Zechariah8
English Standard Version
1And the of the Lord of came, ,
2 the Lord of : I am for with , and I am for her with .
3Thus the Lord: I have to and will in the of , and shall be the , and the of the Lord of , the .
4Thus the Lord of : and shall again in the of , with in of .
5And the of the shall be of and in its .
6 the Lord of : it is in the of the of this , should it be in my , the Lord of ?
7 the Lord of : , I will my from the and from the ,
8and I will them to in the of . And they shall be my , and I will be their , in and in .
9Thus the Lord of : Let your be , you who in these have been from the of the were present on the that the of the of the Lord of was , that the might be .
10 those for or any for , was there from the for him who or came , for I against his .
11But I will deal with the of this as in the , the Lord of .
12For there shall of . The shall its , and the shall its , and the shall their . And I the of this to these .
13And as you have been a byword of , O of and of , will I you, and you shall be a . , but let your be .
14 the Lord of : As I to to you when your provoked me , and I , the Lord of ,
15 have I in to bring to and to the of ; .
16 are the that you shall : the to ; in your that are and make for ;
17do in your against , and , these I , the Lord.
18And the of the Lord of came to me, ,
19 the Lord of : The of the month and the of the and the of the and the of the shall be to the of seasons of and and . Therefore and .
20 the Lord of : shall , even the of .
21The of city shall to , , Let us at to the of the Lord and to the Lord of ; I am .
22 and shall to the Lord of in and to the of the Lord.
23 the Lord of : from the of shall take of the of a , , Let us you, we have that is you.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Zechariah 8.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The restoration of Jerusalem. (1–8). The people encouraged by promises of God's favour, and exhorted to holiness. (9–17). The Jews in the latter days. (18–23).
vv1-8
The sins of Zion were her worst enemies. God will take away her sins, and then no other enemies shall hurt her. Those who profess religion must adorn their profession by godliness and honesty. When become a city of truth and a mountain of holiness, Jerusalem is peaceable and prosperous. Verses 4, 5, beautifully describe a state of great outward peace, attended with plenty, temperance, and contentment. The scattered Israelites shall be brought together from all parts. God will never leave nor forsake them in a way of mercy, for this he has promised them; and they shall never leave nor forsake him in a way of duty, as they have promised him. These promises were partly fulfilled in the Jewish church, betwixt the captivity and the time of Christ's coming; and they had fuller accomplishment in the gospel church; but the full import must be as to the future times of the Christian church, or the future restoration of the Jews. With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible; so far are God's thoughts and ways above ours. In the present low state of vital godliness, we can hardly conceive that so complete a change can be made; but a change thus extensive and glorious, can be brought to pass by the almighty power of the new-creating Spirit, in less time than he was pleased to employ in creating the world. Let the hands of all who labour in the cause of the gospel be strong, serving the Lord in true holiness, assured that their labour shall not be in vain.
vv9-17
Those only who lay their hands to the plough of duty, shall have them strengthened with the promises of mercy: those who avoid their fathers' faults have the curse turned into a blessing. Those who believed the promises, were to show their faith by their works, and to wait the fulfilment. When God is displeased, he can cause trade to decay, and set every man against his neighbour; but when he returns in mercy, all is happy and prosperous. Surely believers in Christ must not trifle with the exhortation to put away lying, and to speak every man peace with his neighbour, to hate what the Lord hates, and to love that wherein he delights.
vv18-23
When God comes towards us in ways of mercy, we must meet him with joy and thankfulness. Therefore be faithful and honest in all your dealings; and let it be a pleasure to you to be so, though thereby you come short of the gains others get dishonestly; and, as much as in you lies, live peaceably with all men. Let the truths of God rule in your heads, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Thus the ancient servants of God drew the notice of heathen neighbours, whose prejudices were softened. A great increase to the church shall be made. Hitherto the Jews had been prone to learn the idolatries of other nations: what more unlikely than that they should teach religion to their conquerors, and to all the principal nations of the earth! Yet this is expressly foretold, and it came to pass. Hitherto the prophecy has been wonderfully fulfilled, and no doubt future events will explain it further. It is good to be with those who have God with them; if we take God for our God, we must take his people for our people, and be willing to take our lot with them. But let not any one think that mere zeal, either for Jews or Gentiles, will stand in the place of personal religion. Let us be living epistles of Christ, known and read of all men, so that others may wish to go with us, and to have their portion with us in the realms of bliss.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
צָבָא: a mass of persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized forwar (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or figuratively (specifically, hardship, worship)
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
כֹּה: properly, like this, i.e. by implication, (of manner) thus (or so); also (of place) here (or hither); or (of time) now
קָנָא: to be (causatively, make) zealous, i.e. (in a bad sense) jealous or envious
צִיּוֹן: Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem
גָּדוֹל: great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent
קִנְאָה: jealousy or envy
חֵמָה: heat; figuratively, anger, poison (from its fever)
שׁוּב: to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again
Cross References
Zechariah 8Direct echo of God's great jealousy for Zion and His anger against her oppressors.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallels the promise of long life and old age in restored Jerusalem.
Supported by JFB
Describes the lack of crop yield and severe labor hardships before temple building resumed.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Contrasts the early post-exilic economic misery and lack of peace with later blessings.
Supported by JFB
Identical prophetic vocabulary naming Jerusalem as the habitation of justice and holy mountain.
Supported by JFB
Illustrates historical times of no peace for going out or coming in due to affliction.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the covenantal pattern of being transformed from a curse into a blessing.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Repeats Zechariah's ethical demands of truth, justice, and mercy in the gates.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Direct reference to the fasts established during the exile, now turned to joy.
Supported by Matthew Poole
New Testament parallel of Gentiles recognizing and confessing that God is truly with His people.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the visual picture of Jerusalem populated abundantly without restrictive defensive walls.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Echoes the classic rhetorical question: Is anything too hard or marvelous for the Lord?
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Prophesies the widespread future recovery of the remnant from east and west.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts the former curse status of the Jews among nations with their future blessing.
Supported by JFB
New Testament command to speak truth to one's neighbor, citing the same moral imperative.
Supported by Matthew Henry