Sacharja 9:6

6 Zu Asdod werden Fremde wohnen; und ich will der Philister Pracht ausrotten.

Sacharja 9:6 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 9:6

And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod
Some ^F16 take "mamzer", the word for "bastard", to be the name of a people that should dwell in Ashdod; this is the same place with Azotus, ( Acts 8:40 ) and was also one of the five lordships of the Philistines, ( Joshua 13:3 ) ( 1 Samuel 6:17 ) some, by the "bastard" here, understand Alexander the great, who gave out that he was not the son of Philip, but of Jupiter Ammon: others think Jonathan the Maccabee is intended, who took this place and burnt it with fire, and the temple of Dagon in it, ``83 The horsemen also, being scattered in the field, fled to Azotus, and went into Bethdagon, their idol's temple, for safety. 84 But Jonathan set fire on Azotus, and the cities round about it, and took their spoils; and the temple of Dagon, with them that were fled into it, he burned with fire.'' (1 Maccabees 10) and though he was not a bastard, yet was a stranger to the Philistines; in which sense the Jewish commentators, Jarchi and Kimchi, interpret the word, and understand it of the Israelites who should dwell in this place; even those, as Aben Ezra says, who were abject, mean, and despised among the Israelites; which would be a great mortification to the proud Philistines, as is suggested in the next clause: and to this sense the Targum paraphrases the words,

``and the house of Israel shall dwell in Ashdod, who shall be in it as strangers:''

but it is best to understand this of Israelites indeed, of true Christians, who are accounted spurious, not the children of God, but aliens and strangers, the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things; who should dwell here when the Gospel was preached in it, as doubtless it was by Philip, ( Acts 8:40 ) and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions render the words, "and strangers shall dwell in Ashdod"; men of another religion, and despised and not owned even by their relations, as if they were bastards. And I will cut off the pride of the Philistines;
by Alexander, and by the Jews in the times of the Maccabees, bringing them into subjection, which their haughty spirits could not well bear; or through the abolition of their old Heathenish religion, in which they prided themselves. It may be observed, that all along the conversion of these various people to Christianity is expressed in terms which seem to signify the destruction of them; and that partly because, in the literal sense, reference is had to the conquest of them by Alexander, by which means the Greek language obtained in Syria and Phoenicia, into which, a little after, the Bible was translated, which paved the way for the bringing of these people to the knowledge of Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel; and partly because Paganism was abolished in these places when Christianity prevailed.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 R. Judah ben Bileam apud Aben Ezram in loc.

Sacharja 9:6 In-Context

4 Aber siehe, der HERR wird sie verderben und wird ihre Macht, die sie auf dem Meer hat, schlagen, und sie wird mit Feuer verbrannt werden.

5 Wenn das Askalon sehen wird, wird sie erschrecken, und Gaza wird sehr Angst werden, dazu Ekron; denn ihre Zuversicht wird zu Schanden, und es wird aus sein mit dem König zu Gaza, und zu Askalon wird man nicht wohnen.

6 Zu Asdod werden Fremde wohnen; und ich will der Philister Pracht ausrotten.

7 Und ich will ihr Blut von ihrem Munde tun und ihre Greuel von ihren Zähnen, daß sie auch sollen unserm Gott übrigbleiben, daß sie werden wie Fürsten in Juda und Ekron wie die Jebusiter.

8 Und ich will selbst um mein Haus das Lager sein wider das Kriegsvolk, daß es nicht dürfe hin und her ziehen, daß nicht mehr über sie fahre der Treiber; denn ich habe es nun angesehen mit meinen Augen.