Zechariah 8:21 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Zechariah 8:21
And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct
LORD
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
seek
וּלְבַקֵּ֖שׁu.le.va.Kesh
H1245
to search out (by any method · conjunction + preposition + verb, piel infinitive construct
LORD
יְהוָ֣הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
hosts
צְבָא֑וֹתtze.va.'ot
H6635
a mass of persons (or figuratively · noun, common feminine plural absolute
go
יָלַךְyâlak
H3212
to walk (literally or figuratively)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Zechariah 7:2 When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,
Psalms 146:1-2 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Hosea 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as…
Psalms 103:22 Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.
Psalms 122:1-9 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Zechariah 8:18–end
These verses contain two precious promises, for the further encouragement of those pious Jews that were hearty in building the temple.
I. That a happy period should be put to their fasts, and there should be no more occasion for them, but they should be converted into thanksgiving days, Zac 8:19. This is a direct answer to the enquiry concerning their fasts, Zac 7:3. Those of them that fasted in hypocrisy had their doom in the foregoing chapter, but those that in sincerity humbled themselves before God, and sought his face, have here a comfortable assurance given them of a large share in the happy times approaching. The four yearly fasts which they had religiously observed should be to the h…
Let us . . . I--manifesting zeal and love: converted themselves, they seek the conversion of others (Sol 1:4). To exhortation in general ("Let us go"), they add individual example ("I will go"). Or, the change from plural to singular implies that the general consent in religious earnestness leads each individual to decide for God.
go speedily--literally, "go, going"; implying intense earnestness.
pray--Hebrew, "entreat the face" (Zac 7:2); entreat His favor and grace.
Adam Clarke on Zechariah 8:21
I will go also - This is the answer of the person invited. It is a good work. We must have God for our friend. We cannot expect this unless we seek him: and as we know not what an hour may bring forth, let us go speedily.
John Gill on Zechariah 8:21
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 w…
The Church Fathers
(Verse 21, 22.) Thus says the Lord of hosts: How long will the people come and dwell in many cities, and the inhabitants go from one to another, saying: Let us go and entreat the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will also go, and many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the face of the Lord. LXX: Thus says the Lord almighty: Yet many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will come; and those who dwell in cities will gather in one city, saying: Let us go to entreat the face of the Lord, and let us seek the presence of the Lord almighty. I will also go, and many peoples and numerous nations will come to seek the face of the Almighty Lord in Jerusalem, and to supplicate the face of the Lord. The fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will be changed into the best festivities, to the extent that the cities of Judah, which were previously deserted, will be celebrated with abundant inhabitants. And one city shall go to another, and they shall encourage one another and say: Because for seventy years the ways of Zion had been desolate, since there was no one to go to the feast, all its gates were deserted, and its priests were lamenting. Now that peace has been restored, let us go to Jerusalem, where it is commanded by law that we offer sacrifices, and let our every male appear before the Lord three times a year (Exod. XXIII). And one city will say to another: Let us go and supplicate the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Almighty Lord. The other city will reply: I will also go. At that time, many peoples and innumerable and powerful nations will come to offer sacrifices to the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem, and to supplicate His face. For the Lord is near to those who do not test Him, and He reveals His face to those who are not unbelieving. Whoever sees the Son, sees the Father as well; and the Son is the image of the invisible God, not because the Son is visible and the Father invisible, but because when the Son is mentioned, the Father is felt. For the Father does not exist without the Son. Therefore, He Himself speaks in the Gospel: Father, I have manifested Your name to men. What we have said about Jerusalem and Zerubbabel, or after Zerubbabel, is more accurately and fully applied to Christ and Jerusalem, which is understood as the Church: and then…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Prayer, Public · Urge others to join in — Urge others to join in
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Zechariah 8:20-22
20. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
20. Sic dicit Iehova exercituum, Adhuc quando venient populi et incolae urbium magnarum (vel, multarum;)
21. And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also.
21. Et venient incolae unius ad alteram, dicendo, Eamus eundo ad deprecandam faciem Iehovae, et quaerendum Iehovam exercituum; ibo etiam ego.
22. Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.
22. Et venient populi mag…
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…
Here the Lord finally answers the question posed by the delegates from Bethel (7:2-3). • The fast in early summer commemorated the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls (2 Kgs 25:3-4; Jer 52:6-7). The midsummer fast lamented the burning of Solomon’s Temple (2 Kgs 25:8-10; Jer 52:12-14). The fast in autumn marked the assassination of Gedaliah, governor of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 25:22-25; Jer 41:1-3) or the Day of Atonement (Lev 23:26-32). The fast in winter recalled the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 25:1; Jer 52:4). • The fasts will turn to feasts when God restores Israel and sets his glory among the nations (Isa 65:18-19).
Rashi on Zechariah 8:19
the fast of the fourth [month] The fast of Tammuz, which is the fourth of the months.
the fast of the fifth [month] of Av.
the fast of the seventh [month] The third of Tishri, when Gedaliah was assassinated.
and the fast of the tenth [month] Of Teveth.
