Zechariah 2 Study Notes: Jerusalem Without Walls
Zechariah sees a man setting out to measure Jerusalem and learns the city will be too crowded for walls, with the LORD Himself as its fiery protection. The exiles are called home from Babylon, many nations are promised a place among His people, and all humanity is told to be still before Him.
General
In 2:8, what does the LORD say about the nations that robbed His people and laid hands on them?
Answer: They are harming what is most precious and dear to Him
The LORD calls the exiles still living in the northern land to escape from Babylon and come home, reminding them that He was the One who had scattered them to the four winds (2:6-7). He then warns the nations that plundered His people: whoever harms them is touching the very apple of His eye, the tender spot a person guards most carefully (2:8). The LORD will raise His hand against those nations, and they will be plundered by the very people who once served them (2:9). Moses used the same picture for how God guarded Israel in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 32:10), and David prayed to be kept that way (Psalm 17:8). Jesus spoke with the same closeness when He asked Saul why he was persecuting Him, though Saul had attacked Jesus' followers (Acts 9:4-5).
- Zechariah 2:6-9 (BSB)““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. “Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!” For 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— I 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.””The LORD calls the exiles home and warns the nations that plundered them.
- Deuteronomy 32:10 (BSB)“He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.”Moses uses the same picture for God's careful guarding of Israel in the wilderness.
- Psalm 17:8 (BSB)“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings”David asks to be kept with the same protective care the verse promises.
- Acts 9:4-5 (BSB)“He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.”Jesus counts harm done to His followers as harm done to Himself, showing the same closeness.
Theological
What does the LORD declare in 2:8 about the nations that plundered His people?
Answer: They are harming what is most precious and dear to Him
The oracle summons the exiles remaining in the northern land to flee Babylon, for the LORD Himself had dispersed them to the four winds (2:6-7). The plundering nations are then warned that to touch God's people is to touch the very apple of His eye, the most sensitive and jealously protected part of the body (2:8). The LORD will wave His hand against them, making them spoil for those who had served them (2:9). The image expresses God's covenant protection of His people, as in Moses' song (Deuteronomy 32:10) and David's prayer (Psalm 17:8). The risen Christ displays the same union with His people when He asks Saul why he persecutes Him, though Saul's attacks were on the church (Acts 9:4-5).
- Zechariah 2:6-9 (BSB)““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. “Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!” For 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— I 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.””The LORD calls the exiles home and warns the nations that plundered them.
- Deuteronomy 32:10 (BSB)“He found him in a desert land, in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.”Moses uses the same picture for God's careful guarding of Israel in the wilderness.
- Psalm 17:8 (BSB)“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings”David asks to be kept with the same protective care the verse promises.
- Acts 9:4-5 (BSB)“He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.”Jesus counts harm done to His followers as harm done to Himself, showing the same closeness.
General
In 2:4-5, Jerusalem will have no walls. What does the LORD say will protect it instead?
Answer: The LORD Himself, as a ring of fire on every side
Another angel tells the interpreting angel to run and tell the young man that Jerusalem will have no walls at all, since so many people and animals will live in it (2:4). Walls would be too small for what God plans. Yet the city will not be defenseless: the LORD declares that He Himself will surround it like a ring of fire and will be its glory in its midst (2:5). The LORD's presence is better protection than stone. A psalm says that just as mountains surround Jerusalem, the LORD encircles those who belong to Him (Psalm 125:2), and another says God is in the middle of His city so it cannot be shaken (Psalm 46:5). Isaiah pictures the LORD's flame of fire over Zion as a covering over its glory (Isaiah 4:5).
- Zechariah 2:4-5 (BSB)“and 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. For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’””The angel explains why Jerusalem will lack walls and what the LORD will be to the city.
- Psalm 125:2 (BSB)“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.”The LORD Himself surrounds His people, the same protection promised to the unwalled city.
- Psalm 46:5 (BSB)“God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.”God's presence within His city is what keeps it secure.
- Isaiah 4:5 (BSB)“Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy,”Isaiah also pictures the LORD's fire over Zion protecting her glory.
Theological
According to 2:4-5, what will be Jerusalem's protection, since it is to be an unwalled city?
Answer: The LORD Himself, as a ring of fire on every side
A second angel meets the interpreting angel and tells him to run and inform the young man that Jerusalem will be an unwalled city because of the great numbers of people and animals within it (2:4). Any wall would cramp the growth God intends. The city's security will instead be the LORD Himself, who promises to be a surrounding fire and the glory in her midst (2:5): His own presence both guards and fills His people. The psalmists confess the same, that the LORD encircles His people as the mountains encircle Jerusalem (Psalm 125:2) and that God is within the city so that she stands unshaken (Psalm 46:5), and Isaiah pictures a flame of fire over Zion sheltering all her glory (Isaiah 4:5).
- Zechariah 2:4-5 (BSB)“and 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. For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’””The angel explains why Jerusalem will lack walls and what the LORD will be to the city.
- Psalm 125:2 (BSB)“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.”The LORD Himself surrounds His people, the same protection promised to the unwalled city.
- Psalm 46:5 (BSB)“God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.”God's presence within His city is what keeps it secure.
- Isaiah 4:5 (BSB)“Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy,”Isaiah also pictures the LORD's fire over Zion protecting her glory.
General
True or False: In 2:1-2, the man with the measuring line says he is going to measure the temple courts.
Answer: False
This is false. In this vision Zechariah sees a man holding a measuring line and asks where he is headed. The man answers that he is going to measure Jerusalem itself, to find out how wide and how long the city is (2:1-2), not just the temple area. The vision picks up the promise from the previous chapter that a line would be laid across Jerusalem as it was rebuilt (1:16). Jeremiah had also foretold a day when the city would be rebuilt for the LORD and the measuring line would again mark out its boundaries (Jeremiah 31:38-39).
- Zechariah 2:1-2 (BSB)“Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. “Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.””Zechariah meets a figure holding a surveyor's line and learns what he intends to measure.
- Zechariah 1:16 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts, and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’”The previous vision had already promised that a line would be laid over Jerusalem as it was rebuilt.
- Jeremiah 31:38-39 (BSB)““The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me, from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah.”Jeremiah foresaw the city rebuilt for the LORD with its boundaries measured out again.
Theological
True or False: In 2:1-2, the man with the measuring line states that his task is to measure the temple courts.
Answer: False
This is false. In the third vision Zechariah sees a figure holding a surveyor's line and asks his destination; the man replies that he is going to measure Jerusalem, to determine the city's breadth and length (2:1-2). The object is the whole city, not merely the sanctuary precincts. The vision develops the earlier promise that a line would be laid across Jerusalem for its rebuilding (1:16), and it echoes Jeremiah's prophecy that the city would be rebuilt for the LORD with the measuring line again marking out its bounds (Jeremiah 31:38-39).
- Zechariah 2:1-2 (BSB)“Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. “Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.””Zechariah meets a figure holding a surveyor's line and learns what he intends to measure.
- Zechariah 1:16 (BSB)“Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts, and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’”The previous vision had already promised that a line would be laid over Jerusalem as it was rebuilt.
- Jeremiah 31:38-39 (BSB)““The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me, from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah.”Jeremiah foresaw the city rebuilt for the LORD with its boundaries measured out again.
General
What does the LORD promise in 2:10-11 when He comes to live in Zion?
Answer: People from many nations will attach themselves to Him as His own
Zion is told to shout and rejoice because the LORD is coming to live among His people (2:10). In that day people from many nations will attach themselves to God and become His people; He will live in Zion's midst, and Zion will recognize that the One speaking was sent by the LORD of Hosts (2:11). God's people will include those from beyond Israel. Isaiah had promised that foreigners who bound themselves to Him would be brought to His holy mountain, since His house would be a place of prayer open to every nation (Isaiah 56:6-7). The New Testament shows God gathering people from the nations into His household (Ephesians 2:19), and Revelation pictures the final home where God lives with His people and is their God (Revelation 21:3).
- Zechariah 2:10-11 (BSB)““Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares the LORD. “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.”The LORD promises to dwell in Zion and to receive many nations as His people.
- Isaiah 56:6-7 (BSB)“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant— I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.””Isaiah foretold foreigners attaching themselves to God and being welcomed in His house.
- Ephesians 2:19 (BSB)“Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,”Paul tells Gentile believers they now belong to God's household, as the promise anticipated.
- Revelation 21:3 (BSB)“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”The final vision of Scripture shows God living among His people as their God.
Theological
What does the LORD promise in 2:10-11 concerning the nations when He comes to dwell in Zion?
Answer: People from many nations will attach themselves to Him as His own
The Daughter of Zion is summoned to sing for joy because the LORD is coming to take up residence in her midst (2:10). In that day people from many nations will attach themselves to God and be counted as His people; He will dwell in Zion's midst, and Zion will recognize that the One speaking was sent by the LORD of Hosts (2:11). The covenant formula, His people, is extended to the Gentiles. Isaiah had foretold foreigners binding themselves to Him and being welcomed in a place of prayer open to every nation (Isaiah 56:6-7). The New Testament shows Gentile believers made fellow citizens who belong to God's family (Ephesians 2:19), and Revelation shows the consummation, God dwelling with His people as their God (Revelation 21:3).
- Zechariah 2:10-11 (BSB)““Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares the LORD. “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.”The LORD promises to dwell in Zion and to receive many nations as His people.
- Isaiah 56:6-7 (BSB)“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant— I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.””Isaiah foretold foreigners attaching themselves to God and being welcomed in His house.
- Ephesians 2:19 (BSB)“Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,”Paul tells Gentile believers they now belong to God's household, as the promise anticipated.
- Revelation 21:3 (BSB)“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”The final vision of Scripture shows God living among His people as their God.
General
What call closes chapter 2 in 2:13, and what reason is given?
Answer: All humanity must hush before Him, because He has risen to act
Chapter 2 ends with two declarations. The LORD claims Judah as His own share in the land He has set apart and will again choose Jerusalem (2:12). Then all humanity is told to fall silent in His presence, because He has stirred Himself and risen from where He dwells in holiness to act (2:13). The call is for reverent awe before a God who is about to keep His promises. Habakkuk gives the same call to all the earth because the LORD is present in His temple (Habakkuk 2:20), and Zephaniah calls for silence because the LORD's day is close at hand (Zephaniah 1:7). Moses had already said that God's people are His own share (Deuteronomy 32:9).
- Zechariah 2:12-13 (BSB)“And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem. Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.””The LORD claims Judah and Jerusalem, and all people are called to silence before Him.
- Habakkuk 2:20 (BSB)“But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.”The whole earth is called to silence because the LORD is present in His temple.
- Zephaniah 1:7 (BSB)“Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.”Silence before the Lord GOD is the right response when He is about to act.
- Deuteronomy 32:9 (BSB)“But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.”Moses had already called God's people His own share, the claim renewed over Judah.
Theological
What summons concludes chapter 2 (2:13), and on what ground?
Answer: All humanity must hush before Him, because He has risen to act
The chapter closes with the LORD claiming Judah as His inheritance in the land He has set apart and once again choosing Jerusalem (2:12), a reaffirmation of His electing love. All flesh is then commanded to be still before Him, because He has stirred and risen from the place where He dwells to act (2:13). The silence is reverent submission before the LORD who is about to fulfill His word. Habakkuk issues the same summons because the LORD is present in His temple (Habakkuk 2:20), Zephaniah because the LORD's day is close at hand (Zephaniah 1:7), and Moses had already identified God's people as His allotted portion (Deuteronomy 32:9).
- Zechariah 2:12-13 (BSB)“And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again choose Jerusalem. Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.””The LORD claims Judah and Jerusalem, and all people are called to silence before Him.
- Habakkuk 2:20 (BSB)“But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.”The whole earth is called to silence because the LORD is present in His temple.
- Zephaniah 1:7 (BSB)“Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.”Silence before the Lord GOD is the right response when He is about to act.
- Deuteronomy 32:9 (BSB)“But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.”Moses had already called God's people His own share, the claim renewed over Judah.