Zechariah 1:11-12
1:11 The riders then agreed with the angel of the Lord, 1 who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is at rest and quiet.”
1:12 The angel of the Lord then asked, “Lord who rules over all, 2 how long before you have compassion on Jerusalem 3 and the other cities of Judah which you have been so angry with for these seventy years?” 4
Zechariah 9:5
9:5 Ashkelon will see and be afraid; Gaza will be in great anguish, as will Ekron, for her hope will have been dried up. 5 Gaza will lose her king, and Ashkelon will no longer be inhabited.
1 sn The angel of the Lord is a special being who throughout the OT represents God himself and on occasion almost approaches divine hypostatization or incarnation (cf. Gen 18:2, 13, 17, 22; Exod 23:20-21; Josh 5:13-15; Judg 6:11-24; 13:2-20).
2 sn Note that here the angel of the Lord is clearly distinct from the Lord who rules over all himself.
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
4 sn The seventy years refers to the predicted period of Babylonian exile, a period with flexible beginning and ending points depending on the particular circumstances in view (cf. Jer 25:1; 28:1; 29:10; Dan 9:2). Here the end of the seventy years appears to be marked by the completion of the temple in 516 b.c., exactly seventy years after its destruction in 586.
5 tn The present translation presupposes a Hiphil perfect of יָבֵשׁ (yavesh, “be dry”; cf. NRSV “are withered”) rather than the usually accepted Hiphil of בּוֹשׁ (bosh, “be ashamed”; cf. KJV, ASV), a sense that is less suitable with the removal of hope.