Zechariah 2:1-13
1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.
3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,
4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:
5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.
7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.
13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
Zechariah 2:1. Behold, a man with a measuring line. A young man, as in Zechariah 2:4; an angel in the form of a man, come to measure the streets, the wall, and temple of Jerusalem, as architects do before they build.
Zechariah 2:4. Jerusalem shall be inhabited, as towns or villages, without walls. The husbandman must live on his farm, but merchants and artisans prefer cities, for the comfort and conveniences of life. As the population encrease, they become too crowded to live within the walls, and are obliged to build suburbs. Thus Bethany, Bethpage, and other villages, surrounded the city of Jerusalem.
Zechariah 2:5. The Lord will be to her a wall of fire. Chaldaic, as a wall of fire. This means the defence of angels, hovering around the city. Elisha saw Samaria surrounded with horses of fire, and chariots of fire. 2 Kings 6:17; Isaiah 4:5. The gentiles had similar ideas of celestial guardians. Athens was placed under the supervision of the blue-eyed Pallas. While Alexander the great was besieging Tyre, the jews having failed to supply him with provisions, he marched to punish their perfidy. Jaddua, the highpriest, prudently went out to meet him in his robes. Alexander prostrated at his feet. Being admonished by his generals on the impropriety of his conduct, he replied that he had seen one like him in a dream before he left Greece, and that he had promised to give him the keys of Asia. Josephus. God was in this instance a wall of fire about Jerusalem, for his glory dwelt on the mercyseat.
Zechariah 2:6. Flee from the land of the north. Profit by the decree of Cyrus, for it would seem that the princes of the Medes began to repent for letting them go.
Zechariah 2:8. Thus saith the Lord, after the glory hath he sent me to the nations. See on Jeremiah 48:1.
Zechariah 2:11. Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day. The Edomites were converted to judaism under John Hircanus, and the number of proselytes we find afterwards estimated at one fifth of the jewish nation.
REFLECTIONS. CHAP. 1, 2.
Observe the exhortation to repentance, which God addressed to the jews. “Return ye to me, and I will return to you.” These words show that God is ready to pardon, and restore peace and favour to those who have provoked him by their sins, as soon as they return sincerely to him.
Notice the visions God sent to Zechariah. The first, that of a man riding upon a red horse, signified that God would restore the jews, and watch over them for good. The second, that of the four horns, and four carpenters, signified that God would defeat the designs of the enemies of his people, and bring down the kingdoms and nations which had set themselves against them. The third, that of a man holding a measuring line in his hand, intimated that Jerusalem should be rebuilt and inhabited again, and that God would be as a wall of fire round about.