Zechariah 1:14

1:14 Turning to me, the messenger then said, “Cry out that the Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much moved¹ for Jerusalem and for Zion.

Zechariah 2:2

2:2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To measure Jerusalem² in order to determine its width and its length.”

Zechariah 2:4

2:4 and said to him, “Hurry, speak to this young man³ as follows: ‘Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls⁴ because of the multitude of people and animals there.

Zechariah 3:2

3:2 The Lord⁵ said to Satan, “May the Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem,⁶ rebuke you! Isn’t this man like a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

Zechariah 7:7

7:7 Should you not have obeyed the words that the Lord cried out through the former prophets when Jerusalem⁷ was peacefully inhabited and her surrounding cities, the Negev, and the Shephelah⁸ were also populated?

Zechariah 8:4

8:4 Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says, ‘Old men and women will once more live in the plazas of Jerusalem, each one leaning on a cane because of advanced age.

Zechariah 8:8

8:8 And I will bring them to settle within Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God,⁹ in truth and righteousness.’

Zechariah 8:15

8:15 so, to the contrary, I have planned in these days to do good to Jerusalem and Judah – do not fear!

Zechariah 8:22

8:22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord who rules over all and to ask his favor.

Zechariah 12:7

12:7 The Lord also will deliver the homes¹⁰ of Judah first, so that the splendor of the kingship¹¹ of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of Judah.

Zechariah 14:8

14:8 Moreover, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem,¹² half of them to the eastern sea¹³ and half of them to the western sea;¹⁴ it will happen both in summer and in winter.

Zechariah 14:14

14:14 Moreover, Judah will fight at¹⁵ Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered up¹⁶ – gold, silver, and clothing in great abundance.

Zechariah 14:17

14:17 But if any of the nations anywhere on earth refuse to go up to Jerusalem¹⁷ to worship the King, the Lord who rules over all, they will get no rain.

¹tn Heb “jealous for” (so KJV, ASV); NIV, NRSV “very jealous for”; CEV “very protective of.” The meaning is that Jerusalem/Zion is the special object of God’s grace and purposes. This results in his unusual protection of his people, a protection not accorded others with whom he does not have such a close relationship.

²map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

³sn That is, to Zechariah.

⁴tn Heb “Jerusalem will dwell as open regions (פְּרָזוֹת, pÿrazot)”; cf. NAB “in open country”; CEV “won’t have any boundaries.” The population will be so large as to spill beyond the ancient and normal enclosures. The people need not fear, however, for the Lord will be an invisible but strong wall (v. 5).

⁴sn The juxtaposition of the messenger of the Lord in v. 1 and the Lord in v. 2 shows that here, at least, they are one and the same. See Zech 1:11, 12 where they are distinguished from each other.

⁵map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁶sn The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country. The Hebrew term can be translated “lowlands” (cf. ASV), “foothills” (NAB, NASB, NLT), or “steppes.”

⁶sn The affirmation They will be my people, and I will be their God speaks of covenant renewal, a restoration of the unbroken fellowship the Lord desired to have with his people but which their disloyalty had shattered. In the eschaton God and Israel will be in covenant union once again (cf. Jer 31:33).

⁷tn Heb “the tents” (so NAB, NRSV); NIV “the dwellings.”

⁸tn Heb “house,” referring here to the dynastic line. Cf. NLT “the royal line”; CEV “the kingdom.” The same expression is translated “dynasty” in the following verse.

⁸sn Living waters will flow out from Jerusalem. Ezekiel sees this same phenomenon in conjunction with the inauguration of the messianic age (Ezek 47; cf. Rev 22:1-5; also John 7:38).

⁹sn The eastern sea is a reference to the Dead Sea (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

¹⁰sn The western sea is a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

⁹tn The Hebrew phrase בִּירוּשָׁלָם (birushalam) with the verb נִלְחַם (nilkham, “make war”) would ordinarily suggest that Judah is fighting against Jerusalem (so NAB, CEV). While this could happen accidentally, the context here favors the idea that Judah is fighting alongside Jerusalem against a common enemy. The preposition בְּ (bÿ), then, should be construed as locative (“at”; cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

¹⁰tn The term translated “gathered up” could also be rendered “collected” (so NIV, NCV, NRSV, although this might suggest a form of taxation) or “confiscated” (which might imply seizure of property against someone’s will). The imagery in the context, however, suggests the aftermath of a great battle, where the spoils are being picked up by the victors (cf. NLT “captured”).

¹⁰sn The reference to any…who refuse to go up to Jerusalem makes clear the fact that the nations are by no means “converted” to the Lord but are under his compulsory domination.