron, for her hope and expectation, has been ruined.The king will perish from Gaza,And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.Ashkelon, one of the five major Philistine cities (Josh 13:3) was the birthplace of Herod the Great, and the home of his sister, Salome. Gath and Ashdod are the major Philistine cities not named in this verse. Zechariah’s prophecy about Ashkelon’s total destruction was fulfilled during the time of the Crusades, (about A.D. 1260-1270), when Sultan Baibars, who was fighting against the Crusaders, reduced the site of ancient Ashkelon to ruins and filled the harbor with stones.6 And a mongrel race will live in aAshdod,And I will put an end to the pride and arrogance of the Philistines.Amos 1:8; Zeph 2:47 I will take the blood from their mouthsAnd their detestable things from between their teeth those repulsive, idolatrous sacrifices eaten with the blood.Then they too will be a remnant for our God,And be like a clan in Judah,And Ekron will be like one of the 1Jebusites.An ancient tribal people who lived in the area around Jerusalem before it was captured by King David. They were absorbed by other tribes and lost their identity in Israel.8 Then I will camp around My house as a guard because of an army,Because of ahim who passes by and returns;And bno oppressor will again overrun them ,For now My eyes are upon them providentially protecting them.Is 52:1Is 54:14; 60:189 aRejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your bKing is coming to you;He is crighteous and dendowed with salvation,1eHumble and unassuming in submission to the will of the Father and riding on a 2donkey,Upon a fcolt, the foal of a donkey.Quoted in the NT to describe the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, see Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-38; John 12:14-16.As a matter of discussion, the ancient rabbis noted an apparent contradiction between the coming of the Messiah with the clouds of heaven in Dan 7:13, and his riding on a donkey as prophesied here. Their solution was that Messiah would come with the clouds if Israel was worthy, but on a donkey if Israel was not.Zeph 3:14, 15; Zech 2:10Ps 110:1; Is 9:6, 7; Jer 23:5, 6; Matt 21:5; John 12:15Zeph 3:5Is 43:3, 11Is 57:15Judg 10:4; Is 30:610 I will acut off the war chariot from EphraimAnd the war bhorse from Jerusalem,And the cbow of war will be cut off.And He will speak words of dpeace to the nations,And His edominion shall be from sea to sea absolutely endless,And from the River Euphrates to the ends of the earth. Ps 72:8Hos 1:7Mic 5:10Hos 2:18Is 57:19; Mic 4:2-4Ps 72:8; Is 60:12
Salvation of Judah and Ephraim
11 As for you also, because of the ablood of My covenant with you My chosen people, the covenant that was sealed with bloodI have freed your bprisoners from the waterless pit. Gen 37:24; Ex 24:4-8; Heb 9:16Ex 24:8; Heb 10:2Is 24:22; 51:1412 Return to the astronghold of security and prosperity, O prisoners who have the bhope;Even today I am declaring that I will restore cdouble your former prosperity to you as firstborn among nations. Ps 40:2; Is 40:2Jer 16:19; Joel 3:16Jer 14:8; 17:13; Heb 6:18, 19Is 61:713 For I will abend Judah as My bow,I will fit the bow with Ephraim as My arrow.And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O bGreece,And will make you Israel like the csword of a warrior.Jer 51:20Joel 3:6Ps 45:314 Then the LORD will be seen hovering aover them protecting His people,And His barrow will go forth like lightning;And the Lord GOD will blow the ctrumpetAnd will march in the dwindstorms of the south.Is 31:5; Zech 2:5Ps 18:14; Hab 3:11Is 27:13Is 21:1; 66:1515 aThe LORD of hosts shall defend and protect them;And they will bdevour the enemy and trample down the cslingstones that have missed their mark,And they will drink of victory and be dboisterous as with wine;And they shall be filled like sacrificial bowls used to catch the blood,Drenched like the ecorners of the sacrificial altar.Is 37:35; Zech 12:8Zech 12:6Job 41:28Ps 78:65Ex 27:216 And the LORD their God shall asave them on that dayAs the flock of His people;For they are like the precious jewels of a bcrown,Displayed and glittering in His land.Jer 31:10, 11Is 62:317 For how great is God’s agoodness and how great is His bbeauty! And how great He will make Israel’s goodliness and Israel’s beauty!Grain and new wine will make the young men and virgins flourish.Jer 31:12, 14Ps 27:4; Is 33:17