More puzzling still is the characterization of the rescued prisoners of 9:11 as “prisoners of hope” in the parallel line in 9:12. In 538 B.C., after Babylon fell to Cyrus of Persia, Cyrus issued an edict that made it possible for the exiles to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple. The militarism is readily explained in light of Zion theology, which maintained that God’s presence kept Jerusalem and its king safe from enemies (Psalms 2, 46, 47, 48); even so, it remains difficult to see how to relate this theme to Christian discipleship and mission.More puzzling still is the characterization of the rescued prisoners of 9:11 as “prisoners of hope” in the parallel line in 9:12. In addition, verse 10 indicates that God (read “I” instead of “he”) banishes weapons and implements of war -- including warhorses -- from Ephraim and Judah. The Northern Kingdom was taken into captivity by Assyria long ago, and never emerged as a viable nation. While one may infer that the banished weapons belong to the enemies, the verse does not make that claim. The superscription of Zechariah 9–11 identifies it as a While it remains an open question when this reinterpretation took place, it would have occurred either in the Persian or Hellenistic periods, well after the kingdom of Judah had ceased functioning as an autonomous, sovereign kingdom. ), which the WEB has updated.McComiskey, Thomas Edward, in McComiskey, Thomas Edward (ed. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against the sons of Greece.

12 Retournez à la forteresse, captifs pleins d'espérance! À cause du sang de ton alliance : l’alliance que Dieu avait contractée avec Israël au Sinaï et qui avait été scellée par le sang d’une victime (Exode 24.8). Much of Zechariah 9–11 consists of allusions older prophecies filled with mythic scenarios of the Divine Warrior coming to vanquish Israel’s enemies.With its allusion to Zephaniah 3:14 and Zechariah 2:10, Zechariah 9:9-12 is a case in point, since both of these older prophetic texts command Zion to rejoice over God’s dealings with the enemies. Oracle, parole de l’Éternel sur Israël.Ainsi parle l’Éternel, qui a étendu les cieux et fond&# Et pour toi aussi.Israël est ici interpellé spécialement par le prophète, en opposition à l’ensemble des nations, verset 10. As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Zion's Coming King … 11 As for you, because of the blood of My covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. ( Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. I was on my internship at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon, WA, with ...Discussion on texts for Ordinary 14 (July 6, 2014): (Gospel) Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30; (1st Reading) Zechariah 9:9-12; (Semicontinuous 1st Reading) Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Psalm 145:8-14; (2nd Reading) Romans 7:15-25a.We're here to inspire better preaching by offering timely, compelling, and trustworthy content for working preachers -- all for free.

A closer look at how the text reconfigures this militarist tradition will show that it presents a new way to know God’s saving presence and therefore establishes a new basis for hope. 11 Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon.

Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. It would be a source of joy to them, then, to hear that their messiah-king’s rule would begin in the place where they were so recently ruled by foreign kings.All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you.”SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. Locked in past ways of seeing the world and God’s ways in it, they would be incapable of seeing divine activity in their current circumstances.How to release these prisoners of hope from old expectations? Retournez à la forteresse, prisonniers pleins d'espérance ! ( As in Zephaniah 3:14 and Zechariah 2:10, the audience is commanded to rejoice because of what God has done for Zion and its inhabitants.

One challenge these scribes would have faced was the lingering militarism of the older prophetic tradition. I HAVE SET FREE YOUR PRISONERS. The king is not the agent of deliverance but one who has himself been humbled yet declared righteous (contrast NRSV “triumphant”) and therefore delivered or saved (contrast NRSV “victorious”).The fact that he is delivered but not the deliverer may explain his entry into Zion on a donkey.

In effect, the scribes employ the older traditions to open new paths to peace.