Zechariah 8:15
Ver. 15. So again,.... Or "so I am returned" {n}, as in Zec 8:3:
have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah; by bestowing the above mentioned blessings on them; and as Jehovah has thought, so it comes to pass, and as he has purposed, so it stands; whatever he determines shall be, as for evil, so for good, Isa 14:24:fear ye not; as in Zec 8:13.{n} ytbv Nk "sic conversus sum", Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin; "ita conversus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "reversus sum", Burkius. Zechariah 8:16Ver. 16. These [are] the things that ye shall do,.... Which were duties incumbent on them, and which it became them to perform, under a sense of the favours bestowed on them, to show their gratitude to God, and that they might glorify him:Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; not using deceit, prevarication, and lying, Eph 4:25 and it becomes every man under the Gospel dispensation, according to the gift he has received, to speak, publish, and declare the truth of the Gospel, to the edification of others:execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; that is, execute true judgment, as in Zec 7:9 do justice between man and man, without respect of persons; the issue of which will be peace between the contending parties: and this was to be done in their "gates", because there their courts of judicature were kept. Zechariah 8:17Ver. 17. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour,.... See Gill on "Zec 7:10" hatred without a cause was a governing vice under the second temple, and Jarchi says was the cause of the destruction of it; see Joh 15:25:and love no false oath; whereby the character and property of a fellow creature are hurt; nor any vain one, which the Jews were addicted to, Mt 5:34:for all these [are things] that I hate, saith the Lord; as being contrary to his nature, and to his law; and is a reason why they should be hated and avoided by men. Zechariah 8:18Ver. 18. And the word of the Lord of hosts came unto me, saying. The word of prophecy, as the Targum paraphrases it: here begins a new prophecy, respecting the abrogation of Jewish fasts, and the calling of the Gentiles. Zechariah 8:19Ver. 19. Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... What follows is a full answer to the question in Zec 7:3:The fast of the fourth [month]; the month Tammuz, which answers to June: this fast was kept on the ninth day of the month, on account of the city of Jerusalem being broken up on that day {o}, as it is said, 2Ki 25:3 though Kimchi says this was on the seventeenth day of that month, as also says the Misna {p}; on which day a fast was kept likewise, for the breaking of the two tables of the law on that day: the reconciliation of this with the above Scriptures is attempted in the Talmud {q} by observing, that the Scripture speaks of the first temple, the Misna of the second temple:and the fast of the fifth; the month Ab, which answers to July, on the tenth of which the city was burnt, Jer 52:12 but the fast on account of it was kept on the ninth day; See Gill on "Zec 7:3" on which day the Jews say that both the first and second temple were destroyed, Bither was taken, and the city ploughed {r}:and the fast of the seventh; the month Tisri, which answers to September; on the third of this month a fast was kept on account of the murder of Gedaliah; see Zec 7:5 and on the tenth day of the same was the day of atonement, which was the grand fast; see Ac 27:9:and the fast of the tenth; the month Tebet; which answers to December, on the tenth day of which the city of Jerusalem was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar; and this fast was kept on that account, Jer 52:4 now of all these fasts the Lord by the prophet says, theyshall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; that is, there shall be no occasion for them; but, on the contrary, such plenty of good things, both temporal and spiritual, shall be had, that, instead of them, rather festivals should be kept with the greatest cheerfulness, joy, and gladness. So Maimonides {s} says, that all these fasts shall cease in the times of the Messiah, with all others, which will be times of joy and gladness.Therefore love the truth and peace; love to speak truth, and execute the judgment of peace, Zec 8:16 or express by words and deeds love to Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life; and also is our Peace, the Peacemaker, and Peace giver; and on these accounts, as well as on others, is greatly to be loved: likewise the Gospel, which is the word of truth, and the Gospel of peace; which contains nothing but truth, and is the ministry of reconciliation, and is to be loved on that account; and even peace with men is no further to be loved and sought after than as it is consistent with truth; and these being the principal things under the Gospel dispensation, these, and not fasts, or any other ceremonial observances, are to be attended to.{o} T. Bab. Roshhashanah, fol. 18. 2. {p} Taanith, c. 4. sect. 7. {q} T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 28. 2. {r} Roshhashanah, ut supra. (fol. 18. 2.) {s} Hilchot Taanioth, c. 5. sect. 19. Zechariah 8:20Ver. 20. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, [It shall] yet [come to pass],.... This is another thing that shall certainly be accomplished:that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities; in the Gentile world; they shall come and hear the word, believe in Christ, and join together in a Gospel church state; as they did at Antioch, Thessalonica, Corinth, and many other places: Ben Melech says this shall be in the days of the Messiah; and so it has been in the days of the true Messiah Jesus, and will be again in the latter day. Zechariah 8:21Ver. 21. And the inhabitants of one [city] shall go to another,.... Which shows their concern for the spiritual welfare of each other, their zeal for the honour and glory of God, and their readiness to attend divine worship:saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord; for pardoning, justifying, and sanctifying grace which shows their sense of need of these things, and that they are only to be had of the Lord; and that their case required haste, and would admit of no delay:and to seek the Lord of hosts: by prayer and supplication, as before: the Chaldee paraphrase is, "to seek doctrine from the Lord of hosts"; to learn the truths of his Gospel; to know his will, and be informed of the right way of worshipping him, as well as to seek to Christ for life and salvation:I will go also; that is, "this shall say to that", as the Targum supplies it; one shall say to another, and express himself in such language, by way of example and encouragement. Zechariah 8:22Ver. 22. Yea, many people, and strong nations,.... Or, "mighty kingdoms", as the Targum renders it; even such have embraced the Gospel, and professed the Christian religion; of which there has been abundant proof since the downfall of Paganism under Constantine:shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem; that is, shall attend the public worship of God in the church:and to pray before the Lord; join in public prayer, and other ordinances of the Gospel. This phrase, which is used also in the preceding verse Zec 8:21, signifies that the Lord, and he only, is the object of prayer: it is not to be made to a creature, or to an idol made with hands, they had been used to pray to before, but to the one only living and true God, Father, Son, and Spirit; and that this is to be done as in the presence of God, who is omniscient, who knows all persons and their cases, and what are their ends and views in their petitions to him, and whether these come from a true heart and unfeigned lips; for all things are naked and open unto him, with whom we have to do; that, under the Gospel dispensation especially, men may come into the presence of God with great freedom and liberty, and pour out their souls before him, and with great boldness and confidence, through the blood of Christ being shed, and a new and living way opened by it, in which they may come and ask in faith whatever they want; though this should always be performed with reverence and godly fear, and with all humility and submission to the will of God: and though it may take in all sorts of prayer, and wherever and by whomsoever performed, either mental or vocal, in the closet or in the family, which is always to be done in like manner before God; yet it seems chiefly to design social and public prayer: which being put up to God in the church, may be said to be before the Lord, it being in the assembly of his saints, where he more especially grants his presence, and shows himself to be a God hearing and answering prayer; see Ps 65:1. Zechariah 8:23Ver. 23. Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... For the further confirmation and illustration of this prophecy:in those days [it shall come to pass]; this shall be done in the times of the preaching of the Gospel by Christ and his apostles:that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take bold of the skirt of him that is a Jew: which may be understood either of our Lord Jesus Christ; who was a Jew by nation, the Jews were his own people, and Judea his nation; by descent, he springing from the tribe of Judah, and the family of David; by religion, being made under the Jewish law; by his habit and dress, by which, as well as by his language, the woman of Samaria knew he was a Jew, Joh 4:9 and very probably he wore the fringe the Jews did on the border of his garment, Mt 9:20 and which the Jewish doctors think is here meant {t} by the skirt; but this may intend, in a spiritual sense, the skirt being put for the whole garment, Eze 16:8, the robe of Christ's righteousness, which sensible sinners take hold of by faith, and put it on as their justifying righteousness: and "ten men" out of "all nations" being said to do it, and this number signifying many, Le 26:26 may denote that the number of them that believe in Christ for righteousness, and are justified by it, are many, Isa 53:11 though they are but few when compared with others; and that as God has chosen, Christ has redeemed, so the Spirit calls some out of all nations; and God is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews, since the one are justified by him as well as the other, Ro 3:29 or this may be understood of any of the apostles of Christ, who were all Jews; and especially the Apostle Paul, who was the apostle of the Gentiles; who were sent into all the world to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, by which means they came to hear it; and many of them out of every nation laid hold on the skirts of these men; believed and embraced the doctrines they preached; were greatly affected towards them; gave up themselves to them; consorted with them; accompanied them, and cleaved unto them; did not care to part with them, as children, that lay hold on their parents' skirts, will not leave them, but go with them where they go, as follows:saying, We will go with you; either with Christ, resolving to follow him whithersoever he goes; to hold to him the Head; to abide by his truths and ordinances; to walk on in his ways, whatever they suffer for his name's sake: or with his ministers and people, determining to go along and join with them in all religious exercises; see Ru 1:16:for we have heard [that] God is with you: with Christ, as he always was; in the council and covenant of grace before time, and at the beginning of time to his incarnation; and during his state of humiliation, and in his sufferings and death; and now in his state of exaltation; hence his name "Ithiel", God with me, Pr 30:1 or with his ministers and people, which he has promised to be unto the end of the world; and this the Gentiles heard and understood, by the power that went along with their ministry, to the conversion of multitudes of sinners; and by the miracles which they wrought, for the confirmation of the doctrines they delivered.{t} T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 32. 2.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.