Zechariah 9:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The pilgrims on earth are all saints, and the physical existence of every individual is fleeting, so insignificant that it can be compared to just a single day. Thus, he indicates that for one day of your arrival, meaning the short and transient span of earthly life, I will bestow great and abundant rewards. Moreover, Christ also proclaimed, "A measure of good things, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given into your bosom" (Luke 6:38). While we anticipate rewards that reflect our deeds, they will be given in abundant measure, for the Giver is exceedingly generous.

Following the resurrection of the Lord, those shackled by Adam’s transgressions—or as some interpret, by inherent sin and death—were raised with Him and appeared in the holy city. Christ spoke of this covenant blood to His disciples as He foretold His impending suffering: “Drink from it, all of you; this is the cup of the covenant in My blood” (Matt. 26:27, 28). Comparable to the dry pit, Joseph was cast into a pit by his brothers (Gen. 37:24-25), and Daniel found himself in the lions' den (Dan. 6:16), as did Jeremiah at the hands of the Chaldeans and the people of Judah (Jer. 37:17, 18 and Jer. 38:6). Likewise, Benaiah descended into a pit in the snow to slay a lion (2 Sam. 23:20). While Jeremiah was not placed in the water but rather in mire, he faced a greater chance of drowning than of quenching his thirst. Thus, it is stated in one Psalm, “I am sunk in the deep, and there is no foothold for me” (Psalms 68:3). In this deepening of hell resides the rich man, once clad in fine clothing, whose parched tongue suffered so greatly that he yearned for relief even from a single drop of water (Luke 16:24). Yet the call goes out to the captives, through the mercy of Christ, to be liberated: “Turn to your stronghold, ye prisoners of hope.” This implies those imprisoned in the relentless torment of hell, awaiting their release through Christ’s arrival, should look to the stronghold, or to find refuge in the fortress that is the reverence of the Lord, so they may proclaim, “Be to me a protecting God and a fortified place to save me” (Psalm 70:3). The prophet declares, “Behold a strong city; He will make our salvation a wall and a rampart” (Isaiah 31:1). This fortification to which God encourages the hopeful captives to turn can be understood as paradise, the dwelling to which the thief and the Lord first entered (Luke 23:43). Through the prophet Zechariah, they are urged to seek refuge, as the Lord promised an eternal reward for a brief period of trial, or as the LXX states: “For one day of your journey I will reward you twice.” Indeed, in comparison to eternity, all trials faced in this life are but a single day—essentially a day of wandering, as we, like our forefathers, are merely pilgrims and strangers. For our transient afflictions cultivate within us an immense, eternal glory that far exceeds our present sufferings when we focus not on the visible but on the invisible; for the visible is fleeting, but the invisible is everlasting (2 Cor. 4:17, 18).

The Lord declares, “For one day of thy coming I will richly reward thee.” Countless days have seen this throng of captive individuals endure estrangement from the Kingdom of God, living in anguish and bearing the weight of ridicule in a land ruled by the adversary. Yet now, for each day of their suffering, the Lord pledges to these weary souls a bountiful reward—vast and joyous spiritual fulfillment in fellowship with Christ within the Church on earth, and ultimately in the heavenly Kingdom. The imagery of this joy can be likened to the visibly prosperous state of a people freed from the oppressive governance of foreign powers, reminiscent perhaps of the people of God during the Maccabean era, which may well be the context the prophet is referencing.