1 Againe the word of the Lord of hostes came to me, saying;
2 Thus sayeth the Lord of hostes, I was iealous for Zion, with great iealousie; and I was iealous for her with great furie.
3 Thus saith the Lord, I am returned vnto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Ierusalem, and Ierusalem shall be called a Citie of trueth, and the Mountaine of the Lord of hostes, the holy Mountaine.
4 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; There shall yet old men, and old women, dwell in the streets of Ierusalem, and euery man with his staffe in his hand for very age.
5 And the streets of the citie shall be full of boyes and girles playing in the streets thereof.
6 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, If it bee marueilous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these dayes, should it also bee marueilous in my eyes, saith the Lord of hostes?
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Beholde, I will saue my people from the East countrey, and from the West countrey.
8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Ierusalem, and they shalbe my people, and I will bee their God, in Trueth and in Righteousnesse.
9 ¶ Thus saith the Lord of hostes, Let your handes be strong, ye that heare in these dayes, these wordes by the mouth of the Prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laied, that the Temple might be built.
10 For before these daies there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast, neither was there any peace to him that went out, or came in, because of the affliction: for I set all men, euery one against his neighbour.
11 But now I will not bee vnto the residue of this people, as in the former daies, saith the Lord of hostes.
12 For the seed shalbe prosperous: the Uine shall giue her fruit, and the ground shall giue her increase, and the heauens shall giue their dew, and I will cause the remnant of this people to possesse all these things.
13 And it shall come to passe, that as yee were a curse among the heathen, O house of Iudah, and house of Israel; so will I saue you, and ye shalbe a blessing: feare not, but let your handes bee strong.
14 For thus saith the Lord of hostes, As I thought to punish you, when your fathers prouoked mee to wrath, saith the Lord of hostes, and I repented not:
15 So againe haue I thought in these dayes to doe well vnto Ierusalem, and to the house of Iudah: feare ye not.
16 ¶ These are the things that yee shall doe; Speake yee euery man the truth to his neighbor: execute the iudgment of trueth and peace in your gates.
17 And let none of you imagine euill in your hearts against his neighbour, and loue no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.
18 ¶ And the word of the Lord of hostes came vnto me, saying,
19 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth moneth, and the fast of the fift, and the fast of the seuenth, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Iudah ioy and gladnesse, and cheerefull feasts: therefore loue the trueth and peace.
20 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, It shall yet come to passe, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities.
21 And the inhabitants of one citie shall goe to another, saying, Let vs goe speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seeke the Lord of hostes: I will goe also.
22 Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seeke the Lord of hostes in Ierusalem, and to pray before the Lord.
23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, In those daies it shall come to passe, that ten men shall take holde out of all languages of the nations, euen shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Iew, saying, Wee will goe with you: for we haue heard that God is with you.
The restoration of Jerusalem. (1-8) The people encouraged by promises of God's favour, and exhorted to holiness. (9-17) The Jews in the latter days. (18-23)1-8 The sins of Zion were her worst enemies. God will take away her sins, and then no other enemies shall hurt her. Those who profess religion must adorn their profession by godliness and honesty. When become a city of truth and a mountain of holiness, Jerusalem is peaceable and prosperous. Verses #4,5|, beautifully describe a state of great outward peace, attended with plenty, temperance, and contentment. The scattered Israelites shall be brought together from all parts. God will never leave nor forsake them in a way of mercy, for this he has promised them; and they shall never leave nor forsake him in a way of duty, as they have promised him. These promises were partly fulfilled in the Jewish church, betwixt the captivity and the time of Christ's coming; and they had fuller accomplishment in the gospel church; but the full import must be as to the future times of the Christian church, or the future restoration of the Jews. With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible; so far are God's thoughts and ways above ours. In the present low state of vital godliness, we can hardly conceive that so complete a change can be made; but a change thus extensive and glorious, can be brought to pass by the almighty power of the new-creating Spirit, in less time than he was pleased to employ in creating the world. Let the hands of all who labour in the cause of the gospel be strong, serving the Lord in true holiness, assured that their labour shall not be in vain.
9-17 Those only who lay their hands to the plough of duty, shall have them strengthened with the promises of mercy: those who avoid their fathers' faults have the curse turned into a blessing. Those who believed the promises, were to show their faith by their works, and to wait the fulfilment. When God is displeased, he can cause trade to decay, and set every man against his neighbour; but when he returns in mercy, all is happy and prosperous. Surely believers in Christ must not trifle with the exhortation to put away lying, and to speak every man peace with his neighbour, to hate what the Lord hates, and to love that wherein he delights.
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 servants of God drew the notice of heathen neighbours, whose prejudices were softened. A great increase to the church shall be made. Hitherto the Jews had been prone to learn the idolatries of other nations: what more unlikely than that they should teach religion to their conquerors, and to all the principal nations of the earth! Yet this is expressly foretold, and it came to pass. Hitherto the prophecy has been wonderfully fulfilled, and no doubt future events will explain it further. It is good to be with those who have God with them; if we take God for our God, we must take his people for our people, and be willing to take our lot with them. But let not any one think that mere zeal, either for Jews or Gentiles, will stand in the place of personal religion. Let us be living epistles of Christ, known and read of all men, so that others may wish to go with us, and to have their portion with us in the realms of bliss.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.