Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Zechariah 8:17

And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these [are things] that I hate, saith the LORD.

For all these things do I hate – Literally, emphatic, For they are all these things which I hate. This is the sum of what I hate; for they comprise in brief the breaches of the two tables, the love of God and of man.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour: see Zec 7:10.

Love no false oath: see Zec 5:4; you that must not lie to a man, must not swear to a lie before God, Psa 15:4; Eze 17:18,19.

For all these are things that I hate; so that I cannot be reconciled to them; so that I must not, will not let them go unpunished. If your will be blest as I promise, look you do as I prescribe. This is reason enough why you should not do them.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

17. all these . . . I hatethereforeye too ought to hate them. Religion consists in conformity to God’snature, that we should love what God loves and hate what God hates.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour,…. [See comments on Zec 7:10] hatred without a cause was a governing vice under the second temple, and Jarchi says was the cause of the destruction of it; see Joh 15:25:

and love no false oath; whereby the character and property of a fellow creature are hurt; nor any vain one, which the Jews were addicted to, Mt 5:34:

for all these [are things] that I hate, saith the Lord; as being contrary to his nature, and to his law; and is a reason why they should be hated and avoided by men.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

He afterwards adds, And think not evil every one against his friend. Here the Prophet not only condemns open wrongs, but also the hidden purposes of evil. We hence learn, that the law was not only given to restrain men as it were by a bridle, and that it not only contains a rule of life as to outward duties, but that it also rules their hearts before God and angels. The law is indeed really spiritual; and extremely gross and foolish are they who think that they satisfy the law of Moses, when they abstain from murder and theft and other evil deeds; for we see that the Prophets everywhere required a right feeling in the hearts as Zechariah does in this place, who reminds the Jews, that they were not to devise evil against their friends, no, not in their hearts. He might have omitted the last words; but he meant to condemn those frauds which were wont to be covered by many and various disguises. Though then men may not bring forth their wickedness, yet Zechariah shows that God will punish it; for whatever dwells within, however concealed it may be from the eyes of men, however hidden it may be in the depth of the heart, it must yet come to an account before God.

He adds another kind of evil, even perjury, And love not the oath of falsehood. He might have said, swear not to the injury of thy neighbor; but there is to be observed here a contrast between the perverted love of men and the hatred of God. As then God hates a false oath as all other frauds and falsehoods, so he forbids us to desire it: for if we wish to please God, we must see what he requires from us, inasmuch as we designedly provoke his wrath when we desire or covet what he declares that he hates. In a word, Zechariah shows that God would be propitious and kind to the Jews, provided they truly and from the heart repented, and attended to what was right and just — not only to build the temple, to offer sacrifices, and to observe other rites, but also to form their life according to what integrity required; to labor not only by external acts to discharge their duties towards their neighbors; but also to cleanse their hearts from all hatred, all cruelty, and all depraved affections. It now follows —

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

Zec 8:17. And let none of you imagine evil And let none of you devise in your heart the hurt of his neighbour, &c. It is worthy of observation, that the prophet here not only condemns evil actions, but evil intentions; devise not evil in your hearts.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Zec 8:17 And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these [are things] that I hate, saith the LORD.

Ver. 17. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts ] See Trapp on “ Zec 7:10 “ Take notice here, that as conversing with evil imaginations and inward lusts proves one to be carnal, Eph 2:3 , so the law is spiritual, Rom 7:14 , and takes hold of the root of bitterness, Deu 29:18 , lie it never so low and close covered. There is something in it, that men are here forbidden to imagine evil (in their hearts). This particle, in their hearts, may seem superfluous; but it holds forth, that for the most secret sins that lie couched in the bottom of the heart, in the hidden man of the heart, and never show themselves to the world, men shall be accountable: see Heb 4:12 Ecc 12:14 Jer 6:19 Rev 2:23 . The very want of good thoughts is a sin against that first and great commandment, Mar 12:30 , and concupiscence, even before it come to consent, is a sin against the last commandment, Rom 7:7 . But evil thoughts allowed and wallowed in is a fiat breach of every commandment; so vain is their plea that say, Thought is free, and do thereupon lay the reins on the neck, and run riot in vain and vile imaginations. O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, if thou meanest to be saved, Jer 4:14 . How many, alas, have we that profess large hopes of heaven, whose hearts are no better than dens of darkness, dungeons of filthiness, cages of unclean birds, brothel houses, slaughter houses, pesthouses of malicious motions, devilish deceits, atheistical, proud, covetous, malicious, and fraudulent projects, which they are continually hammering, and wherewith their wretched hearts are day and night haunted and pestered! Contrariwise, a godly man is said to have right thoughts, Pro 12:5 , holy imaginations, Pro 12:20 , and that his desires are only good, Pro 11:23 ; or, if worse crowd in (as they will), he rids them out again, and will not let them lodge there, Jer 4:14 , he boils out that filthy scum, Eze 24:6 , and purifieth himself of all pollutions of flesh and spirit, 2Co 7:1 ; he both hateth them, Psa 119:113 , and forsaketh them, Isa 55:7 .

And love no false oath ] As not only he that maketh a lie is shut out of heaven, but he that loves it (though made by another), takes it up and divulgeth it, Rev 22:15 . So not only he that taketh a false oath, but he that persuadeth another to it, or that abhorreth it not in whomsoever (for here is a meiosis, less is spoken, and more understood), is the object of God’s just hatred.

For all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord ] And as the next effect of hatred is revenge, he will not fail to punish such sinners against their own souls.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

evil. Hebrew. ra a ‘. App-44

love no false oath. Reference to Pentateuch (Lev 6:3; Lev 19:12). all these are things that I hate. Some codices, with Septuagint and Syriac, read “all these things do I hate”.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

let: Zec 7:10, Pro 3:29, Pro 6:14, Jer 4:14, Mic 2:1-3, Mat 5:28, Mat 12:35, Mat 15:19

love: Zec 5:3, Zec 5:4, Jer 4:2, Mal 3:5

things: Psa 5:5, Psa 5:6, Psa 10:3, Pro 6:16-19, Pro 8:13, Jer 44:4, Hab 1:13

Reciprocal: Lev 19:11 – shall not Deu 16:22 – which Psa 15:2 – speaketh Pro 6:18 – heart Isa 55:7 – his thoughts Isa 61:8 – I the Lord Zec 7:9 – saying Mat 7:12 – for Mat 26:72 – with 1Ti 1:10 – perjured Heb 1:9 – hated

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Zec 8:17, False oaths were forbidden in Old Testament times even, while all oat.hs of every kind are prohibited in the New (Mat 5:33-37; Jas 5:12).

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary