←Zechariah 10→BSB

Rain was a sign of divine blessing (see Joel 2:23)—the Lord was the source of the rain, but Israel’s leaders had led the people to trust in false gods instead.

Household gods might refer to ancestor statues used in rituals of necromancy (conjuring up the spirits of the dead); consultation with the dead was a widespread practice in the ancient world, but God’s law made it taboo for the Hebrews (see Lev 20:27; Deut 18:10–11).

• My anger burns: Israel is often the object of this divine wrath, incited by disobedience to covenant stipulations or by lapses into idolatry (see Exod 22:22–24; Deut 6:14–15; Josh 7:1; Judg 2:20; Heb 10:31).
• these leaders (or these male goats): This is a figure of speech for princes, since male goats typically lead goat herds.

• A cornerstone is the first-laid foundation stone upon which a building’s superstructure rests (see Job 38:6; Ps 118:22; Isa 28:16; Eph 2:20).
• Just as a tent peg anchors a tent to the ground, so Judah will provide the future leaders needed to stabilize the Hebrew nation.
• Many understand cornerstone, tent peg, and bow for battle as titles for the Messiah (cp. Isa 22:20–23; Zech 9:13).

• save: This Hebrew word is also used for the exodus from Egypt (see Exod 14:30). Salvation and victory come from God (Ps 3:8; Isa 63:1).
• God saves and restores his people Israel because of his compassion (see Exod 33:19; Pss 103:13; 111:4; Lam 3:32).

• When I whistle to them: Shepherds in biblical times herded their flocks by whistling or piping to them (see Judg 5:16).
• Redeemed can also mean “ransomed”—buying slaves out of their servitude or indentured status (see Deut 15:15; 24:18).
• numerous as . . . before: The proliferation of the Hebrew people was one of God’s covenant promises to Abraham (Gen 12:1–3; 22:17; 32:12).

• The Lord had previously whistled for the armies of Egypt and Assyria to come against King Ahaz of Judah because of his unbelief (Isa 7:18). The two nations were especially symbolic of the slavery and exile endured by the Hebrews.
• Gilead is a fertile region east of the Jordan River and south of the Sea of Galilee that is suitable for grain growing and pasturing; it was settled by the tribes of Manasseh and Gad.
• Lebanon sometimes defined the northern edge of the Promised Land (see Deut 11:24; Josh 1:4). God’s restoration and resettlement of the Hebrews would be so complete that even the fringe areas of Israelite territory would teem with people.

When the Hebrews returned to the land of Israel from exile in Babylon, they had to ford the Euphrates River; this is likened to a second exodus from Egypt (see Isa 43:2–6, 16–17).

This verse repeats the earlier promise that God would strengthen his people (10:6; see Isa 41:8–10; cp. Pss 18:1; 22:19; 28:8; 29:11).