Zechariah 1:3

3 So give to the people this Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: 'Come back to me and I'll come back to you.

Zechariah 1:3 Meaning and Commentary

Zechariah 1:3

Therefore say thou unto them
This is an order from the Lord to Zechariah, to say unto them, in the name of the Lord: thus saith the Lord of hosts;
of the hosts above and below, of angels and of men, of heaven and earth, and all that is therein: this is said, that the greater regard might be had to his words: turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts;
by repentance, and acknowledgment of former sins; by reformation for the future; by attending to the worship and service of God, and seeking to glorify him. So the Targum, "return to my worship": this is not the condition of what follows, but what follows is the motive and encouragement to this: and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts;
to dwell among them, manifest himself unto and protect them. Three times the phrase, "the Lord of hosts", is used in this verse: it may be with respect to the three Persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Spirit; who manifest themselves unto, and take up their abode with, such as love the Lord, and keep his commandments; see ( John 14:21 ) .

Zechariah 1:3 In-Context

1 In the eighth month of the second year in the reign of Darius, God's Message came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo:
2 "God was very angry with your ancestors.
3 So give to the people this Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: 'Come back to me and I'll come back to you.
4 Don't be like your parents. The old-time prophets called out to them, "A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: Leave your evil life. Quit your evil practices." But they ignored everything I said to them, stubbornly refused to listen.'
5 "And where are your ancestors now? Dead and buried. And the prophets who preached to them? Also dead and buried. But the Message that my servants the prophets spoke, that isn't dead and buried.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.