Zechariah 8 · Verse 23

Zechariah 8:23

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Zechariah 8:23, King James Version

Zechariah 8:23 in other translations

BSBThis is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
WEBThe LORD of Armies says: “In those days, ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
ASVThus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.
YLTThus said Jehovah of Hosts: In those days take hold do ten men of all languages of the nations, Yea, they have taken hold on the skirt of a man, a Jew, saying: We go with you, for we heard God is with you!
DARBYThus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days shall ten men take hold, out of all languages of the nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard thatGod is with you.
BBEThis is what the Lord of armies has said: In those days, ten men from all the languages of the nations will put out their hands and take a grip of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for it has come to our ears that God is with you.
WebsterThus saith the LORD of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men out of all languages of the nations, shall take hold, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

What does Zechariah 8:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. ten--a definite number for an indefinite. So in Le 22:26; Nu 14:22. of all languages of the nations--that is, of nations of all languages (compare Is 66:18; Re 7:9). take hold of the skirt--a gesture of suppliant entreaty as to a superior. Compare Is 3:6; 4:1, on a different occasion. The Gentiles shall eagerly seek to share the religious privileges of the Jew. The skirt with a fringe and blue ribbon upon it (Nu 15:38; De 22:12) was a distinguishing badge of a Jew. God is with you--the effect produced on unbelievers in entering the assemblies of the Church (1Co 14:25). But primarily, that produced on the nations in witnessing the deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus. Finally, that to be produced on the nations by the future grand interposition of Messiah in behalf of His people.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 Ten men - shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew - The converts from among the Gentiles shall be to the Jews as ten to one. But ten may here signify a great number, without comparison. And from this scripture it appears as if the Jews, converted to God, should be the instruments of converting many Gentiles. See on Isa 3:6 (note). Catching hold of the skirt is a gesture naturally used to entreat assistance and protection. This and the three foregoing verses, says Abp. Newcome, refer to the great accession of converts which the Jewish Church received between the captivity and the coming of Christ; to the number of Christian disciples which the Jewish preachers made, and to the future conversions of which the restoration of the Jews will be an eminent cause.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Zechariah 8:18-23

When God comes towards us in ways of mercy, we must meet him with joy and thankfulness. Therefore be faithful and honest in all your dealings; and let it be a pleasure to you to be so, though thereby you come short of the gains others get dishonestly; and, as much as in you lies, live peaceably with all men. Let the truths of God rule in your heads, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Thus the ancient…

Read the full comment on Zechariah 8:18-23 →

Zechariah 8:23 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.

כֹּ֥הkohthusH3541
אָמַר֮'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֣הYah.wehYahwehH3068
צְבָאוֹת֒tze.va.'Otof hostsH6635
בַּיָּמִ֣יםbai.ya.Mimin the daysH3117
הָהֵ֔מָּהha.He.mah<the> thoseH1992
אֲשֶׁ֤ר'a.SherthatH834
יַחֲזִ֙יקוּ֙ya.cha.Zi.kuthey will take holdH2388
עֲשָׂרָ֣ה'a.sa.RahtenH6235
אֲנָשִׁ֔ים'a.na.ShimpeopleH582
מִכֹּ֖לmi.Kolfrom allH3605
לְשֹׁנ֣וֹתle.sho.Not[the] tongues ofH3956
הַגּוֹיִ֑םha.go.Yimthe nationsH1471
וְֽהֶחֱזִ֡יקוּve.he.che.Zi.kuand they will take holdH2388
בִּכְנַף֩bikh.Nafon [the] skirt ofH3671
אִ֨ישׁ'isha personH376
יְהוּדִ֜יye.hu.DiJewishH3064
לֵאמֹ֗רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
נֵֽלְכָה֙ne.le.Khahwe want to goH1980
עִמָּכֶ֔ם'i.ma.Khemwith youH5973
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
שָׁמַ֖עְנוּsha.Ma'.nuwe have heardH8085
אֱלֹהִ֥ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
עִמָּכֶֽם\׃\ \ס'i.ma.Khem[is] with youH5973

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

Cross references for Zechariah 8:23

  • Isaiah 55:5

    Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

  • 1 Corinthians 14:25

    And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

  • Isaiah 60:3

    And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

  • Isaiah 45:14

    Thus saith the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.

  • Ruth 1:16-17

    And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

  • Joshua 2:9-13

    And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: …

  • Acts 13:47-48

    For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

  • 1 Kings 8:42-43

    (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name.

  • Acts 19:12

    So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

  • Isaiah 66:18

    For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

  • Genesis 31:7

    And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.

  • Revelation 7:9-10

    After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
ten men.
Ge 31:7,41; Nu 14:22; Job 19:3; Ec 11:2; Mic 5:5; Mt 18:21,22
out.
Isa 66:18; Re 7:9,10; 14:6,7
take.
1Sa 15:27,28; Isa 3:6; 4:1; Lu 8:44; Ac 19:12
We will.
Nu 10:29-32; Ru 1:16,17; 2Sa 15:19-22; 2Ki 2:6; 1Ch 12:18; Isa 55:5
Isa 60:3; Ac 13:47,48
we have.
Nu 14:14-16; De 4:6,7; Jos 2:9-13; 1Ki 8:42,43; 1Co 14:25

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

Context

  • Zechariah 8:22

    Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.

  • Zechariah 8:23

    Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Read all of Zechariah 8

Zechariah 8:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Así ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: En aquellos días acontecerá que diez hombres de todas las lenguas de las gentes, trabarán de la falda de un Judío, diciendo: Iremos con vosotros, porque hemos oído que Dios está con vosotros.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Ainsi dit l’ Éternel des armées: En ces jours-là, dix hommes de toutes les langues des nations saisiront, oui, saisiront le pan de la robe d’un homme juif, disant: Nous irons avec vous, car nous avons entendu dire que Dieu est avec vous.
German
Elberfelder 1871
So spricht Jehova der Heerscharen: In jenen Tagen, da werden zehn Männer aus allerlei Sprachen der Nationen ergreifen, ja, ergreifen werden sie den Rockzipfel eines jüdischen Mannes und sagen: Wir wollen mit euch gehen, denn wir haben gehört, daß Gott mit euch ist.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum: In diebus illis, in quibus apprehendent decem homines ex omnibus linguis gentium, et apprehendent fimbriam viri Judæi, dicentes: Ibimus vobiscum: audivimus enim quoniam Deus vobiscum est.