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156 Structure and the Book ofZechariah
days when vine, heavens and earth shall give their various blessings.
UDtf occurs in 7.11, 12, 13 (2x) (all referring to the Israelites
refusal to hear) and 8.9 (which occurs in an exhortation of comfort to
those who have been hearing the words of the prophets). Thus the
word concentrates attention in 7.11-13 on this single motif, and 8.9
describes a contrasted situation.
D'to, 7.12, 14. In 7.12.##2-4 there is some alliteration (rod info
jnotfn) which is similar in some ways to v. 14 (mnrrpn in'fin ntfni
nntf 1 ?). It is difficult to evaluate the significance or purpose of this with
any certainty, but it recalls our discussion of Zech. 5.5-11.
*pjp, 7.12, 8.14. See on Zechariah 1 above. The only other chapter
in which this root occurs is ch. 1 (v. 2 twice, v. 15 three times). In
1.14 we also find rftnj nwp }V^i D^tfw 1 ? *ntup, which is very similar
to 8.2b, rb 'n«]p nbm nnm rftna niwp \vxh> »nt«p. Thus we need
to consider whether there is an intended connection between these contrasting
but similar words, nan does not occur elsewhere in Zechariah.
p, 7.13, 8.13, 15, does not seem to be significant in any way for
our purposes.
'•a, 7.14, 8.13, 22, 23. The first two refer to Judah's being scattered/
a curse among the nations. The last two refer to the nations coming to
Jerusalem. From being scattered among the nations Judah will cause
an unscattering of the nations themselves. We must plot the word,
although it is not immediately evident whether it is used in structuring
the chapter.
310, 7.14, 8.3, 15, is a common but significant word in passages
such as the present one. The first reference is interesting: 'And the
land was made desolate after them with respect to/preventing going
out/over or returning'. Does it mean the land was shut behind them so
that they were prevented from returning from exile? This seems
better than RSV's rather weak 'so that no one went to and fro'. 1
Zech. 8.3 has 'I will return to Jerusalem' and v. 15 has Thus I have
returned I have purposed... to do good...' which may simply mean,
'Thus again I have purposed...' We cannot lay much stress on these
references, therefore, but I will plot them.
1. RSV presumably means that all normal life was suspended; cf. possibly
Ps. 121.8, -[K131 -jriR* nntf' rtvr. So Rudolph: 'ohne Verkehr' (Haggai, p. 141).
Driver refers to Ezek. 35.7, 301 ~QJ> TOD 'from, which is certainly similar to the
present context, but equally ambiguous.