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2.5 KiB
General Information:
In verses 14-16, Zechariah describes how Yahweh will rescue Israel from their enemies.
will appear to them
The word "them" refers to God's people. AT: "will be seen in the sky by his people" or "will come to his people"
his arrows will shoot out like lightning!
The Israelites sometimes thought of lightning bolts as arrows that God shot. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile)
blow the trumpet
The trumpets were rams' horns. People blew into them to give signals in battle and on other occasions. Here the trumpet is blown as a military signal.
will advance with the storms from Teman
Team was located to the south of Judah. The Israelites sometimes thought of God as traveling on violent storms coming from the south. AT: "will march from Teman with the storm winds"
they will devour them
"the people of Judah will devour their enemies"
will devour
To completely defeat enemies is spoken of as devouring them as a wild animal eats its prey. AT: "will completely defeat" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
defeat the stones of the slings
Slings to throw stones were a common weapon in the days of Zechariah. Here the "stones of the slings" represent the soldiers who were using them to attack Israel. AT: "defeat the enemies who attack them with slings and stones" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy)
Then they will drink and shout like men drunk on wine
The people of Judah will shout and celebrate their victory over their enemies as if they were noisy drunks. AT: "Then they will shout and celebrate their victory as loudly as if they were drunk" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile)
they will be filled with wine like bowls
This probably refers to the bowls that the priests used to carry animal's blood to the altar. AT: "they will be as full of wine as the basins with which priests carry blood to the altar" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit)
like the corners of the altar
Altars had projecting corners that were drenched in animal blood. AT: "they will be drenched as the corners of the altar are covered in blood" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit)