And I lifted my eyes. He now showed him an explanation of the preceding prophecy’s statement, “My cities shall yet be dispersed.” And I saw four horns. The word “horn” has two meanings: it refers to the horns with which animals gore, and it also refers to the corners facing the four directions.

And he said to me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah.” The image of the horns represents, on the one hand, the fact that they gored Israel—the scattered sheep—with their horns, as it is written, “His horns are like the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples.” It also represents corners and directions, indicating that in every direction of the world there is a horn poised to gore Israel and scatter them. We have a general principle that the prophets depicted the kingdoms as four, corresponding to the four directions of the world, as though in each direction there were a distinct kingdom ruling over it. Although one kingdom will generally grow powerful and rule forcefully over all the others, all four nevertheless continue to exist, each in its own particular direction. They likewise depicted the heavenly princes who exert influence upon these kingdoms as occupying four levels and orders, corresponding within the supernal Chariot to the four directions. Each one faces a particular direction, as explained in the interpretation of the vision of the Chariot. He thus showed him that throughout the period of exile there would be four horns in the four directions goring Israel. These are also the four universal kingdoms, each of which becomes dominant in one direction.

And Hashem showed me. Corresponding to these, He showed him four craftsmen, artisans prepared to cut down these horns. For every kingdom that becomes powerful in one of the world’s four directions, Hashem has prepared another kingdom destined to destroy it at the appointed time, just as He prepared Media against Babylon and Greece against Media, and so on throughout history. Our Sages said, “Who are these four craftsmen? The Messiah son of David, the Messiah son of Joseph, Elijah, and Melchizedek.” Their meaning is that in the future the horns will be cut down through the power of might, warfare, and Israelite sovereignty. This is represented by the Messiah son of David on Israel’s side and the Messiah son of Joseph on the side of the nations. They will also be cut down through the power of the priesthood and the service of Hashem. This is represented by Elijah, the righteous priest, on Israel’s side, and Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, on the side of the nations.

These are the horns. That is, because the horns scattered Judah beyond what was fitting, scattering them so thoroughly that no man could lift his head. He employs the image of fierce animals goring the heads of weaker animals with their horns, until the feeble sheep are afraid to lift their heads for fear of being gored. Therefore, these came to terrify them; at times they came merely to frighten them, so that they would not raise a horn to gore, while at other times they came to cast down the horns of the nations that had lifted up their horn. If they were not frightened and continued to lift their horn, these craftsmen would cast them down.

(5–6) And I lifted my eyes, and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. This indicates that they would now go to measure the length and width of Jerusalem’s wall. He informed him that the man was going to measure it, signifying that the wall of Jerusalem would soon be rebuilt with the permission of Artaxerxes, as it is written, “And a measuring line shall be stretched over Jerusalem.”

Verse 7. And behold, the angel who spoke with me was going forth, as though his prophecy had been completed, and another angel was coming forth to meet him, who was above him and imparted influence to him, for they receive from one another.

And he said to him, “Run, speak.” He was to inform the prophet that this wall would be only temporary, for this redemption was not the true and final redemption. A time would come in the End of Days when Jerusalem would be inhabited as an unwalled city, for its confined wall would be unable to contain it, because of the multitude of people and livestock within it. It would therefore continually expand in every direction. Nor would its inhabitants require a wall for protection, for:

I will be a wall of fire around her. I Myself will guard her like a wall, so that people will fear to approach her because of the consuming fire surrounding her, which will consume anyone who touches them. In the greater world, everything of higher importance encompasses, surrounds, and protects that which is below it, so that the physical world is encompassed by all the higher worlds. In the smaller world—the human being—the more important element dwells within, and the heart is surrounded by all the other organs. I have already explained (Ezekiel 37:27–28) the meaning of the verse, “My dwelling shall be over them, while My Sanctuary is in their midst.” The principal manifestation of the Sanctuary will be over them, encompassing them as in the greater world, and they will serve as the Chariot for the Divine Presence. The Sanctuary will be in their midst only so that the nations may know, as it is written there, “And the nations shall know that I am Hashem Who sanctifies Israel, when My Sanctuary is in their midst.” Concerning this He says, “And I will be glory in her midst,” for this will serve only to magnify Israel’s glory. In truth, the encompassing light is greater than the inner light, but the inner light is more readily perceived.

(10–11) Ho! Ho! Accordingly, He commanded the exiles in the land of the north to flee from there, and the exiles living in Babylon to escape to Zion. At this time there would not yet be a universal ingathering, for only those dwelling with the daughter of Babylon would return to Zion. As related in Ezra and Nehemiah, only the exiles from Babylon returned, whereas the rest of the exiles in the north, whom Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar had exiled, did not return to Jerusalem. Nevertheless, they did not remain where they were, for they later fled from there during the wars in the days of the Greeks and Romans and were scattered from there to the four directions of heaven. This was alluded to in the vision of the four horns. Only those dwelling in Babylon escaped to Zion during the Second Temple period.

Verse 12. For thus says Hashem. He informed them that, nevertheless, the glory of Hashem and His Providence would accompany them in all the places of their dispersion, casting down the horns of the nations that harmed them, until the time came to redeem them and to dwell as a wall of fire around Jerusalem. The prophet says in Hashem’s name, “After glory He sent me to the nations that plunder you.” He depicts the glory of Hashem as accompanying them among the nations. That is, wherever they go in exile, the glory of Hashem—which is a designation for His particular Providence—goes with them. He sent the prophet on a mission after the glory, meaning that he was to follow the glory of Hashem and proclaim to the nations that plunder you that whoever touches you touches the pupil of His eye—the eye of the aforementioned glory. He depicts the glory as having eyes, which are the eyes of Providence, as it is written, “To provoke the eyes of His glory.” This refers to the eyes of Hashem’s glory, for Hashem’s Providence—the eyes that roam throughout the earth—is attributed to His glory. A sinner rebels against the eyes of Hashem’s glory, which watches his deeds. Thus, anyone who touches you with harmful intent touches the pupil of the eye of Hashem’s glory, which watches over and protects you throughout your exile.

For behold, I will wave My hand over them. This refers to the nations that plunder you, whom He will cast down by means of the four craftsmen. And they shall become plunder for Israel, their servants, whom they had previously plundered. And you shall know: that is, if you do not now believe in my mission, you will then know that I was sent by Hashem to warn you not to touch the pupil of the eye of His glory.

Sing joyfully. After relating the warning that Hashem issued through him to the nations not to harm Israel in exile, because Hashem watches over them, he turns to the daughter of Zion and tells her to sing and rejoice over the salvation that will come at the end of the period of wrath. At that time, “I will come to you and dwell in your midst,” as it is written, “And I will be glory in her midst.”

And many nations shall join themselves to Hashem. They will convert and accept the true faith. Nevertheless, “I will dwell in your midst,” meaning in the midst of Israel, as it is written, “And I will walk in your midst.” “And you shall know that Hashem of Hosts has sent me to you,” for the previous mission was to warn the nations, whereas this mission is directed to you, to bring you the good tidings that there is hope.

And Hashem shall inherit Judah as His portion. It is explained in Ezekiel (chapters 45 and 48) that when the land is divided in the future, a sacred contribution will be set apart from the territory that had formerly been the inheritance of the tribe of Judah, and it will be holy to Hashem. The Temple will stand there, and around it will be the dwelling places of the priests and Levites, as well as the future city of Jerusalem, which will be forty-five mil from the Temple. The land remaining along the length of that strip will belong to the Messiah-King and will likewise be a sacred contribution. Judah will receive its portion north of the sacred contribution. Thus, the territory that had belonged to Judah in the division under Joshua, in the Holy Land, Hashem shall inherit and it will become Hashem’s inheritance. In this sense, Hashem shall inherit Judah—that is, He will take as His inheritance His portion that Judah had possessed in the Holy Land. And He shall again choose Jerusalem. He will not change the site of the Temple, even though this will require Him to take part of Judah’s territory, for the sacred contribution will extend seventy-five mil in width, as explained there in Ezekiel.

Be silent, all flesh. Seeing in his vision the future revelation of Hashem and His vengeance upon the adversaries of Judah, he declares that all must be silent before Hashem when He is aroused from His holy dwelling. Habakkuk likewise spoke in this manner when he foresaw the punishment of Babylon.