Zechariah 8:20
Verse
Context
The Restoration of Jerusalem
19“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”20This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—21and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’
Sermons
Erroll Hulse
Thomas J. NettlesSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
There shall come people - Similar promises to those in Isa 2:3 and in Mic 4:1, Mic 4:2. Many Gentiles, as well as Jews, will then be found devoting themselves to the Lord.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
Zac 8:20. "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet will nations come, and inhabitants of many cities. Zac 8:21. And the inhabitants of one (city) will go to another, and say, 'We will go, go away, to supplicate the face of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts.' 'I will also go.' Zac 8:22. And many peoples and strong nations will come, to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to supplicate the face of Jehovah." These verses do not announce a further or second glorification, which God has designed for His people, but simply indicate the nature and magnitude of the salvation appointed for Israel, through which its fast-days will be turned into days of joy. Hitherto Israel had kept days of mourning and fasting on account of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple; but in the future the Lord will so glorify His city and His house, that not only will Israel keep joyful feasts there, but many and strong heathen nations will go to the house of God, to seek and worship the God of hosts. עד is used with emphasis, so that it resembles a sentence: "It will still come to pass, that," etc. This is how אשׁר in Zac 8:21 and Zac 8:23 is to be taken, and not as the introduction to the saying preceded energetically by עד, for which Hitzig is wrong in referring to Mic 6:10. For the fact itself, compare Mic 4:1., Isa 2:2., Jer 16:19. In Zac 8:21 the thought is individualized. The inhabitants of one city call upon those of another. נלכה הלוך, "we will go to supplicate," etc.; and the population of the other city responds to the summons by saying, "I also will go." חלּות את־פּני, as in Zac 7:2.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
(Isa 2:3; Mic 4:2). Thus saith the Lord of hosts--a preface needed to assure the Jews, now disheartened by the perils surrounding them, and by the humble aspect of the temple. "Unlikely as what follows may seem to you, Jehovah of hosts, boundless in resources, saith it, therefore it shall be so." Just before Christ's coming, a feeling grew up among the heathen of the unsatisfactoriness of their systems of religion and philosophy; this disposed them favorably towards the religion of the Jew, so that proselytes embraced the worship of Jehovah from various parts of Asia; these again were predisposed to embrace Christianity when it was preached to them (Act 2:9-12, Act 2:41). But the full accomplishment of the conversion of the Gentiles foretold here is reserved till "Jerusalem" (Zac 8:22) becomes the center of Christianized Jewry (Rom 11:12, Rom 11:15).
John Gill Bible Commentary
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 Zac 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 Psa 65:1.
Zechariah 8:20
The Restoration of Jerusalem
19“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”20This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—21and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Our Hope for Revival
By Erroll Hulse9951:06:17PSA 2:6ZEC 8:20ZEC 8:23MAT 28:18MRK 16:15ACT 1:8REV 7:9In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the responsibility of believers to fulfill the Great Commission as stated in Matthew 28. Jesus commanded his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The speaker highlights the importance of prayer and information in fueling this mission, referencing a treatise by Jonathan Edwards that inspired a movement of extraordinary prayer in the 18th century. The speaker encourages believers to be diligent in their prayerfulness and earnestness for revival, both in their own nations and around the world.
Concerts of Prayer
By Thomas J. Nettles0ISA 62:6ZEC 8:20LUK 18:1JHN 17:20EPH 6:18PHP 1:19PHP 4:7COL 1:121TH 5:17JAS 5:161JN 5:14Thomas J. Nettles emphasizes the duty, privilege, and effectiveness of prayer in the Christian life, highlighting the need for believers to pray without ceasing, recognizing their dependence on God, and understanding that prayer is both a duty and a joyful privilege that leads to the peace of God guarding their hearts and minds. The sermon also delves into the concept of extraordinary prayer, where specific promises or prophecies become the focus of concentrated, importunate prayer, as seen in the example of Zechariah 8:20-22. Furthermore, the importance of concerted prayer, as demonstrated through the history of prayer gatherings for revival and the advancement of Christ's kingdom, is explored, showing how unified prayer has historically led to significant movements in Christianity.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
There shall come people - Similar promises to those in Isa 2:3 and in Mic 4:1, Mic 4:2. Many Gentiles, as well as Jews, will then be found devoting themselves to the Lord.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
Zac 8:20. "Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet will nations come, and inhabitants of many cities. Zac 8:21. And the inhabitants of one (city) will go to another, and say, 'We will go, go away, to supplicate the face of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts.' 'I will also go.' Zac 8:22. And many peoples and strong nations will come, to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to supplicate the face of Jehovah." These verses do not announce a further or second glorification, which God has designed for His people, but simply indicate the nature and magnitude of the salvation appointed for Israel, through which its fast-days will be turned into days of joy. Hitherto Israel had kept days of mourning and fasting on account of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple; but in the future the Lord will so glorify His city and His house, that not only will Israel keep joyful feasts there, but many and strong heathen nations will go to the house of God, to seek and worship the God of hosts. עד is used with emphasis, so that it resembles a sentence: "It will still come to pass, that," etc. This is how אשׁר in Zac 8:21 and Zac 8:23 is to be taken, and not as the introduction to the saying preceded energetically by עד, for which Hitzig is wrong in referring to Mic 6:10. For the fact itself, compare Mic 4:1., Isa 2:2., Jer 16:19. In Zac 8:21 the thought is individualized. The inhabitants of one city call upon those of another. נלכה הלוך, "we will go to supplicate," etc.; and the population of the other city responds to the summons by saying, "I also will go." חלּות את־פּני, as in Zac 7:2.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
(Isa 2:3; Mic 4:2). Thus saith the Lord of hosts--a preface needed to assure the Jews, now disheartened by the perils surrounding them, and by the humble aspect of the temple. "Unlikely as what follows may seem to you, Jehovah of hosts, boundless in resources, saith it, therefore it shall be so." Just before Christ's coming, a feeling grew up among the heathen of the unsatisfactoriness of their systems of religion and philosophy; this disposed them favorably towards the religion of the Jew, so that proselytes embraced the worship of Jehovah from various parts of Asia; these again were predisposed to embrace Christianity when it was preached to them (Act 2:9-12, Act 2:41). But the full accomplishment of the conversion of the Gentiles foretold here is reserved till "Jerusalem" (Zac 8:22) becomes the center of Christianized Jewry (Rom 11:12, Rom 11:15).
John Gill Bible Commentary
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 Zac 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 Psa 65:1.