Tell ye the daughter of Zion
These words seem to be taken out of ( Isaiah 62:11
) where it is said, "say ye to the daughter of Zion, behold thy
salvation cometh", or "thy Saviour cometh"; meaning, without
doubt, the Messiah: by the daughter of Zion is meant, not the
city of Jerusalem, but the inhabitants thereof, the Jewish
synagogue; or as the Targum renders it, (Nwyud atvynk) , "the congregation of Zion", the
people of the Jews; particularly the elect of God among them,
those that embraced the true Messiah, and believed in him:
behold, thy king cometh unto thee:
this, and what follow, are cited from ( Zechariah
9:9 ) and to be understood of the king Messiah, who, in a
little time after this prophecy was given out, was to come to
Zion, and redeem Jacob from all his iniquities, and was now come.
One of the Jewish commentators says F24, that interpreters are
divided about the sense of this prophecy; but observes, that
there are some that say this is the Messiah: and another
F25 of them affirms, that it is
impossible to explain it of any other than the king Messiah; and
that it can be understood of no other, I have elsewhere
F26 shown. "Meek"; in the prophecy of
Zechariah it is, (yne) ,
"poor", as the Messiah Jesus was, in a temporal sense; but the
word, both by the Septuagint, and our evangelist, is rendered
meek;
as it is by the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, who all explain it by
(Ntwne) , "lowly, humble,
or meek": and a character it is, that well agrees with Jesus,
who, in the whole of his deportment, both in life and in death,
was a pattern of meekness and lowliness of mind: and
sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an
ass.
This is applied to the Messiah by the Jews, both ancient
F1 and modern F22, who
consider this as an instance and evidence of his humility: they
suppose, this ass to be a very uncommon one, having an hundred
spots on it; and say, that it was the foal of that which was
created on the eve of the sabbath F23; and is the same that
Abraham and Moses rode upon: and they own, as before observed,
that Jesus of Nazareth rode on one to Jerusalem, as is here
related. Their ancient governors, patriarchs, princes, and
judges, used to ride on asses, before the introduction and
multiplication of horses in Solomon's time, forbidden by the law
of God: wherefore, though this might seem mean and despicable at
this present time, yet was suitable enough to Christ's character
as a king, and as the son of David, and king of Israel; strictly
observing the law given to the kings of Israel, and riding in
such manner as they formerly did.