Commentary for Zechariah 1:10

to walk to and fro on the earth To see the tranquility of the nations.

" And he answered.' He that was riding upon the horse. The prophet heard the angel riding on the horse answer, although he had not asked him anything; and he said to him, These horses arc the messengers of God, whom he hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth, in the same way as Satan said, " From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." (Job 1:7) But, perhaps, the angel that was riding, did not answer the prophet at all, but the word " answer," is to be taken, as in Deuteronomy 26:5, " Thou shalt answer, and say ; " and again, in Job 3:2, " And Job answered and said," where it occurs the first time. And then the sense may be, that the prophet heard the rider on the horse speaking to, and asking those horses, which the Lord had sent to walk to and fro through the earth, what was the state of the earth : * and they answered and said, " We have walked to and fro through the earth, and have seen it sitting still, and at rest." " These," may signify " to these;" and thus (the preposition is omitted in the following cases), " One told David, saying, Ahitophel is among the conspirators." Here David is the same as " to David." (II Samuel 15:31.) And again, " And two men, captains of bands, were the son of Saul," i. e., to the son of Saul; and there are other similar passages.