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Vision Three: The Surveyor

(2:5) I looked again, and there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To measure Jerusalem in order to determine its width and its length.” At this point the angelic messenger[a] who spoke to me went out, and another messenger came to meet him and said to him, “Hurry, speak to this young man[b] as follows: ‘Jerusalem will no longer be enclosed by walls[c] because of the multitude of people and animals there. But I,’ the Lord says, ‘will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem[d] and the source of glory in her midst.’”

“You there![e] Flee from the northland!” says the Lord, “for like the four winds of heaven[f] I have scattered you,” says the Lord. “Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!”[g] For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “For his own glory[h] he has sent me to the nations that plundered you—for anyone who touches you touches the pupil[i] of his[j] eye. Yes, look here, I am about to punish them[k] so that they will be looted by their own slaves.” Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me.

10 “Sing out and be happy, Zion my daughter![l] For look, I have come; I will settle in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation,[m] and they will also be my[n] people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me to you. 12 The Lord will take possession of[o] Judah as his portion in the holy land and he will choose Jerusalem once again. 13 Be silent in the Lord’s presence, all people everywhere,[p] for he is being moved to action in his holy dwelling place.”[q]

Footnotes

  1. Zechariah 2:3 tn See the note on the expression “angelic messenger” in 1:9.
  2. Zechariah 2:4 sn That is, to Zechariah.
  3. Zechariah 2:4 tn Heb “Jerusalem will dwell as open regions (פְּרָזוֹת, perazot)”; 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).
  4. Zechariah 2:5 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Zechariah 2:6 sn These are the scattered Jews of eschatological times (as the expression four winds of heaven makes clear) and not those of Zechariah’s time who have, for the most part, already returned by 520 b.c. This theme continues and is reinforced in vv. 10-13.
  6. Zechariah 2:6 tn Or “of the sky.” The same Hebrew term, שָׁמַיִם (shamayim), may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  7. Zechariah 2:7 tn Heb “live in [or “with” (cf. NASB), i.e., “among”] the daughter of Babylon” (so NIV; NAB “dwell in daughter Babylon”).
  8. Zechariah 2:8 tn Heb “After glory has he sent me” (similar KJV, NASB). What is clearly in view is the role of Zechariah who, by faithful proclamation of the message, will glorify the Lord.
  9. Zechariah 2:8 tn Heb “gate” (בָּבָה, bavah) of the eye, that is, pupil. The rendering of this term by KJV as “apple” has created a well-known idiom in the English language, “the apple of his eye” (so ASV, NIV). The pupil is one of the most vulnerable and valuable parts of the body, so for Judah to be considered the “pupil” of the Lord’s eye is to raise her value to an incalculable price (cf. NLT “my most precious possession”).
  10. Zechariah 2:8 tc A scribal emendation (tiqqun sopherim) has apparently altered an original “my eye” to “his eye” in order to allow the prophet to be the speaker throughout vv. 8-9. This alleviates the problem of the Lord saying, in effect, that he has sent himself on the mission to the nations.
  11. Zechariah 2:9 tn Heb “I will wave my hand over them” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “raise my hand against them.”
  12. Zechariah 2:10 sn This individualizing of Zion as a daughter draws attention to the corporate nature of the covenant community and also to the tenderness with which the Lord regards his chosen people.
  13. Zechariah 2:11 tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  14. Zechariah 2:11 tc The LXX and Syriac have the third person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the Lord’s speaking of himself in the third person. Such resort is unnecessary, however, in light of the common shifting of person in Hebrew narrative (cf. 3:2).
  15. Zechariah 2:12 tn Heb “will inherit” (so NIV, NRSV).
  16. Zechariah 2:13 tn Heb “all flesh”; NAB, NIV “all mankind.”
  17. Zechariah 2:13 sn The sense here is that God in heaven is about to undertake an occupation of his earthly realm (v. 12) by restoring his people to the promised land.

The Vision of the Measuring Line

Then I looked up and saw a man holding a line for measuring things. I asked him, “Where are you going?”

He said to me, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.”

Then the ·angel [messenger] who was talking with me left, and another ·angel [messenger] came out to meet him. The second ·angel [messenger] said to him, “Run and tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will become a city without walls, because there will be so many people and ·cattle [livestock] in it. I will be a wall of fire around it,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will be the glory within it.’

“·Oh no! Oh no [or Come! Come; or Up! Up]! Run away from ·Babylon [L the land of the north], because I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord.

“·Oh no [or Come; or Up], ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]! Escape, you who live in ·Babylon [L Daughter Babylon].” This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “After ·he has honored me and [or the Glorious One; or for his own glory he] sent me against the nations who ·took your possessions [plundered you]—because whoever touches you ·hurts [L touches] ·what is precious to me [T the apple of his eye; L the pupil/little man of his eye] I will ·shake my hand [raise my fist] against them so that their slaves will ·rob [plunder] them.”

Then you will know that the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] sent me.

10 “Shout and be glad, ·Jerusalem [L Daughter Zion]. [L For look/T Behold] I am coming, and I will live among you,” says the Lord. 11 “At that time people from many nations will join with the Lord and will become my people. Then I will live among you, and you will know that the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has sent me to you. 12 The Lord will ·take [possess; inherit] Judah as his own part of the holy land, and ·Jerusalem will be his chosen city again [L will again choose Jerusalem]. 13 Be silent, ·everyone [L all flesh], in the presence of the Lord. He ·is coming [has roused himself] out of ·the holy place where he lives [his holy dwelling].”