| Zechariah 14:2
| And I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken, and the houses shall be rifled, and the women shall be defiled: and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the rest of the people shall not be taken away out of the city.
| I will gather, etc. This seems to be a prophecy of what was done by Antiochus, (Challoner) or of the last siege, (Worthington) by the Romans. (St. Jerome; Theodoret; Eusebius, Dem. 6:18.) (Calmet) --- Vespasian collected numerous forces. (Josephus, Jewish Wars 3:1.) --- Titus had six legions and many auxiliaries, Arabs, etc. (Tacitus, Hist. v.) --- Various nations composed their army. (Worthington) --- Rifled, or demolished. None was left standing. (Josephus, Jewish Wars 7:6.; Heges. 5:49.) --- St. Jerome and others think that the city on Sion was spared, (Calmet) and 40,000 were permitted to dwell where they had a mind. (Josephus, Jewish Wars 7:15.) --- But it is not said that they continued at Jerusalem. Half the Jews therefore perished, and those who maintained the siege found a grave in the city. (Theodoret) --- Half only denotes a considerable part, as [in] ver. 8. Those who followed our Saviour's admonition, retired before, and were safe (Calmet) at Pella, Zacharias 10:11. Septuagint, "the rest of my people shall not be destroyed out of the city."
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