Zechariah 12:8

8 In that day the Lord shall defend the dwellers of Jerusalem; and he that shall offend of them, shall be in that day as David, and the house of David shall be as of God, as the angel of the Lord in the sight of him. (On that day the Lord shall defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he of them who shall stumble on that day, shall be as strong as David, and the house of David shall be like God, yea, like the angel of the Lord going before them.)

Zechariah 12:8 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 12:8

In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of
Jerusalem
As with a shield against their enemies; and such is the Lord to all his people; he is their shield to protect them; he keeps and guards them by his power; he encompasses them about with his favour, as with a shield; and gives unto them the shield of salvation; all which will eminently appear to be the case of the Jews at this time: and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David;
they that have the most fearful hearts, and feeble minds, shall be as courageous, as valiant, and as victorious as David; and they that are the weakest, in a spiritual sense, in the grace and in the doctrine of faith, and in that part of it, respecting the use of things indifferent, who are ready to be "offended, stumble, and fall" ^F4; for the spiritual reign, which will at this time take place, will not be a state of perfection; even those will be like David, beloved of the Lord, kings as well as priests unto God, and as strong in faith as he: and the house of David [shall be] as God;
the stronger sort of believers among them, such as are strong in the Lord, in the grace of faith, and in the doctrines of the Gospel; they shall have much of God with them, great grace upon them, and be like unto him in goodness, truth, and holiness: or they shall be like "Elohim", the angels, as this word is rendered, ( Psalms 8:5 ) for knowledge, purity, and readiness to do the will of God; and it follows: as the Angel of the Lord before them;
that is, as Christ, who is the Angel of the covenant, and of the divine Presence; and in whom the name of the Lord is; who is at the head of his people, and goes before them, as their Leader and Commander, and the Captain of salvation, ( Micah 2:13 ) whose image they bear, and into which they are changed from glory to glory by the spirit of God; and which will now be very clearly discerned upon the saints in the latter day glory. Kimchi and Ben Melech, by "the house of David", understand the King Messiah ^F5, who was to be of the seed of David; and so does Cocceius, who takes the "as" to be a note, not of similitude, but of truth, he being truly God, and the Angel of Jehovah. The Targum is,

``the house of David shall be like great men or princes that shall prosper, as the Angel of God before them.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (lvkn) "lapsabundus, ad lapsum propensus, proprie qui facile offendit", Drusius; "corruens", Montanus; "collapsus", Burkius.
F5 R. Isaac Chizzuk Emunah, par. 1. c. 36. p. 307.

Zechariah 12:8 In-Context

6 In that day I shall set the dukes of Judah as a chimney of fire in wood, and as a brand of fire in hay; and they shall devour at the right side and left side all peoples in compass. And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in his place, in Jerusalem. (On that day I shall make the leaders of Judah like a chimney of fire in the woods, and like a firebrand in the hay; and they shall devour on the right side and on the left side all the nations around them. And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in its place, yea, in Jerusalem.)

7 And the Lord shall save the tabernacles of Judah, as in the beginning, that the house of David glory not greatly, and the glory of men dwelling in Jerusalem be not against Judah. (And the Lord shall save the tents, or the armies, of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David, and the glory of those who live in Jerusalem, be not greater than that of Judah.)

8 In that day the Lord shall defend the dwellers of Jerusalem; and he that shall offend of them, shall be in that day as David, and the house of David shall be as of God, as the angel of the Lord in the sight of him. (On that day the Lord shall defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he of them who shall stumble on that day, shall be as strong as David, and the house of David shall be like God, yea, like the angel of the Lord going before them.)

9 And it shall be, in that day I shall seek to all-break all folks that come against Jerusalem. (And it shall be, on that day, I shall seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.)

10 And I shall pour out on the house of David, and on the dwellers of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of prayers; and they shall behold to me, whom they pricked. And they shall bewail him with wailing, as on the one begotten son; and they shall make sorrow on him, as sorrow is wont to be made in the death of the first begotten son. (And I shall pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and the spirit of prayer; and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced. And they shall bewail me with wailing, as if over their only child; and they shall make sorrow upon him, as sorrow is wont to be made upon the death of the first-born son.)