ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Zechariah 8

Zech. 8:1–23 God is renewing his presence with his people. He is reaffirming his purpose to bless the nations through them.

Zech. 8:3 The somber word of judgment on the former generation is not the end of the story. God has returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. In the days ahead, Jerusalem will become a faithful city (compare Isa. 1:26) and Zion will again be the holy mountain.

Zech. 8:4 Old and young, male and female are portrayed as enjoying their new home. This ideal picture implies peace and plenty for everyone. It also contrasts dramatically with the slave labor and poverty that had marked Jerusalem in the recent past.

Zech. 8:6 Such a transformation may seem a marvelous miracle to Zechariah’s hearers, but it is the sort of miracle that the Creator God does routinely (should it also be marvelous in my sight?).

Zech. 8:7 The Lord uses opposite extremes to emphasize the completeness of his salvation. He will save his people from the east country and the west country and thus from everywhere in between.

Zech. 8:8 When the Lord returns to Jerusalem, he will cause his covenant people to live together in faithfulness and in righteousness. The covenant promise and they shall be my people, and I will be their God also occurs in Jer. 31:33 and Ezek. 37:27.

Zech. 8:12–13 With the temple reestablished, the Lord’s attitude toward his people changes. The temple’s reconstruction results in a sowing of peace, which is the blessings of agricultural prosperity and national security promised in Lev. 26:4. The remnant of this people from both the house of Judah and house of Israel will receive the peace that unfaithful Israel never had. They will be a blessing to the nations, fulfilling the Lord’s purpose for them (Gen. 12:2).

Zech. 8:15 good. The Lord’s commitment to bless this new generation should free them from fear. It should motivate them to a new obedience characterized by truth, justice, and grace.

Zech. 8:19 Formerly, the people fasted in the fourth month, when their enemies had entered Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:3–4; Jer. 39:2; 52:6–7); in the fifth, when the city fell (Jer. 52:12–15); in the seventh, when Gedaliah was assassinated (2 Kings 25:25); and in the tenth, when the attack on the city had first begun (2 Kings 25:1). In the future, these fast days will become feast days. They will be seasons of joy and gladness celebrating the salvation and transformation that the Lord accomplished for them.

Zech. 8:20–22 This blessing extends beyond Israel to include the Gentiles: Many peoples and strong nations shall come.

Zech. 8:23 Ten men represents a complete group from the nations of every tongue who come to Jerusalem because they recognize that God is with his people. This prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).