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3. The Structure of Individual Sections of Zechariah 139
There is an obvious link between v. 6 and v. 8, which makes it possible
to divide the unit up as vv. 1-5 + 6-8, or simply to regard v. 6
as transitional.
In more detailed terms we have:
1 IF And I returned (or 'Again' see below on 4.1; 5.1)
And I lifted up my eyes
and I saw
and behold 1
four chariots (m»er)
from between two mountains
(and the mountains were mountains of bronze)
2-3 with the first chariot: red horses
with the second chariot: black horses
with the third chariot: white horses
with the fourth chariot: ? horses (D'itnK D'-ro)
4 And I answered and said to the angel. .. me
What are these TW?
5 And the angel answered and said to me
These are the four nirrn of heaven
mt^f from presenting themselves before
p«n *?3 jvtK
6 that with black horses JTDX p* "?« D'R*'
the white DTWW h* TK2T
the D'-na firm p« "?K uer
7 and the D'*nK 3 —IK*'
and they sought to go to patrol the pn
and he said Go, patrol the pR
and they patrolled the p» 4
1. This formula is identical to that used for the sixth vision, and makes use of all
elements used in introducing the visions. See Meyers, Haggai, Zechariah, p. 317.
2. He has not been asked anything, cf. 1.9. He is presumably responding to
what he sees.
3. Petersen calls this 'resumptive', but deletes the first occurrence (Haggai and
Zechariah, p. 263). A more normal reading would be to accept the Syriac, which
omits 'strong' in v. 3, and changes 'red' to 'strong' in v. 7 (accepted by S.R. Driver,
The Minor Prophets: Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
([The Century Bible; Edinburgh :T.C. & E.G. Jack, 1906], pp. 209-210). This is also
neater, but there is is still a question why the order is changed (the first becomes last).
4. This is feminine plural, whereas the verb forms before this are masculine. I
cannot find an explanation of this: it may simply be anomalous, as is fairly common