2:6 “You there! 1 Flee from the northland!” says the Lord, “for like the four winds of heaven 2 I have scattered you,” says the Lord. 2:7 “Escape, Zion, you who live among the Babylonians!” 3 2:8 For the Lord who rules over all says to me that for his own glory 4 he has sent me to the nations that plundered you – for anyone who touches you touches the pupil 5 of his 6 eye. 2:9 “I am about to punish them 7 in such a way,” he says, “that they will be looted by their own slaves.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me.
2:10 “Sing out and be happy, Zion my daughter! 8 For look, I have come; I will settle in your midst,” says the Lord. 2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, 9 and they will also be my 10 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.
1 sn These are the scattered Jews of eschatological times (as the expression four winds of heaven makes clear) and not those of Zechariah’s time who have, for the most part, already returned by 520
2 tn Or “of the sky.” The same Hebrew term, שָׁמַיִם (shamayim), may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
3 tn Heb “live in [or “with” (cf. NASB), i.e., “among”] the daughter of Babylon” (so NIV; NAB “dwell in daughter Babylon”).
4 tn Heb “After glory has he sent me” (similar KJV, NASB). What is clearly in view is the role of Zechariah who, by faithful proclamation of the message, will glorify the
5 tn Heb “gate” (בָּבָה, bavah) of the eye, that is, pupil. The rendering of this term by KJV as “apple” has created a well-known idiom in the English language, “the apple of his eye” (so ASV, NIV). The pupil is one of the most vulnerable and valuable parts of the body, so for Judah to be considered the “pupil” of the
6 tc A scribal emendation (tiqqun sopherim) has apparently altered an original “my eye” to “his eye” in order to allow the prophet to be the speaker throughout vv. 8-9. This alleviates the problem of the
7 tn Heb “I will wave my hand over them” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “raise my hand against them.”
8 sn This individualizing of Zion as a daughter draws attention to the corporate nature of the covenant community and also to the tenderness with which the
9 tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
10 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