Zechariah 1:17

"“Proclaim further, saying, ‘The LORD of Armies says: “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem.”’”"

Key Reflection

In Zechariah 1:17, the Lord of Armies reassures his people through a message proclaiming that Jerusalem and its surrounding cities will once again experience prosperity and comfort. This promise comes at a time when the people were likely reeling from the destruction and exile under Babylonian rule, with the city in ruins and many displaced. The return to these conditions would have been seen as a divine restoration and reaffirmation of God’s covenantal commitment to his chosen people, offering hope for their future redemption and renewal.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Cry yet -A further promise; not only should Jerusalem be rebuilt, but should as we say, overflow with good ; and God, who had seemed to cast off His people, should yet comfort her, and should show in act that He had chosen her. “love.” In all the cases, which Gesenius cites as meaning “love”Genesis 6:2;1 Samuel 20:30;2 Samuel 15:15;Proverbs 1:29;Proverbs 3:31;Isaiah 1:29, the sense would be injured by rendering, “loved”) Zechariah thrice repeats the promise, given through IsaiahIsaiah 14:1to Jerusalem, before her wasting by the Chaldaeans, reminding the people thereby, that the restoration, in the dawn whereof they lived, had been promised two centuries before. Yet, against all appearances.

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