The conditions were suitable, then, for the year exile to be over. Jeremiah had first referred to the 70 years, dating their end with the demise of the Chaldean kingdom Jer. The beginning of the 70 years was , the fourth year of Jehoiakim Jer. Technically this leaves a period of less than 70 years, actually about 66 The same prophet referred to the 70 years commencing in the fourth year of Zedekiah Jer. It was clearly understood, however, that the 70 years had flexible termini ad quem and a quo , for their termination also is connected to the completion of the second Temple.
This would tie in nicely with the date of the destruction of the earlier Temple in , exactly 70 years before. It is in keen anticipation of the nearness of the end of that era that prophet and people alike ask their questions about that event and its meaning for them cf. There is some question as to the translation for the verb bWv here. The form is a qal perfect and usually is construed as past. That it has already happened is clear from careful attention to vv. These words are that He has already turned to them in compassion and that the Temple construction is nearly finished.
It is likely that His turning in compassion occurred once the conditions for it had been met, namely, the relaying of the Temple foundations in B. The two technical terms sub and rahamm are stock vocabulary in covenant contexts Deut. Moreover, once the ceremony of laying the Temple foundation had taken place Hag.
The work of Temple building had begun on September 21, Hag. In fact, it seems that as late as December 18 only the foundation had been laid. What had been started would now be brought to fruition Zech. They would become abundantly prosperous lit. Likewise, and more explicitly stated, He said He will choose once more. The more difficult MT should, however, be retained. This brief vision account consists of two parts interwoven as the content vv.
There is, in this instance, no accompanying oracle. They each have two parts and each is concerned with the nations, four unnamed in vision two and Shinar, or Babylon, in vision seven. But these others have come to terrify them and to throw down the horns of the nations which raised their horn against the land of Judah in order to scatter it. The connections between this vision and the first are also striking.
It is clear that the fact that there were four horses in vision one and four horns and four craftsmen in this one is significant. The use of the horn of an animal as a metaphor for political and military power is familiar not only in the OT but in ancient Near Eastern literature in general. In perhaps the earliest biblical usage, Hannah sings of her triumph over her foes in terms of the exaltation of her horn 1 Sam.
She concludes that song by declaring that YHWH will strengthen His coming king and exalt the horn of his anointed one v. Thus, to exalt the horn is synonymous with providing strength. In the poetic literature the connection is even plainer. The prophets employ the image similarly. Jeremiah refers to the defeat of Moab as the cutting off of his horn Jer. Because the vision contains two elements—the four horns and the four blacksmiths—the interpretation also is divided into two parts. In response to the query as to the horns, the angelic interpreter first merely asserts that they are scatterers of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.
He goes on, under further interrogation, to associate the horns with the nations. As for the smiths, their task, the messenger says, is to bring down these nations, to nullify the effect of their great power. The ultimate result presumably would be to reverse the scattering so that the dispersed could return again to their land. Nor is it clear why only Judah is mentioned as the victim in the second section of the vision. Perhaps to alleviate this very problem, some LXX witnesses omit Jerusalem, whereas others omit Israel. More commonly, but with no basis in the text, the name Israel is simply regarded as an unwarranted interpolation.
Because Judah alone appears at the end of the pericope, Judah must be central. Israel, then, denotes the nation in its broadest sense, Jerusalem in its narrowest. The scattering was total, from the greatest extent to the most central and local extreme. Earlier exegetes tended to seek for four particular nations or events to account for the four oppressive horns. It was only that that final destruction had been so climactic and irreversible that it stands out in the text at hand.
The scattering here is most particularly the Babylonian diaspora which had just recently been at least partially overcome. The smiths likewise cannot be further identified, though the historical context of the vision might favor the universal dominion of Cyrus and the Persians.
In two passages, however, the task of the haras takes on a meaning most appropriate to this message of Zechariah. The chiastic pattern of the verse suggests that this haras is also a masht fyj! A smith could thus be a devastator. It is in this sense that Zechariah is referring to the four harasm. The Persians, and most particularly Darius, again come to mind. The promise of rebuilding in vision one 1: This third vision finds its counterpart in vision six, that concerning the flying scroll 5: Vision three defines the locus and importance of Jerusalem, whereas vision six obliquely pertains to civil and religious law within the community.
The persona of vision three are only the prophet himself and a man, otherwise unidentified, to whom the prophet speaks directly. This is the first time in the visions proper that Zechariah has been an interlocutor. Amos uses the word hebel with reference to the subdivision of Israel by the Assyrians following the conquest of Samaria 7: Here surveying is clearly in view as properties are measured out for redistribution.
Jeremiah had anticipated such a day when he, prior to the fall of Jerusalem, had redeemed the property of his uncle against the day when the Babylonian exile would be over and land could be reclaimed Jer Ezekiel had seen a similar scene, but the surveyor in his vision measured out the land with a reed rather than a cord Ezek. His objective is the same, however: The reason breadth precedes length may be because of the orientation of the city. The focus of the ancient Palestinian was on the east, so he naturally would give east-west measurements before north-south.
Jerusalem, of course, was on a north-south axis, so its length would be determined by those compass points, whereas its width would be narrower, on the east-west plane. Petersen points out that city sizes are not usually given in terms of length and breadth in the OT and that only here and in Ezekiel are breadth and length employed in this manner.
In Ezekiel the breadth east-west is much longer than the length north-south of each of the subdivisions of the land. The interpreting messenger or angel appears again for the third time, now to provide further information to the prophet than he had already obtained from the surveyor.
To do this the messenger takes an unusual initiative in stepping forward to the scene of action. This is particularly necessary because the old boundary lines defined by the walls will need to be redrawn in light of the absence of those walls. The presence of a secondary messenger is unusual in the night visions, only vision one also attesting to his presence.
In a sense, he was an interpreter for the interpreter, a role he plays as well in vision three. It is impossible, however, to deduce that he is the Angel of YHWH here, the other parallels between the visions notwithstanding. The second messenger, with a sense of great urgency, commands the first to run to Zechariah with the meaning of the vision.
This can only mean that what is about to happen is imminent. Neither the messenger nor Zechariah can be slow to hear it and act upon it. What is in view is the reoccupation of Jerusalem by such a vast population that the walls that once circumscribed it will become inadequate.
8 Ways to Grow In Prophetic Visions and Pictures
Jeremias draws attention to the distinction in the latter passage between the walled city of Susa and the undefended villages of the Persian countryside in which the Jewish exiles lived. The problem, of course, is the historical referent. In our judgment it does both. The eschatological aspect is brought out clearly in v. The evidence must begin with a look at the situation in Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah, in B. It was, in fact, that crisis that prompted Nehemiah to journey to Jerusalem and, as governor of Judah, to supervise the rebuilding of the walls Neh.
One should not assume from this that there had been no walls around Jerusalem from B.
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In fact, Ezra attests that walls existed in the time of King Artaxeres I , They were built, it seems, before his reign, probably in that of his immediate predecessor, Xerxes Ezra 4: These must be walls subsequently built and then destroyed once more. The resistance this project engendered appears to have left the walls unfinished, for all subsequent references to building in that period are limited to the Temple itself Ezra 6: If indeed walls were begun then, they were not sufficient to enclose the city and for all practical purposes left Jerusalem as an open space without protection.
As suggested above, this condition must have continued at least until the reign of Xerxes That viewpoint may be surmised from several lines of evidence from within Ezra-Nehemiah. Of interest is the fact that they brought with them more than 8, animals 2: Admittedly, not all of these settled in Jerusalem, but one gets the impression that many did 2: Since it appears that most of the Jewish exiles taken into Babylon originated in Jerusalem and not the towns and villages of Judah 2 Kings The total he gives, in fact, would be 8, vv.
It is true that this must have included several contingents, but Ezra is careful to exclude his own later group from them Ezra 2: Broshi estimates that the city had 24, inhabitants in B. Prior to that, he argues, the walled city contained only 6,, inhabitants. Eighty years later Ezra himself led about 5, more individuals back to Judah Ezra 8: When Nehemiah arrived 13 after that, he found whatever walls had been built reduced to rubble and set about making repairs. The full course of his walls can no longer be determined, but they appear to have been less extensive than those of pre-exilic times.
Williamson takes this to mean a reduction of population, an unsuitable situation that Nehemiah sought to rectify later on Neh. In conclusion, it is impossible to know a great deal about the construction and configuration of walls about Jerusalem in the post-exilic period, including the time of Nehemiah. What is clear is that for the greater period of time there were no walls or none sufficient, at least, to provide protection.
Whether this was due only to harassment from unfriendly neighbors or also because of a population that had outstripped the capacity of the earlier walls cannot be known. It very likely was a combination of the two. The eschatological import of the vision is much less debatable. The time will come, Zechariah learns, when there will be no need of walls to protect the great population of the city, for YHWH Himself will be a wall of fire and a source of glory v.
Though the imagery is different, one can nevertheless hardly fail to connect the fire and glory of this vision with the language of the exodus and wandering narratives. Flee from the northland! Then you will know that YHWH of hosts has sent me. This oracle, unlike that of 1: The points of commonality between these two pericopae will be explored at some length below.
For now it is important to note that the oracle at hand has a twofold thrust: In both cases the message is addressed directly to Judah, both as an exiled vv. The question might be answered partially in the recognition that the return to the homeland was not complete. Indeed, it appears likely that only a minority of the exiles ever returned. But this can hardly be in mind here, for Zion or the daughter of Zion v. They have already come home by B. It is more likely that the answer must be found once more in the eschatological realm. The prophets universally attest that the return from Babylon under Cyrus was by no means the only example of such a thing.
Indeed, they knew of a dispersion far more serious and widespread than anything known in biblical times, a dispersion nonetheless couched in terms of a Babylonian exile cf. It is that great scattering yet to come that is the subject here. But the emphasis is not on the judgment but on restoration.
That the aspect is primarily eschatological is put beyond question by the comparison of the scattering of Judah to the spreading of the four winds; it is universal in scope, not just a localized diaspora. Daniel describes in the same terms the distribution of the divided Macedonian empire Dan. In fact, Zion is commanded to escape, as the imperative mode makes clear. The language once again is unmistakably eschatological, for in this kind of prophetic discourse Zion is the favorite term used to describe the eschatological kingdom.
Verses 8 and 9 are unusually difficult because of the confusion about the subject and the agent. YHWH speaks in v. Another way must be sought. For that reason we argue for the following rendering of verse v. Again, however, no ancient witnesses support such a proposal, so it must be understood as it stands. If the former, the idea is that the sending immediately followed in the wake of glory, a most difficult conception. If viewed temporally, the sending succeeded the glory, that is, sprang from it. It is obvious that the glory of YHWH had been most manifest to Zechariah in the night visions he was experiencing.
He has gone to the nations only in the sense of his proclamation of salvation and judgment cf. In a most ironic twist, these nations who plundered Zion will become a plunder of their erstwhile slaves. The lesson is clear. To strike a blow at Zion is to strike one at YHWH, wounding him in a most sensitive area, to carry out the full import of this bold anthropomorphism. From a word of warning to Babylon and the nations vv. The two parts of the oracle also hang together literarily around the themes of the daughter of Babylon versus the daughter of Zion vv.
There is also the likelihood that the phrase is merely a circumlocution for Jerusalem, as several other references in the OT attest. This last reference is of no relevance to the matter of Zion and Jerusalem as daughters, but it does show that Zion and Jerusalem are synonymous. Isaiah commonly employs the phrase to denote Jerusalem. He remarks that the daughter of Zion has been left as a hut in the field 1: An even more remarkable parallel occurs in Isa.
More apropos of the use in Zechariah is the eschatological passage Isa. They had their altars and idols, to be sure, but these were only tangible means of having access to deities that were otherwise beyond human reach. The covenant relationship between them calls for a place where He resides on earth and in which He can be approached. It continues in the stories of the patriarchs, who time after time were conscious of the presence of YHWH among them Gen.
He then promised that his presence would go with them Ex. A major eschatological theme there is the eternal residence of God among His redeemed ones Rev. But Zechariah is particularly concerned to orient this theological truth to the age to come, when not just Israel or Judah, but all nations, would join themselves to YHWH and be his people 2: This, too, is a hope shared by the united voice of the prophets, for it has ever been the purpose of YHWH to redeem all the peoples of the earth to himself in a mighty display of grace.
A hint of this universal dominion appears already in the early psalms e. Isaiah refers to the latter days cf. They will see His glory and will worship Him Zephaniah, too, speaks of an assembling of nations who, following their purification, will praise YHWH as one people Zeph. Haggai hints of it 2: In our present passage 2: When that happens, those to whom the prophet is speaking will know that he has been a true messenger of YHWH. He will have passed the acid test of prophetic credibility, the fulfillment of the prophetic word v. This focus on Judah, and specifically on Jerusalem, is a well-established emphasis in the OT, as we have already noted.
All the nations will be His, but the very heart of the nations will be Judah and the holy city. The same collocation of land and inheritance occurs in Jer. This narrowing of compass runs parallel, however, to an increasing broadness of His saving activity, for He becomes, in the end, not just the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but the God of the nations.
The eschatological vision is that of the Sovereign One reigning from the Temple in Jerusalem over all His redeemed creation, a vision supported particularly in the exilic and post-exilic prophetic literature Ezek. The oracle closes with a solemn injunction to all humanity to be silent before YHWH v. How can human lips speak in the presence of a holy God, one who has saved His people in mighty demonstrations of power in the past and who is now aroused once more to do the same.
Indeed, they will settle in your midst. As many scholars have noted, vision four, although certainly part of the series of eight in Zechariah, is quite different from the others. Second, the usual vision introduction formula is lacking. Characteristically the prophet sees 1: Third, there is no interpreting messenger here, contrary to the other visions where an angel 1: So much an aberration is this omission that some scholars find no interpretation section to this vision at all.
He argues that neither response belongs originally to the vision. Some of these observations may be significant, but not to the extent of doubting the originality of vision four to the series or to arguing on form-critical or other grounds that it fails to qualify as an apocalyptic message. With that in mind it might be helpful to take an overview of the passage. YHWH, however, views Joshua as a chosen vessel and demands that he be considered as such and provided appropriate attire. The lesson to be learned, so the oracular section vv.
Is this one not a brand snatched from the fire? As already noted, the vision commences abruptly without the usual formula. The anonymity of the subject draws immediate attention to Joshua, not to the prophet himself or someone else. This Joshua is the same as that mentioned by Haggai Hag. Ezra mentions him as one of the early leaders of the returnees to Jerusalem in B. He was instrumental in getting an altar set up 3: He was a direct descendant of Aaron through Zadok, founder of the line of priests established by David and Solomon 1 Chron.
His father Jehozadak had gone into Babylonian exile in , so it is likely that Joshua was already advanced in years when he returned to Jerusalem in , nearly fifty years later. On the other hand, he was apparently the grandfather of Eliashib, the high priest contemporary with Nehemiah c. Williamson maintains the possibility though why is not clear that Joiakim, son of Joshua, may have filled the nearly year period between and , but he thinks it improbable. Then, on the basis of what he calls papponymy, he considers Eliashib to be the great grandson of Joshua, dating his birth c.
This requires Joiakim to hold office for only 25 years rather than The setting of the vision is quite clear. Joshua is standing in a tribunal, where he is being accused of unfitness for the priestly ministry. The judge is the messenger or angel of YHWH. The implied definite article makes it virtually certain that this being is the same as the messenger of YHWH in 1: There he was distinguished from YHWH himself v.
There the heavenly court is assembled, and Satan comes before God to report on his activities Job 1: He has asserted his dominion over the earth, he says, but God is quick to point out that Job has not capitulated v. Throughout the scene Satan is in dialogue with God, who sits as judge in the case. As is clear from the Job story, the adversary is a powerful angelic being who has direct access to the heavenly courts themselves.
A comprehensive biblical theology deduces that he was incarnated in the serpent of the temptation account in Genesis 3. The commonly held position that primitive Israelite theology regarded Satan as at first an upright being employed by God for high and holy ends and that he was viewed as having departed from that role in historical times to become the adversary of God finds no support in the Bible.
Nonetheless, the doctrine of a personal devil or accuser, known by name as Satan, only gradually emerged in OT revelation. When it originated cannot be known because there is no agreement on the date of the prologue of Job, where, as we noted, Satan is mentioned many times. Apart from Zechariah, the only other reference to him by name is in 1 Chron.
There the author attributes David temptation to number Israel to Satan rather than to God, as the parallel narrative in 2 Samuel 24 implies. Here as in 1 Chron. The posture and language of the courtroom are self-evident. Joshua is clothed with filthy garments. Satan therefore challenges his right to function in the cult under those circumstances.
YHWH the judge speaks up, perhaps even before Satan can open his mouth, and rebukes him to his face. The rationale for the rebuke is that Satan has overlooked the fact that YHWH, who has chosen Jerusalem, has declared Joshua to be a brand snatched from the fire v. The high priest of that Temple, at least in the early postexilic period, is Joshua, one compared here to a brand snatched from the fire.
Revelation 4–11
One should not look for too much hidden meaning in the metaphor. The concept of a remnant is most evident. Joshua, indeed, and with him the entire remnant nation, may be impure, but the elective grace of God is still in effect. He has snatched Joshua from the fire and will do something wonderful for him. The scene that meets the human eye is that of a high priest dressed in garments stained with excrement, a sign of the vilest defilement.
The same way of describing human sinfulness is found in Isa. As distasteful and shocking as this may be in general terms, the appearance of the high priest so defiled was beyond comprehension. His dress was to be of the finest, purest linen, especially on the Day of Atonement Lev. The laws of ritual purity are most explicit regarding a case like this. The only remedy for a condition like this is the ritual bath that cleanses him and allows him once more to minister the priestly office Lev. A change of garments would obviously be necessary as well.
Against this background, the accusation of Satan regarding Joshua is most cogent. Joshua indeed is unclean and unsuitable for service. He passes from a condition of utmost defilement to one of unsurpassed glory. Rather, it describes the apparel of royalty or wealth. The point is that Joshua forms with Zerubbabel a dyarchic rule in which the high priest increasingly enjoyed political as well as cultic authority. The turban of v. Not to be missed is the hint of interpretation in the middle of v.
The issue is not so much one of mere ritual disqualification, as serious as that is, but of iniquity in general. Once the rich, clean apparel has been placed on the priest, he gains also a new turban for his head v. The defilement and unholiness of Joshua have been dealt with so radically that he now appears as the epitome of holiness.
Such interruption of a vision by the one receiving it is not common in other prophets cf. What is unique here is the command of a mere man to bring about a purpose of God. Both of these alternatives, although possible and even helpful, are unnecessary once it is granted that the recipient of the vision may participate in his own revelation, a phenomenon that occurs many times within this book alone.
See the commentary on this verse. Having invested Joshua with pure, clean clothes and a spotless turban, thereby signifying the removal of his ritual impurity, YHWH reveals to him the meaning and purpose of what He has done. He has prepared him for a larger role in the covenant community, provided Joshua meets the conditions of obedience incumbent in that relationship. There is more than mere suggestion or proposal here. He must now respond to the act of grace by assuming the task to which his reinstatement has called him. There are, however, two conditions that must be met, one having to do with his way of life and the other with his specific vocation as priest.
In the famous covenant charge of Deut. A third example must suffice, that in Deut. With particular application to the office of priest, which is the matter of concern in our passage, the same cognate accusative construction appears elsewhere. The new order of priests, the Zadokites, will, however, keep the charge entrusted to them Nehemiah reports that as late as his own time the Jews rejoiced that the priests and Levites had kept the charge of God, particularly with respect to purification Neh.
The faithful disposition of the two prerequisites just described in reference to this will result in three clearly defined benefits. Governing the Temple extends to keeping watch over its courts and enclosures. The third promise is that Joshua will have free access among those who are standing by. Thus, YHWH commands these of the heavenly council standing before Joshua to remove his filthy garments. One might object that it is unlikely that even angelic attendants could either dress or disrobe the high priest, but where details of the dressing procedure are available they seem to support this very idea.
I am about to bring My servant, the Branch. The interpretation of the vision vv. Thus Joshua, who has been central to the vision, is addressed in the oracle. It is likely that his companions are those of the priestly and levitical offices who served with him. The visionary nature of the oracle finds further elaboration in the reference to the men as signs, to the branch, and to the engraved stone with eyes on it. Again, it is sound hermeneutics to interpret the vision by the oracle but also the oracle by the vision. That is, they sustained the very same physical relationship in both cases, in a circle of comradeship as it were.
That is, these men are a sign concerning the coming of the Branch and of revived and restored Israel as a priestly nation. That a royal messianic figure is in view can hardly be disputed. This task was already committed to Zerubbabel, at least in early postexilic Judah Hag. It is tempting therefore to identify the Branch of Zechariah 3: One must remember that Joshua, too, was charged with this responsibility Hag. The difficulty in his being the Branch in the full messianic sense is, of course, his lack of descent from David. Mitchell sees Joshua in view here, but he bases his conclusion on the false notion that Zerubbabel could not be in view because he had not yet appeared on the political scene.
Thus Zerubbabel is nowhere in view in either passage. The prophet, she says, is cast as a messianic Temple builder in order to promote the Jerusalem priesthood over others, particularly over the priesthood in Samaria. This understanding of the matter gives good sense to the means whereby Joshua and his friends are a sign: As Joshua rules over the Temple and cult, so the Branch will come to exercise His dominion. This leads nicely into the stone set before Joshua, for in the context of the Branch as Temple builder the stone must be taken to be a foundation-stone for that structure.
As Kenneth Barker points out, the Messiah was, in His first advent, a stumbling stone and rock of offense Ps. Remarkable about the stone of the present oracle is that it has seven eyes Zech. Seven in biblical numerology signifies fullness or completeness, so the seven eyes suggest omniscience or undimmed vision. First, it seems evident that the stone in question is the cornerstone of a building, in this case most likely the Temple of YHWH.
The necessary statement of purpose is the rather oblique reference to the function of the Temple as a place of expiation of sin. When the Davidic branch comes and the Temple of YHWH is complete, the iniquity of all the land will be removed, all in one day. This removal of iniquity calls to mind the taking away of the iniquity of Joshua in the vision v.
It is most evident that the two ideas, and hence the two passages, are to be taken together. When that comes to pass, YHWH pledges, everyone will invite his friends to sit in peace with him under the vine and the fig-tree Zech. In summary, vision four describes a day of redemption in which Joshua the high priest, typical or representative of Israel as a priestly people, will be cleansed of his impurities and reinstalled in his capacity as high priest.
This presupposes a Temple in which this can take place, so Joshua will build such a structure. That cornerstone contains the glorious promise of the regeneration of the nation, a mighty salvific event that will be consummated in one day Isa. It is also possible that the independent personal pronoun is functioning as a copula and thus is not to be translated. Eisenbrauns, , Vision five forms a matching pair with vision four, both in terms of its juxtaposition to it and its subject matter. For all these reasons it is to be expected that the two visions are mutually interpretive.
In addition, because there is a clear process of theological development in the series of night visions, all that has gone before will need to be kept in mind as this fifth vision is unfolded. The prophet here sees in vision five a menorah flanked by olive trees, the whole of which symbolizes the Spirit of YHWH. That Spirit will enable Zerubbabel to complete the temple project, which had already gotten underway.
The conduits of the supply of the spirit that energizes this work, that is, the olive trees, are two anointed ones who stand by and serve the sovereign Lord of the earth. The task only hinted at in vision four is spelled out clearly: And the means, also only enigmatically suggested in the symbol of the branch 3: He, with Joshua, has been anointed for this holy task, and the two of them represent the two great messianic offices, priest and king, that are central to the sovereign rule of YHWH over all things.
Since he continues in a visionary state, the awaking cannot be from the vision but from a state of lethargy within the vision. It is the word used in Hag. Zechariah is not waking from sleep, then, but his sensibilities have been so heightened as to be comparable to a man waking from a slumber. His answer is that he has seen perfect tense a golden menorah, an article that would be immediately recognizable by a priest such as Zechariah.
According to the detailed description of Ex. It consisted of a central lamp with three branches extending from each side, each of which held a lamp. There were thus seven separate lamps in all. The purpose of the menorah obviously was to illuminate the interior of the Holy Place Ex. It seems rather to have been a reservoir from which pipes distributed oil to the cups on the lamps.
The word appears elsewhere to describe a water pool Josh. The reason for them here is obvious. The oil is not poured into the lamps by the Levites but comes from the olive trees via the reservoir and from thence into the cups. There is no human hand or effort whatsoever. The third difference is the presence of the olive trees, something unthinkable within the confines of the sanctuary.
That the trees directly yield their oil without benefit of plucking and crushing the olives is also suggestive of the visionary nature of this menorah, and hence its allowable differences from the historical object. The number and distribution of the pipes is somewhat problematic. The latter part of the statement locates the seven lamps upon the tops of the central stand and the six branches.
The reason for this is not clear unless the two olive trees each have seven pipes leading not only into the central reservoir but from it to the seven lamps. Another interpretation that enjoys considerable favor is that there are seven pipes going to each of the seven lamps, making forty-nine in all! Moreover, the notion that there are seven pipes into each of the cups rests on a reading into the passage of something that is not there.
Clearly a conduit such as a pipe is required. Difficulties this may raise in terms of cost, complexity, and the like are minimized because this was a vision. On balance it seems that the best understanding is that there is one menorah with an oil reservoir suspended above it. This provides oil to the seven lamps of the menorah through seven pipes on each side, or fourteen in all. The reservoir itself is connected to two olive trees, one on each side of it. How this latter aspect functions is clarified in the vision interpretation to follow v. The major source of lamp oil in ancient Palestine was the olive, so it is not surprising that two olive trees appear in the vision to provide that fuel.
It is important to note that the trees are not to the left and right of the menorah, but that they flank the reservoir. The oil cannot go straight to the cups but must be mediated through the upper container that receives it directly from the trees. Perhaps, with most scholars, an emendation involving the dropping of the mappiq is in order as in v. See Kevin Cathcart and Robert P. Michael Glazier, , Baffled by what he has seen, the prophet proceeds to ask several questions of the interpreting messenger.
This time the interpretation is divided by the oracular response section 4: Zechariah first inquires as to the menorah and all its appurtenances and then, following the oracle, asks about the two olive trees. Verses describe the response of "the wise" the group associated with the Book of Daniel and "the many" the population at large: He "spoke astonishing things against the God of gods" and gave "no heed to the god of his fathers". Verses finish the chapter with the prophecy that Antiochus would make war once again against Egypt, and would die in Judea.
The following table shows the prophetic symbols and the empires they probably represent in the original historical context of the Book of Daniel. Christian millennialism is the belief in the resurrection of the martyrs and their thousand-year rule with Christ, followed by general resurrection, the last judgement , and the creation of a new heaven and new earth in which the faithful will be vindicated. Most 21st century Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants do not hold millennialist beliefs, but they remain strong among American evangelicals , about a third of whom follow a form of millennialism known as Dispensationalism.
The "King of the North" from this verse onwards refers not to the 2nd century Syrian king but to the Antichrist: He will be a military conqueror, with his headquarters on the Temple mount Daniel LaHaye and Hindson go on to explain Daniel 12, which tells how Israel's suffering will lead to its salvation and the millennial kingdom of Christ.
Christian historicism treats Daniel as part of the unfolding symbolic narrative of the Book of Daniel as a whole. The following table gives a more comprehensive overview of the place of these chapters in the prophetic plan in the book as interpreted by Christian historicists. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Chapters of the Book of Daniel Chapter 1: Induction into Babylon Chapter 2: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Chapter 3: The Fiery Furnace Chapter 4: Nebuchadnezzar's Madness Chapter 5: Belshazzar's Feast Chapter 6: Daniel in the Lions's Den Chapter 7: The Four Beasts Chapter 8: The Seventy Weeks Chapters See Lust, , p.
The exact nature of the "abomination" is somewhat mysterious, but it was clearly a blasphemous pagan disruption of the worship of the God of Israel, possibly involving the sacrifice of swine. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Bergsma, John Sietze The Jubilee from Leviticus to Qumran. Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture. Brettler, Mark Zvi How To Read the Bible. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. From the Maccabees to the Mishnah.
Westminster John Knox Press. With an Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature. Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature. In Collins, John J. The Book of Daniel: The Expectation of the End". The Continuum History of Apocalypticism. The same idea has occurred to the brothers, and they are finally able to see Bobby in 7. Sam is willing to attempt working with Bobby to bring down the leviathans, and they do manage to steal a tablet that is the Word of God from Dick Roman , and have a prophet named Kevin Tran translates it for them.
Uncovering the tablet wakes Castiel. The brothers work on a weapon to defeat the Leviathans based on the tablet, and secure blood from the Alpha Vampire , Castiel, and Crowley for it. Bobby meanwhile becomes vengeful, and asks the brothers to burn the flask, and send him away. There is a strange explosion of black ooze, and Sam is left alone in the laboratory, with no sign of his brother or the angel. Throughout the first half of season 8, Sam's time with Amelia during the year that Dean was in Purgatory is slowly revealed.
After the events of 7. When he accidentally hits a dog with the Impala, he rushes it to a nearby veterinary hospital where he meets Amelia, the veterinarian who tends to the injured animal. She has Sam adopt the dog because he has no owner and Sam later names him Riot. Sam finds a job at a nearby motel as a repairman and runs into Amelia, who happens to be living there, when she walks into him fixing her garbage disposal.
They soon start dating and end up living together in the same house. When it is revealed that Don , Amelia's husband who was thought to have been killed in Afghanistan, is actually alive, Sam decides to leave so that Amelia can get back together with her husband. There he reunites with Dean, who soon becomes angry after Sam reveals that he did not go looking for Dean following his disappearance into the explosion of black ooze. This is compounded when Dean finds out that Sam had also abandoned Kevin , the one person they were responsible for protecting, and didn't even answer the phone whenever he called.
Despite this, they team back up and soon find Kevin in an abandoned church in Iowa and find out that there is a way to close the Gates of Hell , thus sealing all demons in Hell forever. When Crowley arrives looking for Kevin and the demon tablet , Sam, Dean, and Kevin manage to escape but are unable to prevent Crowley from killing Kevin's girlfriend, Channing. When they find out that she is being monitored by demons, they rescue her and go to where Kevin hid the demon tablet only to find out that it is missing.
They are soon invited to an auction, hosted by the Roman god Plutus , where the demon tablet is being sold off. Linda Tran bids her soul so that they can get the demon tablet and Kevin, who had been added to the deal, back. However, Crowley takes back the tablet after possessing Linda, and Kevin and his mother disappear because Kevin is no longer needed by the brothers and knows that anyone they no longer need ends up dead. The brothers then get back on the road and do what they do best, hunting, while also searching for Kevin and the demon tablet.
Sam reveals in 8. He tells Dean that after they find Kevin and the demon tablet and close the Gates of Hell he is done hunting for good. After Sam meets Benny in 8. Sam admits to Dean that he may have to kill Benny one day, with Dean telling him that they will deal with it when the time comes. Castiel reveals that the people that have gone missing are all future prophets.
Sam and Dean realize that Crowley must be holding them while he searches for Kevin. Sam is then contacted by Linda Tran, who tells him that Kevin has been kidnapped by Crowley and she needs his and Dean's help in getting him back. They find out where Kevin and the future prophets are being held after interrogating a demon and head on there to rescue them.
They successfully rescue Kevin, however Crowley escapes with half of the demon tablet after Castiel smashes it into two pieces. Sam has Kevin and Linda go stay with Garth while they go searching for the other half of the demon tablet. Dean is upset by this, but decides to go and investigate Benny anyway once he learns Martin told Sam that Benny killed someone. When they find out that Martin didn't actually see Benny kill anyone, Sam allows Dean to go investigate on his own for a few hours while he keeps Martin at bay.
When Dean comes back and tries to convince Sam and Martin that Benny is innocent, Sam doesn't believe him and believes he isn't thinking clearly. Martin knocks Dean unconscious which doesn't make Sam happy, but he goes off with Martin anyway to go kill Benny. However, he soon gets a distressing text from Amelia and heads off to Kermit, Texas on his own.
When he finds out that Dean tricked him so that he could deal with Benny, Sam is mad at Dean for trusting Benny and making him think that Amelia was in danger when she wasn't. Sam runs into Amelia again and explains why he came to her house to check on her. He still cares about her and she reveals that she still cares about him as well. She makes an ultimatum with him, that if they wanted to get back together they would show up at the motel Sam is staying at in two days and commit to each other.
In the meantime Sam gets back together with Dean to help Castiel rescue Samandriel from Crowley, who is doing experiments on him. After Castiel kills Samandriel to put him out of his misery, Sam and Dean have to decide whether they want to stick together or separate again. Dean decides to give up Benny and Sam decides to not get back together with Amelia and chooses to continue hunting with Dean instead. With the brothers back together for good, Sam and Dean go off investigating several cases. He is soon followed by the demon Abaddon , the last remaining Knight of Hell , who wants to find a box that had been given to Henry.
Sam soon discover from a surviving Man of Letters that the box is actually the key to the Men of Letters secret bunker. Unfortunately, Abaddon was possessing his wife and captures Sam, forcing Dean to trade Henry and the key for him. They are able to trick Abaddon and incapacitate her, however, not before she fatally wounds Henry. Sam and Dean bury their grandfather and head off to the Men of Letters' secret bunker. After settling into the Bunker, Kevin soon contacts Sam and Dean in 8. The first one requires bathing in the blood of a hellhound. Sam and Dean manage to track one down, and Dean tells Sam that he wants to perform the trials so that Sam can go on to live a normal life.
1. Desire to See What the Father is doing
Despite his protestations, Sam agrees to let Dean do this. However, Sam ends up killing the hellhound and being covered in its blood when he protects Dean from it. Dean begrudgingly agrees to let Sam perform the trials. Sam recites the Enochian spell for the first one and his arm glows red while he is saying it.
Sam's condition begins to deteriorate in 8. Kevin deciphers the second trial in 8. He tells them that the second trial involves rescuing an innocent soul from Hell and delivering it to Heaven. Sam and Dean learn from the rogue reaper Ajay that he had taken Bobby to Hell under Crowley's orders. Sam goes alone with Ajay to Purgatory in order to use a back door to access Hell.
Sam is able to get Bobby out of Hell and through Purgatory with the help of Benny, who sacrifices himself so that Sam can get out with Bobby's soul. When Sam releases Bobby's soul, it is stopped by Crowley who tries to bring it back to Hell. With the help of the angel Naomi , Bobby's soul is delivered to Heaven where it should be and Sam completes the second trial. Sam and Dean return to Garth's safe-boat only to find Kevin missing. Sam's condition gets worse after completing the second trial.
Suggested Assignment
He sleeps for a day in 8. Despite this and against Dean's wishes he goes on the case anyway and helps Dean rescue Charlie from the nightmare the djinn puts her into. When reading the translations that Kevin sent to Sam and Dean in his email, Sam sees a recurring symbol which appears to be Metatron 's signature. He then remembers a similar symbol used by a tribe in Colorado.
Sam and Dean then head to Colorado and check in at a hotel. There Sam begins to hear noises, develops a high fever, and has vivid flashbacks to his childhood. Dean is forced to submerge Sam in a tub full of ice after he finds him passed out on the floor of the hotel with a high temperature. They then discover Metatron, the angel who wrote the Word of God, who reveals that Sam is now beginning to resonate with the tablets and with Metatron himself, so Sam can sense both when he is in close proximity.
Metatron rescues Kevin from Crowley, who had taken Kevin and fooled him into thinking that he was still on the safe-boat. Before Kevin can reveal it, Metatron tells Sam and Dean that the third trial involves curing a demon. After speaking with Father Simon, they go back to the Bunker and watch the reel of the last test, in which Father Thompson successfully cures a demon after injecting it with his blood several, which had been purified through confession.
Sam and Dean plan to recreate this using Abaddon; however, she escapes while Crowley informs them to go to an address in Indiana, which turns out to be Jenny Klein , the woman they saved in 7. Phil , who was burned in her oven. After unsuccessfully trying to save Sarah Blake , the girl from 1. Sam and Dean contemplate whether to accept the ultimatum.
After reviewing the deal, Dean handcuffs Crowley with special handcuffs etched with binding magic. They then take Crowley to a small abandoned church, where they plan to cure Crowley and complete the third and last trial. Sam confesses his sins and then begins to inject Crowley with his blood while Dean goes off with Castiel to help him complete the trials necessary to close the Gates of Heaven. Crowley manages to send out a message to any nearby demons to get them to rescue him. Unfortunately, it is Abaddon who comes, but Sam douses her meatsuit with holy oil and set Abaddon aflame, forcing her to leave her vessel.
Sam continues injecting Crowley and prepares to recite the spell for the last trial when Dean comes back. He begs for Sam to stop the last trial because it will kill him. Sam is not phased and tells Dean that he is worried that Dean will turn to someone else if he lets him down again. Dean tells him he wouldn't put anyone else in front of Sam and tells him to let it go. Sam is then struck by pain and collapses. Dean helps Sam out of the church and they collapse right beside the Impala just as the angels begin to fall from Heaven.
When the doctor tells Dean that there is nothing that they can do, Dean prays to the angels for help and manages to make contact with a fallen angel who introduces himself as Ezekiel. When Ezekiel examines Sam, he is able to enter into Sam's mind, and finds out that he is talking to Death , and is ready to die and go with him. When Dean is made aware of this, he makes a desperate decision to trick Sam into allowing Ezekiel to possess him, in order to heal him over time.
Dean and Ezekiel agree to keep it a secret from Sam, who would likely eject Ezekiel even though he would not survive on his own. Sam and Dean fight with Abaddon's demons in 9. When Sam regains consciousness with no memory of killing the demons, Dean tells Sam that it was him who killed them. Mildly impressed by Dean's apparent ability to kill 3 demons single-handedly, he doesn't question it. With Castiel reduced to a human state and on the run from the other angels in 9. With the help of Ezekiel, they are able to track rogue reapers who are after Castiel. They finally find him just as the reaper April stabs him through the chest with an angel blade, killing him.
They rush forward but April flings Sam against the wall, knocking him out. Dean manages to kill April, then goes over to Castiel's body, only to realize that he is dead. Ezekiel once again takes over, and, placing his hand over Castiel's wound, brings him back to life. Sam and Castiel have no idea what happened, so Dean lies, saying that he had made a deal with April to bring Castiel back, before he killed her.
They go back to the Bunker , and Sam asks Dean how he knew where to find Cas. Dean makes up an explanation, but Sam is unconvinced. A bit later, Ezekiel confronts Dean, saying that having Castiel with them is too dangerous - the reapers and angels might be able to track him again. He gives Dean an ultimatum - either Castiel goes, or he leaves, which would mean putting Sam's life in jeopardy once again. Dean makes the choice to send Castiel away.
However, Dean brushes him off. Sam is attacked by Chef Leo in 9. Sam is unnerved when Vesta tells him in 9. Ezekiel assures Dean in 9.
- Elminster in Hell (The Elminster Series)?
- at sister annas feet: an old nun and a young nun break the holy rule to help the poor;
- Daniel's final vision.
- Vögel füttern, aber richtig (German Edition)?
- Points to Ponder.
Sam, however, has become very aware of the gaps in time when Ezekiel is in control. He mentions it to Dean, who says that it must be a lasting effect of the Trials. They meet up with Castiel and get drinks at a bar. Ezekiel, not happy about this, excuses himself and goes outside where he meets up with Metatron , who reveals the true identity of Ezekiel - Gadreel. Later, Castiel is taken prisoner by angels, and from them, learns that Ezekiel died in the fall. After he becomes an angel again by stealing another's grace , he calls Dean to let him know about Ezekiel. Dean and Kevin come up with a spell which will allow Dean to talk to Sam without the angel being able to listen in.
Dean tries to finally tell Sam the truth, but the Gadreel had known about the spell and sabotaged it. Knocking Dean out, he kills Kevin on Metatron's orders, and leaves. With Castiel's help in 9. After an effort, they learn Gadreel's identity, but he refuses to leave Sam. Crowley offers to possess Sam in order to find him and let him know of the possession, so that Gadreel can be kicked out. Dean reluctantly agrees, so Castiel burns off Sam's anti-possession tattoo. Crowley quickly finds where Gadreel has locked Sam away in his mind, and tells him that he has been possessed, and encourages him to kick the angel out.
Gadreel puts up a fight, but Sam ultimately wins, and Gadreel is expelled. Sam, finally knowing the truth, is angry at Dean for lying to him. Dean defends his decision - he didn't have a choice, he couldn't let Sam die. Dean believes that he is poison - and he can't let anyone get hurt anymore. Sam tells him to leave, and Dean drives off alone in the Impala. Castiel continues to heal Sam in 9. He notices something on Dean's arm, which he finds out is the Mark of Cain.
They prepare to go their separate ways again when Dean suggests that they hunt together again. Sam agrees, but tells Dean that he can't trust him anymore, and that their relationship is damaged. Sam practically disowned Dean as his brother and no longer considering him as family since he believed that everything that happened between them was because of their familial ties. Sam, frustrated, argues that the only reason Dean saved him is that he didn't want to be alone. Dean counters that by saying that if the situation were reversed, Sam would have done the same thing.
Sam, however, tells a devastated Dean that he would just let him die if the time ever occurs. They track it down and find that a man named Cuthbert Sinclair has it. Sinclair captures Dean, and Sam teams up with Crowley in order to get him back. Dean kills Sinclair with the First Blade, but as the powerful feelings from the Blade wash over him, needs to be talked down by Sam. Sam tells Dean that he should kill Crowley now that they have the Blade, but before he can, Crowley disappears with the First Blade. Sam works a case alone in 9. Over the next few episodes, he starts getting concerned about Dean, who has become increasingly aggressive and hyper-focused on finding Abaddon.
When they get there with the Blade, Dean tells Sam to check the basement while he goes upstairs. When Sam doesn't find anything there, he also goes upstairs, and enters the hotel room just as Dean charges forward and fatally stabs Abaddon with the Blade. He continues to stab her corpse until Sam yells at him to stop. Later that night, Sam tells Dean that he is worried that the Blade is doing something to him, and suggests that they lock it up somewhere safe until they need it.
Sam Winchester - Super-wiki
Castiel calls them in 9. Sam requests that Dean leave the First Blade behind, and Dean supposedly agrees very reluctantly. They find Castiel, who has been deeply involved in the angel war, leading an army of angels. Sam and Castiel go off to investigate and track an angel who they believe to be a mole.
While in the car, they discuss their concerns about Dean. When they return to base, they find Dean tied up with duct tape over his mouth. During his interrogation of Tessa , he had brought out the First Blade, and she impaled herself on it, committing suicide. After calling Dean out on lying about bringing the First Blade along, Metatron video calls the angels and turn them against Castiel. Sam, Dean, and Castiel go to the bunker. They aren't there long before Gadreel walks in, and announces that he wants to join them, and will provide vital information to them.
Dean steps forward and holds out his hand, but as Gadreel reaches out to shake it, he pulls out the First Blade and slashes Gadreel across the chest. Sam and Castiel rush forward to restrain Dean, and they lock him in the dungeon 9. Sam tells Dean that something is wrong with him, and that he has to stay locked up until they can figure out what.
Sam and Castiel then find Gadreel outside a short distance away from the Bunker, and after Castiel heals him, they return to the Bunker to find Dean and the Blade gone. They then discuss tactics. Castiel and Gadreel plan to go to Heaven and find the angel tablet so that they can defuse Metatron's powers, and then the way will be clear for Dean to kill Metatron. Sam follows up on a lead for Metatron's whereabouts, and it's not long before Dean and Crowley show up, acting on the same information.
Sam acknowledges that Metatron must go and that Dean is their best chance. Dean tells Crowley he can go, and then he and Sam head off to find Metatron. They park the car and Sam hands Dean the First Blade. Dean punches Sam, knocking him unconscious, and goes to find Metatron himself. When Sam comes to, he races to find Dean, and finds him just in time to see Metatron jam an angel blade deep into Dean's chest.
Stunned, he rushes to Dean's side. Metatron disappears before Sam can kill him, and Sam is left to try and stop Dean's bleeding. Dean tells Sam that it's better this way, because the Mark is turning him into something he doesn't want to become. Sam tries to help Dean out of the building, but Dean stops him halfway. Looking up at Sam, he tells him that he is proud of them, and then closes his eyes as he dies in Sam's arms. Sam tries to shake him awake, but he is already gone.
Sobbing, Sam holds Dean's head to his chest. At the bunker, he lays Dean's body on his bed, eyes red and puffy. He has a drink before trying to summon Crowley. Season 10 picks up over a month after season 9 leaves off. During that time, Dean's corpse had mysteriously vanished, nothing left behind except for a note for Sam, which read, "Sammy let me go. Sam suspects that Neely may have been possessed by a demon, who then decided to possess Dean instead, leaving Neely's body behind.
He calls Castiel to ask for his help in following up on investigating the lead, but when he hears how sick Castiel is, changes his mind, telling him that he could handle it alone. Sam goes to Wisconsin to investigate Neely's death, and the police show him security tapes from a Gas-n-Sip. He immediately recognizes Dean, reading a porn magazine, is approached by Neely from behind with a knife. Dean turns around and attacks him with the First Blade, stabbing him over and over.
Sam rewinds the tape and watches it again frame by frame, and is horrified to see Dean's eyes flash black, though he believes that it confirms his theory. When Sam goes to the gas station, the attendant gives him Drew Neely's phone. He looks through it and finds a text that had given Dean's location. Sam calls the number, and when Crowley answers, he accuses Crowley of having Dean's body possessed by one of his demons.
However, Crowley finally reveals the truth - Dean has not been possessed - he IS a demon. The Mark twisted his soul until it became demonic, just as it turned Cain. Sam vows to save Dean, or die trying. When they hang up, it's revealed that Sam has traced the call, to a bar called the Black Spur in Beulah, North Dakota. He starts heading in that direction, but is kidnapped by a man, Cole Trenton , who is desperate to find Dean and kill him. Using Sam's phone, he calls Dean and tells him to either come meet him, or he will kill Sam. He says that whatever mess Sam is in, it's his problem, and then hangs up on Cole.
Cole tells Sam in Sam tries to convince Cole to give it up - Dean is not Dean at the moment - he's a monster. Cole however, continues to torture Sam, until he takes a phone call and goes outside, giving Sam a chance to escape. After he escapes, he calls Castiel, tells him that Dean is a demon, and to meet him in Beulah, North Dakota. While Sam works on tracking Dean down, Crowley finds him and gives him Dean's location.
Dean has become too much of a liability for Crowley, and he tells Sam that Dean is now his problem. Sam finds Dean at a bar, and reminds him that they know how to cure demons. Dean scoffs, telling him that if he had wanted to be cured, he would have stayed. He makes it clear he has no intention of leaving with Sam, and gives Sam a chance to leave. When Sam refuses and tells him that he is his brother and he came to take him home, Dean taunts him for being so emotional.
Just as Sam approaches him with binding handcuffs , Cole, having followed him, throws tear gas into the building. Coughing and choking, Sam stumbles out. Cole and Dean start to fight, Dean easily deflecting every attack. As they fight, Sam goes back inside, unnoticed by the others. Dean wins the fight and Cole slumps to the ground unconscious. While Dean is still distracted, Sam comes up from behind and throws holy water on him, causing his skin to smoke as he falls to the ground, growling in pain.
Sam takes the opportunity to slap the handcuffs on him, and though Dean glares daggers at Sam, he is trapped and powerless. On the drive back, he mentions to Dean that he noticed how he had shown Cole mercy by not killing him. Dean smirks and says that it wasn't mercy - instead, it was the worst thing he could have done to him, to make him have to live with the fact that he couldn't beat Dean.
He continues by saying that what he plans to do to Sam will be even worse. Sam pretends to be a doctor in He then takes a cooler of blood back with him to the Bunker, where Dean is being held in the dungeon, handcuffed to a chair inside of a devil's trap. Sam prepares the syringes of sanctified blood, as Dean tries his best to dissuade him from performing the cure.
As Sam approaches him, Dean's eyes flash black and he lunges forward in the chair, baring his teeth. Sam is ready with the holy water, and splashes it in his face as he quickly injects the blood into Dean's arm. Dean has a painful reaction as Sam worriedly watches him. As Sam continues the injections, Dean keeps insulting him, and brings up some of the morally questionable things that Sam did in order to find him. Sam uncomfortably remembers how he convinced Lester Morris to summon a crossroads demon, with the plan to trap the demon in order to torture it for information on Crowley and Dean before Lester could make a deal.
Unfortunately, Lester completed the deal, selling his soul before Sam could intervene. Dean coldly mentions that he killed Lester himself. He continues to torment Sam in every way he can think of, insulting their father, the lore, the hunting life, even how Sam's very existence ruined his life. Sam continues injecting Dean, and as Dean gasps in pain, he asks Sam if he's prepared to do what needs to be done if the cure doesn't work. Feeling drained and worried, Sam calls Castiel to tell him he isn't sure if the cure is working. Dean's reaction to the cure is much different than Crowley's was.
He's afraid that the cure may be killing Dean, but because Castiel tells him there is no other cure, he may have to prepare himself for it. He goes to Dean's room and finds a few old photographs of himself, Dean, Bobby, and their mother. Smiling to himself, the pictures give him strength to keep going. When he returns to the dungeon, he is startled to see that it is empty - Dean has escaped.
Dean stalks Sam through the bunker wielding a hammer, and while Sam manages to lock him in the electrical room, Dean smashes through the door with a hammer and continues the chase. Finally, he attacks Sam from behind, swinging the hammer at Sam's head. Sam ducks, and holds Ruby's knife to Dean's throat. Dean eggs Sam on, telling him to kill him. Sam however, lowers the knife. As Dean's eyes go black, he advances, just as Castiel grabs him from behind and subdues him. They return Dean to the devil's trap in the bunker, and finish the injections. Dean wakes up, and after a quick splash in the face with holy water, it's confirmed that the cure worked.
Castiel warns Sam that the Mark of Cain will still be a problem, but Sam just wants to relax after the ordeal, saying that they'll deal with it later, and he goes to get food for Dean and to get drunk. Sam and Dean take some time off in Their break doesn't last long, though - Dean is itching to get back to work. Although Sam is worried Dean isn't ready, he agrees to start hunting again. They work a few cases, and it seems to be okay, until Sam starts getting a little worried again in Claire has not taken kindly to the re-emergence of Castiel in her life, and has run away.
They help him try to locate her, and ultimately find her at the house of a man named Randy, who had helped her in the past. He is there with a number of sleazy loan sharks. They rescue Claire, and head back to the car. As they get in, Sam hears a roar and crashing noises coming from the house, and realizes that Dean had not followed them out to the car.
They rush back in, to find Dean kneeling on the floor, covered in blood and surrounded by the dead, mutilated bodies of Randy and the loan sharks. Sam, shocked and dismayed, grabs Dean and desperately begs him to tell him that he had to do it, that it was life or death. Dean can only mutter, "I didn't mean to. Back at the bunker in Castiel arranges for Metatron to be transferred out of Heaven so that they can take him to the bunker for questioning. Metatron tells them that they will need the First Blade, so Sam and Dean arrange for Crowley to be ready to hand it over to them.
However, Metatron refuses to give them any more information, so Dean locks himself in the dungeon with Metatron and starts to torture him. Sam and Castiel break their way in and Sam grabs Dean and pulls him away from Metatron. Charlie returns in Sam and Good Charlie go look for a man named Clive Dillon , who holds the key to put the two Charlies together again. Just before they are able to be put together, Sam finds Dean in a fight with Bad Charlie, breaking her arm and beating her to the point of unconsciousness. He yells at him to stop, which he does.
After the two Charlies are made one again, she stays with them for a few days at the bunker to recuperate, then leaves to follow up on a possible lead that might help them with the Mark of Cain.
After working a ghost case in He just wants to help people, that's where he finds his peace. Sam doesn't want Dean to give up, but doesn't argue the point. They investigate a case of a missing prisoner in They theorize that he will probably target the missing prisoner's son next, and set up a trap for him at the boy's house. Dean confesses to Sam that he is scared.
When Dean finally comes out, Cain is dead.