Zacarias 13

Zacarias 13

Henry - In that day, when the Spirit of grace is poured out to set them a mourning for their sins, they shall not mourn as those who have no hope, but they shall have their sins pardoned, and the comfort of their pardon in their bosoms. Their consciences shall be purified and pacified by the blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin, 1 John 1:7-note. For Christ is exalted to give both repentance and remission of sins and where he gives the one no doubt he gives the other. This fountain opened is the pierced side of Jesus Christ, spoken of just before (Zechariah 12:10-note), for thence came there out blood and water, and both for cleansing (cf John 19:34). And those who look upon Christ pierced, and mourn for their sins that pierced him, and are therefore in bitterness for him, may look again upon Christ pierced and rejoice in him, because it pleased the Lord thus to smite this rock, that it might be to us a fountain of living waters. (cf Ex 17:6 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, [cf Deut. 32:15] and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel." cf 1 Cor 10:4 "all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.") Talbot W Chambers - A fountain is shut up as long as it remains under ground, or is sealed from access (Song 4:12); it is opened when it breaks forth and flows freely. (Lange's Commentary) POSB - Note that the death and resurrection of Christ had already opened the door to salvation, but Israel had refused to enter in. In the Day of the LORD, though, the fountain of God’s Spirit will open and gush forth like a raging river, and Israel will at last accept her true Savior. Some writers see the symbol of the fountain as much like an artesian well that continually gushes forth providing spiritual cleansing, in this context for the third of Israel who will look on Messiah, mourn, repent and be saved by grace through faith (Zech 12:10-14-note). Fountain (04726)(maqor from qur = to bore, dig) means a fountain. The first use in Lev 12:7 refers to the "flow" of menses which made a woman ritually unclean in the OT (cf Lev 20:18 of a man who becomes unclean). Maqor is a literal fountain in Hos 13:15. Most of the uses of maqor are figurative where fountain means a source of something as in the following uses. The phrase "fountain of life" is frequent (Ps 36:9 = God Himself is the source of life), "fountain of life" (Ps 68:26 = the Lord is pictured as the fountain or life of Israel, a fountain they rejected = Jer 2:13), "your fountain" is a comparison with a man's wife and speaks of the sexual pleasure that must be fulfilled at home (Pr 5:18), "fountain of life" (Pr 10:11 = What the righteous say is beneficial to life or life-giving. Their words are life-giving but the words of the wicked are violent.), "a fountain of life" (Pr 13:14 = the teaching of the wise is life-giving), "the fear of the LORD is a fountain of life" (life giving) (Pr 14:27), "understanding is a fountain of life" (Pr 16:22 = like a fountain this wisdom will be a constant provision for living in this world), "fountain of wisdom" (Pr 18:4 = wisdom is a continuous source of refreshing and beneficial ideas), God calls Himself the "fountain of life" which His people had forsaken (Jer 2:13), Jeremiah refers to his eyes as "a fountain of tears," (Jer 9:1).