Zechariah 2 · Verse 8

Zechariah 2:8

For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
Zechariah 2:8, King James Version

Zechariah 2:8 in other translations

BSBFor 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—
WEBFor the LORD of Armies says: ‘For honor he has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.
ASVFor thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After glory hath he sent me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
YLTFor thus said Jehovah of Hosts: After honour He hath sent me unto the nations who are spoiling you, For he who is coming against you, Is coming against the daughter of His eye.
DARBYFor thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After the glory, hath he sent me unto the nations that made you a spoil; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
BBEFor this is what the Lord of armies has said: In the way of glory he has sent me to the nations which have taken your goods: for anyone touching you is touching what is most dear to him.
WebsterFor thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me to the nations which wasted you: for he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye.

What does Zechariah 2:8 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 After the glory - After your glorious deliverance from the different places of your dispersion; He hath sent me unto the nations which spoiled you, that they may fall under grievous calamities, and be punished in their turn. On Babylon a great calamity fell, when besieged and taken by the Persians. The following note I received from a sensible and pious correspondent: - Zac 2:5. "For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Zac 2:8. "For thus saith the Lord of hosts, who hath sent me, the future glory (or the glory which is to come) unto the nations which spoiled you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. Behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants; and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. "If in the eighth verse אחר כבוד may be rendered the future, or the glory that is to come, it will harmonize with the context as a prophecy of the Messiah, whereas in our English translation the words after the glory are unintelligible. And so the Seventy. "It is evident the person speaking is distinguished from the Lord of hosts, as being sent by him; yet this person sent is also called Jehovah; and the nations who shall be joined to Jehovah in that day are called his people; and he (the person sent) will dwell in the midst of thee, (i.e., Zion), and shall inherit Judah his portion, etc. "In confirmation of my view of the eighth verse, I think Exodus 33 may be compared with it. Moses besought God that he would show him his glory; upon which it was said to him, "Whilst my glory passeth by,' I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand whilst I pass by; and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my אחר achar. Now as this was a fulfillment of Moses's request, who entreated to behold the glory, it follows that this אחר was the Divine glory, which alone he was capable of seeing. "'No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, (the Lord Jesus Christ), which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.'" - M. A. B. Toucheth the apple of his eye - בבבת עינו bebabath eyno, the babet of his eye. This is a remarkable expression. Any person, by looking into the eye of another, will see his own image perfectly expressed, though in extreme miniature, in the pupil. Does our English word babbet or baby come from this? And does not the expression mean that the eye of God is ever on his follower, and that his person is ever impressed on the eye, the notice, attention, providence, and mercy of God?

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Zechariah 2:6-9

If God will build Jerusalem for the people and their comfort, they must inhabit it for him and his glory. The promises and privileges with which God's people are blessed, should engage us to join them, whatever it costs us. When Zion is enlarged to make room for all God's Israel, it is the greatest madness for any of them to stay in Babylon. The captivity of a sinful state is by no means to be continued in, though a…

Read the full comment on Zechariah 2:6-9 →

Zechariah 2:8 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּ֣יkiforH3588
כֹ֣הkhohthusH3541
אָמַר֮'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehH3068
צְבָאוֹת֒tze.va.'Otof hostsH6635
אַחַ֣ר'a.CharafterH310
כָּב֔וֹדka.VodhonorH3519
שְׁלָחַ֕נִיshe.la.Cha.nihe has sent meH7971
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַגּוֹיִ֖םha.go.Yimthe nationsH1471
הַשֹּׁלְלִ֣יםha.sho.le.Limwho plunderedH7997
אֶתְכֶ֑ם'et.Khem<obj.> youH853
כִּ֚יkiforH3588
הַנֹּגֵ֣עַha.no.Ge.a'the [one who] touchesH5060
בָּכֶ֔םba.Khem<in> you
נֹגֵ֖עַno.Ge.a'[is] touchingH5060
בְּבָבַ֥תbe.va.Vat<in> [the] pupil ofH892
עֵינֽוֹ\׃ei.Noeye hisH5869

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Zechariah 2:8

  • Psalms 17:8

    Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

  • Deuteronomy 32:10

    He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

  • John 15:21-23

    But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

  • John 14:26

    But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:6

    Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

  • Psalms 105:13-15

    When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

  • Matthew 25:40

    And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

  • Joel 3:2-8

    I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: …

  • Jeremiah 50:17-18

    Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

  • 1 John 4:14

    And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

  • Obadiah 1:10-16

    For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; …

  • Ezekiel 26:2

    Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
After.
4,5; 1:15,16; Isa 60:7-14
sent.
9,11; Isa 48:15,16; Mal 3:1; Joh 14:23,24,26; 15:21-23; 17:18
1Jo 4:9,10,14
the nations.
2Ki 24:2; Jer 50:17,18; 51:34,35; Eze 25:6,7,12,15; 26:2; 35:5
Joe 3:2-8; Am 1:3-5,9,11,13; Ob 1:10-16; Mic 4:11; 5:6; 7:10
Hab 2:8,17; Zep 2:8
for.
Ge 20:6; Ps 105:13-15; Ac 9:4; 2Th 1:6
the apple.
De 32:10; Ps 17:8; Mt 25:40,45

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Zechariah 2:7

    Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

  • Zechariah 2:8

    For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

  • Zechariah 2:9

    For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.

Read all of Zechariah 2

Zechariah 2:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque así ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: Después de la gloria me enviará él á las gentes que os despojaron: porque el que os toca, toca á la niña de su ojo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et lui dit: Cours, parle à ce jeune homme, disant: Jérusalem sera habitée comme les villes ouvertes, à cause de la multitude des hommes et du bétail qui seront au milieu d’elle.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Denn so spricht Jehova der Heerscharen: Nach der Herrlichkeit hat er mich zu den Nationen gesandt, die euch geplündert haben; denn wer euch antastet, tastet seinen Augapfel an.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		quia hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: Post gloriam misit me ad gentes quæ spoliaverunt vos: qui enim tetigerit vos, tangit pupillam oculi mei: