Zechariah 2 KJV
A Man with a Measuring Line
Zechariah Chapter 2: A Man with a Measuring Line
The vision inverts Ezekiel's temple-measuring sequence by deploying a human surveyor whose work is halted, signaling that Jerusalem's future expansion defies human metrics and rests solely on divine presence rather than rebuilt walls.
1 lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
2 Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.
3 And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,
4 And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:
5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
6 Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD.
7 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.
8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
9 For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me.
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.
11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.
13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
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Did You Know?
The vision inverts Ezekiel's temple-measuring sequence by deploying a human surveyor whose work is halted, signaling that Jerusalem's future expansion defies human metrics and rests solely on divine presence rather than rebuilt walls.
God's self-identification as a 'wall of fire' (v. 5) deliberately recalls the Exodus pillar yet shifts from mobile guidance to permanent encircling defense, marking the transition from wilderness wandering to settled eschatological security.
The phrase 'apple of his eye' (v. 8) uses the rare Hebrew ishon, literally the 'little man' reflected in the pupil, to portray God's protective reflex as an involuntary bodily instinct rather than a calculated covenantal act.
The summons to flee Babylon (v. 7) is issued well after Cyrus's decree, functioning less as a logistical call and more as a theological demand to separate from lingering imperial cultus before the prophesied shaking of the nations.
Verse 11's announcement that 'many nations shall be joined to the Lord' employs the same verb used for grafting in later Hebrew texts, foreshadowing an organic incorporation of Gentiles into Israel's worship without requiring prior conversion to Judaism.