Charles Ellicott Commentary Zechariah 6:8

"Then cried he to me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, they that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country." — Zechariah 6:8 (ASV)

Cried he upon me means summoned me. (Compare “Who calls on Hamlet?”—Shakespeare, Hamlet,Acts 5:0, Scenes 2 and 3.)

Have quieted my spirit.—“Spirit” being used, as in Judges 8:3, in the sense of “wrath.” (For the phrase “to quiet wrath,” compare Ezekiel 5:12; Ezekiel 16:42; Ezekiel 24:13. This is better than the interpretation, Have made my spirit to rest, that is, caused my spirit of judgment (Isaiah 4:4) to fall upon. (Compare Isaiah 56:1.)

Many commentators have, without any warrant, drawn their interpretation of the colors of the horses in this vision from the Book of Revelation. According to them, “red” means war; “black” means famine; “white” means victory; and “grisled” means various chastisements.

They identify the “grisled” with the “bay” of the English Version, or rather powerful ones (as they render the word in Zechariah 6:3; Zechariah 6:7), and say that the last mission was not received by the so-called “red horses,” but by the “powerful ones” (English Version, “bay,”) as the “grisled” are also called in Zechariah 6:3, to indicate that the manifold judgments symbolized by the grisled horses will pass over the whole earth in all their force. But it is better to consider that the horses are represented as of different colors merely in order to give greater distinctness to the vision. (Zechariah 5:9.)

For the commentators fail to discover any ethical or historical reason for famine and victory being especially sent to the north, and various chastisements to the south, or why (according to the unamended Hebrew text) the “red” (English Version), that is, “bay horses,” should not have been sent out at all.

According to the amended text, “the bay horses” seek, and obtain, permission to go through all the earth, signifying possibly that Israel’s Protector would defend His people, not only against their ancient enemies, but also against any who should rise up against them from any quarter whatever.

The difficulty with the colors of the horses is supposed by Hitzig to have arisen from the carelessness of the writer; but we agree rather with Maurer, who attributes it to a blunder of an early copyist.