Zechariah 12:8 - Exposition

He that is feeble (literally, that stumbleth ) among them .. shall be as David. God shall endue the inhabitants of Jerusalem with marvellous strength and courage, so that the weakest among them shall be a hero such as David, who killed the lion and bear and overcame the giant (comp. Psalms 18:32 ). The house of David shall be as God ( Elohim ). The chiefs of the theocracy shall be endowed with supernatural might, the expression, "as God," being explained in the next clause. Septuagint, ὡς οἶκος θεοῦ , "as the house of God," as if it were of the heavenly family. The translators seem to have thought the genuine expression too unqualified. As the angel of the Lord before them. Even as the angel of the Lord, who led the Israelites in all their wanderings (comp. Exodus 14:19 ; Exodus 23:20 ; Exodus 32:34 ; Joshua 5:13 ). We see in this description an intimation of the graces and endowments bestowed upon every faithful member of the Church of Christ.