Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is close to me,
says the LORD of hosts:
strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn my hand against the little ones.
Read Chapter 13
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Sword. This address rouses attention. (Calmet)
The sword implies all the torments which Christ endured. (Worthington)
He explains this of himself; only instead of strike, he says I will strike, (Matthew xxvi. 31.) as the sword was directed by God. (Haydock)
Patris voluntate percussus est. (St. Jerome)
Cleaveth. Hebrew hamithi, "my amiable one "(Haydock) "of the same tribe with me "(Aquila) "of my people. "(Symmachus) St. Jerome observes, that Septuagint and Theodotion have read v for the last i, and render "his neighbour "or citizen. Yet some editions of the Septuagint retain "my fellow-citizen. "(Haydock)
Little ones. Septuagint, Arabic, "shepherds "(Calmet) which "many ill apply to the Jewish princes. "(St. Jerome)
Tsoharim means also "the little "Micheas v. 2. Christ takes care of his little flock, (Luke xii. 32.; Haydock) and is always one with the Father, John viii. 29., and x. 30. (Calmet)
He recalled the flying apostles, and gave them courage. (Worthington)
Christ spoke of the betrayer; he foretold that all would run away; he predicted his own death. “I shall smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” He foretold who was going to deny him, when he would do so, and how many times it would happen. He predicted everything accurately. After he had foretold all these things as a sufficient proof that he possessed knowledge of what was going to happen, he went to a certain place to pray. The heretics say that the prayer is the prayer of the divinity; we say it is the prayer of the plan of redemption. Against the Anomoeans, Homily
The same Zechariah foretold that Christ would be struck; after he was crucified, his disciples were dispersed until he rose again from the dead and proved to them that it had been predicted that he would have to suffer. When they were convinced of this, they went out to all the world teaching these things. Thus we are firm in our faith in him and in his doctrine, because our faith is grounded upon both the prophets and those who, openly throughout the world, are worshipers of God in the name of the crucified One. Indeed, Zechariah said, “ ‘Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man of my people,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Strike the shepherd, and his sheep shall be scattered.’ ”
There was, therefore, a great and excellent faith in that thief. Clearly it is great and admirable faith which believed that the crucified Christ was being glorified more than punished. For this is the shape that all salvation takes—that the Savior should be recognized as the Lord of majesty when he is seen to be crucified and subject to humiliation. Hence the apostle says, “If they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of majesty.” This, I say, is an excellent faith, to believe that Christ on the cross is God and not a wrongdoer. Therefore that thief was justified while the Jews insulted the Savior on the gibbet and said to him as if he were a criminal, “Free yourself if you are able.” But [the thief], certain of Christ’s divinity and sure of his good will, asks instead to be freed himself. There was a great faith in that thief, I say, and one which was comparable to that of the holy apostles; indeed, it preceded theirs. For he who preceded with respect to devotion prece...
Besides, Christ himself has confirmed this prefigurement of himself when he said that a shepherd who flees when he sees the wolf and leaves the flock to be devoured is wicked. Such a shepherd will be banished from the farm; his separation pay will be kept from him as compensation for his damage; in fact, he will have to pay back something from his former wages to indemnify the losses of the master. “For to him who has shall be given and from him who does not have even that which he seems to have shall be taken away.” Thus Zechariah threatens, “Arise, O sword, against the shepherds, and pluck out the sheep, and I will turn my hand against the shepherds.” And against them Ezekiel and Jeremiah thunder with similar recriminations, in that they have not merely battened upon their sheep and fattened themselves but they have themselves dispersed the flock and, without a leader to guide them, left them as prey to all the beasts of the field. For this is what happens when the church is deserted...
