Introduction: A Direct Continuation of the Previous Chapter
According to the Malbim, Chapter 10 of Zecharya is a direct continuation of the previous chapter. At the end of Chapter 9, we saw that the young men and maidens "will speak eloquently" (yenovev, from the root for speech), and all that they ask for with their mouths is grain and new wine. Crown jewels no longer appeal to them: "How great is its goodness, and how great is its beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the maidens." As the Malbim explained there on the words "for crown stones shine upon His land" - precious gems will be as common as the dust of the earth, and therefore it is specifically the grain and the wine that will be as precious in their eyes as crown jewels. From this point our chapter continues: if their entire desire is grain and wine, then for that, rain is needed.
Verse 1: Matar, Geshem, and Malkosh
שַׁאֲלוּ מֵה' מָטָר בְּעֵת מַלְקוֹשׁ, ה' עֹשֶׂה חֲזִיזִים, וּמְטַר גֶּשֶׁם יִתֵּן לָהֶם, לְאִישׁ עֵשֶׂב בַּשָּׂדֶה׃ - Ask of Hashem rain in the time of the late rain; Hashem makes lightning clouds, and He will give them showers of rain, to each person grass in the field.
The Malbim examines the precise wording of the verse. Malkosh is the rain that falls after the regular rainy season, as we say, yoreh u'malkosh: the yoreh is the early rain, and the malkosh is the late rain, when the rainy season has already drawn to a close. There is an additional distinction: geshem refers to rain that falls through the ordinary course of nature, while matar refers to rain that descends through special divine providence from Hashem. Therefore, the prophet says: ask of Hashem matar in the time of malkosh - even when the rainy season has ended and nature is not disposed to it, let them pray, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will grant them matar through the power of prayer and merit.
"Hashem makes chazizim" - chazizim are the clouds that trap fiery vapors within them, namely those vapors that produce fire, lightning, and thunder (what we recognize today as positive and negative electrical charges that create a discharge when they meet). The Holy One, blessed be He, will form these chazizim especially for them, and grant providential showers of rain.
And to what extent will this individual providence reach? Rain usually falls collectively, upon everyone together. But here it says, "to each person grass in the field" - for an individual person, and even for an individual blade of grass in the field, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring down rain. This recalls the Gemara about Rav Ketina, who would inspect his property (sayer nichsei), walking through his garden beds and saying: "This bed needs rain, and this one does not; this tree needs rain, and this one does not" - and rain would fall to order, exactly where it was needed, without an irrigation system and without drip lines. The Gemara cites our verse for this, "and He will give them showers of rain, to each person grass in the field," as well as the verse, "one field was rained upon, and the field whereupon it did not rain."
Verse 2: The End of False Beliefs
כִּי הַתְּרָפִים דִּבְּרוּ אָוֶן, וְהַקּוֹסְמִים חָזוּ שֶׁקֶר, וַחֲלֹמוֹת הַשָּׁוְא יְדַבֵּרוּ, הֶבֶל יְנַחֵמוּן, עַל כֵּן נָסְעוּ כְמוֹ צֹאן, יַעֲנוּ כִּי אֵין רֹעֶה׃ - For the terafim spoke deceit, and the diviners envisioned falsehood, and dreams speak futility, consoling in vain; therefore they wandered like sheep, they were afflicted because there was no shepherd.
Notice that the Malbim applies this entire chapter to the future era - to the days preceding the coming of the Mashiach and the War of Gog and Magog, as we will see further on. He explains that at that time, people will no longer place their trust in the forces of nature, in the craft of talismans (talmasot), or in the ways of astrologers. Talmasot are types of effigies through which practitioners would channel spiritual influences, and astrologers (itztegninim) are sky-gazers who observe the stars and forecast the future according to them.
What were the terafim? They would take the skull of a firstborn human being and stretch skin over it at a specific time and during a specific lunar phase, using various incantations they possessed, after which the terafim would speak. They would rest spiritual impurity upon its mouth and draw down a force of defilement, through which the terafim spoke. In this manner Lavan would consult the terafim to discover where Yaakov had fled, and they would tell him. This is why Rachel stole them: she knew that if Lavan had a "Waze," he would be right behind them within two hours - so she stole his GPS, leaving Lavan wandering and not knowing which way to turn. "Why did you steal my gods?" - these were the terafim.
However, since this is an occult force of impurity, negative and evil, it mostly deceives - "for the terafim spoke deceit." And soothsayers too - their knowledge is limited and inaccurate. Pharaoh said, "See, evil faces you," and we know that he foresaw blood, but interpreted it incorrectly: he assumed it was the blood of death, when in truth it was the blood of circumcision. Their sight is never absolute. Nor will people place faith in dreams, for they will know that "dreams speak futility."
The Malbim hints that before the coming of Mashiach, there will arise teraphim, diviners, and dreamers who will mislead the people with their vanities - in other words, all the false ideologies and fads that one might imagine - and only then will they realize that there is no substance to them. And because they believed in these vanities, it is said: "Therefore they wandered like sheep," a flock that has no leadership, no one to shepherd and guide it, while those who are supposed to lead them speak vanity through dreams and empty words - like sheep without a shepherd. "They are afflicted because there is no shepherd" - they will reach poverty and subjection because they lack a leader.
Pasuk 3: The Reckoning of the Shepherds and the He-Goats
עַל הָרֹעִים חָרָה אַפִּי, וְעַל הָעַתּוּדִים אֶפְקוֹד, כִּי פָקַד ה' צְבָאוֹת אֶת עֶדְרוֹ אֶת בֵּית יְהוּדָה, וְשָׂם אוֹתָם כְּסוּס הוֹדוֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָה׃ - "My anger burned against the shepherds, and upon the he-goats I will bring reckoning, for Hashem, Master of Legions, has remembered His flock, the House of Yehudah, and made them like His majestic horse in battle."
Since the shepherds are the ones who mislead the sheep with their vanities, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: My anger is kindled against the leaders. "And upon the he-goats" - the he-goats are the strong and healthy sheep, symbolizing the princes and the wealthy, and I will hold them to account as well. This is similar to what is stated in Yechezkel 34: "Behold, I am against the shepherds," "Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats" - that the Holy One, Blessed be He, will judge the leaders of Israel. "For Hashem has remembered His flock" - as written there: "And I will seek My flock and inspect them."
"And made them like His majestic horse in battle": Until now they were like sheep - like sheep to the slaughter, naive, following blindly after the shepherds. From now on, they will be like a horse whose majesty is revealed in war. The Malbim distinguishes between hod (majesty) and hadar (glory): hadar is external, how something looks on the outside, elegant and attractive; whereas hod is internal. A horse has recognizable external beauty, but it also possesses hod - an inner quality that is revealed only in time of war, as it says in Iyov: "The majesty of his snort is terrifying... he rejoices to meet the weapons." And which war is this referring to? The Malbim says: the War of Gog and Magog.
Other Commentaries: Looking Backward, Not Forward
As explained, the Malbim applies this entire chapter to the future era - the coming of Mashiach and Gog and Magog, a prophecy for the End of Days. However, Rashi, Radak, and Ibn Ezra apply the chapter backward. Rashi interprets "My anger burned against the shepherds" as referring to the foreign kings, Nevuchadnetzar and Sancheriv. Radak and Ibn Ezra speak of a later era, explaining that the shepherds here are the Greek kings, the dynasty of Antiochus, who oppressed Israel until the Chashmonaim rose up against them.
Pasuk 4: From Him the Cornerstone, from Him the Peg
מִמֶּנּוּ פִנָּה, מִמֶּנּוּ יָתֵד, מִמֶּנּוּ קֶשֶׁת מִלְחָמָה, מִמֶּנּוּ יֵצֵא כָל נוֹגֵשׂ יַחְדָּו׃ - "From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the peg, from him the battle bow, from him shall go forth every ruler together."
This is a well-known poetic idiom: when one wants to describe something as essential and foundational, one says, "from him the cornerstone, from him the peg." What does it mean? The Malbim explains: "cornerstone" refers to the stone that is the foundation and head of a building, and it always symbolizes a central element - like "laying the cornerstone." The cornerstone was an exceptionally large and sturdy stone. Today, everything is poured concrete, but in ancient times, before concrete existed, one had to strengthen and connect the two walls meeting from both sides. Therefore, they would place one massive, strong stone at the corner, and upon it build the walls so they were bound together. Anyone walking toward the southern section of the Western Wall (known as the egalitarian Kotel) can see the corner of the Temple Mount retaining wall from the side - our Western Wall being the outer retaining wall of the Temple Mount - and there stands an enormous, monumental stone, unlike any other stone in the walls of Jerusalem. Hence the general phrase for anything of prime importance, as in the liturgical poem: "the cornerstones of the hosts who exalt the Almighty" - the commanders of the hosts; they are the cornerstones, the preeminent leaders.
In the metaphor: "from him the cornerstone" - this is the king, the foundation and head of the edifice. "From him the peg" - the peg is what secures the tent, and it is a metaphor for the shepherd's seat, meaning the kohanim and the leaders of the Sanhedrin, who shepherd the people in matters of spirituality and religion. As it is written: "And I will fasten him as a peg in a sure place" (which, by the way, is the source of the newspaper name Yated Ne'eman). In this way, the prophet depicts the monarchy as a house, just as was said regarding the kingdom of Shlomo: "for Hashem will make you a house" - that Hashem will establish your kingship, demonstrating that royalty is referred to as a "house."
And what does the word "from him" add? The Malbim explains: during the Second Temple era, the leaders were appointed according to the dictates of the kings of Persia, Greece, and Rome, under whose rule Israel was subjugated. The High Priesthood was bought with money, and appointments came from foreign hands. But in the future to come - "from him the cornerstone, from him the peg": from within our own midst will arise those worthy of the Sanhedrin, worthy of the priesthood, and worthy of royalty, and the foreign powers will no longer appoint our leaders. "From him the battle bow" - the warriors will also be from among us, and we will not need the assistance of the nations. "From him shall go forth every ruler together" - strangers will not govern us, and all rulers and leaders will emerge from our own people.
Verse 5: Foot Soldiers Against Horsemen
וְהָיוּ כְגִבֹּרִים בּוֹסִים בְּטִיט חוּצוֹת בַּמִּלְחָמָה, וְנִלְחֲמוּ כִּי ה' עִמָּם, וְהֹבִישׁוּ רֹכְבֵי סוּסִים׃ - And they shall be like mighty men who trample in the mire of the streets in battle; and they shall fight, for Hashem is with them, and they shall put the riders of horses to shame.
Even though they will have neither chariots nor horses, having only just emerged from foreign subjugation, they need not worry: they will possess immense power, and in battle they will be like warriors on foot trampling through the mire of the streets, the mud scattered along the roadways. And if you should ask, "Behold, the enemy comes mounted on horses while we are on foot, so how can we prevail?" to this it is said, "and they shall fight, for Hashem is with them" - the war will be supernatural, and Hashem will be with us. And how will it end? "and they shall put the riders of horses to shame" - the enemies who arrived on horseback will be thoroughly humiliated when they see that mere infantry defeated them.
Radak, as is his approach, applies this to the era of the Greeks: "And they shall be like mighty men who trample in the mire of the streets" - Israel will become just as the Greek warriors once were. The Greeks had ruled over us and were the mighty ones, while we were weak and subjugated beneath them; now, Israel will become mighty like them, trampling and treading their warriors into the mire of the streets ("bosim" from the root meaning to trample underfoot) - in that very war in which the Chashmonaim triumphed over the Greeks.
Verse 6: I Will Strengthen the House of Yehudah
וְגִבַּרְתִּי אֶת בֵּית יְהוּדָה, וְאֶת בֵּית יוֹסֵף אוֹשִׁיעַ, וְהוֹשְׁבוֹתִים כִּי רִחַמְתִּים, וְהָיוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא זְנַחְתִּים, כִּי אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֶעֱנֵם׃ - And I will strengthen the House of Yehudah, and I will save the House of Yosef, and I will resettle them, for I have had compassion on them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off, for I am Hashem their God, and I will answer them.
The House of Yehudah is currently weak, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: I will strengthen them and grant them power and might. According to Rashi, these words refer back to the war with Greece, but according to the Malbim, this speaks of the era of Gog and Magog. "And I will save the House of Yosef" - the House of Yosef are inherently mighty warriors, yet they are dispersed and lost. The House of Yosef refers to the Ten Tribes who were lost to us, and they are named after Ephraim, from whom the royal lineage sprang - Yarov'am ben Nevat. Them I will save, and this salvation means that they will return and resettle the Land of Israel. And even though I cast them out and flung them from their land "in anger, in fury, and in great wrath" and abandoned them, now, "for I have had compassion on them," I will show them mercy as though I had never abandoned them at all. Furthermore, although until now I did not hearken to their prayers or answer them, from now on, "for I am Hashem their God, and I will answer them" - I will be their God, I will answer their prayer, save them, and restore them to their land.
Notice the composite word in the verse: "ve-hoshevotim" (וְהוֹשְׁבוֹתִים). The Malbim cites the Radak, who notes that this is an unusual form - grammatically, it should have been written either as "ve-hoshavtim" (from the root of settling, dwelling) or "ve-hashivotim" (from the root of returning). It was written in this precise manner to express both concepts at once: "ve-hoshev" - I will settle them in the Land, and they will enjoy peace and tranquility; and "ve-hashivotim" - I will bring them back and return them here. Both meanings are fused into a single word: ve-hoshevotim.
Verse 7: Joy and Gladness
וְהָיוּ כְגִבּוֹר אֶפְרַיִם, וְשָׂמַח לִבָּם כְּמוֹ יָיִן, וּבְנֵיהֶם יִרְאוּ וְשָׂמֵחוּ, יָגֵל לִבָּם בַּה'׃ - And Ephraim shall be like a mighty warrior, and their heart shall rejoice as with wine; and their children shall see it and be glad, their heart shall rejoice in Hashem.
Ephraim, as noted, refers to the Ten Tribes. We find this frequently throughout Tanach, such as, "Is Ephraim a precious son to Me?" where the Ten Tribes are referred to by the name of the monarchy, which came from Yarov'am of the tribe of Ephraim. The prophet tells us that the Ten Tribes will awaken with strength and valor to fight the battles of Hashem, and a joy will arise in their hearts like the joy of a person gladdened by wine.
And their children, the Malbim explains - the generation that will follow them - will no longer need to wage wars, for this will be the final war. They will witness the salvation that I wrought for their fathers, and they will experience enduring joy - "and their children shall see it and be glad," for they will never have to fight again, as "He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord Hashem will wipe away tears from all faces."
And why does it say both "and they shall rejoice" and "their heart shall exult"? The Malbim explains in several places the difference between exultation (gilah) and joy (simchah): simchah relates to something constant and enduring, an ongoing state of joy; whereas gilah is always an expression of something newly renewed, a fresh awakening. Here both are present: "and they shall rejoice" - the enduring joy over the salvation that has already occurred; "their heart shall exult in Hashem" - a fresh exultation over the new miracles that Hashem will perform for them and over the Divine revelation that will be revealed to them at that time.
Pasuk 8: "I will whistle for them and gather them"
אֶשְׁרְקָה לָהֶם וַאֲקַבְּצֵם כִּי פְדִיתִים, וְרָבוּ כְּמוֹ רָבוּ׃ - "I will whistle for them and gather them, for I have redeemed them, and they shall multiply as they once multiplied."
The people of Judah were scattered among the nations and subjugated in exile. The Holy One, blessed be He, says: I will whistle for them, and this whistling serves as a signal for them to return to the Land of Israel, and thereby I will gather them and redeem them from exile. Rashi explains: "Eshrekah - in the manner of those who whistle as a signal for someone who has lost his way to come to him"; when someone has lost his way, one whistles to him so that he hears and knows where to turn.
And whereas in exile they were continually dwindling - through murders, blood libels, and pogroms, as the Jewish people suffered immense agony and much blood was spilled over two thousand years - now "and they shall multiply as they once multiplied": they will become as numerous as they were in the past. And when was that? Radak explains: In Egypt. The multiplication in Egypt was supernatural, six at one birth; likewise, their increase in the future will be supernatural.
The Malbim asks: What does the whistling add? It would have been enough to say, "and I will gather them, for I have redeemed them." He explains that whistling with one's lips expresses a minimal, effortless act of gathering. A shepherd who wants to gather his flock might have to ride around on a horse with a dog and perhaps a lasso, bringing everyone into the pen - a great exertion. But a clever shepherd sits in his place, gives a single whistle, and they all gather and enter the fold. In the same way, gathering them will be as effortless before Hashem as a whistle. Today we are beginning to understand this: once we thought that merely notifying everyone to come was a monumental undertaking, followed by long caravans and months of travel. Today, with a single WhatsApp message everyone knows, and on a single flight they are here within hours. This is "I will whistle for them and gather them" - a mere whistle will suffice to gather them.
Pasuk 9: "And I will sow them among the nations"
וְאֶזְרָעֵם בָּעַמִּים, וּבַמֶּרְחַקִּים יִזְכְּרוּנִי, וְחָיוּ אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם וָשָׁבוּ׃ - "And I will sow them among the peoples, and in distant places they shall remember Me; and they shall live with their children and return."
The Malbim explains: Even those among the people of Judah who, due to forced conversions, persecutions, and massacres, fell away from Hashem and assimilated among the nations - this is akin to sowing. What is the nature of sowing? The seed first decomposes in the earth, and only afterward produces its fruit; it must undergo a process of decomposition, and out of it develops a tree that grows and multiplies many times over, so that from one small seed emerges a tree bearing thousands of fruits for years to come. Radak says likewise: this is like a seed that decomposed in the ground, and from it many sprouted.
And who are the "many"? The Malbim says: This also refers to the converts who will join and recognize the true faith. Thus, it is like sowing - one Jew is sown, and a thousand converts are gained, many who will come and join. And even though they are physically distant, "and in distant places they shall remember Me" - there, in far-off lands, they will remember Me and remember faith in Hashem, and ultimately they will revive their souls and the souls of their children, and return.
Pasuk 10: "And I will bring them back - to Gilead and Lebanon"
וַהֲשִׁבוֹתִים מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, וּמֵאַשּׁוּר אֲקַבְּצֵם, וְאֶל אֶרֶץ גִּלְעָד וּלְבָנוֹן אֲבִיאֵם, וְלֹא יִמָּצֵא לָהֶם׃ - "And I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria, and bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon, and there will not be found enough room for them."
I will bring back those who were outcasts in the land of Egypt and those who were lost in the land of Assyria, like the verses we read in the Musaf prayer of Rosh Hashanah concerning the redemption. And even those who were scattered far and wide I will gather - this, says the Malbim, is the meaning of the expression "I will gather them" (akabetzem), the gathering of the scattered. And to where? "And I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon" - to the heritage of their forefathers. The land of Gilead is the eastern side of the Jordan, the place Moshe Rabbeinu bequeathed to the two and a half tribes, as well as in the west, and in Lebanon.
Lebanon does not belong to us today, but the borders of the Land will expand, as the Malbim explained on Yechezkel 47: the Land will expand and have new borders, far greater than what exists today. Therefore, we are not troubled by all sorts of actions taking place - whether they annex or do not annex, evacuate or do not evacuate. It grieves us only because of the suffering of fellow Jews, but the borders are not determined by Mr. Sharon or by any other decrees. The borders are what the Holy One, blessed be He, will determine through Melech HaMashiach. Likewise, regarding their house of abomination standing on the Temple Mount today - of course one must feel pain over this, lest it be misunderstood, but we are not to engage in clumsy, physical actions to change this, and certainly not to ascend the Temple Mount, as some believe that by trampling the Mount against the ruling of all the Gedolei Yisrael they will succeed in redeeming it. That is not the way, that is not the method, and that is not the reality. The way is to pray and do teshuvah, and through the power of this, Hashem will bring down the next Beit HaMikdash built of fire, and He is the One who will trample and flatten the Dome of the Rock and leave nothing of it. The redemption is a spiritual redemption.
The Radak cites an additional explanation in the name of Targum Yonatan and Onkelos: "Lebanon" refers to the Beit HaMikdash. And why is the Beit HaMikdash called Lebanon? For two reasons: First, because it was built from the cedars of Lebanon, as Chiram brought the timber here and from it they built; and second, because it whitens (malbin) the sins of Israel - from the word for whitening, since it purifies and whitens their sins. "And I will bring them to Lebanon" - to the Beit HaMikdash.
Verse 11: The Sea of Distress and the Sea of Waves
וְעָבַר בַּיָּם צָרָה, וְהִכָּה בַיָּם גַּלִּים, וְהֹבִישׁוּ כֹּל מְצוּלוֹת יְאֹר, וְהוּרַד גְּאוֹן אַשּׁוּר, וְשֵׁבֶט מִצְרַיִם יָסוּר׃ - And he shall pass through the sea with distress, and strike the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart.
The Malbim describes the distress here as a raging, stormy sea, in the sense of "All Your breakers and Your waves passed over me" - a metaphorical expression signifying that troubles are like rushing waves. So too here: "And he shall pass through the sea with distress" - even though troubles and the birth pangs of Mashiach will intensify, and the distress will wash over them like a sea, they will pass through this sea in peace.
"And strike the waves in the sea" - the actual sea, possessing physical waves, will be struck and dried up, from the term for dry land (charavah), so that they may pass through it and go out of exile. As it is written, "And Hashem shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and wave His hand over the river" - as it were, He will dry up the sea to bring us out of exile, for one must cross the sea to emerge from it. And this is the meaning of "and all the deeps of the river shall dry up," referring to the Nile River of Egypt.
Thus, the Malbim distinguishes here between two seas: "the sea of distress" is the metaphorical sea, the sea of hardships and worry, like a raging sea; and "the sea of waves" is the actual sea, the sea that has physical waves. And through this, "and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart" - the Assyrians and the Egyptians who ruled over us in antiquity, and who are among the nations that will gather in the War of Gog and Magog, will also experience a downfall, as explained in Yechezkel 32 and Yechezkel 38, as studied and discussed there at length.
Verse 12: And I Will Strengthen Them in Hashem
וְגִבַּרְתִּים בַּה' וּבִשְׁמוֹ יִתְהַלָּכוּ, נְאֻם ה'׃ - And I will strengthen them in Hashem, and they shall walk in His Name, says Hashem.
"And I will strengthen them in Hashem" - their strength will be a Divine strength. Not the strength of physical might, not bodily power, and not "let the IDF win," but strength stemming solely from the power of Hashem and through Him. "And they shall walk in His Name" - in the Name of Hashem they will walk to emerge from exile, and through this He will redeem them with an eternal redemption, speedily in our days, Amen.
In Summary:
Chapter 10 of Zechariah, according to the Malbim, is a prophecy about the Messianic era and the war of Gog and Magog. It opens with a prayer for rain granted through individual Divine providence, down to "grass in the field for every person," continues with the collapse of all false beliefs - teraphim, diviners, and false dreams - which misled the people like sheep without a shepherd, and with the reckoning demanded of the shepherds and the lead he-goats who led them astray. From this point onward, the picture is completely transformed: Israel, who were like helpless sheep, become like a majestic steed in battle; the king, the Sanhedrin, the Kohanim, and the warriors will arise from our midst and will not be appointed by foreigners; foot soldiers will triumph over cavalry because Hashem is with them; the House of Judah and the House of Joseph will be strengthened and saved, will return and settle in their land, will multiply supernaturally as in Egypt, and will be gathered with effortless ease, captured in the phrase "I will whistle for them." Even their dispersal among the nations is revealed as a sowing that sprouts abundantly, and troubles that resemble a raging sea will be cleft like the splitting of the sea. And the conclusion provides the key to the entire chapter: "And I will strengthen them in Hashem, and in His Name they shall walk" - all strength and redemption stem entirely from the power of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and our path toward them is through prayer and repentance.