Zechariah 8:1-17

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

1 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying,

2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I am ¹exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.'

3 "Thus says the LORD, 'I will return to Zion and will ²dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of ³Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.'

4 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, '⁴Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age *.

5 'And the streets of the city will be filled with ⁵boys and girls playing in its streets.'

6 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'If it is ⁶too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be ⁷too difficult in My sight?' declares the LORD of hosts.

7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the ⁸east and from the land of the west *;

8 and I will ⁹bring them back and they will ¹⁰live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be ¹¹My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.'

9 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Let your hands be ¹²strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the ¹³prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built.

10 'For before those days there was ¹⁴no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no ¹⁵peace because of his enemies, and I ¹⁶set all men one against another.

11 'But now I will ¹⁷not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,' declares the LORD of hosts.

12 'For there will be ¹⁸peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their ¹⁹dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit ²⁰all these things.

13 'It will come about that just as you were a ²¹curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a ²²blessing. Do not fear; let your ²³hands be strong.'

14 "For thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Just as I ²⁴purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and I have not ²⁵relented,

15 so I have again purposed in these days to ²⁶do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ²⁷Do not fear!

16 'These are the things which you should do: speak the ²⁸truth to one another; ²⁹judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.

17 'Also let none * of you ³⁰devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love ³¹perjury *; for all these are what I ³²hate,' declares the LORD."

Zechariah 8:1-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZECHARIAH 8

This chapter contains promises of various blessings to the people of the Jews; and exhortations to each of the duties incumbent on them; and is concluded with a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles. The cause of all the blessings promised is the love of God to them, signified by zeal, or jealousy for them, Zec 8:1,2. The blessings promised are the Lord's return to dwell in Jerusalem, and the integrity and holiness of that city, Zec 8:3. The long life of the inhabitants of it, and the plenty of children that should be born in it, Zec 8:4,5 and, however wonderful and incredible this might seem to some, it was not to the Lord, who was determined to bring his people that were in various distant countries to Jerusalem, and settle them there; and renew and reestablish his covenant with them, Zec 8:6-8 wherefore the Lord encourages them to go on in rebuilding the temple, Zec 8:9 and promises them that things would be better with them than in times past; that whereas there had been nothing but penury, affliction, and distress, now there should be great affluence and prosperity, Zec 8:10-12 and though before they were a curse among the nations, now they should be a blessing; and though their fathers were punished, they should be dealt well with, Zec 8:13-15 and then they are exhorted to the discharge of several duties mentioned, to which they are induced by the Lord's hatred of that which is evil, and by his turning their fasts into cheerful feasts. Zec 8:16-19 to which is added a prophecy of the calling and conversion of the Gentiles, which would make for the glory of the Jewish church; who are described by their numbers, being many people, and the inhabitants of many cities; by their association together, to pray to the Lord, and worship him; by their coming up to Jerusalem for that purpose; and by their junction with the Jews, to which they will be encouraged by having heard that God is with them, Zec 8:20-23.

Cross References

• 1. Zechariah 1:14
• 2. Zechariah 2:10, 11
• 3. Zechariah 8:16, 19
• 4. Isaiah 65:20
• 5. Jeremiah 30:19, 20; Jeremiah 31:12, 13
• 6. Psalms 118:23; Psalms 126:1-3
• 7. Jeremiah 32:17, 27
• 8. Psalms 107:3; Isaiah 11:11; Isaiah 27:12, 13; Isaiah 43:5
• 9. Zephaniah 3:20; Zechariah 10:10
• 10. Jeremiah 3:17; Ezekiel 37:25
• 11. Ezekiel 11:20; Ezekiel 36:28; Zechariah 2:11
• 12. 1 Chronicles 22:13; Isaiah 35:4; Haggai 2:4
• 13. Ezra 5:1; Ezra 6:14
• 14. Haggai 2:15-19
• 15. 2 Chronicles 15:5
• 16. Isaiah 19:2; Amos 3:6; Amos 9:4
• 17. Psalms 103:9; Isaiah 12:1; Haggai 2:19
• 18. Leviticus 26:3-6
• 19. Genesis 27:28; Deuteronomy 33:13, 28; Hosea 13:3
• 20. Isaiah 61:7; Obadiah 17
• 21. Jeremiah 29:18; Daniel 9:11
• 22. Psalms 72:17; Isaiah 19:24, 25; Ezekiel 34:26; Zechariah 14:11
• 23. Zechariah 8:9
• 24. Jeremiah 31:28
• 25. Jeremiah 4:28; Ezekiel 24:14
• 26. Jeremiah 29:11; Micah 7:18-20
• 27. Zechariah 8:13
• 28. Psalms 15:2; Proverbs 12:17-19; Zechariah 8:3; Ephesians 4:25
• 29. Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 11:4, 5; Zechariah 7:9
• 30. Proverbs 3:29; Jeremiah 4:14; Zechariah 7:10
• 31. Zechariah 5:4; Malachi 3:5
• 32. Proverbs 6:16-19; Habakkuk 1:13

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "squares"
• [b]. Lit "the multitude of days"
• [c]. Or "squares"
• [d]. Or "squares"
• [e]. Or "wonderful"
• [f]. Or "wonderful"
• [g]. Lit "rising"
• [h]. Lit "setting sun"
• [i]. Or "faithfulness"
• [j]. Or "safety"
• [k]. Lit "the adversary"
• [l]. Lit "be to the"
• [m]. I.e. the place where court was held
• [n]. Lit "false oath"