Zacharias 9:16
And the Lord their God will save them in that day, as the flock of his people: for holy stones shall be lifted up over his land.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Et salvabit eos Dominus Deus eorum in die illa, ut gregem populi sui, quia lapides sancti elevabuntur super terram ejus.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ σώσει αὐτοὺς Κύριος ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ὡς πρόβατα λαόν αὐτοῦ, διότι λίθοι ἅγιοι κυλίονται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτοῦ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְֽהוֹשִׁיעָ֞ם יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛ם בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא כְּצֹ֣אן עַמּ֑וֹ כִּ֚י אַבְנֵי נֵ֔זֶר מִֽתְנוֹסְס֖וֹת עַל אַדְמָתֽוֹ
Haydock's commentary
Holy stones; the apostles, who shall be as pillars and monuments in the Church. (Challoner)
The Machabees are like a wall. They restore the altar of holocausts, built of fresh stones, 1 Machabees iv. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Jerome The Letters of St. Jerome, To Eustochium
Some people may be eunuchs from necessity; I am one of free will. “There is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. There is a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together.” Now that out of the hard stones of the Gentiles God has raised up children unto Abraham, they begin to be “holy stones rolling upon the earth.” They pass through the whirlwinds of the world, and roll on in God’s chariot on rapid wheels. Let those stitch coats to themselves who have lost the coat woven from the top throughout; who delight in the cries of infants which, as soon as they see the light, lament that they are born. In paradise Eve was a virgin, and it was only after the coats of skins that she began her married life. Now paradise is your home too. …
St Jerome The Letters of St. Jerome, To Eustochium
16. Many married ladies make it a habit to confer gifts upon their own trumpeters, and while they are extremely profuse to a few, withhold all help from the many. From this fault Paula was altogether free. She gave her money to each according as each had need, not ministering to self-indulgence but relieving want. No poor person went away from her empty handed. And all this she was enabled to do not by the greatness of her wealth but by her careful management of it. …
Aphrahat Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations, Of Wars
8. Now, what are the stones of fire , but the children of Zion and the children of Jerusalem? For in the ancient time, in the days of David and of Solomon his son, Hiram was a friend to those of the house of Israel. But when they were carried away captive from their place, he rejoiced over them and spurned them with his feet, and did not remember the friendship of the house of David. And as to that which I said that the children of Judah were called the stones of fire , it was not of my own thought that I said it, but Jeremiah the Prophet spake concerning them; for when he was calling forth tears for them in the Lamentations, he said: The children of Zion were more excellent than precious stones . And again he said: How are the stones of the Sanctuary cast down at the head of all the streets ? And again He said by the Prophet: The stones were holy that were cast down in his land . …