Zechariah — Chapter 2

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1Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand.

2“Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.”

3Then the angel who was speaking with me went forth, and another angel came forward to meet him

4and said to him, “Run and tell that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the multitude of men and livestock within it.

5For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”

6“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD.

7“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”

8For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—

9I will surely wave My hand over them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants. Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”

10“Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares the LORD.

11“On that day many nations will join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.

12And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem.

13Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”

1I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.

2Then 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.

3And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,

4And 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:

5For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

6Ho, 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.

7Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

8For 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.

9For, 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.

10Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

11And 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.

12And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

13Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

1And I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.

2Then 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.

3And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,

4and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, by reason of the multitude of men and cattle therein.

5For I, saith Jehovah, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.

6Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north, saith Jehovah; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah.

7Ho Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

8For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After glory hath he sent me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

9For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to those that served them; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me.

10Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

11And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts has sent me unto thee.

12And Jehovah shall inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem.

13Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah; for he is waked up out of his holy habitation.

1(2:5) I looked again, and there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.

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

3At this point the angelic messenger who spoke to me went out, and another messenger came to meet him

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

5But I,’ the Lord says, ‘will be a wall of fire surrounding Jerusalem and the source of glory in her midst.’”

6“You there! Flee from the northland!” says the Lord, “for like the four winds of heaven I have scattered you,” says the Lord.

7“Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!”

8For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “For his own glory he has sent me to the nations that plundered you—for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of his eye.

9Yes, look here, I am about to punish them 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! 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, and they will also be my 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.

12The Lord will take possession of Judah as his portion in the holy land and he will choose Jerusalem once again.

13Be silent in the Lord’s presence, all people everywhere, for he is being moved to action in his holy dwelling place.”

1I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.

2Then I asked, “Where are you going?” He said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

3Behold, the angel who talked with me went out, and another angel went out to meet him,

4and said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.

5For I,’ says Yahweh, ‘will be to her a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory in the middle of her.

6Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,’ says Yahweh; ‘for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the sky,’ says Yahweh.

7‘Come, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.’

8For Yahweh of Armies says: ‘For honor he has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.

9For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they will be a plunder to those who served them; and you will know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me.

10Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for, behold, I come, and I will dwell within you,’ says Yahweh.

11Many nations shall join themselves to Yahweh in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell among you, and you shall know that Yahweh of Armies has sent me to you.

12Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

13Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh; for he has roused himself from his holy habitation!”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Zechariah sees a man with a measuring line setting out to measure Jerusalem's dimensions (vv. 1-2). An angel reports that Jerusalem will one day be too full of people and livestock for walls, since the Lord himself will be a wall of fire around the city and its inner glory (vv. 3-5). Exiles are urged to flee Babylon before God's judgment falls on the nations that plundered his people, since touching Israel is like touching the pupil of his eye (vv. 6-9). Zion is called to rejoice because the Lord will dwell among her, many nations will join themselves to him, and he will again choose Jerusalem as his own, prompting all flesh to fall silent before him (vv. 10-13).

Authorship & Background

Author: Zechariah son of Berechiah. Prophesied 520-480 BC. Contemporary with Haggai. Key theme: Messianic hope and the coming kingdom. The most Messianic of the Minor Prophets. Famous passages: the Branch (3:8, 6:12), "Not by might... but by my spirit" (4:6), the triumphal entry (9:9), "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced" (12:10), the shepherd struck (13:7), and the LORD's return to the Mount of Olives (14:4).
Classification: Prophetic Vision — The Man with the Measuring Line and God as a Wall of Fire
Key Themes: The future expansion of Jerusalem, God as supernatural protection, the call to flee Babylon, the nations joining the LORD, God dwelling in Zion's midst
Historical Context: This third night vision (the measuring line) addresses Jerusalem's future with extravagant promise. A young man sets out to measure Jerusalem — presumably to plan its walls. But an angel stops him: Jerusalem will be so prosperous and populated that no wall can contain it. Instead of man-made walls, God Himself will be "a wall of fire" around her.
The Third Vision: A Man Measuring Jerusalem (vv.1-2): A man with a measuring line in his hand, going to measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof. It is exactly the right thing to be doing. The city has no walls, walls need a survey, and a survey needs a line. The vision does not correct his intention, it interrupts his measurement, which is a harder thing to accept.
The Angel's Message: No Walls Needed (vv.3-5): Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, for the multitude of men and cattle therein. The survey is called off because the measurement would be wrong, not because walls are wrong. Then the substitute, and it is not a smaller thing: I will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Defense and glory in one sentence, and both of them a person rather than masonry. A wall marks a limit, and the promise is that the city will outgrow any limit drawn now.
The Call to Flee Babylon (vv.6-7): Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north. Most of the Jewish community was still in Babylon and comfortable there, two decades after Cyrus' decree allowed the return. The call is urgent and it is aimed at the successful, deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. Staying is treated as a danger rather than a choice, because the north is where judgment is stored.
The Apple of God's Eye and the Hand Shaken (vv.8-9): He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. The Hebrew is the pupil, the part of the body most instinctively defended and least able to defend itself, and the nations that handled Judah are told what they were handling. Then the reversal, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants. The plunderers become the plunder, and the proof offered is the prophet himself, ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
The LORD Comes to Dwell in Zion, and All Flesh Silent (vv.10-13): Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, lo, I come, and will dwell in the midst of thee. What the exiles had lost was not primarily a building but a presence, and the promise addresses the loss directly. Then the reach widens, many nations shall be joined to the LORD, and shall be my people, which puts Gentiles inside the covenant formula itself. The vision closes not with celebration but with an order to stop talking, be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD, for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.2, v.4, v.12): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
  • Zion (v.7, v.10): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
  • Babylon (v.7): Capital of the Babylonian empire; place of Judah's exile (modern Iraq).

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • Babylonnear Hillah, IraqOn the Euphrates about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad. Judah's exiles were marched roughly 900 miles to get here, the long way round the Arabian desert, which is why the journey took months and the return was a genuine undertaking rather than a short trip home. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Zechariah 1-2 | God Returns to His People | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

The Apple Of His Eye - Zechariah 2:8
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Zechariah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • A Vision Too Big to Measure (vv.1-4) — A man sets out to measure Jerusalem's walls, but the angel says the city will grow too full of people to be contained by any wall at all. Where might you be trying to put boundaries on something God intends to grow beyond your expectations?
  • God Himself as Protection (v.5) — Rather than a physical wall, God promises to be a wall of fire around Jerusalem and its glory within. Do you tend to rely on your own defenses and strategies more than on God's presence to protect you?
  • Precious as the Apple of His Eye (v.8) — God describes His people as so valuable to Him that touching them is like touching His own eye. Do you live with the confidence that you matter this much to God, or does it feel like He's indifferent to what happens to you?
  • God's Desire to Dwell With You (v.10) — God's promise isn't just to bless Jerusalem from afar but to come and dwell in her midst. Is your pursuit of God about receiving things from Him, or about wanting His actual presence?
  • Silence Before a Moving God (v.13) — The chapter closes with a call for all flesh to be silent because the Lord is stirring from His holy dwelling. When God is clearly at work, do you make room for stillness, or do you keep talking, planning, and worrying?