I saw by night— I saw this night, &c. A red horse is an emblem of war and destruction. The man or angel riding upon him is thought by some to have been the archangel Michael, prince and protector of the people of God. Others suppose that the Logos, or Son of God, is meant, who appeared as the captain of the hosts or armies of God. See the note on chap. Zechariah 2:3. He appeared in obscurity, in a low place, amid myrtles planted by the waters; as it were to mark out the affliction, humiliation, and sorrow, to which his country was reduced. The Hebrew may be rendered, Among the myrtle-trees planted by the waters. The myrtle flourishes best in shady and watery places; Littora myrtetis laetissima, says Virgil. See Calmet. Instead of speckled, Houbigant reads grey.
Related Commentaries of Zechariah 1:8
Zechariah 1:8
8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled,b and white.