Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
The Jews ask whether the fasts they voluntarily undertook during the Babylonian captivity on account of the destruction of the city and nation should still be observed now after the return to Jerusalem and the commenced building of the new temple? Zechariah, about to answer in the following chapter, verse 19, in this chapter first sets forth some preliminary matters, and teaches that the true fasting pleasing to God is abstinence from injuries and sins, obedience and mercy: for because of the neglect of these virtues and the law of God, they were punished by God with a captivity of seventy years in Babylon.
Vulgate Text: Zechariah 7:1-14
1. And it came to pass in the fourth year of King Darius, that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2. And Sharezer and Regem-melech, and the men who were with him, sent to the house of God, to entreat the face of the Lord: 3. to say to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, speaking: Must I weep in the fifth month, or must I sanctify myself, as I have now done for many years? 4. And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: 5. Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying: When you fasted, and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during these seventy years: did you fast a fast to Me? 6. And when you ate, and when you drank, did you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? 7. Are not these the words which the Lord spoke by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was yet inhabited and wealthy, both it and the cities round about it, and the South and the plains were inhabited?
8. And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: 9. Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: Judge true judgment, and show mercy and compassion, every man to his brother. 10. And oppress not the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor: and let not a man devise evil against his brother in his heart. 11. And they refused to attend, and they turned away the shoulder to depart, and they made their ears heavy lest they should hear. 12. And they made their heart as adamant, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts sent in His Spirit by the hand of the former prophets: and great indignation came from the Lord of hosts. 13. And it came to pass as He spoke, and they heard not: so they shall cry, and I will not hear, says the Lord of hosts. 14. And I scattered them throughout all kingdoms which they know not: and the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through or returned: and they made the desirable land a desert.
Verse 1: And it Came to Pass
1. AND IT CAME TO PASS. — It is a hysterologia: for these words should be placed after the embassy and question of the Jews: for they are responding to them. Whence they are repeated after it at verse 4. These words therefore are placed before, as a title of the prophecy of this chapter, in the manner customary among the Prophets: then in verse 2 he narrates the occasion of this prophecy, saying: 'And they sent,' as if to say: When the leaders had sent envoys to consult the priests and prophets, then the word of God came to me Zechariah, responding to the envoys' question.
IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF DARIUS — Hystaspes, king of the Persians, who succeeded Cambyses the son of Cyrus after the Magi. This fourth year was the 42nd from the end of the Babylonian captivity and the return of the Jews to Jerusalem: for this return occurred in the first year of the monarchy of Cyrus. But Cyrus reigned only three years as monarch, as the Hebrews report; he was succeeded by his son Cambyses, reigning for 7 years: when he died, the Magi intruded themselves by deception, reigning for one year: when they were slain, Darius the son of Hystaspes succeeded, in whose fourth year Zechariah received this oracle, when the temple building was already rising considerably: for it was begun in the second year of Darius, and finished in the sixth year of the same, as I have often said.
OF THE NINTH MONTH, WHICH IS CHISLEV. — Which corresponds to our November. For this month is the ninth from Nisan, or March, which was the first month of the sacred year among the Hebrews.
Verse 2: And Sharezer and Regem
2. AND SHAREZER AND REGEM-MELECH AND THE MEN WHO WERE WITH HIM SENT TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. — You will ask first, who were these? The Hebrews, Haymo, Remigius, and Hugh think these were Persians, princes of Darius, but proselytes, that is, converts to Judaism, who therefore, when the Jews fasted, also fasted themselves, and therefore now sent envoys to ask the priests whether, after the captivity was ended and the building of the temple begun, they should still fast? Whence it follows that this embassy was sent from Persia.
Secondly, others cited by Theodoret think these men were Cutheans, namely Samaritans, whom Shalmaneser transferred from Cuthah and other cities of Assyria to Samaria, who in order to worship the God of their land, namely Samaria, together with their ancestral gods, namely Assyrian ones, practiced Judaism and fasted with the Jews and Samaritans. Whence it follows that this embassy was sent from Samaria.
Thirdly, Rupert, Lyra, Arias, and Vatablus think they were Jews, but still dwelling in Babylon, or in regions neighboring Babylon.
Fourthly, more probably others think they were Jews in Judea, but living outside Jerusalem in neighboring towns; for this is indicated by the response of Zechariah, which says: 'Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying: When you fasted,' etc. So Theodoret and the Chaldean, who think they were Bethelites, as I shall presently say more fully.
TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. — In Hebrew it is Bethel; which if you take it appellatively, means 'house of God.' And so translate our Vulgate, R. Solomon, Pagninus, and Vatablus. Others take Bethel as a proper name. Whence the Septuagint translates: 'They sent to Bethel.' For Bethel was a city ten thousand paces distant from Jerusalem, where Jacob saw the ladder, and angels descending and ascending through it to heaven, Genesis XXVIII. But it is not credible that this embassy was sent there: for it was sent to the priests, who were living in Jerusalem. Whence secondly, the Chaldean more correctly translates: 'They sent from Bethel,' as if to say: Jews dwelling in Bethel sent envoys from there to Jerusalem. Thirdly, others think Bethel is the name of a man, as also Sharezer. Whence they translate: 'And Bethel sent Sharezer,' etc. But far better our Vulgate translates Bethel as 'the house of God,' to signify that the destination to which this embassy was sent was the house of God, or the temple, as is clear from what follows. For the temple was a place of prayer, as well as of oracle, which all Jews were accustomed to approach and consult.
Sharezer seems to be a title of office: for Sharezer in Hebrew is the same as 'prefect of the treasury,' namely treasurer or quaestor. So R. Abraham and Arias, who likewise think Regem-melech is such a name, which they translate 'royal leader'; for which the Septuagint in the Roman edition corruptly has 'Arbeseer the king'; or, as others read, 'Arbat the king of Sagat,' namely the city. Better, the Septuagint in the Complutensian edition reads 'Rogom the king.' For so it is in the Hebrew: for melech means 'king'; although it is not likely that this Rogom was a king: therefore melech is either a proper name and an appendage to Rogom; or certainly should be translated as a genitive, 'Rogom of the king,' namely his general or official. The Syriac translates rabmog, that is 'chief of the bakers or cooks.' For rab means 'great,' 'chief'; mog is 'baker,' the one who prepares food in the kitchen. The Arabic translates 'Sharezer and Arphasar, Moloch.'
Verse 3: Must I Weep in the Fifth Month
3. MUST I WEEP IN THE FIFTH MONTH. — Namely in July, which in Hebrew is called Ab, on whose tenth day the temple was burned by the Chaldeans, as well as the city and walls demolished, and therefore on that day annually the Jews prescribed for themselves mourning and fasting, as is clear from IV Kings XXV, 9, and Jeremiah LII, 12; and they continued this for the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity, and afterwards until the temple began to be rebuilt. When therefore they saw the building of the temple already growing, they rightly ask whether they should still weep over the burning of the former temple and mourn through fasting; or rather rejoice and exult on account of the new construction? For when the cause ceases, the effect ceases; indeed when the cause is changed, the effect is changed: therefore with the temple restored, it seems the mourning should be turned into joy. This is the question, and the reason for the question.
OR SANCTIFY MYSELF. — In Hebrew hinnazer, that is 'to act as a Nazirite,' that is to abstain from wine and delicacies like a Nazirite, and to fast according to the law prescribed for them in Numbers chapter VI. Whence the Chaldean translates: 'Shall I forbid my soul from delicacies, as I have done for many years now?' Pagninus: 'Shall I weep, separating myself from food?' Zurich version: 'Shall I religiously abstain?' Vatablus: 'Shall I separate myself?' namely from foods and pleasures; our Vulgate with the Septuagint translates 'sanctify': because the sanctification of the Jews, especially of the Nazirites, consisted in abstinence and fasting: for the more the mind withdraws from food and bodily things, the more it becomes spiritual, and the more it rises to God, and becomes capable of His illuminations and heavenly affections. Whence the Church in the Preface of the Mass, during Lent, sings: 'O God, who by bodily fasting suppresses vices, elevates the mind, bestows virtue and rewards.'
Wherefore St. Chrysostom, sermon I On Fasting: 'Fasting,' he says, 'is the imitation of angels: he who fasts is almost an angel.' The same, homily I on Genesis: 'Fasting was instituted in paradise,' and therefore is the life of paradise.
Morally, learn here that in time of calamity and disaster, whether public or private, one should take refuge in weeping and fasting, so that through penance we may appease the wrath of God. For, as St. Chrysostom says in sermon I On Fasting: 'Fasting revokes the sentence of God, and is the reconciler of immortality.' The same, homily II on Genesis: 'Fasting,' he says, 'is the tranquility of souls, the beauty of elders.' Thus Jehoshaphat, besieged by the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, commanding a fast for all Judea, obtained help from God through a miracle, by which the enemies, turned against themselves, destroyed one another by mutual slaughter, II Chronicles XX, 3. Thus the Israelites, besieged by the Philistines in the time of Samuel, by fasting routed them, I Samuel VII, 6 and 13. Thus the same people, when Holofernes was invading them, proclaimed a solemn fast, and by it obtained victory through Judith, chapter III, 8. They did the same during the persecution of Haman, Esther IV, 16, and at the time of the return from Babylon, so that on the journey they might escape the hands of enemies, I Ezra VIII, 21. So also the Ninevites, by a communal fast of both beasts and infants, as well as men and women, escaped the destruction threatened by Jonah, Jonah III, 5.
Wherefore, when the destruction by the Chaldeans was threatening the Jews, God through Joel, I, 14, gives this remedy for avoiding it: 'Sanctify a fast,' He says, 'call an assembly, etc., and cry to the Lord.' And chapter II, 12: 'Be converted,' He says, 'to Me with your whole heart in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning.' This therefore the faithful do when the scourge of God threatens either the state or anyone privately, so that each one may think God is then saying to him through Zechariah: hinnazer, that is 'be a Nazirite, separate yourself from delicacies, from food, from games, from pleasure, and give yourself to austerity, abstinence, prayer, and laments, and by these sanctify yourself, that you may reconcile God to yourself.'
Verse 5: When you Fasted and Mourned in the Fifth
5. WHEN YOU FASTED AND MOURNED IN THE FIFTH (namely month, on account of the city and temple being burned in it, as I said): AND THE SEVENTH — month, on account of Gedaliah being slain in it, who was the leader and hope of the remaining people in Judea, when the rest were being carried off to Babylon by the Chaldeans, Jeremiah XLI, 1 and following.
DID YOU FAST A FAST TO ME? — Before He directly answers the question (which He does in chapter VIII, verse 19), He rebukes the Jews, as though still somewhat offended at them for their past sins, as if to say: Why do you ask Me about extending or stopping your fast, as if I delight in it, or its observance concerns Me? You are mistaken: I do not delight in it, I do not care about it, indeed I spurn and reject it; because until now you have fasted for yourselves, that is on account of your poverty, and to mourn your captivity, not to please Me or appease Me: for if you had wanted this, you ought to have seasoned the fast of the body with a fast of the soul, and abstinence from sins. But this you did not do, but indulged in them. Similarly, when you now eat and hold feasts, you do it for your own joy, which you derive from the return to your homeland and your freedom, not truly to give thanks to Me, its Author, and to praise and celebrate Me. So St. Jerome, Theodoret, and Remigius.
Somewhat differently Vatablus says, as if to say: Did I take any benefit or pleasure from your fasting? As if to say: No, because it was not pleasing to Me, since it was not joined with piety and religion.
Morally, St. Gregory in homily XVI on the Gospel, explaining these words of Zechariah: 'He eats and drinks for himself,' he says, 'who partakes of bodily nourishment, which is the common gift of the Creator, without those in need. And one fasts for himself if what he subtracts from himself for a time he does not give to the poor, but stores up to be offered later to his belly. Hence through Joel it is said: Sanctify a fast. To sanctify a fast is to show an abstinence of the flesh worthy of God, with other good works joined to it. Let anger cease, let quarrels be stilled. For the flesh is worn down in vain, when through the prophet (Isaiah chapter LVIII) the Lord says: Behold in the day of your fast your own will is found. Behold you fast for strife and contention,' etc.
Verse 7: Are not These the Words?
7. ARE NOT THESE THE WORDS? — First and genuinely, as if to say: Did I not formerly speak to you through the Prophets these same words, namely that your fasts, not seasoned with good works but with evil ones, displease Me? As if to say: I declared this very thing through Isaiah chapter LVIII, 4, Jeremiah chapter XIV, 12, and elsewhere. So Theodoret and Lyra. Secondly, St. Jerome, Hugh, and a Castro understand these words as those which follow: 'Judge true judgment, and show mercy and compassion,' etc. Thirdly, Albert explains, as if to say: Did not the Prophets speak and threaten you with these words about the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem, which you now see fulfilled, unless you should repent of your sins? Or, as Vatablus, who by 'words' understands 'deeds,' which the Prophets predicted and threatened by their words, as if to say: Did not these sad things which befell you come to pass to carry out and fulfill in deed My words, which I spoke through the Prophets?
AND THE SOUTH. — He names the southern and flat part of Judea, because that, being level and open, was not fortified by the nature of the terrain, as if to say: Formerly you dwelt confidently and securely, even in that part of Judea which was the weakest and most unfortified, because I protected you; but because you exasperated Me, therefore I handed you over to the Chaldeans. So Vatablus. St. Jerome adds that it is named because it was especially fertile, as if to say: I filled your southern region and plains with harvest, grain, and fruits: but you, ungrateful, were rebellious toward Me; hence I expelled you from it, and cast you into Babylon.
Verse 9: Show Mercy and Compassion
9. SHOW MERCY AND COMPASSION. — This doubling signifies that mercy must be shown abundantly and frequently. He names only those duties which concern one's neighbor, but under these he includes also those which concern God. For love of neighbor presupposes love of God, and arises from it as from a source. The Apostle does the same in Romans XIII, 9.
Verse 10: Do not Oppress the Poor
10. DO NOT OPPRESS THE POOR. — The Chaldean and Septuagint: 'Do not oppress': both meanings are conveyed by the Hebrew ascac; because the end of calumny is the oppression, plundering, and spoliation of the poor. Isaiah censures these same things in the fasts of the Jews in chapter LVIII. See the comments there.
Verse 11: They Turned Away the Shoulder to Depart
11. THEY TURNED AWAY THE SHOULDER TO DEPART. — They were disobedient and rebellious: for servants who are refractory and stubborn against the commands of their masters, and children against parents, turn their face away from them, turn their back, and go away insolently. Whence the Septuagint translates: 'They gave a disdainful back'; Pagninus: 'They gave an averted shoulder.' It is a catachresis. The Zurich version translates: 'Turning a rebellious shoulder,' as if to say: They turned their shoulder away from the burden of My commandments: so that it is a metaphor from porters refusing or shaking off a load.
THEY MADE THEIR EARS HEAVY, — as if they blocked their ears with lead or some other weight, lest they receive My laws and admonitions with their ears and transmit them to their mind. The Zurich version translates: 'They dulled their ears.'
Verse 12: They Made their Heart (hard, as the Chaldean
12. THEY MADE THEIR HEART (hard, as the Chaldean adds) AS ADAMANT. — For this stone is the hardest, which rejects chisels and hammers, and indeed shatters them: and therefore it is called by the Greeks adamas, that is 'unconquerable.' See the comments on Ezekiel chapter III, verse 9.
BY THE HAND OF THE PROPHETS, — through the Prophets as His organs and instruments: for the hand is the organ of organs, says Aristotle. 'Hand' here therefore denotes the mouth: for through the mouth of the Prophets God spoke, not through the hand.
Verse 13: So They Shall Cry, and I Will not
13. SO THEY SHALL CRY, AND I WILL NOT HEAR. — 'They shall cry,' that is 'they cried' or 'they cry': for all these things depend on what preceded: 'And it came to pass.' So St. Jerome and Theodoret. Whence the Zurich version clearly translates: 'And it happened that just as He had cried out, and they did not listen: so now let them cry, and I will not hear them.'
Verse 14: And I Scattered them Throughout All Kingdoms
14. AND I SCATTERED THEM THROUGHOUT ALL KINGDOMS. — For the Jews, partly from Babylon, partly fleeing from Jerusalem before the Chaldeans, scattered themselves through Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Media, and other kingdoms. For the discussion here is about the Jews, that is, the two tribes, not about the ten, or the Samaritans who had long since been carried off to Assyria. So St. Jerome. For 'I scattered,' the Hebrew is asaarem, that is, 'I snatched them away like a storm, I drove them out like a whirlwind.'
AND THE LAND WAS DESOLATE AFTER THEM (the Hebrew, Chaldean, and Septuagint say 'after them': the cause follows), SO THAT THERE WAS NONE PASSING THROUGH OR RETURNING, — as if to say: After the Jews were carried off to Babylon, Judea remained desolate: because no inhabitant was left who might pass through it, go and return. None, that is hardly any, rare and very few. For some were left by the Chaldeans to cultivate the land, as is clear from IV Kings XXV, 12. Or rather, as if to say: Judea was completely desolate, so that there was no one to pass through it and return: for thus elsewhere often the phrase 'so that there was not' does not denote a cause (as if it were 'because'), but an effect and consequence, meaning 'so that,' says Vatablus. Whence the Hebrew and Chaldean literally have: 'The land was desolate after them from any passing through and returning,' that is, so that there was no one passing through and returning in it.
Less correctly therefore does Theodoret explain the Septuagint version thus, as if to say: After the Jews were carried off to Babylon, Judea was made desolate by the Edomites, Ammonites, and other neighboring hostile peoples, who passed through it for the sake of plundering and pillaging, and returned home with their booty. For this Hebrew idiom, 'from one passing through and returning,' means nothing other than 'so that there was no one passing through and returning.'
AND THEY MADE THE DESIRABLE LAND A DESERT. — In Hebrew, 'land of desire,' that is, supremely desirable on account of its elegance, fertility, and abundant harvests: and, as the Septuagint says, 'chosen.' So Albert and Hugh. Lyra adds that it was desirable because Christ was to be born in it and suffer for the salvation of mankind. The meaning is, as if He said: By their own crimes they were the cause of the desolation of the Holy Land, which formerly flowed with milk and honey. In Hebrew it is leschamma, which secondly can be translated 'into astonishment,' so that whoever should see such great ruins of so great a disaster might shudder and be astonished. Thirdly, Arias reads leschamma through diaeresis as le schema, that is, 'in which what?' Whence he translates: 'They made the desired land into — what?' that is, about which astonished travelers might ask and say: What good remains in the Holy Land, what of its former fertility and prosperity? Absolutely nothing.