130. - Collection Point® | The Total Digital Asset Management System

158 Structure and the Book ofZechariah
1. 'Just because it seems impossible to the remnant of the
people, should it seem impossible to me also?'
2. 'Surely it seems a wonderful thing to happen to the remnant
of this people.. .it also seems so to me' (i.e. our aims are the
same). The only possible structural use of this phrase seems
to be as a frame for the next expression.
run nun mRtf, 8.6, 11, 12. This expression should be noted.
DJ, 8.6, 21. There is some parallel between the phrases Tin D3 and
']« DJ but it does not seem striking enough to be significant. In the first
Yahweh is the speaker, the second is spoken by people from the
nations around.
DR], 8.6, 11, 17, is not a hopeful word to investigate. In fact, in the
first and third references it merely marks the end of a unit already
delineated by another introductory formula. Its usage in 8.11 does not
seem significant.
ptfin, 8.7, 13, must be plotted. It occurs within each of the inclusios
noted in 8.1-13.
Kin, 8.7 (a), 8 (b), 10 (c), 20, 22 (d), is used in very different ways:
(a) tfntf R-nn pR; (b) Timm (hiphil, Yahweh speaking of the people);
(c) RU^l Risv 1 ?! (cf. 7.14 stfm -Qi>n, but it is not clear whether a
connection is intended, probably not); (d) 1RIT and iRm of the
foreigners who will come. The correspondence between (b) and (d)
has been made clear in other ways (see above). It is probably safe to
ignore (a) and (c).
DYI^R occurs only at two significant points, the centre of 8.1-13 and
the last word but one in ch. 8. 'And I will be their God (God to
them)' and 'We have heard that God is with you'. We must accordingly
plot this unlikely word.
prn. We have noted the inclusio formed by this verb (qal) in vv. 9
and 13. The hiphil occurs twice in v. 23 when once would be
sufficient grammatically. NEB's 'pluck up courage' for the first
occurrence seems unwarranted.
n"?R occurs not only with 'years' (see above) but with onm, 8.9, 16.
We need not plot it.
~Dto, DtR, and |'» all occur twice in v. 10 and nowhere else. Thus
they establish the verse as a self-contained unit, as is already clear
from the sense.