(As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),
Salvation from our enemies ...  It is too much to suppose that Zacharias knew the full meaning of this; for like the majority of his contemporaries, he might fully have expected that God would chase out the Romans and restore the earthly kingdom.  The true enemies, of which God spake through him, however, were Satan and the sins which warred against the souls of men.  The bondage from which Israel most required to be delivered was the servitude of Satan, not political vassalage under the Romans.  Yet, so very few of Israel were aware of this.  As Godet expressed it: