7 And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD.
(Vers. 6, 7.) And the riders on horses will be put to shame, and I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they shall be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them. They shall be like mighty warriors of Ephraim, and their hearts shall rejoice as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall exult in the Lord. LXX: And the riders on horses will be put to shame, and I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will cause them to dwell, for I have loved them. And they shall be as when I had not cast them off, for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them: and they shall be as valiant men in battle, and their heart shall rejoice as with wine, and their children shall see it and be glad, and their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. And they have expounded these things twice according to the higher sense, so as to either relate them as already done under the Maccabees, or as about to be transacted under Christ in the last age. And the sense is this: When Judas, who was set as a goodly horse in battle, shall tread down the adversaries as mire, and with the Lord fighting with him shall overcome: then all the horsemen of Greece shall fall, and the house of Juda and the house of Israel shall be saved together, (for he calls that the house of Joseph, that is, of the ten tribes) and I will convert them out of their captivity, wherein they were, and they shall be as they were before, when I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them calling upon me. And Ephraim, who are now held captive, will later be released, and they will come to such great joy that you would think they are drunk with wine. And their children will witness the triumphs of their fathers, and they will rejoice in the Lord, for it is through Him that they have achieved victory. Let us look for the history of when Judah and Israel fought together against the Greeks, or when Ephraim returned from captivity in Assyria, when, according to Ezekiel (Chapter 37), the two rods, that is, Judah and Ephraim, were joined together and united as one staff. Which can be explained according to the tropology. When the Almighty Lord visits his flock, the house of Judah, then the riders of the horses will be confounded, of whom it is written: Let us sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea (Exodus 15:1). It is also sung by the voice of the Psalmist: At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse fell asleep (Psalm 76:7). And the choir of saints repeats: Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will call upon the name of our God. They are bound, and have fallen: but we are risen, and are set upright (Ps. XIX, 8, 9). The Egyptian king relied on this cavalry; and he was thrown into the sea, like lead immersed in the depths (Exod. XV), and by his example he learned that what is written is true: A deceitful horse leads to salvation (Ps. XXXII, 17). We have interpreted these chariots and charioteers as representing the four disturbances that, unless controlled by the good reins, the charioteers are led to precipices. But there is another charioteer, of whom Elisha speaks: 'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its charioteer' (2 Kings 2:12). Then God says to strengthen the house of Judah and the house of Joseph (1 Kings 12:16), so that, just as they were divided during the reign of Jeroboam, they will be united under the rule of Christ, and there will be one shepherd and one flock. And Judas and Joseph are given different names because they both represent a single understanding of the Savior, since Joseph provided grain to the hungry people in Egypt (Gen. XLII seqq.): and the Lord satisfied the hunger of the world with his presence. And he will convert them and have mercy on them, and they will be one as they were before he cast them out. Take all of this as a lesson in persecution, when, with all hope lost, the Lord heard his servants. And they shall be like the strong ones of Ephraim, who at first were weak and feeble, but later became strong and worthy of their name. For Ephraim means abundance. And their hearts shall rejoice when they drink the wine that is pressed from the vine of Sorec. And their children, of whom the Apostle Paul speaks, my little children, for whom I am in labor again until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). And Peter, the chief of the apostles, says: As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former ways (1 Peter 1:14). And in the Psalm we read: Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Ps. 33:12). Therefore, these children will rejoice and be glad, and their heart will rejoice in the Lord.
[AD 420] Jerome on Zechariah 10:6-7