Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #17 - Prisoners of Hope

Our final passage that uses the Hebrew word "tiqwa" to describe the hope of Israel's restoration is found in Zechariah 9:12 - "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee."  The imagery of imprisonment in this passage is very strong.  The previous verse declares, "I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water" (Zech. 9:11).  In ancient times empty cisterns were sometimes used as dungeons (see Genesis 37:24 and Jeremiah 38:6).  No doubt many of the captives of Babylon may have been all too familiar with this form of punishment.  But Zechariah was writing after the captivity had ended.  Were there some "prisoners of war" still being held in Babylon or Persia who were awaiting their freedom?  Or was Zechariah prophesying of a future "imprisonment" of God's people?  Interestingly in verse 13 of this same chapter God identifies "the sons of Greece" as the oppressors of Israel.  When this was originally written Greece was an obscure nation that had not yet risen to a position of world power as it would many years later under Alexander the Great.  At that time Israel would indeed be subject to the nation of Greece, but would not be oppressed by it.  Instead it would be a relatively peaceful time with much freedoms given to the Jewish people.  The nation of Greece would greatly influence the culture and language of the Jews.  The Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, would be a product of that time.  But following the Greek period, the nation of Israel would fall under the Syrian power and would experience one of its worst periods of persecution under the madman Antiochus Epiphanes.  Some scholars believe that this would be the "imprisonment" that is spoken of by Zechariah and that the promised deliverance would come during the Maccabean revolt (165 B.C.).  The problem with this interpretation is that the context of this passage associates the hope of Israel with the coming of their Messiah-King and the establishment of His Universal Kingdom:  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass ... and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zech. 9:9,10).  While the prophecy of the "triumphal entry" was clearly fulfilled in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 21), the establishment of Christ's earthly kingdom has not yet been fulfilled (Revelation 20).  This awaits fulfillment at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ when the nation of Israel will finally recognize Him as their Messiah and King.  And so, the "imprisonment" of Israel must be a future one, perhaps under the oppression of the anti-type of Epiphanes, the "little horn" of Daniel 8, the antichrist, who will one day come: "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom" (Daniel 8:21,22).  Once again Israel will be oppressed by a world power and imprisoned by it.  They will be prisoners yet prisoners of hope because of the salvation promised to them in Jesus Christ their King.  The basis of hope once again is declared to be the blood of the covenant: "As for thee also, by the blood of the covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners..." (Zech. 9:11).  This is no less than the blood of Jesus Christ which was shed for the sins of mankind upon the cross of Calvary (Hebrews 10:29).  The condition of hope is expressed in the phrase "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope".  This is the language of repentance, of turning from sin and of turning to the Lord who alone is the Stronghold of His people and the only Source of salvation!  The reward of hope is a double pardon extended to those who will receive this promised deliverance (see Isaiah 40:2; 61:7).  These words of hope have special reference to the future of Israel, but may also be applied to all men who are in bondage to sin.  Thomas Moore wrote: "We, too, are often in a horrible pit and miry clay. We, too, are prisoners of hope, who are to go forth by the blood of the everlasting covenant ... Let sinners, who are also prisoners of hope, turn to the strong hold Christ, ere it be forever too late, and God will give them a double blessing."