Zechariah 1:6
1:6 But have my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, not outlived your fathers? 1 Then they paid attention 2 and confessed, ‘The Lord who rules over all has indeed done what he said he would do to us, because of our sinful ways.’”
Zechariah 2:11
2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, 3 and they will also be my 4 people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.
Zechariah 3:7
3:7 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘If you live 5 and work according to my requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple 6 and attend to my courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are standing by you.
Zechariah 3:9
3:9 As for the stone 7 I have set before Joshua – on the one stone there are seven eyes. 8 I am about to engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘to the effect that I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 9
Zechariah 5:4
5:4 “I will send it out,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and it will enter the house of the thief and of the person who swears falsely in my name. It will land in the middle of his house and destroy both timber and stones.”
Zechariah 6:15
6:15 Then those who are far away 10 will come and build the temple of the Lord so that you may know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you. This will all come to pass if you completely obey the voice of the Lord your God.”’”
Zechariah 8:23
8:23 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of – indeed, grab – the robe of one Jew and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” 11
Zechariah 13:2
13:2 And also on that day,” says the Lord who rules over all, “I will remove 12 the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
1 tc BHS suggests אֶתְכֶם (’etkhem, “you”) for the MT אֲבֹתֵיכֶם (’avotekhem, “your fathers”) to harmonize with v. 4. In v. 4 the ancestors would not turn but in v. 6 they appear to have done so. The subject in v. 6, however, is to be construed as Zechariah’s own listeners.
2 tn Heb “they turned” (so ASV). Many English versions have “they repented” here; cf. CEV “they turned back to me.”
3 tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
4 tc The LXX and Syriac have the 3rd person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the Lord’s speaking of himself in the third person. Such resort is unnecessary, however, in light of the common shifting of person in Hebrew narrative (cf. 3:2).
5 tn Heb “walk,” a frequent biblical metaphor for lifestyle or conduct; TEV “If you [+ truly CEV] obey.” To “walk” in the ways of the Lord is to live life as he intends (cf. Deut 8:6; 10:12-22; 28:9).
6 sn The statement you will be able to preside over my temple (Heb “house,” a reference to the Jerusalem temple) is a hint of the increasingly important role the high priest played in the postexilic Jewish community, especially in the absence of a monarchy. It also suggests the messianic character of the eschatological priesthood in which the priest would have royal prerogatives.
7 sn The stone is also a metaphor for the Messiah, a foundation stone that, at first rejected (Ps 118:22-23; Isa 8:13-15), will become the chief cornerstone of the church (Eph 2:19-22).
8 tn Some understand the Hebrew term עַיִן (’ayin) here to refer to facets (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “faces” (NCV, CEV “seven sides”) of the stone rather than some representation of organs of sight.
sn The seven eyes are symbolic of divine omniscience and universal dominion (cf. Zech 1:10; 4:10; 2 Chr 16:9).
9 sn Inscriptions were common on ancient Near Eastern cornerstones. This inscription speaks of the redemption achieved by the divine resident of the temple, the Messiah, who will in the day of the Lord bring salvation to all Israel (cf. Isa 66:7-9).
10 sn Those who are far away is probably a reference to later groups of returning exiles under Ezra, Nehemiah, and others.
11 sn This scene of universal and overwhelming attraction of the nations to Israel’s God finds initial fulfillment in the establishment of the church (Acts 2:5-11) but ultimate completion in the messianic age (Isa 45:14, 24; 60:14; Zech 14:16-21).
12 tn Heb “cut off” (so NRSV); NAB “destroy”; NIV “banish.”