Zechariah 2 · ESV Study Bible

A Vision of a Horseman

A Vision of Horns and Craftsmen

A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line

ZECHARIAH 2 [†] [1] And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, o a man with a measuring line in his hand! 2Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, p “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” 3And behold, q the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him 4and said to him, “Run, say to that young man, r ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited s as villages without walls, because of t the multitude of people and livestock in it. 5[^][†]And I will be to her u a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

6[†]Up! Up! v Flee from the land of the north, declares the LORD. For I have w spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, declares the LORD. 7 x Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. 8[†]For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me [2] to the nations who plundered you, y for he who touches you touches z the apple of his eye: 9[†]“Behold, a I will shake my hand over them, b and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then c you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me. 10[†] d Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for e behold, I come f and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. 11[^][†] g And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. f And I will dwell in your midst, and c you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 12[†] h And the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again i choose Jerusalem.”

13[†]Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:1 The third vision is of a man with a measuring line in his hand. The focus of this vision is on the future size of the restored city, in contrast to its present unimpressive state.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:9 The Lord will shake his hand over Judah’s oppressors, thereby giving a signal for their destruction by their former slaves (cf. Isa. 13:2), and the implication of the Hebrew is that this is imminent (“about to shake”). These events would authenticate the validity of the prophet’s words.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:12 Though the nations will come to worship the Lord, Judah and Jerusalem will still be his chosen portion.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:11 The nations too will come and join themselves to (enter covenant with) the LORD in that day (see Isa. 56:3–5; Jer. 50:3). The result will be Jews and Gentiles together in one nation, my people, with the Lord dwelling in their midst (cf. Eph. 2:13–16).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:10 The instruction to sing and rejoice is paralleled in the Psalms at the conjunction of divine justice (Ps. 35:27; cf. Prov. 29:6) and divine presence (Ps. 90:14). The dramatic return of the Lord to inhabit his rebuilt house is cause for praise for those who have returned to Judah.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:1–13 Vision Three: Jerusalem Unwalled. In this vision Zechariah anticipates a renewed Jerusalem, so full of people that it overspreads its walls. It will attract those Jews who remain in exile, as well as countless Gentiles.

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:5 Jerusalem will be so large that it will need to be “without walls” (v. 4) because of the numbers of people and animals within it. Yet the lack of a wall will not leave Jerusalem insecure: the Lord himself will provide a wall of fire around it, reminiscent of the cherubim and flaming sword that protected the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24) and of the “horses and chariots of fire” that protected Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). The glory of God that had earlier inhabited the tabernacle and temple (Ex. 40:34; 2 Chron. 7:1), and had abandoned it before the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (Ezekiel 10), would return to inhabit the entire city (see Ezekiel 43).

ZECHARIAH—NOTE ON 2:8 The Hebrew in v. 8 is difficult to understand: it could be rendered “he sent me after glory” (see esv footnote) or after his glory sent me. The rendering in the esv text is suggested by the parallel clause found at the end of v. 9. Zechariah is thus alluding to his commission as a prophet (cf. Isa. 6:1–5; Ezek. 1:28) as he prepares to fulfill that role. His message is that the Lord is about to bring judgment on those who plundered his people (cf. Ezek. 39:25–29). Though once he brought the nations in judgment on Judah, now whoever assaults the Lord’s people assaults the apple of his eye, that is, the pupil, one of the most sensitive parts of the anatomy.