#Zechariah 12

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Future Deliverance of Jerusalem

1 This is a message about Israel from the LORD, the LORD who spread out the skies, created the earth, and gave life to man. He says, 2 “I will make Jerusalem like a cup of wine; the nations around her will drink and stagger like drunks. And when they besiege Jerusalem, the cities of the rest of Judah will also be besieged. 3 But when that time comes, I will make Jerusalem like a heavy stone—any nation that tries to lift it will be hurt. All the nations of the world will join forces to attack her. 4 At that time I will terrify all their horses and make all their riders go crazy. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will make the horses of their enemies blind. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The LORD God Almighty gives strength to his people who live in Jerusalem.’

6 “At that time I will make the clans of Judah like a fire in a forest or in a field of ripe grain—they will destroy all the surrounding nations. The people of Jerusalem will remain safe in the city.

7 “I, the LORD, will give victory to the armies of Judah first, so that the honor which the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem will receive will be no greater than that of the rest of Judah. 8 At that time the LORD will protect those who live in Jerusalem, and even the weakest among them will become as strong as David was. The descendants of David will lead them like the angel of the LORD, like God himself. 9 At that time I will destroy every nation that tries to attack Jerusalem.

10 “I will fill the descendants of David and the other people of Jerusalem with the spirit of mercy and the spirit of prayer. They will look at the one whom they stabbed to death, and they will mourn for him like those who mourn for an only child. They will mourn bitterly, like those who have lost their first-born son. 11 At that time the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12-14 Each family in the land will mourn by itself: the family descended from David, the family descended from Nathan, the family descended from Levi, the family descended from Shimei, and all the other families. Each family will mourn by itself, and the men of each family will mourn separately from the women. — Zechariah 12 | Good News Translation (GNT) Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Cross References: Exodus 14:19; Exodus 33:2; Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 10:17-18; Isaiah 29:7; Isaiah 51:22; Jeremiah 30:18; Daniel 2:34; Amos 9:11; Obadiah 1:18; Zechariah 13:1; Zechariah 14:2-3; Zechariah 14:14; Matthew 21:44; Matthew 24:30; John 19:37; Hebrews 1:10; Hebrews 12:9; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 16:16

Is Zechariah 12:10 a Messianic prophecy?

[at-the-end-of-days]

Well this sucks.

What does this say about us as a people?

What does it say about us as a nation, that we are SUPPORTING the mass murder of so many?

Now I think that this article above is misconstruing actions.

But so many are supporting Palestine against the “colonists,” the Israelis. The zionists. What do we see on social media? People catering to what is the “right” thing to say. Angry at the “right” things. People can’t even call out what they think is the wrong “think-speak” unless they believe that they have the opinion of the greater community behind them, least they be “wrong,” and “canceled.” And then people get into bubbles, echo-chambers, where opinions are repeated back, over and over again, surrounded with the same opinions.

This used to be Jewish land. Then it became Palestinian land. Now Israel is back. When does it become morally “correct” for someone to take their land back, or to give up on it? A few short years, such as in Ukraine? Should Poland try and get land back from Russia? It hasn’t been that long. Why is it that Israel should leave because it’s Palestinian land now? How much time must pass for this to be “correct”? But even then! That doesn’t mean that either side is totally correct! There are shades of grey! Grey that so many on social media cannot see, as people can no longer reason about issues, things MUST be right or wrong.

Have we not seen it on tumblr? Just these past three days? Going from “oh no, Israel,” to “people did bad things to each other,” to “people in Israel should just leave!” Because that became the “right” opinion.

But that doesn’t! Mean! I think Israel is in the 100% moral right here. Ideally everyone could live together. But that can’t happen. But drawing and redrawing borders for peace also can’t happen, when both sides want the land. They had to completely divide Jerusalem, and there’s still no end to the tension there.

And what does this say about how we wage war, when Israel has cut off water, WATER for the people it is fighting? Not just the terrorists, but civilians?

I whole heartedly condemn all celebrations for Hamas.

I condemn all celebrations for this loss of life.

I say that Israel should NOT use water as a method of waging war.

All I can hope for now? Is that the American presence is small, that Iran doesn’t get involved further, and that this doesn’t escalate.

And as a reminder this isn’t a news blog, or a war blog, it’s a Christian Revelations blog.

So let’s throw in some scripture.

Zechariah 12, King James Version.

12 The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

4 In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.

5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God.

6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

7 The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.

8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

So no, I do not think this conflict will end with Israel being torn down stone by stone. I do not think that Israel will fall against Hamas, against Iran.

I think public opinion will side with Palestine, and Israel will lose more and more support.

But I think, after an enormous loss of life, that Israel will be left standing.

That men, women, and children, will all have suffered.

That Palestinians and Israelites will have suffered.

And that in the end, the atrocities they have committed, the rape and parading of Israelite women, the cutting off of water to all the people in Gaza? Will be left to be settled on judgment day.

[jesus-is-lord-and-savior]

"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

(Zechariah 12:10, ESV)

[cursedbanalities]

Zechariah 14:12-13 (A Horror Story)

Index

CW: Blood and gore

“And the Lord will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another.”

“...What the hell?”

Ethan flips the note around to look at the fake five dollar bill he’s been given as a tip. He should’ve known that it was a fake tip; it feels like cheap printer paper, but he was trying to hold onto hope that driving this far into the country to deliver a pizza would’ve given him some sort of restitution.

“I guess not.” he thinks, crumpling up the paper and throwing it into the back seat of his car. People have been so edgy lately. As Ethan drives away from his subpar delivery, he thinks of the recent news stories covering a new virus that appeared in Singapore, and with that, the constant speculation that it’s going to be the next Covid. However, since Singapore’s government hasn’t said anything more about it, a nervous note has hung in the air ever since the announcement. It’s no wonder the religious nuts are being extra crazy, Ethan thinks. Always trying to find some way to say the apocalypse is just right around the corner. Having lived through Covid and not getting sick, Ethan can’t help but not care that much. At least he’ll get a couple of weeks off from his college classes if it does come to the United States. Ethan turns up his car radio and bobs his head to his favorite song, Add it Up, immediately forgetting about the fake bill and possible viruses, and mimicking the ways that Gordon Gano sings— nasally, and full of angst:

“Don’t shoot, shoot, shoot, that thing at me,

“You know you got my sym-pa-thy

“But don’t shoot, shoot, shoot that thing at me!”

Ethan speeds down the country road, aiming to make it back to the restaurant before it gets any later. Thankfully, it wasn’t a busy day. His delivery to the bible thumper was the first they had in a while, but he wasn’t looking to stay for any longer than he needed to. He drives past a large open field, where twinkling lights from the only airport in the county lights up the sky.

A 747 lands on the tarmac just as another takes off. It's weird how slow it’s been, especially for the summer. The town Ethan delivers in is on the coast, and is the biggest in the area. While it’s a small town, the summer tends to inflate the area with tourists and rich people in their summer homes. That being said, Ethan doesn’t mind a slow day every once in a while. It gives them a breather from having to bust their asses every single night.

Ethan speeds up, accelerating until he sees red and blue lights flashing ahead of him. He brakes, not trying to get a ticket. As he drives by, he sees three police cruisers with their lights on parked in the driveway of a farmhouse. A group of them are walking towards the house with their hands on their guns, illuminated by the headlights of the police cruisers.

Huh, weird, Ethan thinks as he passes the farm, speeding up now that he’s safe from being pulled over. He’s never seen that many cops in one place around here. Usually it’s so slow they “call in backup” just to waste time, so having three cars indicates a serious crime. Oh well, not my problem, he thinks.

Ethan comes up on a curve, taking it fast. A little too fast, from the way that his old Ford Focus starts shaking, but that was quickly forgotten when, up ahead, he sees a woman walking along the side of the road.

Well, walking was a nice way to put it. She was stumbling, barely able to stay on her feet. As Ethan got closer, the headlights illuminated more of the her: she was filthy, wearing a pink shirt and running shorts with short dyed red hair. She walks into the path of his car, and before he could react, Ethan runs into her.

The woman’s head smacks against the hood with a loud ka-thunk! She rolls over top of the car and crashes onto the pavement hard. Ethan’s eyes widen with shock and he slams on the brakes, screeching to a halt. He sits in his car, panicking. What the fuck is wrong with her? Is she drunk, or high on something? Oh god, did he just kill her?

He looks in the rearview mirror and sees that she’s up again, walking towards his car. Well, she’s definitely on something, he thinks. That’s gotta be some crazy shit if she’s back up already. He throws his car into park and steps out, leaving the door open. Ethan flings his arms up and yells at the woman.

“HEY! What the fuck were you thinking?”

The woman just walks towards him.

“HELLO? Are you listening to me? What’s your problem?”

The woman continues walking towards him, his car’s tail lights illuminating her. A spattering of blood covers her chest and mouth. Her blood-covered teeth glow a dark red as she bares her teeth at Ethan. She also has what Ethan thinks is a large gash in the shape of a crescent on her neck, just above her shoulder. Her eyes are bulging, as though she’s either trying to contain herself, or she’s in horrible pain. The woman groans at Ethan.

“Oh shit,” he mutters, taking a step back. She’s way worse off from getting hit than he expected. He puts his hands up and says, “Are you okay? I... uhm-- I gotta get back to work, but I can drive you to the hospital or some shit. That looks really bad. Seriously, I ca--”

The woman lets out a scream. The kind of scream that’s full of phlegm and tears at her vocal chords; animal-like in its nature. As she screams, she pushes her chest up and arches her back, standing on her toes with her hands pulled close to her chest and a stream of spit and blood dripping from her mouth; it's like she was having a standing seizure. Finally, she stops, and, after a beat of silence, launches herself at Ethan, her bloody mouth flicking strings of red spit. He flinches, and tries to move out of the way, using his hands to redirect the charging woman. He’s too slow, and moves his hands a little too high as she connects with him, almost knocking him to the ground. His hands push at her face, trying to get the woman away from him, and she sinks her teeth into the webbing of his hand- just between his thumb and index finger. Ethan lets out a yelp, and immediately slams his fist into the side of her head. She breaks free from his hand and falls to the ground, bouncing her head off of the asphalt.

“WHAT THE FUCK LADY?” Ethan screeches, holding his bitten hand. “You bit me, you bitch!” One of her teeth got deep enough for blood to start oozing out of the gash. He runs back to his car and speeds off, covering the wound with an extra napkin he brought from the restaurant. He sees in his rearview mirror that the woman was back up and sprinting towards his car, but he didn’t care. He accelerated, trying to get back to his workplace as soon as he possibly could.

Ethan gets closer to town and stops at an intersection. His heart is beating hard enough he can feel it in his throat. He looks around. There’s nobody on the streets, and it looks like he lost that "crackhead" back there. Ethan pulls out his phone to call 911, holding his bleeding hand against his thigh to help staunch the bleeding. The call goes through, and Ethan’s greeted with a busy line.

“Ugh, fuckers. Of course.” Ethan mumbles under his breath. He steps on the gas, and beelines towards Eugene’s Pizza.

***

Pulling into the delivery driver’s parking lot of Eugene’s Pizza, a square brick building with two large windows in the front of the store, Ethan rushes to the backdoor of the building. The napkin is starting to bleed through, and he wants to get to the first aid kit as soon as possible. Walking around to the back door, he sees two of his co-workers sitting on metal folding chairs and sharing a joint. The first one, a tall, blonde man with shoulder-length hair named Andy, takes a couple of puffs and passes the joint to his friend; a shorter man with olive toned skin and a goatee named Cameron. Cameron has his phone out while he takes a few hits. He's telling Andy about a new gun he bought.

“Yeah man, she’s a real beauty,” he says, showing Andy a picture. “See that grip? I had that shit custom made. You gotta see it in real life though. And shooting it, man?” He does a chef’s kiss, and smiles.

“Daaaayum. Yeah, bro!” Andy says, taking another hit, and letting out a slight cough. “You free this weekend? I’d love to take that bad boy out to the range.”

“Hey, maybe! I only have a clip’s worth of bullets right now, but once I get some more... we’re gonna have some fun, baby!” Andy and Cameron both laugh, and give each other a fist bump.

Ethan pushes by them and throws the back door open, and some of the smoke starts to seep inside of the restaurant.

“Hey man, what the hell!” Cameron exclaims, “I don’t want the inside smelling like a skunk’s ass!” Ethan ignores him.

He walks past the kitchen, his manager for the night was running around cleaning up the toppings area while tending to the couple orders they still have. He’s about 45 years old, and is wider than he is tall. Greasy black hair shines from underneath his hat, and the smell of menthol cigarettes waft from him. A hand-tossed pizza reaches the end of the conveyor-belt on the pizza oven, and he cuts it into slices with a large, machete-looking pizza slicer. He looks up at Ethan as he walks by.

“Hey! Can you please get those two dipshits inside? I know it’s slow, but I’m tired of doin’ everythin’ back ‘ere.” He says with a gravelly voice.

“Yeah, yeah. Sure, man.” Ethan says, only really half listening as he finally makes it to the first-aid station-- or rather, a white metal box fastened to the wall. He starts pulling out gauze and antibiotic cream and setting it on a nearby metal table. His friend, another delivery driver named Hunter, is scraping the sides of Eugene’s Pizza’s deep dish pans.

“Damn, what the hell happened on that delivery?” He asks Ethan as he scrapes.

“Some fucking crackhead bit me.” Ethan spits, focusing on dressing his wound.

“What the fuck? Are you serious?” Hunter lets out a stifled laugh, “Hope she didn’t give you AIDs or something.”

“She didn’t give me AIDs.” Ethan chuckled, despite himself. “If she did, though, I’ll pass it on to you! I’ll bite you or some shit.”

“Yeeeah, whatever man.” Hunter laughs. “Like I’d let you bite me.”

Ethan shrugs and nods. Hunter’s easily half a foot taller than Ethan, and weighs a bit more than him too. If they were to get into a fight, Hunter would 100% destroy him. Johnny comes out of the kitchen and sees Ethan bandaging himself up.

“Holy shit, what happened to you?” Johnny asks, mouth open and eyes wide.

“Oh, you know, I got bi--”

“Some lady gave him AIDs.” Hunter said, cutting Ethan off. Jonny laughs.

“Yeah man, what he said. I think I have to go to the hospital. I might as well get checked out, right?” Ethan says, and Johnny comes up to get a closer look at the gash the woman’s tooth left behind.

“Meeh, it doesn’t look that bad,” Johnny says, ignoring the blood pooling out of Ethan’s hand. “An’ even if you do have AIDs, there’s nothin’ you can do about it now. I think you’re fine to finish closin’ up.” Ethan opens his mouth to say something, but Johnny turns and walks back toward the kitchen. Muttering under his breath about how maybe he’ll bite him instead, Ethan finishes wrapping up the bite and puts the first-aid supplies away. While he was focusing on treating his wound, he didn’t even realize that they were down a driver.

“Hey, where the hell’s Mason?” he asks.

“Yeah, some asshat called in a delivery while you were gone. He left before you got back.” Hunter replies, and Ethan groans. “At least it’s not busy, right? We should be out of here in no time.”

“Yeah,” Ethan says with a shrug. “Let’s hope so.”

He and Hunter start cleaning the back of Eugene’s Pizza. Hunter finishes scraping the pans and pours ladles full of corn oil into each of them. Once he’s done, Ethan douses the table with a foul smelling degreaser that makes him cough, wipes it up, and starts sweeping the floors. Andy and Cameron run to the back to grab some cleaning supplies and, much like Johnny, their eyes widen at the sight of Ethan’s bandage.

“Yooo, what the fuck happened to you man? Cameron says, chuckling with a relaxed smile on his face and squinted eyes.

“I got bit by someone on my last delivery.” Ethan says, showing them his bandaged hand and scratching at it. “According to Hunter, she gave me an STD or some shit.” Ethan digs his nails into his hand, turning the area around the bandage red.

“I dunno man, from the way you’re scratching at it it’s prolly a super STD or some shit.” They all laugh. “Seriously though, did you call the cops?”

Ethan cocks his head and squints at Andy, confused. “Whaddya mean?”

“Bro, some bitch bit you and you didn’t call the cops?”

“Well, right before that I saw a bunch of cops with their lights on outside of a farm, or something,” Ethan says, shrugging. “I kinda just figured they were after her. Besides, when I called them all I got was a busy line. I figured they had bigger issues to deal with or something.”

“Wait, you said the line was busy?” Hunter asked. “That’s fucking weird. You'd think they'd be able to answer. Noting ever happens here.”

“Man, between that shit in Singapore and Ethan getting bit, maybe people are just getting spooked,” Cameron scratches his goatee shrugs. “Maybe they think there’s a zombie outbreak or some shit.”

“I did get some freaky ass bible quote instead of a tip.” Ethan says in response. “I can totally fucking see that.” Everybody laughs and makes remarks about Ethan’s misfortunes of the night before dispersing and continuing to clean up the store. Hunter finishes the final dishes of the night, wiping out the walls of the dish sink. Andy and Cameron join Johnny out in the kitchen cleaning the counters and sweeping the floors. Ethan’s sweeping too, finishing up the back of Eugene’s Pizza.

As Ethan sweeps the floors, he scratches at his wound. For whatever reason, his hand is tingling. It’s almost like he was slowly getting his feeling back after his arm went numb. Pins and needles poke at every nerve in his hand, especially around the bite, making it unbearably itchy. No matter how much flexing or scratching he does, it doesn’t go away. If anything, it gets worse. He suddenly feels dizzy, and his stomach growls loudly.

“Damn, you hungry? I know I could go for something.” Hunter asks, looking up from the dishwashing sink. Ethan didn’t expect him to hear his stomach growling, and looked up with a start. He was pretty hungry.

“N-Nah, I think I just have to use the bathroom.” He says instead. He wants to look at his wound without hearing any more comments from the rest of the staff; plus the pins and needles are gradually moving up his arm.

“Alright man, have fun.” Hunter says, turning his attention back to the dishes.

Ethan quickly walks towards the back door, and Mason walks in-- A shorter man, with a skinny build and freckles. Short, ginger hair peeps out from underneath his Eugene’s Pizza hat. He starts to ask about Ethan’s delivery, but Ethan pushes past him as he rushes to the employee bathroom. The itch is getting worse. It's starting to burn.

Closing the bathroom door behind him, Ethan rips his bandage off and digs his nails into the back of his hand and forearm, searching for the sweet release from the horrible itching from his wound. He looks down at the bite mark. The skin around it is a bright red, with deep cuts from his nails covering the back of his hand and forearm. Blood oozes from the self-inflicted gashes, and Ethan stares at them as they flow like crimson rivers down his arm and onto the floor.

His stomach growls again.

God, he’s so hungry.

***

[[Hey guys! Thanks for reading this piece-- I wrote this in early 2023 while I was a delivery driver. Pizza-making is a theme in my works, since most of my career since going to college has involved making those delicious, greasy saucers. There was some contempt I had with some of my co-workers that might've slipped into the piece, but I think I still gave them plenty of time to shine both in this chapter AND those going forward.

[[Hope to see you guys in the next chapter!!]]

[graceandpeacejoanne]

Revelation 21: How Firm a Foundation

There are several clues in John’s vision of a voluminous golden city descending through the sky that lead the reader to believe it symbolizes spiritual truths. #Revelation21 #NewJerusalem #TwelveFoundations #PearlyGates

There are several clues in John’s vision of a voluminous golden city descending through the sky that lead the reader to believe it symbolizes spiritual truths. In comparison to Babylon—portrayed as a woman of excesses—the bride motif of new Jerusalem symbolizes the far superior role as Christ’s beloved, than as the world’s. The purity and luminosity of the precious materials in the city’s…

[tom4jc]

Zechariah 12:10 Grace Brings Mourning

And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced. yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10 People often recognize how wrong they had been when someone extends a hand of grace towards them and not…

[scripture-pictures]

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

First Sunday Of Advent 2023

[reedreadsgreek]

John 12:12–15

12 Τῇ ἐπαύριον ὁ ὄχλος πολὺς ὁ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν, ἀκούσαντες ὅτι ἔρχεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα 13 ἔλαβον τὰ βαΐα τῶν φοινίκων καὶ ἐξῆλθον εἰς ὑπάντησιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐκραύγαζον· 

ὡσαννά·  εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου,  [καὶ] ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. 

14 εὑρὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὀνάριον ἐκάθισεν ἐπʼ αὐτό, καθώς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον· 

15 μὴ φοβοῦ, θυγάτηρ Σιών·  ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεται,  καθήμενος ἐπὶ πῶλον ὄνου. 

My translation: 

12 The next day, the great crowd having come unto the festival, having heard that Yeshua is coming into Jerusalem, 13 took palm branches of palm trees and went out unto a meeting with him and they were crying out, 

“Hosanna;  the one coming in the name of the Lord is blessed,  [even] the king of Israel.” 

14 And Yeshua, finding a small donkey, sat upon it, just as it has been written: 

15 “Be fearing not, daughter of Zion;  look, your king is coming,  sitting upon a colt of a donkey.” 

Notes:

12:12 

The dative of time τῇ ἐπαύριον (“the next day”; see note on 1:29) modifies the main verb ἔλαβον in verse 13. 

See note on verse 9 for the article ὁ with ὄχλος πολὺς, here again a doubtful reading (ICC). The articular 2nd aorist participle ὁ ἐλθὼν (from ἕρχομαι) is attributive. The participle is modified by the spatial prepositional phrase εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν (“to the feast/festival”). 

ὅτι introduces indirect discourse after a verb of perception, the aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (from ἀκούω) which is temporal-antecedent (“when they heard”) with the main verb ἔλαβον (v. 13), or causal (“because they heard”). The subject of the present ἔρχεται (from ἕρχομαι) is ὁ Ἰησοῦς. The verb is modified by the spatial prepositional phrase εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. The present-tense is retained in indirect discourse, and is progressive (“Jesus was on his way”). 

12:13 

ὄχλος πολὺς (v. 12) is the subject of the 2nd aorist ἔλαβον (from λαμβάνω). 

The hapax legomenon τό βαΐον, an Egyptian loanword, is “palm branch”. τὰ βαΐα is the direct object of λαμβάνω above. 

ὁ φοῖνιξ (2x; gen. φοίνικος) is, “date-palm, palm tree” (BDAG). τῶν φοινίκων is a partitive genitive with τὰ βαΐα (lit. “the palm branches of the palm trees”). 

ὄχλος πολὺς (v. 12) is also the subject of the 2nd aorist ἐξῆλθον (from ἐξέρχομαι). 

ἡ ὑπάντησις (3x) is, “a meeting, a coming to meet”, from ὑπαντάω (10x) “I meet” (see v. 18). The prepositional phrase εἰς ὑπάντησιν αὐτῷ (lit. “unto a meeting with him”) is rendered in most translations as an infinitive (“to meet him”). 

ὄχλος πολὺς (v. 12) is also the subject of the imperfect ἐκραύγαζον (from κραυγάζω “I cry out”; see note on 11:43). The imperfect-tense of the verb could be inceptive (“began to shout”, NASB, NET) or iterative (“kept shouting”, HCSB). 

ὡσαννά (6x) is a transliteration of the Hebrew הוֹשַׁע נָא meaning, “Save (us)!”, but by this time was used as a simple interjection expressing praise (EGGNT). The LXX reads, σῶσον δή, “Save [us] indeed”. 

The present passive participle εὐλογημένος (from εὐλογέω) is predicate with an implied ἐστιν whose subject is the substantival present participle ὁ ἐρχόμενος, which was a stereotyped phrase to refer to the Messiah (cf. 6:14, 11:27). ICC says, ‘The sense is missed if ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου is connected with ὁ ἐρχόμενος. The Hebrew priests were chosen “to bless in the name of Yahweh.”’ Most translations, however, keep the Greek word order which seems to connect ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου with ἔρχομαι; ZG acknowledges both possibilities. The phrase comes directly from the LXX of Psalm 117:26 LXX (118:25 MT). 

[καὶ] is epexegetical before ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ (“Blessed is the coming one, [that is], the king of Israel”; NRSV: “the one who comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!”; NASB: “... even the King of Israel”; NIV & NET simply repeat “Blessed is” before each substantive). 

12:14 

δὲ is transitional, omitted in most translations. 

The present participle εὑρὼν (from εὑρίσκω) is temporal-antecedent (“when he found”) with the main verb ἐκάθισεν below.

The hapax legomenon τό ὀνάριον is, “little/young donkey”, the diminutive form of ὁ ὄνος (see v. 15). ὀνάριον is the direct object of εὑρίσκω above. 

ὁ Ἰησοῦς is the subject of the aorist ἐκάθισεν (from καθίζω), intransitive and ingressive (“sat down”). The verb is modified by the spatial prepositional phrase ἐπʼ αὐτό, referring to the donkey. 

The comparative adverb καθώς modifies the present ἐστιν (from εἰμί) which forms a periphrastic construction with the perfect passive participle γεγραμμένον (from γράφω) introducing a citation from the Old Testament. 

12:15 

This verse is a condensed form of Zechariah 9:9. 

The negated present imperative μὴ φοβοῦ (from φοβέομαι) denotes a command to stop an action already in progress. The Hebrew of Zechariah 9:9 instead reads, “Rejoice greatly” (so LXX: Χαῖρε σφόδρα). 

θυγάτηρ is a nominative used as a vocative (θυγάτερ). Σιών is indeclinable, but here is a genitive of relationship (so NASB, NRSV: “daughter of Zion”) or it could be an appositional nominative (so NIV, HCSB: “daughter Zion”; NET: “people of Zion”). 

For ἰδοὺ, see note on 4:35. ὁ βασιλεύς, modified by genitive of subordination σου, is the subject of the present ἔρχεται (from ἔρχομαι). 

ὁ πῶλος (12x) refers to a young animal, i.e., “foal” when referring to the young of a horse or, as here, a “colt” referring to a young donkey (BDAG). 

ὁ ὄνος (5x) is, “donkey”. ὄνου is a genitive of relationship with πῶλον. The spatial prepositional phrase ἐπὶ πῶλον ὄνου modifies the present participle καθήμενος (from κάθημαι) which denotes manner with ἔρχομαι above. The LXX instead reads, ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ... πῶλον νέον (“having gone upon a young colt”). CGT suggests John was translating directly from the Hebrew.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Bowen's Daily Meditations

by Rev. George Bowen

Devotional for May 23, 2023

"They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn." - Zechariah 12:10

Think not that they who were personally concerned in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, were sinners above all the sinners of the world. Christ on the cross, the righteous Advocate, was able to find something extenuating in their conduct. " They know not what they do." Afterwards, when they saw what they had done, when the Spirit of Pentecost made him known as the Prince of life, many of them repented of their sin, and made haste to believe upon him. The measure of knowledge is an important element in determining the measure of sin. The measure of the means of knowing, let us say rather. There are thousands who are every day guilty of conduct as odious in the sight of heaven as that of the parties who nailed Christ to the cross, and thrust a spear into his side. These indeed, were mere Roman soldiers, having no personal animosity to Christ, whose language even they did not understand; the guilty parties of that scene did not themselves lift a finger against Christ. And their guilt falls immeasurably short, as we have said, of many who now live, read the Gospel, speak about it, profess to look to Christ for salvation, and yet utterly falsify his religion in their practice. When men attributed his blessed works and words to satanic influence, the heart of Christ was pierced; but it is even more pierced when men profess to be his disciples, and by continuance in sin teach the world that Christ has no objection to sin. These are engaged in crucifying the Son of God afresh. They crucify his love with their contentions; his holiness with their profane conduct; his justice with their unrighteousness; his mercy with their unmercifulness; his truth with their deceit; his generosity with their selfishness. They crucify him by falsifying him. Some pierce him by denying his divinity; some by teaching that he will save all, whether they repent or not; some by withholding his Gospel from the multitude; some by exalting a mere ceremony to a glory above that of Christ; some by substituting a crucifix for him; some in one way, some in another. All whose life, teaching, conversation, go to. misrepresent or degrade Christ be they as numerous as they may, as admired as you please, they are piercing Christ, and they shall mourn. The thing which will fill Christ’s meek ones with ineffable joy, will fill the hearts of these professors with anguish that no tongue can describe.

[amprosite]

Premillennial prophecies in the Old and New Testaments forbid personal beliefs in civilized civilizations, which may have influenced Ben Shapiro.

[re4med]

Daily Prayer for July 12, 2023

Prayer: Our kind and gracious Father in heaven, you are our God, and we are your people. You have promised us good things and said that you stand able and ready to help us in our pilgrimage in this world. You are the God of providence, ordering all things according to the counsel of your most holy and wise will. You are sovereign, and you do whatever pleases you. Your Word tells us that you…

[paulthepoke]

God Protects

God’s provision and protection are indicated from the outset of time.

How many hairs do you think are on your head? Well, if you have red hair, you have about 90,000. If you have black hair, there are about 103,000. On the other hand, if you have brown hair, there are more than 109,000 hairs on your head. If you are a blond, you probably have 140,000 hairs. Each of you has many, many hairs on your head, and I am sure that if you started to count them you would…

[upstatechristian]

Verse of the Day 12-3-22

Verse of the Day 12-3-22

Jesus: The Light of the World Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12 In this verse Jesus declares himself to be “the light of the world.” This is the second of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements1. While the expression appears simple and straightforward on the outside, the…

[graceandpeacejoanne]

Advent Meditation: King of Kings

Now, as King, Christ commands us to know salvation through Him, and to love one another as He loves us. #AdventDevotional #AdventMeditation #Hannah #Zechariah

“The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low; he also exalts.’”Hannah’s Prayer, 1 Samuel 2:7 (NRSV) Christ is King Hannah wept before the Lord, prayed over her life circumstances, and poured her heart out. She humbled herself under God’s hand and in due course God lifted her up. She may not have understood her years of humiliation. But rather than rail against God for her mistreatment,…

[girlbloggercher]

how to read the Bible

this is in order!

1. John

2. Mark

3. Matthew

4. Luke

5. Genesis

6. Exodus

7. Leviticus

8. Numbers

9. Dueteronomy

10. Romans

11. Galatians

12. Colossians

13. Proverbs

14. Ecclesiastes

15. Job

16. 1 Peter

17. 1 Corinthians

18. 2 Corinthians

19. Ephesians

20. Philippians

21. 1 Thessalonians

22. 2 Thessalonians

23. 1 Timothy

24. 2 Timothy

25. James

26. 2 Peter

27. 1 John

28. 2 John

29. 3 John

30. Jude

31. Psalms

32. Joshua

33. Judges

34. 1 Samuel

35. 2 Samuel

36. 1 Kings

37. 2 Kings

38. 1 Chronicles

39. 2 Chronicles

40. Ezra

41. Nehemiah

42. Jeremiah

43. Lamentations

44. Ezekiel

45. Joel

46. Amos

47. Obadiah

48. Nahum

49. Habakkuk

50. Zephaniah

51. Haggai

52. Zechariah

53. Malachi

54. Micah

55. Hosea

56. Luke

57. Esther

58. Jonah

59. Song of Solomon

60. Acts

61. Titus

62. Philemon

63. Hebrew

64. Isaiah

65. Daniel

66. Revelation