Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Zechariah 8:23
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days [it shall come to pass], that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard [that] God [is] with you.
23. ten men ] i.e. a large number. Comp. Gen 31:7; Lev 26:26; Num 14:22; Neh 4:12.
take hold of the skirt ] See Hag 2:12, and comp. Isa 4:1.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ten men of all languages of the nations – Ten is the symbol of a whole, all the numbers before it meeting in it and starting again from it. The day of Pentecost was to be the reversal of the confusion of Babel; all were to have one voice, as God had said, It (the time) shall come to gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see My glory Isa 66:18.
They shall lay hold of the skirt of one man who is a Jew – Jerome: That is, of the Lord and Saviour, of whom it is said, A prince shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until He shall come, for whom it is laid up, and for Him shall the Gentiles wait Gen 49:8-10; for there shall be a rod of Jesse, and He who shall arise to rule over the Gentiles, to Him shall the Gentiles seek Isa 11:10. And when they shall lay hold of Him, they shall desire to tread in His steps, since God is with Him. Or else, whosoever shall believe out of all nations, shall lay hold of a man who is a Jew, the Apostles who are from the Jews, and shall say, Let us go with you; for we have known through the prophets and from the voice of all the Scriptures, that the Son of God, Christ, God and Lord, is with you. Where there is a most manifest prophecy, and the coming of Christ and His Apostles and the faith of all nations is preached, let us seek for nothing more.
Cyril: Christ turning our sorrow into joy and a feast and good days and gladness, and transferring lamentation into cheerfulness, the accession to the faith and union to God by sanctification in those called to salvation shall not henceforth be individually; but the cities shall exhort each other thereto, and all nations shall come in multitudes, the later ever calling out to those before them, I too will go. For it is written, iron sharpeneth iron, so doth a man the countenence of another Pro 27:17. For the zeal of some is ever found to call forth others to fulfill what is good. But what is the aim proposed to the cities, that is, the Gentiles? To entreat and to seek the face of the Lord, that is, Christ, who is the exact image of God the Father, and, as is written, the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person Heb 1:3, of whom also the divine David saith, Shew Thy countenance to Thy servant Psa 119:135.
For the Image and Countenance of God the Father hath shone upon us. Having Him propitious and kind, we lay aside the injury from sin, being justified through faith, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His great mercy Tit 3:5. But how they shall come, he explains. By the ten men you are to understand time perfect number of those who come. For the number ten is the symbol of perfection. But that those of the Gentiles, who cleave to the holy Apostles, took in hand to go the same way with them, being justified by the faith in Christ, he sets evidently before us. For little children, if they would follow their fathers, lay hold of the hem of their dress, and, aided by the touch and hanging from their dress, walk steadily and safely. In like way, they too who worshiped the creature rather than the Creator Rom 1:25, choosing as their true fathers the bringers-in of the Gospel-doctrines, and joining themselves by like-mindedness to them, follow them, being still of childlike minds, and go the same way, ever showing themselves zealous followers of their life, and by continued progress advancing to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Eph 4:13.
But why do they follow them? Being persuaded that God is with them, that is, Emmanuel, God with us. But that this calling belongs not only to those of the blood of Israel but to all nations throughout the world, he indicated by saying, that those who laid hold of that hem should be of all languages. But when were the nations called to the knowledge of the truth, and when did they desire to seek the face of the Lord and to entreat it, and to go the same way, as it were, as the holy Apostles, except when the Only-Begotten came to us, who is the expectations of the nations Gen 49:10; to whom also the divine David singeth, All the naions, whom Thou hast made, shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord? Psa 86:9. For the multitude of the nations also is saved through Him.
The startling condescension of this passage is, that our Lord is spoken of as a man, a Jew. Yet of His human Nature it is not only the simple truth, but essential to the truth. Pilate said to Him in scorn, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto me Joh 18:35. But it was essential to the fulfillment of Gods promises. The Christ was to be the Son of David Mat 1:1; Mat 22:42. Hath not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the linen of Bethlehem, where David was? Joh 7:42. David, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne Act 2:30; Of this mans seed hath God, according to promise, raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus Act 13:23. Whence Paul begins his great doctrinal Epistle with this contrast, the Gospel of God concerning His Son Jesus Christ, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power Rom 1:1-4. He was that one Man among a thousand, whom Solomon says, I found; but a woman among all those have I not found Ecc 7:28; the one in the whole human race. It was fulfilled in the very letter when they brought to Him all that were diseased, and besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole Mat 14:35-36. The whole multitude sought to touch Him, for there went virtue out of Him and healed all (Luk 6:19, add Luk 8:46; Mar 5:30).
Even the Jews saw the reference to the Messiah. : All nations shall come, falling on their faces before the Messiah and the Israelites, saying, Grant, that we may be Thy servants and of Israel. For as relates to the doctrine and the knowledge of the law, the Gentiles shall be their servants, according to that, In those days ten men etc.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Zec 8:23
We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you
A wise and good resolution
The kingdom of God was to be no longer confined to one nation or people; but multitudes in different climates, and the most distant parts of the earth, should submit to Christ as their ruler, and trust Him as their Saviour.
The term Jew in this connection is descriptive of character rather than of person, and is to be understood of any one who is an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile; any humble and sincere believer, who adorns the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. In the days here predicted such characters shall be highly esteemed.
I. The resolution–We will go with you. This language implies–
1. Approbation and affectionate regard. When grace opens the eyes of a sinner, and takes possession of his heart, those persons and things are contemplated with delight, which before were the objects of aversion and scorn.
2. Earnest desire and a holy determination, is permitted, to associate with the people of God. The same disposition of mind which causes us to cleave to the Lord makes us of one heart with His people.
3. It implies an union of interests as well as of affection. True religion teaches us to renounce all other interests and attachments, to forsake our own people and our fathers house, and cast in our lot with the people of God.
4. A holy ambition to learn of the people of God and to imitate their example. Congeniality of sentiment and feeling is the foundation of religious union, and where that union subsists there will be a desire after a nearer assimilation.
5. Fellowship and communion in Gospel worship and discipline are also included. To those who properly consult their own interest and the glory of God, fellowship with the saints will not only be an article of faith, but an object of fervent desire. One of the ancient fathers thought it a greater honour to be the member of a Christian Church than head of the Roman Empire. This will not only contribute to our safety, by providing a defence against apostasy, but also to our comfort and usefulness; for communion with the saints is oftentimes a step towards communion with God.
II. The ground of the resolution. For we have heard that God is with you. We have heard from the Divine Word, wherein this blessing is promised and declared. We have heard it from yourselves. You have acknowledged His protection and the consolation arising from the Divine presence. We have heard it from others, who observed how your faces shone when you came down from the mount. God is naturally and necessarily present with all His creatures; but He is in a gracious and special manner present with His own people. He draws near and manifests Himself unto them as He does not unto the world. They experience the care of His providence, and enjoy the smiles of His Countenance. He walks with them through the wilderness, He communes with them by the way, He puts His everlasting arms underneath them, and they doubt not of their interest in His favour. Then they can glory in tribulation, bid defiance to the powers of darkness, and look death in the face without fear. We may hence learn–
1. That seclusion from all society is neither the Christians duty nor his privilege.
2. As the presence of God with His people is the principal inducement for others to join themselves to their society, how solicitous should they be to improve this sacred privilege, by seeking much communion with God. The ways of Zion would not So often mourn, if Zions God were more frequently in the midst of her. When primitive believers were edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, the Churches were greatly multiplied (Act 9:31).
3. Young converts will learn from hence that it is their duty to unite in Christian society, when the Word and ordinances are faithfully administered. (B. Beddome, M. A.)
Christian attraction
I. The attractors. They are called Jews. Generally a very despised people. Were all the countries to come to learn of them? Yes, to learn of them the knowledge of Him whom to know is life eternal. Jesus Christ, His disciples, the writers of the New Testament, etc., were all Jews. The word Jew is not used here so as to distinguish Israelites from Gentiles, so much as saints from sinners; the Church of God, whose members may be derived from any nation, as they may live in any period.
II. The subjects of this attraction. Ten men, etc. This marks the number and also the variety of the proselytes or converts. It means simply a large and not a definite number. Among the Jews ten was the number of perfection. When they would render a number countless, they did it by attaching the word ten. By the ignorance of some, and the sneers of others, and the bigotry of still more, the people of God are now often improperly diminished. If there be a sense in which they may be considered a few, there is a sense also in which they are many, very many. A time is coming when a nation shall be born in a day. Whatever croakers may think or do, there are better days for the world before us, than the world has ever yet seen. Variety is indicated as well as number. Out of the languages of the nations. The Jewish religion, though of Divine origin, never could, in the nature of things, have become a general or universal religion. There is nothing in Christianity that is local, nothing that is restrictive. It regards man, not so much circumstantially considered, as essentially. It regards man in his grand wants. The Gospel provides for the whole of these wants.
III. The grounds of the attraction. The Divine presence. As to His essential presence God is with all His creatures. Gods presence in the Way of promise or privilege means something distinguishable from the perfection of His nature. God is surely with such persons as He was not once; surely He is with such persons as these, as He is not now with others.
IV. The medium of this attraction. It is the knowledge of their state and privilege. Nothing can affect us unless it be known. Though others may make known their religion, they must principally make it known themselves; and for this purpose they must not only be religious, but they must appear religious. Never be ashamed of your religion. If you have any religion, it will not be easy to conceal it; it will break out some way or other. Repentance will get into the eye, and be seen in tears. Meekness will sit in a mans face, and smile like a fine morning in May. It is not easy to restrain powerful emotion. Practically make known your religion to others: actions speak louder than words. Let your tempers tell; let your humility under applause tell; let your liberality with growing wealth tell; let your patience under affliction tell; let your readiness to forgive injuries tell. Let all these tell whose you are, what you are, whence you are born, and whither you are bound.
V. The effect of the attraction. Knowledge is necessary to influence, but all knowledge is not influential. Uninfluential knowledge is worse than none. The knowledge of these people was effective; it constrained them to lay hold, etc. This is a simple and striking expression. It reminds of the little child pulling at his mothers clothes. Man is a social creature as soon as he comes under the power of religion: the social principle will be sanctified as well as other things; and the man will now be able easily enough (though you could not pull him away before) to give up the scenes of vice and vanity. Conclusion–
1. See what it is that makes people valuable, and which should render them interesting and inviting to us.
2. Think of those who, instead of feeling the Divine presence an attraction, feel it to be a repulsion.
3. If such advantages are derivable from connection with the pious, be you concerned to obtain union with them.
4. Let your religion be not only impressive but attractive. Some professors have so much of the repulsive about them that it is not likely any person will ever take hold of their skirts, saying, We will go with you. Whitfield says, God lives with some that I should not live with, and that I could not live with. (William Jay.)
Our obligations to the Jews
So far from joining in the illiberal scorn, too generally poured by men, called Christians, on the dispersed Jews, I feel for them as I should for a father, who had, indeed, disgraced himself, and whose conduct could not even be palliated; but who, after all, was still a father.
I. Explain and illustrate this wonderful prophecy. The God of the Jews, long unknown, except to that obscure and oppressed people, is now the professed object of worship throughout the mightiest and most distinguished nations in the world! This is a fact which cannot be denied or doubted. Such an extraordinary revolution has taken place; and the prophecy of our text was suited to excite the expectation of it. But in what way, and by what means and instruments was it effected? Unless these also accord with the prediction, the fulfilment must be allowed to be imperfect and dubious. From the text we see that whatever means should be employed by the Jews, compulsion was not one of them; the conduct of the persons concerned was perfectly voluntary and the effect of conviction. Even the persuasion and fascination of oratory, as separated from the conviction of the understanding and conscience, producing the outward profession, would not be an unequivocal completion of the prophecy. The instances of Gentiles converted to Judaism, before the coming of Christ, can by no means be considered as fulfilling this prophecy. But reflect on the events which followed the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of our Divine Redeemer, the Light of the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. Not only did the apostles, and especially the great apostle of the Gentiles, attract the attention of immense multitudes among the heathen, by faithful preaching; by stupendous miracles, as benevolent as powerful; by a holy example; by patient sufferings, not counting their lives dear unto themselves; and by indefatigable labours, without any other recompense from man than additional sufferings; not only did evangelists and subordinate ministers prosper, but Jews, converted to Christianity, though not ministers, though obscure in station and of slender abilities, by an union of universal conscientiousness, cheerfulness in poverty, patience under persecution and in the most distressing circumstances, and meekness, with persevering benevolence, amidst all manner of provocations and injuries, won over multitudes of the idolaters to go with them. At what other time, or in what other way, has this prophecy been actually fulfilled?
II. The accomplishment of the prophecy has laid us under obligations to the Jews which exceed all calculation. We owe even our own selves to the Jews; in addition to the common debt of goodwill, and compassion, and liberal, active love, which we owe to men in general. Shall we then make only feeble and heartless exertions, where the salvation of the Jewish people is concerned?
III. A still more signal fulfilment of the prophecy in the text will most certainly take place, and at no very remote period. In the final event the nation of Israel shall be restored from their dispersions, placed under the government of their promised Messiah, and (as far as I can judge) reinstated in their own land. (Thomas Scott.)
Purpose of God regarding the Jews
Curious inquiry into the future, and confident prediction as to times and seasons, are both to be eschewed. The former is unprofitable; the latter is most presumptuous. But we must not run from one extreme to another. It is as much our duty now to discern this time, as it was the duty in our Lords day to discern that time. We ought to look behind us, before us, and anticipate the next act of the worlds mighty drama. The dispensation of Gentile mercy has now lasted for nearly 2000 years. But it is not designed to be eternal. We have plainly laid down for us in Holy Scripture the signs which shall mark its closing in, when God shall turn Himself to the Jew again. And we are as much bound to look at these signs now as the Jew was in his day. These signs are four in number. Two given by our Lord Himself, and two by the prophet Daniel.
1. This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Mat 24:14). Our Lords second sign is a painful one. Iniquity shall abound (Mat 24:12). Daniels first sign is, Many shall run to and fro. His second is like unto it. Knowledge shall be increased, Let us look around us, behind us, before us; do we see anything like the fulfilment of these predicted signs? He must be blind indeed who does not see the first sign advancing rapidly to its fulfilment, in the Gospel of the kingdom published to all nations. There are now afloat in the world about two hundred million copies, of a translated Bible. This enormous circulation is seconded by corresponding preaching. But the world is not yet converted? No, for Christs sign is not its conversion, but His Gospel preached as a witness. The Christian Church is now gathering the first fruits of the earth. Everyone has the fulfilment before him of Daniels sign, Many shall run to and fro. In this the prophet gives us exactly the characteristic of the present age. Daniels second sign is equally manifest in our time. It is the amazing progress of science which has enabled us to avail ourselves of the powers of nature. With all this running to and fro, and all this advance of knowledge, is the world to go on improving in its spiritual and moral character? Our Lords last sign, iniquity shall abound, affirms the contrary, And His apostle explains in detail the meaning of His Masters words (2Ti 3:1-4). There are too many signs that these perilous times are already upon us. Never in the experience of civilised Christendom has crime been so audacious as now. As the times of the Gentiles seem closing in, the Jew is coming again into prominence. May we then expect that the Jew will come up once more as a nation, to act his part in the worlds great drama? Distinguished expositors tell us that the prophecies respecting the Jews have all been fulfilled in the past, and no prophecy whatever respects the Jews in the future. When were the solemn words of the text fulfilled? Judah returned from Babylon, indeed, but it was to remain in the midst of the nations, a humbled and despised people. But they shall be fulfilled when, in the words of St. Paul, the Jews shall be as life from the dead to the nations of the earth, and a worlds love and gratitude and devotion shall be their spontaneous and most abundant recompense. (William Tait, D. D.)
Uniting with Gods people
The passage seems primarily to refer to the general conversion of Gentile nations. We consider the text as it may apply to those who, having been awakened to a sense of their ruined condition, resolve to consecrate themselves to God and His people.
I. What is implied in God being with His people?
1. Gods essential presence is everywhere.
2. Gods glorious presence is in heaven.
3. His terrible presence is felt in the abodes of the lost.
4. His providential presence is seen in the government and regulation of the world.
5. His presence referred to in the text is His gracious presence.
He is with His Church in the exercise of His love and favour. As their Head, Friend, Prophet, Mediator, and King.
II. The evidences of Gods presence. External splendour, great wealth, a multitude of members, are not evidence.
1. Scriptural doctrine is an evidence.
2. So is purity of ordinances.
3. So is brotherly love.
4. When Divine changes are produced in the power of the Gospel.
5. When the reproach of the Cross is endured.
III. The influence the presence of God in the Church shall produce on those who are without. We will go with you, etc. This resolution implies–
1. Dissatisfaction with their present condition.
2. Earnest desire to be united with Gods people. (J. Burns.)
The supernatural in religion
By supernatural is meant that which is above nature, above and beyond what natural causes, coupled with human agency, might produce. The reason why effort is made to take the supernatural out of religion is that already God is taken out of the universe. Having already taken an intelligent, reasoning, personal God out of the universe, as a matter of course everything supernatural must come out of the Bible, and out of the character of the Lord Jesus Christ; and there is nothing anywhere above nature, and above the power of human agency. This is the philosophy–this is the religion that modern rationalism proposes to give to mankind. But in taking all that is supernatural out of religion, it takes away religion itself. The supernatural may be predicated of religion in two distinct senses.
1. Historical. Every system of religion that has claimed the assent of the human mind, and the acceptance of the human heart, has claimed a supernatural origin. This claim arises out of a law of mind. The effect must be in harmony with the cause. The supernatural of the Christian religion is evinced in the two great branches of evidence–miracles and prophecy.
2. Another depart in religion is more important. Its intrinsic character as it now is. All that is supernatural in religion, whether it be considered historically or intrinsically, arises out of the being or presence of God in it, or with it. If there is a God He may surely do that which is above nature itself; for if He created all things, that act of creation was something above nature. God is the author of nature, the author of its laws, and of its being. The great underlying cause of the supernatural, historically and intrinsically in religion, is, God present with His people. The idea of the Divine coming down to mankind and communing with men runs through every form of religion. If there be a God, He is somewhere, in some relationship; He is with or without the power of fellowship. If He be without it, He is below the lowest living creatures He has made. If He be with it, He is above all. He can speak to an archangel; He can speak to my heart. There is only one possible reason why God should withdraw Himself from men, and that reason is sin. Gods presence among His people will be manifested, will assert itself.
There are several ways in which the presence of God among His people indicates itself.
1. In the superior knowledge of God that prevails among His people. How come we to have a more accurate knowledge of God than the pagan nations?
2. There is an indication of Gods presence among His people in their superior, intellectual, moral, and religious condition. Compare Christian and pagan nations in this regard.
3. There is a manifestation of Gods presence with His people in the direct impression that is made upon the consciousness of men. In the olden time, God revealed Himself under visible forms. God has been educating the race away from its dependence on the senses. Our Lord Jesus Christ formed a point of transition. Now, there is a manifestation of God to the human consciousness, so that when God comes into my soul I can recognise Him, and know that it is God who is coming in.
4. Gods presence among His people is manifested in the works of power accomplished. No man can do these miracles which Thou doest, except God be with Him.
5. God manifests His presence and power in the singular experience that He gives to human souls. Take as a practical lesson from this subject, that our greatest need is God, God in Jesus Christ, God by the Holy Ghost dwelling within us, shining out of the eye and out of the life, and God living in us, so that we form part of the Divine life, so that it shall shine out of us. O for the presence of God to be more and more distinctly apprehended among His people. (Dr. Kynett.)
Admission of the Gentiles
The form of this prophecy is highly dramatic. The scope of it is to predict the introduction of the Gentiles into the theocracy, and the consequent enlargement of the Church. This is described by a bold and beautiful personification. To seize the hem of the garment is a gesture of earnestness, importunity, and perseverance, which is emphatic were it done by only a single person, but when done by ten persons, it becomes significant of an intensity of anxiety, and a depth of conviction, of the very highest grade. When this prediction was uttered nothing seemed more hopelessly improbable than its fulfilment. The Jews were a poor, despised, obscure tribe in the heart of Syria, whose existence was only known to the mighty world by their furnishing a trophy to the victorious arms of Babylon. Greece was just rising in the firmament of human history, and as she ascended to her brilliant zenith, her track was marked by the sweeping of the phalanxes of Alexander, and the legions of Antiochus, over the hills and valleys of Judea. And yet this prophecy remained unfulfilled. At length the time arrived, and there came to Jerusalem men out of every nation under heaven; see Act 2:1-47. Learn, that all true piety is instinct with the missionary spirit, desire for the salvation of others. (T. V. Moore, D. D.)
.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 23. Ten men – shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew] The converts from among the Gentiles shall be to the Jews as ten to one. But ten may here signify a great number, without comparison. And from this scripture it appears as if the Jews, converted to God, should be the instruments of converting many Gentiles. See on Isa 3:6. Catching hold of the skirt is a gesture naturally used to entreat assistance and protection. This and the three foregoing verses, says Abp. Newcome, refer to the great accession of converts which the Jewish Church received between the captivity and the coming of Christ; to the number of Christian disciples which the Jewish preachers made, and to the future conversions of which the restoration of the Jews will be an eminent cause.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord seems delighted with the reporting what should be done in those days of the building up his Jerusalem, and therefore he bids his prophet report it again, as he doth in this last verse of the chapter.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts: once more the Lord avows this as his design, so his work as his purpose, so he would effect it.
In those days it shall come to pass; in the days which shall be the shadow of better, that shall be brought to pass which shall be proportioned to them: thus in the deliverance of the church from Hamans conspiracy, many in the provinces of that mighty kingdom became Jews; but in the gospel days it shall be more full.
Ten men, that is, many men,
shall take hold; as children lay hold on the nurses or mothers skirt to go with them.
Out of all languages; no nation any longer excluded.
Of him that is a Jew; to whom the gospel was first preached, nay, who were the first preachers of it, as the apostles, and the seventy disciples.
We will go with you; we will go, that we may learn your religion, and be of it.
For we have heard, and now see, believe, and are assured,
that God, the true God, the only true God, whom to know is life eternal,
is with you. Our gods are vanity, a doctrine of lies, and a pernicious cheat; we will cast them off. and no more trust to lies: God is with you only, and we must be with you, and of you, that God the Saviour may be with us too: having hold on you, we will not let you go without us; we seek your God and our God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. tena definite number foran indefinite. So in Lev 22:26;Num 14:22.
of all languages of thenationsthat is, of nations of all languages (compare Isa 66:18;Rev 7:9).
take hold of the skirtagesture of suppliant entreaty as to a superior. Compare Isa 3:6;Isa 4:1, on a different occasion.The Gentiles shall eagerly seek to share the religious privileges ofthe Jew. The skirt with a fringe and blue ribbon upon it (Num 15:38;Deu 22:12) was a distinguishingbadge of a Jew.
God is with youtheeffect produced on unbelievers in entering the assemblies of theChurch (1Co 14:25). Butprimarily, that produced on the nations in witnessing the deliveranceof the Jews by Cyrus. Finally, that to be produced on the nations bythe future grand interposition of Messiah in behalf of His people.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,…. For the further confirmation and illustration of this prophecy:
in those days [it shall come to pass]; this shall be done in the times of the preaching of the Gospel by Christ and his apostles:
that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take bold of the skirt of him that is a Jew: which may be understood either of our Lord Jesus Christ; who was a Jew by nation, the Jews were his own people, and Judea his nation; by descent, he springing from the tribe of Judah, and the family of David; by religion, being made under the Jewish law; by his habit and dress, by which, as well as by his language, the woman of Samaria knew he was a Jew, Joh 4:9 and very probably he wore the fringe the Jews did on the border of his garment, Mt 9:20 and which the Jewish doctors think is here meant t by the skirt; but this may intend, in a spiritual sense, the skirt being put for the whole garment,
Eze 16:8, the robe of Christ’s righteousness, which sensible sinners take hold of by faith, and put it on as their justifying righteousness: and “ten men” out of “all nations” being said to do it, and this number signifying many, Le 26:26 may denote that the number of them that believe in Christ for righteousness, and are justified by it, are many, Isa 53:11 though they are but few when compared with others; and that as God has chosen, Christ has redeemed, so the Spirit calls some out of all nations; and God is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews, since the one are justified by him as well as the other, Ro 3:29 or this may be understood of any of the apostles of Christ, who were all Jews; and especially the Apostle Paul, who was the apostle of the Gentiles; who were sent into all the world to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, by which means they came to hear it; and many of them out of every nation laid hold on the skirts of these men; believed and embraced the doctrines they preached; were greatly affected towards them; gave up themselves to them; consorted with them; accompanied them, and cleaved unto them; did not care to part with them, as children, that lay hold on their parents’ skirts, will not leave them, but go with them where they go, as follows:
saying, We will go with you; either with Christ, resolving to follow him whithersoever he goes; to hold to him the Head; to abide by his truths and ordinances; to walk on in his ways, whatever they suffer for his name’s sake: or with his ministers and people, determining to go along and join with them in all religious exercises; see Ru 1:16:
for we have heard [that] God is with you: with Christ, as he always was; in the council and covenant of grace before time, and at the beginning of time to his incarnation; and during his state of humiliation, and in his sufferings and death; and now in his state of exaltation; hence his name “Ithiel”, God with me, Pr 30:1 or with his ministers and people, which he has promised to be unto the end of the world; and this the Gentiles heard and understood, by the power that went along with their ministry, to the conversion of multitudes of sinners; and by the miracles which they wrought, for the confirmation of the doctrines they delivered.
t T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 32. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days ten men out of all languages of the nations take hold; they will take hold of the skirt of a Jewish man, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard God is with you.” Not only will the heathen then flow to Jerusalem to seek the God of Israel, but they will crowd together to Israel and Judah to be received into fellowship with them as a nation. Ten men from the heathen nations to one Jewish man: so great will be the pressure of the heathen. Ten is used as an indefinite number, denoting a great and complete multitude, as in Gen 31:7; Lev 26:26; Num 14:22, and 1Sa 1:8. For the figure, compare Isa 4:1. is a resumption of in the form of an apodosis. The unusual combination , “all the tongues of the nations,” is formed after Isa 66:18 ( , “all nations and tongues,” i.e., nations of all languages), and on the basis of Gen 10:20 and Gen 10:31. For , compare Rth 1:16; and for , 2Ch 15:9.
The promise, that the Lord would change the fast-days in the future into days of rejoicing and cheerful feasts, if Israel only loved truth and peace (Zec 8:20), when taken in connection with what is said in Zec 7:5-6 concerning fasting, left the decision of the question, whether the fast-days were to be given up or to be still observed, in the hands of the people. We have no historical information as to the course adopted by the inhabitants of Judah in consequence of the divine answer. All that we know is, that even to the present day the Jews observe the four disastrous days as days of national mourning. The talmudic tradition in Rosh-hashana (f. 18, a, b), that the four fast-days were abolished in consequence of the answer of Jehovah, and were not restored again till after the destruction of the second temple, is not only very improbable, but is no doubt erroneous, inasmuch as, although the restoration of the days for commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple could easily be explained, on the supposition that the second destruction occurred at the same time as the first, it is not so easy to explain the restoration of the fast-days in commemoration of events for which there was no link of connection whatever in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. In all probability, the matter stands rather thus: that after the receipt of this verbal answer, the people did not venture formally to abolish the fast-days before the appearance of the promised salvation, but let them remain, even if they were not always strictly observed; and that at a later period the Jews, who rejected the Messiah, began again to observe them with greater stringency after the second destruction of Jerusalem, and continue to do so to the present time, not because “the prophecy of the glory intended for Israel (Zec 8:18-23) is still unfulfilled” (Koehler), but because “blindness in part is happened to Israel,” so that it has not discerned the fulfilment, which commenced with the appearance of Christ upon earth.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
He pursues the same subject in this verse; for as he had before said, that the nations would willingly come to worship God, and that each would encourage his brother to undertake this pious and holy expedition, so he now adds, that ten men would lay hold on the border of a Jew’s garment: Ten men shall then take hold of the skirt of a Jew. He shows here more clearly what I have briefly referred to — that there would be no need of arms, or of any compulsion, in order to draw or compel the nations to engage in God’s service; for even ten would of themselves accompany one Jew; and it is a proof of a very great readiness when ten surrender themselves to be ruled by one. As one Jew could not be sufficient to draw so many nations, the Prophet declares that there would be everywhere a union of faith, so that those, before wholly alienated from God, would desire to join themselves as friends, or rather as companions to the Jews.
He says, From all languages. By these words he amplifies the miracle; for there cannot be a union between men far distant, especially when they are of different languages, as they are barbarians to one another. When the Prophet then says that they would come from all languages, and unite together, it more fully appears to be God’s work; for there is nothing here to be ascribed to human contrivances. It must then be that the hearts of those who cannot express their minds, and can hardly give a sign, are united together by the hidden power of the Spirit. We now perceive the Prophet’s object in this verse.
But he uses in the last clause a phrase different from the one he employed before — Let us go with you, for we have heard that with you is God. He had said, “Let us go to seek Jehovah, and to entreat his face;” but now he says “Let us go with you.” But yet he handles and confirms the same thing; for the nations could not have sought God without following the Jews going before them. For when any one separates himself from others, it so happens that he is led astray, and feeds on much that is very absurd, as we see to be the case with proud and morose men, who invent strange and monstrous things; for they shun society, and seem not to themselves to be wise, until they put off every feeling of humanity. The character then of faith has also this in it — that the elect, while they themselves obey God, desire to have many associates in this obedience, and many fellow-disciples in true religion. The Prophet thus intended to point out two things: be had said before — “Let us go to seek God;” and now — “We will go with you.” What else is this but to seek God? But he expresses more now — that the nations declare that they would come to seek God for this end — that they might learn from others, like rude beginners, who have their fellow-scholars as their teachers; so that every one who had made some progress, was to preside over others, and those as yet commencing, and still in the first elements of knowledge, were humbly to connect themselves with others better informed. Shame prevents many from making in this manner any advancement, and so they ever remain sunk in ignorance.
The Prophet at the same time not only commends humility, but also exhorts all God’s children to cultivate unity and concord. For whosoever tears asunder the Church of God, disunites himself from Christ, who is the head, and who would have all his members to be united together.
We now then understand that God ought to be sought in order to be rightly worshipped by us; and also, that he ought to be thus sought, not that each may have his own peculiar religion, but that we may be united together, and that every one who sees his brethren going before, and excelling in gifts, may be prepared to follow them, and to seek benefit from their labors. It is indeed true that we ought to disregard the whole world; and to embrace only the truth of God; for it is a hundred times better to renounce the society of all mortals, and union with them, then to withdraw ourselves from God; but when God shows himself as our leader, the Prophet teaches us that we ought mutually to stretch forth our hand and unitedly to follow him.
We have again to notice at the end of the verse what I have already referred to — that the nations would come, not compelled by force of arms or by violence, but drawn by hearing alone. We have heard. By hearing the Prophet means here the doctrine of salvation everywhere diffused; for there would be no care nor concern for worshipping were we not taught; for faith, as Paul says, is by hearing; and so prayer proceeds from faith. (Rom 10:17.) In short, the Prophet means that the knowledge of religion would be through the preaching of the truth, which would rouse all nations to the duty of worshipping God.
He now again confirms what we have also mentioned — that the Jews would have the precedence of all nations; for it appears that God would be among them. We hence see that primacy is not ascribed to the Jews in being leaders to others, because they excelled others by their own virtue or dignity, but because God presided over them. Then God is ever to be sought, though we may avail ourselves of the labors of men, and follow them when they show us the right way. We must ever bear this in mind — that those only exhort truly and honestly, who not only do so by word, but who really prove what they feel by their conduct; according to what the Prophet has said — Go will I also; and he says the same now — Let us go, or, we shall go with you. For many there are who are strenuous enough in stimulating others; but their vain garrulity appears evident; for while they bid others to run, they are standing still; and while they vehemently encourage others, they themselves delay and take their rest. Now follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(23) Ten.This number is used indefinitely, to express a large number (comp. Gen. 31:7); the number seven is used in a like sense in Isa. 4:1.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Zec 8:23. In those days, &c. Verily in those days ten men, &c. Christians are sometimes called by the name of Jews, or confessors of the true religion, as being those to whom the promises made to the fathers of the Jewish nation chiefly belong. In this sense the word is to be taken here. The sense of the passage, therefore, is, that the heathen shall apply themselves to the Christian pastors and ministers for instruction, in order to qualify themselves for being admitted into the church. The skirt of the garment, is that mentioned Num 15:38. Deu 22:12. Mat 9:20. This distinguished the Jews from other nations, and is therefore mentioned here with singular propriety; so that the address which these strangers were to make may be thus interpreted in the letter, and with a view to the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity. “We have understood how miraculously God hath restored you to your country, rebuilt your temple, and either reconciled your enemies to you, or subdued them; and hence we are convinced that the God who foretold and wrought these things is the true God.” See Psa 126:2. Calmet, and Grotius.
REFLECTIONS.1st, God keepeth not his anger for ever, if we will return unto him. He is always gracious towards the penitent.
1. He will be jealous for Zion with great jealousy, concerned to vindicate her honour, and avenge her wrongs; and therefore with great fury shall his vengeance light on her enemies.
2. He will return to Zion; he speaks of it as already done: and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, manifesting his gracious presence to them at the temple, and meeting them in his ordinances; and this was most eminently fulfilled, when the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among them.
3. He will work a glorious change on the place and people. Jerusalem shall be a city of truth, eminent for integrity and honesty; the mountain of the Lord of Hosts, where he condescends to take up his abode, the holy mountain, cleared from all idolatry, and pure before God. The church of Christ is the pillar and ground of truth; in it all truth of doctrine and uprightness of conversation are found; and on the heart of every living member thereof there is written, Holiness to the Lord.
4. He will give them long life, peace, and prosperity. No disease shall sweep them off, nor war spread its ravages among them; but in the streets shall vigorous old age appear; and, though time has impaired much of nature’s strength, the staff shall still support the hoary head; while the rising generation, numerous and healthful, shall in youthful exercises mix in the streets, secure from fear of evil. In the church are found fathers in Christ, young men and children, a multitude of converts, each adorning their place and station, and ripening for glory.
5. He will save the dispersed of Israel from Babylon and Egypt, and bring them back to their own land; and, better than all their other mercies, he will take all that will believe again into the covenant, and engage their hearts unto himself. They shall be my people; returning to him, he will enable them to be so, by his preventing and converting grace; and I will be their God in truth and in righteousness, faithful to all his promises. And this seems to have regard to all the faithful Israel of God, whom he will receive into the arms of his love; by his grace engage in his service; and, through the infinite merit and intercession of Jesus, God will be their God, to bless, preserve, and keep them, their portion and exceeding great reward.
6. However incredible this may seem, and marvellous, with God all things are possible; and therefore, strange as it is, it will be found true, for all the faithful. If we can believe, we shall see the salvation of God.
2nd, We have,
1. The great encouragements given to the people who, attentive to the voice of God’s prophets, laboured zealously to further the work of the temple; for they who are faithful to him, may expect comfort from him. They had laboured under many difficulties during the time when God’s house was neglected; there was no hire for man or beasts, trade was dead, and the produce of the earth so little, that few hands were needed to reap and gather it. Their enemies on every side made inroads upon them, and robbers in their own country made travelling dangerous, and no man’s property was secure: and an evil spirit of dissension and strife was sown among themselves, so that every one seemed set against his neighbour; but now God will change his manner of acting towards them. Their ground shall produce abundantly; and, enriched with all manner of store, they shall possess their good things undisturbed. Instead of that reproach which they had suffered among the heathen, now God will save them in so distinguished a manner, that all who beheld them would acknowledge them to be the blessed of the Lord; and their example and labours would make them a blessing to all around them. As surely as he had threatened to punish their fathers, and had done it as they had seen, so surely now will he do well unto his returning Israel. They may, therefore, confidently hope to see the fulfilment of all his promises, and should neither fear the multitude of their enemies, nor the difficulties in their way; but be strong in the assurance of divine support; and this is the powerful argument to engage all believers to work out their own salvation, because it is God who worketh in them to will and to do of his good pleasure.
2. Their duty is set before them; the same which the prophets had inculcated upon their disobedient fathers of old. Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour, in simplicity, putting away falsehood, deceit, and all prevarication; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: let justice be impartially administered, and seek to heal all differences. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour, not entertain an ill wish, nor harbour an ill surmise against any of them; and love no false oath, but abhor and discountenance every thing which may lead thereunto: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord, and therefore we should hate them also.
3rdly, They had put a question to their prophet, chap. Zec 7:3 concerning their public fasts, and it is here fully answered.
1. A happy period is put to their public fasts, and they shall be turned into days of rejoicing. For now, when God will restore Jerusalem, and rear up again his temple, the memory of those melancholy scenes of desolations, on account of which those fasts were instituted, shall be lost in the joy and gladness arising from their present happy estate. Therefore love truth and peace; let this be the grateful return that you make for the divine mercies bestowed upon you.
2. God promises to enlarge them abundantly with multitudes of proselytes; or this has rather a more immediate reference to the times of the Gospel, when the Gentiles should come into the church of Christ. The inhabitants of many cities, among whom the apostles and others preached, shall become obedient to the faith, and solicitous for the salvation of others; each shall say to his neighbour, Come, and let us go speedily to pray before the Lord; no longer lying down in their former state of blindness and guilt, but, without delay, seeking the Lord of Hosts, while yet he may be found; and in fervent and importunate prayer, the language of every truly converted soul, eager to obtain mercy and acceptance before him: I will go also, shall one say to another, glad to join the happy company, and hasting to the courts of Zion. Multitudes out of all nations shall assemble for this blessed purpose and then the name of the Jew shall be no longer hated or despised; but ten men out of all languages, many converted by the preaching of the apostles and other ministers of Christ, shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, the first preachers of the Gospel being chiefly of that nation, saying, we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you; the divine Redeemer being of the stock of Israel after the flesh, to whom it was promised of old that the gathering of the people should be, and to whom the ministers of truth desire to lead the souls that are under their care. Note; (1.) Every truly converted soul will delight in seeking the Lord for all the blessings and privileges of the Gospel. (2.) They who have themselves tasted that the Lord is gracious, cannot but be solicitous that others should come and partake of their mercies. (3.) A gracious purpose should be executed speedily; delays are dangerous.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS.
Who that reads a Chapter, full of such exceeding great and precious promises as this is, but must rejoice for the consolation. Precious Lord Jesus! I would pray for grace to be looking unto thee for all, and eyeing thee in all. For it is in thee, and for thee, and solely on thy account, all that is here said of the joy of Jerusalem is founded. Thou art the cause of all; the one source and fountain of all, and the sum and substance to every individual in the enjoyment of all. By thy great undertaking, in thy person, offices, and character, thou hast accomplished all the grand purposes of redemption. And hence thy Jerusalem, thine holy mountain, shall rejoice in thee. Young men and maidens, old men and children, all find their felicity in thee, and thou art not only the purchaser and giver of their mercies, but thou thyself art their portion forever! Lord! hasten the many blessed promises here given, and yet to be fulfilled! All thy redeemed upon earth long to see the day of thy coming. And the souls of thy redeemed under the altar of heaven, are still sending forth the cry, Lord, how long! Oh! for our Jesus to come forth in the sovereignty of his grace and power, conquering and to conquer; subduing his people to the sceptre of his grace, and calling his redeemed out of all languages of the nations; that that wonderful event may soon be accomplished, when numbers in one and the same time shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, squint, we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you of a truth. Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Zec 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days [it shall come to pass], that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard [that] God [is] with you.
Ver. 23. Ten men shall take hold out of all languages ] Ten, that is, many, “out of all languages,” therefore not by compact, or fraudulent convention; for they were far asunder and of diverse languages ( nam quisquo aliis barbarus, saith Calvin).
Of the nations
Shall take hold, even take hold
Of him that is a Jew
We will go with you
For we have heard
That God is with you
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
those days. The fulfilment of this still future.
men. Hebrew, plural of enosh. App-14.
you : i.e. with God’s People Israel.
that. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read “that” in the text. Supply the Ellipsis (will be the time] that. “
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
those days
i.e. in the days when Jerusalem has been made the centre of the earth’s worship. Zec 8:23 explains: the Jew (see “Remnant,”; Isa 1:9; Rom 11:5 will then be the missionary, and to the very “nations” now called “Christian”!
For Another Point of View: See Topic 301242
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
ten men: Gen 31:7, Gen 31:41, Num 14:22, Job 19:3, Ecc 11:2, Mic 5:5, Mat 18:21, Mat 18:22
out: Isa 66:18, Rev 7:9, Rev 7:10, Rev 14:6, Rev 14:7
take: 1Sa 15:27, 1Sa 15:28, Isa 3:6, Isa 4:1, Luk 8:44, Act 19:12
We will: Num 10:29-32, Rth 1:16, Rth 1:17, 2Sa 15:19-22, 2Ki 2:6, 1Ch 12:18, Isa 55:5, Isa 60:3, Act 13:47, Act 13:48
we have: Num 14:14-16, Deu 4:6, Deu 4:7, Jos 2:9-13, 1Ki 8:42, 1Ki 8:43, 1Co 14:25
Reciprocal: Gen 21:22 – God Gen 39:3 – saw that Exo 12:38 – And a mixed multitude Exo 18:1 – heard Jos 22:31 – the Lord is Jos 24:18 – will we also Rth 1:10 – Surely Rth 1:14 – but Ruth 1Sa 14:7 – Do all 1Ki 4:34 – General 1Ch 17:2 – for God 2Ch 32:7 – strong Est 9:27 – all such Psa 23:4 – for thou Psa 126:2 – then said Isa 9:3 – hast multiplied Isa 14:1 – the strangers Isa 45:14 – The labour Isa 65:1 – unto Eze 34:26 – make them Dan 4:1 – unto all Hos 2:23 – Thou art my God Mic 2:12 – they Zep 2:11 – and men Zec 9:7 – he that Zec 9:16 – lifted Mal 3:12 – all Act 2:10 – Jews Rev 21:24 – the nations
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Zec 8:23. In those days ten men That is, many men, a definite number being put for an indefinite. Out of all languages of the nations From many different and remote countries, no nation being any longer excluded; shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew Christians are sometimes called by the name of Jews, as being confessors of the true religion, and those to whom the promises, made to the fathers of the Jewish nation, chiefly belong. In this sense especially the word is here to be taken. To take hold of another is a gesture of entreating his friendly assistance: see the notes on Isa 3:6; Isa 4:1. The meaning of the passage, therefore, is, that the heathen should apply themselves to the Christians, particularly to Christian pastors and ministers, for instruction, in order to qualify themselves for admittance into the church.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
In this future time of Yahweh’s blessing many Gentiles from many nations and language groups will lay hold of a Jew. In this case, as in many others, 10 is a round number suggesting completeness (cf. Gen 31:7; Lev 26:26; Jdg 17:10; Rth 4:2; 1Sa 1:8; Jer 41:8). They will do so not to persecute him but to ask his permission to accompany him because God’s blessing would rest on the Jews so obviously.
"The prophecy teaches, then, that Israel will be the means of drawing the nations of the earth to the Lord in the time of the Messiah’s reign of righteousness upon earth." [Note: Feinberg, God Remembers, p. 146.]
Amillennialists understand this promise as fulfilled in many Gentiles coming to salvation in the present age through Jewish roots (e.g., Messiah, the scriptures, etc.). [Note: E.g., McComiskey, p. 1157.]
"By way of summary . . . we can see the purpose of the Spirit through the prophet in answer to the question concerning fasting. It was a twofold objective: a present and a future one. For the time then present the Spirit pointed out the sham in the fastings, the need for reality and sincerity, the vivid warning from the past sins of the forefathers, and the imperative demand for righteousness in all the relationships of life. With reference to the future Zechariah was directed to point to a day of glorious promise for Israel when the Lord would dwell in her midst, when prosperity and peace would characterize her land, when her dispersed ones would be gathered back to their homeland, and . . . when her fasts would be turned into feasts, the glory of the Lord being so manifest in Israel that all the nations would be drawn to Him through His people." [Note: Feinberg, God Remembers, pp. 146-47.]