Zechariah 2:4-5

2:4 and said to him, “Hurry, speak to this young man ¹  as follows: ‘Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls ²  because of the multitude of people and animals there. 2:5 But I (the Lord says) will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem ³  and the source of glory in her midst.’”

Zechariah 1:15-16

1:15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. ⁴  I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.

The Oracle of Response

1:16 “‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘I have become compassionate ⁵  toward Jerusalem ⁶  and will rebuild my temple ⁷  in it,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘Once more a surveyor’s measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’

Isaiah 60:7-14

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁸ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁹ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ¹⁰  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ¹¹ 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ¹²  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ¹³  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ¹⁴ 

the Holy One of Israel, ¹⁵  for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. ¹⁶ 

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ¹⁷ 

60:12 Indeed, ¹⁸  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ¹⁹ 

60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ²⁰ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ²¹ 

60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ ²² 

[2:4]  ¹ sn That is, to Zechariah.

[2:4]  ² tn 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).

[2:5]  ³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:15]  ⁴ tn Or “the nations that are at ease” (so ASV, NRSV). The Hebrew word in question is שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan) which has the idea of a careless, even arrogant attitude (see BDB 983 s.v. שַׁאֲנָן); cf. NAB “the complacent nations.” Here it suggests that the nations take for granted that God will never punish them just because he hasn't already done so. Thus they presume on the grace and patience of the Lord. The translation attempts to bring out this nuance rather than the more neutral renderings of TEV “nations that enjoy quiet and peace” or NLT “enjoy peace and security.”

[1:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “I have turned.” This suggests that the Lord has responded to the “turning” (i.e., repentance) of the people (v. 6) and now, with great love and forgiveness, allows construction of the temple to proceed.

[1:16]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “house.”

[60:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ⁹ tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[60:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9]  ¹² tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”

[60:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:12]  ¹⁸ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”

[60:12]  ¹⁹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[60:13]  ²⁰ tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”

[60:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”

[60:14]  ²² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.