Chapter Eight

1–17. God’s promises regarding the change in the fate of the remnant of the chosen people for the better. The certainty and conditions of this change. 18–23. Under the conditions set forth, the fasts can be transformed for the house of Judah into solemn celebrations, and the Jews themselves will become mediators between God and the unbelieving pagans.

The first seventeen verses of chapter eight present a necessary connecting link between chapter VII and the second half of chapter VIII, which contains the direct answer to the questions posed in Zech 7:3 about the fasts. In chapter VII the prophet draws the attention of his listeners to times past and instructs them through lessons derived from history; in chapter VIII he paints pictures of the future, clarifying under what conditions the fasts can be transformed into solemn and joyful celebrations.

Zechariah 8:1. And the word of the Lord of hosts came: Zechariah 8:2. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Zion with great zeal, and with great anger I am zealous for her. The prophecy contained in the passage under discussion begins with the same words we find almost at the very beginning of the prophecy of the eight night visions (Zech 1:14-15). The Lord speaks of His love for Zion, that is, for His people; by zealousness here is certainly meant the zealousness of love, and the expression of anger refers to the pagans, who have caused so much evil to the chosen people.

Zechariah 8:3. “Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the mountain of holiness. But the Lord has determined in regard to it to change His anger to mercy. He will return to Zion and will dwell in Jerusalem, which He abandoned at the destruction of the temple and city, at the beginning of the captivity, as the prophet Ezekiel beheld (Ezek 9:3; Ezek 10:4; Ezek 11:22-23). Jerusalem and its environs will again be the repository of truth and holiness, as well as of peace and well-being.

Zechariah 8:7. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; Zechariah 8:8. “and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness. God’s mercy will extend not only to those already in Jerusalem but also to those scattered throughout all lands of the earth. They will have the opportunity to return to Jerusalem from all lands, from east to west, and shall again be God’s people. Zech 8:7-8 serve as explanation of the foregoing: the gathering of the dispersed sons of Israel from all places will increase the population of Jerusalem, which had been emptied since the captivity, and it will be filled with inhabitants of all ages.

Zechariah 8:9. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Let your hands be strong, you who are hearing these words now from the mouths of the prophets who were present at the laying of the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts, for the building of the temple. In the successful completion of the undertaking one cannot doubt, because the preaching comes from the mouths of the prophets who were present at the laying of the foundation of the temple: some of their predictions have already been fulfilled; one can fully hope that all they predict will not remain unfulfilled.

Zechariah 8:18. And the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: Zechariah 8:19. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall become times of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; only love truth and peace. Under the conditions set forth above, the fasts must be transformed for the Jews into solemn and pleasant celebrations.

Zechariah 8:20. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: There shall yet come peoples and the inhabitants of many cities; Zechariah 8:21. “and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying: ‘Let us go to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself will go.’ Zechariah 8:22. “And many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Zechariah 8:23. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days it will be that ten men of all the languages of the nations shall grasp the robe of a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ Although the prophet, in accordance with the general Old Testament understanding of the correspondence between well-being in temporal life and piety, says: the seed shall produce peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its yield, and the heavens shall give their dew: and all this I will give to the remnant of this people (Zech 8:12, cf. Zech 3:10); but in concluding his teachings and promises given in resolving the question about the abolition of fasts, the prophet speaks of higher, spiritual blessings—the spread of true knowledge of God and worship of God among the pagans, by the mediation of the Jews, as a result of their complete conversion to the path of keeping the commandments. Representatives of various nations from all around will gather at the once scattered and now restored people in their land, inhabitants of pagan cities will call on one another to go to the holy city to pray before the Lord. Pagans will have need of the guidance and mediation of the Jews—the people close to God; one Jew will guide ten pagans. Jehovah, as the creator of all the world, must be the Lord and God of all peoples; but in Old Testament times He appears as God predominantly for the people of Israel alone, and only through their mediation does true knowledge of God become universal. The thought that pagans too are intended to enter the kingdom established by God reaches full clarity only in the prophets (Oehl. 216–217).