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Zechariah
Chapter Eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, Zechariah 8:1. The
blessings promised are the Lord's return to dwell in Jerusalem, and the
integrity and holiness of that city, Zechariah 8:3. The
long life of the inhabitants of it, and the plenty of children that should be
born in it, Zechariah 8:4 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, Zechariah 8:6
wherefore the Lord encourages them to go on in rebuilding the temple, Zechariah 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, Zechariah 8:10 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, Zechariah 8:13 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. Zechariah 8:16 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, Zechariah 8:20.
Zechariah 8:1 Again the word of
the Lord of hosts came, saying,
YLT
1And there is a word of
Jehovah of Hosts, saying:
Again the word of the Lord of hosts came to me saying. The phrase,
"to me", is wanting in the Hebrew text; and is the only place it is
wanting in, as the Masora observes; though undoubtedly it is to be understood;
and therefore is rightly supplied, as it is by the Targum, "with me".
Mention being made in the latter part of the preceding chapter Zechariah 7:8 of
the desolations of the earth, comfort is here administered, as Aben Ezra notes.
Zechariah 8:2 2 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor
I am zealous for her.’
YLT
2`Thus said Jehovah of
Hosts: I have been zealous for Zion with great zeal, With great heat I have
been zealous for her.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... This prophecy,
according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, respects time to come; the days of the
Messiah, in the war of Gog and Magog, when they shall come up against
Jerusalem, and the Lord shall pour out his great wrath upon them; and it seems
right to interpret it, not only literally of Jerusalem, but spiritually of the
church in Gospel times:
I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy; the Arabic
version reads, "for Jerusalem, and for Zion"; as in Zechariah 1:14; see
Gill on Zechariah 1:14,
and I was jealous for her with great fury: that is,
against her enemies; the Babylonians and Chaldeans now, and the antichristian
powers in Gospel times. The Targum paraphrases it, "against the people
that provoked her to jealousy"; the past tense is put for the future, as
Kimchi and Ben Melech observe.
Zechariah 8:3 3 “Thus
says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem
shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
YLT
3Thus said Jehovah: I have
turned back unto Zion, And I have dwelt in the midst of Jerusalem, And
Jerusalem hath been called `The city of truth,' And the mountain of Jehovah of
Hosts, `The holy mountain.'
Thus saith the Lord, I am returned to Zion,.... The
temple being now building, and almost finished, and the worship of God restored
in it. The Targum renders it, "I will return to Zion"; and it may
refer to the time of Christ's incarnation, when the Redeemer came to Zion, Isaiah 59:20 or to
the time of the conversion of the Jews in the latter day, of both which it is
true; see Romans 11:26,
and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: or
"cause my Shechinah to dwell there", as the Targum paraphrases it;
which was fulfilled when the Word was made flesh, και
εσκηνωσεν, "and dwelt" or "tabernacled" among the
inhabitants of Judea and of Jerusalem, and taught his doctrines, and wrought
his miracles, in the midst of them; and will be also when he shall dwell among
them by his Spirit and grace in the latter day:
and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; when Christ,
who is "truth" itself, was in it, and the truths of the Gospel were
preached there by him and his apostles, and they were received and professed by
many, though despised by others; and especially in the latter day, when the
Jews shall generally and cordially embrace Christ and his Gospel, and shall
worship God in spirit and in truth, and not in that shadowy, formal, and hypocritical
way they do now; see Isaiah 1:26 and
especially this will be true of the New Jerusalem, into which nothing shall
enter that makes a lie, Revelation 21:27,
the mountain of the Lord of hosts; which will be
established upon the top of the mountains, and where the Lord will be seen and
exalted in his glory, even the Lamb, with the hundred and forty four thousand
with him, Isaiah 2:2,
the holy mountain; where the holy word of God will be
preached, the holy ordinances administered, and holiness of life and
conversation will be strictly attended to; yea, Holiness will be upon the bells
of the horses, Zechariah 14:20.
Zechariah 8:4 4 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of
Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age.
YLT
4Thus said Jehovah of Hosts:
Again dwell do old men and old women, In broad places of Jerusalem, And each
his staff in his hand, Because of abundance of days.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... These words are used
at every consolatory promise given, as Kimchi observes, for the confirmation of
it:
there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of
Jerusalem; signifying that the inhabitants should be very healthful; no
sweeping disease or calamity should be among them, but they should live to a
good old age, as follows:
and every man with his staff in his hand for very age; or "because
of multitude of days"F9מרב ימים "prae multitudine dierum", V. L. Pagninus,
Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius, Burkius. ; the length of time they
should have lived in the world, being worn out, not with diseases, but with old
age, and therefore obliged to use a staff when they walk the streets for their
support; all which is an emblem of the healthfulness of the inhabitants of
Zion, who have no reason to complain of sickness, because their sins are
forgiven them; and of that spiritual and eternal life, which they that are written
among the living in Jerusalem do enjoy; who are in understanding men, fathers
in Christ, and are growing up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ; see Isaiah 65:20.
Zechariah 8:5 5 The
streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets.’
YLT
5And broad places of the
city are full of boys and girls, Playing in its broad places.
And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls,.... Denoting
a large increase of inhabitants, in a literal sense; and may spiritually
signify the large numbers of converts, of new born babes, who are regenerated
by the grace and Spirit of God, and are accounted of by the Lord for a
generation:
playing the streets thereof; being in health and
rigour, and in great security. The Targum renders it, "singing" or
"praising in the spacious places thereof"; singing the praises of God
in Gospel strains; saying their Hosannas to the Son of David; rejoicing in the
great salvation by Christ, and magnifying the grace of God, and setting forth
the glories of it in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; see Matthew 11:16. In
Jerusalem, literally taken, there were various streets, besides the street of
the temple, which led to it, Ezra 10:9 mention
is made of others in Jewish writings, as of the upper streetF11Misn.
Shekalim, c. 8. sect. 1. , and of the street of the butchers, and of the street
of those that dealt in woolF12Misn. Erubin, c. 10. sect. 9. .
Zechariah 8:6 6 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this
people in these days, Will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’ Says the Lord of hosts.
YLT
6Thus said Jehovah of Hosts:
Surely it is wonderful in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days,
Also in Mine eyes it is wonderful, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... This is repeated for
the same end as before; See Gill on Zechariah 8:4,
If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in
these days; either in the then present days and time; and the sense is, if
it should seem wonderful, incredible, and scarcely possible to the small number
of the Jews in Judea, that all the great and good things before promised should
be fulfilled; or in the times of the Gospel, when the remnant, according to the
election of grace, would wonder at the marvellous loving kindness of the Lord,
in doing each great things for his church and people:
should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the Lord of hosts; no, not as if
it was impossible to be done; it shall be done, as marvellous as it may seem to
be. Aben Ezra understands these words, not as spoken by way of interrogation
and admiration, but as an affirmation; that God would do that which was
marvellous, and such as he had never done the like, even as follows:
Zechariah 8:7 7 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east And
from the land of the west;
YLT
7Thus said Jehovah of Hosts:
Lo, I am saving My people from the land of the rising, And from the land of the
going in, of the sun,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold,.... As being
something wonderful, of great importance, and deserving attention:
I will save my people from the east country, and from the west
country; this can not be understood of bringing those Jews that remained
in Babylon, and other places, to their own land, for Babylon lay north of
Judea; see Zechariah 6:6, and
as yet there were no Jews in the western part of the world; but now they are
chiefly in the east and west, from whence they will be gathered at the time of
their general conversion; though this may refer to the times of the apostles of
Christ, and to their ministry in the several parts of the world, who went
forth, east, west, north, and south, and were the means and instruments of
saving the Lord's people, both Jews and Gentiles, wherever they came, from the
rising of the sun, to the setting of the same; see Malachi 1:11.
Zechariah 8:8 8 I
will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They
shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’
YLT
8And I have brought them in,
They have dwelt in the midst of Jerusalem, And they have been to Me for a
people, And I am to them for God, In truth and in righteousness.
And l will bring them,.... To Zion, into the
church of God, the Gospel fold, where Christ has engaged to bring his other
sheep, that there may be one fold for Jew and Gentile, Jeremiah 3:14 John 10:16,
and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: the Gospel
church; and be no more foreigners and strangers, but of the household of God,
enjoying all the immunities and privileges of the Jerusalem that is above, the
mother of us all:
and they shall be my people; appear to be so by
effectual calling; which makes those manifest to be the people of God, to be in
the covenant of his grace, who before were not known to be so, either by
themselves or others, 1 Peter 2:10,
and I will be their God,
in truth, and in righteousness; according to the covenant of his grace,
which will now in a very open manner be truly and faithfully fulfilled; and
they, in consequence of the grace bestowed on them, will worship God in
sincerity and truth, being justified by the righteousness of Christ, and so
will have no dependence on their own for their acceptance with God; see Hosea 2:19
Zechariah 8:9 9 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, You who have been hearing in
these days These words by the mouth of the prophets, Who spoke in the
day the foundation was laid For the house of the Lord of hosts, That
the temple might be built.
YLT
9Thus said Jehovah of Hosts:
Let your hands be strong, Ye who are hearing in these days these words from the
mouth of the prophets, That in the day the house of Jehovah of Hosts Hath been
founded, the temple [is] to be built.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Let your hands be strong,.... In going
on with the building of the temple, which was typical of the church of God,
since so many great and good things were promised by the Lord, Haggai 2:4,
ye that hear in these days; such as Zerubbabel the
ruler, Joshua the high priest, and the rest of the people of the land:
these words by the mouth of the prophets; that is,
these prophecies of future good things, which were delivered by Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi; who were the prophets,
which were in the day that the foundation of the
house of the Lord of hosts was laid; which was in the second
year of Darius, on the twenty fourth day of the ninth month, Haggai 2:10,
that the temple might be built; in order to the
rebuilding of it, the foundation was laid; and from that time it was to
continue building, till it was finishedF13The true reading of these
words, according to the accents, is, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts:
let your hands be strong, that hear in those days these words: out of
the prophets, I say, ye have heard, that, from the day the house of the
Lord of hosts shall be founded, the temple should be continued to be
built." So Reinbeck. De Accent. Heb. p. 453. .
Zechariah 8:10 10 For
before these days There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast; There
was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in; For I set all
men, everyone, against his neighbor.
YLT
10For, before those days
there hath been no hiring of man, Yea, a hiring of beasts there is none; And to
him who is going out, And to him who is coming in, There is no peace because of
the adversary, And I send all men -- each against his neighbour.
For before these days,.... That the temple
began to be built:
there was no hire for men, nor any hire for beasts; that turned
to any account; the wages earned by the one, and with the other, were as if
they were put into a bag with holes, did not prosper with them, or do them any
service, Haggai 1:6,
neither was there any peace to him that went out or came
in, because of the affliction; there was no safety in passing to and fro,
nor any peaceable enjoyment of what a man had, because of affliction and
oppression by the enemy on every side, and from every quarter:
for I set all men everyone against his neighbour; expressive of
the internal divisions and contentions among themselves, which are said to be
of the Lord, because he permitted them as a chastisement upon them for their
sins.
Zechariah 8:11 11 But
now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former
days,’ says the Lord of hosts.
YLT
11And now, not as [in] the
former days [am] I to the remnant of this people, An affirmation of Jehovah of
Hosts.
But now I will not be unto the residue of this
people,.... The remnant brought out of captivity, settled in the land,
and now rebuilding the temple:
as in the former days, saith the Lord of hosts; when they
neglected the house of the Lord, caring only for their own cieled houses, Haggai 1:2.
Zechariah 8:12 12 ‘For
the seed shall be prosperous, The vine shall give its fruit, The ground
shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew— I will cause the
remnant of this people To possess all these.
YLT
12Because of the sowing of
peace, The vine doth give her fruit, And the earth doth give her increase, And
the heavens do give their dew, And I have caused the remnant of this people To
inherit all these.
For the seed shall be prosperous,.... Being
cast into the earth, it shall spring up again, and produce a large increase;
whereas before, though they sowed much, it came to little, Haggai 1:6,
the vine shall give her fruit; be loaded with clusters,
and produce large quantities of wine; whereas before there was a drought upon
the new wine; and where there were wont to be had fifty vessels out of the
press, there were but twenty, Haggai 1:11,
and the ground shall give her increase; as usual,
meaning of wheat and barley; whereas before there was a drought upon the corn,
and where there used to be a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten, Haggai 1:11,
and the heavens shall give their dew; which makes
the earth fruitful; whereas before the heaven over them was stayed from dew,
and instead of it were blasting, mildew, and hail, Haggai 1:10,
and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things; as a symbol
of better things inherited by the remnant according to the election of grace;
and who have the promise both of this life and that to come; and who, seeking
in the first place spiritual things, have all others added to them, convenient
for them.
Zechariah 8:13 13 And
it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O
house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a
blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’
YLT
13And it hath come to pass,
As ye have been a reviling among nations, O house of Judah, and house of
Israel, So I save you, and ye have been a blessing, Do not fear, let your hands
be strong.
And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among
the heathen,.... Reproached, vilified, and called accursed by them; see Jeremiah 24:9 as
true Christians, and real believers in Christ, are by the men of this world, 1 Corinthians 4:12,
O house of Judah, and house of Israel; both being
carried captive at different times, and were typical of the true and Spiritual
Israel of God:
so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing; be blessed in
themselves with the above blessings of plenty and prosperity in outward things;
see Haggai 2:19 and a
blessing to others, and blessed by them; and all those who are saved in the
Lord with an everlasting salvation are blessed with all spiritual blessings in
him:
fear not; neither their enemies, nor the accomplishment of these promises:
but let your hands be strong; as in Zechariah 8:9.
Zechariah 8:14 14 “For
thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Just as I determined to punish you When your fathers
provoked Me to wrath,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And
I would not relent,
YLT
14For, thus said Jehovah of
Hosts, As I did purpose to do evil to you, When your fathers made Me wroth,
Said Jehovah of Hosts, and I did not repent,
For thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... In order to assure
them of the truth of what he promised, he observes the fulfilment of what he
had threatened, he being as true and faithful in the one as in the other:
As I thought to punish you: determined to do it, by
suffering them to be carried captive:
when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord of hosts; by their
immorality, idolatry, and contempt of his prophets:
and I repented not; the Targum adds, "of my word"; of
the resolution he had taken up in his heart, and of the declaration of it by
his prophets, that he would punish them; this he did not repent of, revoke,
change, and alter, but steadily abode by it, and executed it.
Zechariah 8:15 15 So
again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem and to the house of
Judah. Do not fear.
YLT
15So I have turned back, I
have purposed, in these days, To do good with Jerusalem, And with the house of
Judah -- fear not!
So again,.... Or "so I am returned"F14כן שבתי "sic conversus
sum", Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin; "ita conversus", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator; "reversus sum", Burkius. , as in Zechariah 8:3,
have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem, and to the
house of Judah; by bestowing the above mentioned blessings on them; and as
Jehovah has thought, so it comes to pass, and as he has purposed, so it stands;
whatever he determines shall be, as for evil, so for good, Isaiah 14:24,
fear ye not; as in Zechariah 8:13.
Zechariah 8:16 16 These
are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give
judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
YLT
16These [are] the things that
ye do: Speak ye truth each with his neighbour, Truth and peaceful judgment
judge in your gates,
These are the things that ye shall do,.... Which
were duties incumbent on them, and which it became them to perform, under a
sense of the favours bestowed on them, to show their gratitude to God, and that
they might glorify him:
Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; not using
deceit, prevarication, and lying, Ephesians 4:25 and
it becomes every man under the Gospel dispensation, according to the gift he
has received, to speak, publish, and declare the truth of the Gospel, to the
edification of others:
execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; that is,
execute true judgment, as in Zechariah 7:9 do
justice between man and man, without respect of persons; the issue of which
will be peace between the contending parties: and this was to be done in their
"gates", because there their courts of judicature were kept.
Zechariah 8:17 17 Let
none of you think evil in your[a] heart
against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are
things that I hate,’ Says the Lord.”
YLT
17And each the evil of his
neighbour ye do not devise in your heart, And a false oath ye do not love, For
all these [are] things that I have hated, An affirmation of Jehovah.'
And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his
neighbour,.... See Gill on Zechariah 7:10
hatred without a cause was a governing vice under the second temple, and Jarchi
says was the cause of the destruction of it; see John 15:25,
and love no false oath; whereby the character
and property of a fellow creature are hurt; nor any vain one, which the Jews
were addicted to, Matthew 5:34,
for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord; as being
contrary to his nature, and to his law; and is a reason why they should be
hated and avoided by men.
Zechariah 8:18 18 Then
the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying,
YLT
18And there is a word of
Jehovah of Hosts unto me, saying:
And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying. The word of
prophecy, as the Targum paraphrases it: here begins a new prophecy, respecting
the abrogation of Jewish fasts, and the calling of the Gentiles.
Zechariah 8:19 19 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the
fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and
gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and
peace.’
YLT
19`Thus said Jehovah of
Hosts: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the
seventh, and the fast of the tenth [months], are to the house of Judah for joy
and for rejoicing, and for pleasant appointed seasons, and the truth and the
peace they have loved.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... What follows is a
full answer to the question in Zechariah 7:3,
The fast of the fourth month; the month Tammuz, which
answers to June: this fast was kept on the ninth day of the month, on account
of the city of Jerusalem being broken up on that dayF15T. Bab.
Roshhashanah, fol. 18. 2. , as it is said, 2 Kings 25:3 though
Kimchi says this was on the seventeenth day of that month, as also says the
MisnaF16Taanith, c. 4. sect. 7. ; on which day a fast was kept
likewise, for the breaking of the two tables of the law on that day: the
reconciliation of this with the above Scriptures is attempted in the TalmudF17T.
Bab. Taanith, fol. 28. 2. by observing, that the Scripture speaks of the first
temple, the Misna of the second temple:
and the fast of the fifth; the month Ab, which
answers to July, on the tenth of which the city was burnt, Jeremiah 52:12 but
the fast on account of it was kept on the ninth day; See Gill on Zechariah 7:3 on
which day the Jews say that both the first and second temple were destroyed,
Bither was taken, and the city ploughedF18Roshhashanah, ut supra.
(fol. 18. 2.) :
and the fast of the seventh; the month Tisri, which
answers to September; on the third of this month a fast was kept on account of
the murder of Gedaliah; see Zechariah 7:5 and
on the tenth day of the same was the day of atonement, which was the grand
fast; see Acts 27:9,
and the fast of the tenth; the month Tebet; which
answers to December, on the tenth day of which the city of Jerusalem was
besieged by Nebuchadnezzar; and this fast was kept on that account, Jeremiah 52:4 now
of all these fasts the Lord by the prophet says, they
shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful
feasts; that is, there shall be no occasion for them; but, on the
contrary, such plenty of good things, both temporal and spiritual, shall be
had, that, instead of them, rather festivals should be kept with the greatest
cheerfulness, joy, and gladness. So MaimonidesF19Hilchot Taanioth,
c. 5. sect. 19. says, that all these fasts shall cease in the times of the
Messiah, with all others, which will be times of joy and gladness.
Therefore love the truth and peace; love to speak truth, and
execute the judgment of peace, Zechariah 8:16 or
express by words and deeds love to Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the
life; and also is our Peace, the Peacemaker, and Peace giver; and on these
accounts, as well as on others, is greatly to be loved: likewise the Gospel,
which is the word of truth, and the Gospel of peace; which contains nothing but
truth, and is the ministry of reconciliation, and is to be loved on that
account; and even peace with men is no further to be loved and sought after
than as it is consistent with truth; and these being the principal things under
the Gospel dispensation, these, and not fasts, or any other ceremonial
observances, are to be attended to.
Zechariah 8:20 20 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities;
YLT
20Thus said Jehovah of Hosts:
Yet come do peoples, and inhabitants of many cities,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, It shall yet come to pass,.... This is
another thing that shall certainly be accomplished:
that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities; in the
Gentile world; they shall come and hear the word, believe in Christ, and join
together in a Gospel church state; as they did at Antioch, Thessalonica,
Corinth, and many other places: Ben Melech says this shall be in the days of
the Messiah; and so it has been in the days of the true Messiah Jesus, and will
be again in the latter day.
Zechariah 8:21 21 The
inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us continue to
go and pray before the Lord, And seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.”
YLT
21Yea, gone have inhabitants
of one To another, saying: We go diligently, To appease the face of Jehovah, To
seek Jehovah of Hosts -- I go, even I.
And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another,.... Which
shows their concern for the spiritual welfare of each other, their zeal for the
honour and glory of God, and their readiness to attend divine worship:
saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord; for
pardoning, justifying, and sanctifying grace which shows their sense of need of
these things, and that they are only to be had of the Lord; and that their case
required haste, and would admit of no delay:
and to seek the Lord of hosts: by prayer and supplication,
as before: the Chaldee paraphrase is, "to seek doctrine from the Lord of
hosts"; to learn the truths of his Gospel; to know his will, and be
informed of the right way of worshipping him, as well as to seek to Christ for
life and salvation:
I will go also; that is, "this shall say to
that", as the Targum supplies it; one shall say to another, and express
himself in such language, by way of example and encouragement.
Zechariah 8:22 22 Yes,
many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the Lord.’
YLT
22Yea, come in have many
peoples, and mighty nations, To seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, And to
appease the face of Jehovah.
Yea, many people, and
strong nations,.... Or, "mighty kingdoms", as the Targum renders it;
even such have embraced the Gospel, and professed the Christian religion; of
which there has been abundant proof since the downfall of Paganism under
Constantine:
shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem; that is, shall
attend the public worship of God in the church:
and to pray before the Lord; join in public prayer,
and other ordinances of the Gospel. This phrase, which is used also in the
preceding verse Zechariah 8:21,
signifies that the Lord, and he only, is the object of prayer: it is not to be
made to a creature, or to an idol made with hands, they had been used to pray
to before, but to the one only living and true God, Father, Son, and Spirit;
and that this is to be done as in the presence of God, who is omniscient, who
knows all persons and their cases, and what are their ends and views in their
petitions to him, and whether these come from a true heart and unfeigned lips;
for all things are naked and open unto him, with whom we have to do; that,
under the Gospel dispensation especially, men may come into the presence of God
with great freedom and liberty, and pour out their souls before him, and with
great boldness and confidence, through the blood of Christ being shed, and a
new and living way opened by it, in which they may come and ask in faith
whatever they want; though this should always be performed with reverence and
godly fear, and with all humility and submission to the will of God: and though
it may take in all sorts of prayer, and wherever and by whomsoever performed,
either mental or vocal, in the closet or in the family, which is always to be
done in like manner before God; yet it seems chiefly to design social and
public prayer: which being put up to God in the church, may be said to be
before the Lord, it being in the assembly of his saints, where he more
especially grants his presence, and shows himself to be a God hearing and
answering prayer; see Psalm 65:1.
Zechariah 8:23 23 “Thus
says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations
shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we
have heard that God is with you.”’”
YLT
23Thus said Jehovah of Hosts:
In those days take hold do ten men of all languages of the nations, Yea, they
have taken hold on the skirt of a man, a Jew, saying: We go with you, for we
heard God [is] with you!
Thus saith the Lord of
hosts,.... For the further confirmation and illustration of this
prophecy:
in those days it shall come to pass; this shall be
done in the times of the preaching of the Gospel by Christ and his apostles:
that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations,
even shall take bold of the skirt of him that is a Jew: which may be
understood either of our Lord Jesus Christ; who was a Jew by nation, the Jews
were his own people, and Judea his nation; by descent, he springing from the
tribe of Judah, and the family of David; by religion, being made under the
Jewish law; by his habit and dress, by which, as well as by his language, the
woman of Samaria knew he was a Jew, John 4:9 and very
probably he wore the fringe the Jews did on the border of his garment, Matthew 9:20 and
which the Jewish doctors think is here meantF20T. Bab. Sabbat, fol.
32. 2. by the skirt; but this may intend, in a spiritual sense, the skirt being
put for the whole garment, Ezekiel 16:8, the
robe of Christ's righteousness, which sensible sinners take hold of by faith,
and put it on as their justifying righteousness: and "ten men" out of
"all nations" being said to do it, and this number signifying many, Leviticus 26:26 may
denote that the number of them that believe in Christ for righteousness, and
are justified by it, are many, Isaiah 53:11 though
they are but few when compared with others; and that as God has chosen, Christ
has redeemed, so the Spirit calls some out of all nations; and God is the God
of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews, since the one are justified by him as
well as the other, Romans 3:29 or this
may be understood of any of the apostles of Christ, who were all Jews; and
especially the Apostle Paul, who was the apostle of the Gentiles; who were sent
into all the world to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, by which means they
came to hear it; and many of them out of every nation laid hold on the skirts
of these men; believed and embraced the doctrines they preached; were greatly
affected towards them; gave up themselves to them; consorted with them;
accompanied them, and cleaved unto them; did not care to part with them, as
children, that lay hold on their parents' skirts, will not leave them, but go
with them where they go, as follows:
saying, We will go with you; either with Christ,
resolving to follow him whithersoever he goes; to hold to him the Head; to
abide by his truths and ordinances; to walk on in his ways, whatever they
suffer for his name's sake: or with his ministers and people, determining to go
along and join with them in all religious exercises; see 1:16,
for we have heard that God is with you: with Christ,
as he always was; in the council and covenant of grace before time, and at the
beginning of time to his incarnation; and during his state of humiliation, and
in his sufferings and death; and now in his state of exaltation; hence his name
"Ithiel", God with me, Proverbs 30:1 or
with his ministers and people, which he has promised to be unto the end of the
world; and this the Gentiles heard and understood, by the power that went along
with their ministry, to the conversion of multitudes of sinners; and by the
miracles which they wrought, for the confirmation of the doctrines they
delivered.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)