Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just command an escape, it calls the exiles "Zion" and identifies them as "dwelling with the daughter of Babylon." This is a stark, almost paradoxical statement, highlighting how God's people, even in exile, retain their identity as Zion, while simultaneously being entangled in the pagan world.
Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse is a crucial call for the Jewish exiles to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem, just as impending judgment falls upon the city. Zechariah's prophecy follows visions of divine judgment against nations that oppressed Israel, and the subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem. It's a warning against remaining complacent in a place destined for destruction, emphasizing the importance of heeding God's call to return to their promised land.
Imagine receiving an urgent text from a trusted friend: 'Get out NOW!' Zechariah's message is just that, but from God Himself. Why such a strong call?
The opening words, 'Up! Escape,' are a powerful, immediate command. This isn't a gentle suggestion; it's a directive to flee danger. The prophet addresses 'Zion' – referring to the exiled Jewish people – urging them to leave their place of residence.
This urgency is rooted in impending judgment upon Babylon. The commentary highlights that historically, this referred to periods of rebellion and conquest where the Jews who stayed in Babylon suffered greatly. God's people were called out before the catastrophe, not just to save their lives but to separate them from the sin and judgment of the oppressor.
This call echoes throughout Scripture, reminding us that God calls His people out of spiritually compromising situations.
The verse calls them 'Zion' who 'dwell with the daughter of Babylon.' It sounds like a contradiction! What does this unusual phrasing reveal about their spiritual condition?
The phrase 'you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon' is striking. 'Daughter of Babylon' is a common prophetic idiom for the city and its inhabitants, much like 'daughter of Zion' refers to Jerusalem and its people.
Here, God points out the incongruity: His people, identified with Zion (the place of God's dwelling and worship), are living within the heart of Babylon (a symbol of worldly power, idolatry, and opposition to God).
This suggests a spiritual compromise. While the exiles were physically in Babylon, the message implies some had become too comfortable, too integrated, perhaps even adopting Babylonian ways. The command to 'escape' isn't just about physical location but a call to reclaim their identity and allegiance, to live as people of Zion, not as citizens of Babylon.
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Understand the original words
Tsiyyon · Hebrew Proper Noun
The holy city, the site of the Temple, and the symbolic place where God’s presence dwells among His people. It represents the spiritual center of God’s kingdom and the gathering place for the redeemed.
bath Babel · Hebrew Noun
The personification of a city or nation, often used in prophetic literature to denote the inhabitants of that city, their corporate identity, and their spiritual character.
Zechariah's urgent call to 'escape Babylon' was given during a period of significant unrest in the city itself. The Jews who remained there faced real danger during these rebellions, making the prophet's warning not just theological, but a matter of life and death.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Cyrus
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire. This event marks the beginning of the Persian Empire and opens the door for the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.
538 BC
First Return of Exiles
Under the decree of Cyrus, a large group of Jewish exiles, led by figures like Sheshbazzar and later Zerubbabel, return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.
520 BC— this verse
Zechariah's Prophecies Begin
Zechariah delivers his prophecies, including the call for Jews to escape Babylon, during the critical period when the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple has stalled and is facing opposition.
519 BC
First Babylonian Rebellion
Nidinta-Bel rebels against Persian rule in Babylon and claims the throne. Darius I personally leads his forces to quell the revolt and recapture the city.
514 BC
Second Babylonian Rebellion
A second rebellion erupts in Babylon under Arakha. Darius's general Intaphernes eventually crushes this revolt, capturing Arakha and crucifying him and his followers.
516 BC
Completion of the Second Temple
The rebuilt Jerusalem Temple is finally completed and dedicated, a significant milestone for the returning exiles and a symbol of renewed hope and covenant.
This passage also commands God's people to flee from Babylon, directly linking their escape to the coming judgment on the oppressor.
Isaiah 48:20Similar to Zechariah, Isaiah calls for joy and proclamation of deliverance as God redeems His people from Babylon, highlighting the theme of liberation.
2 Corinthians 6:17This New Testament verse echoes the call to separate from ungodly influences, applying the principle of 'coming out of Babylon' to spiritual life.
Revelation 18:4This passage from Revelation contains a direct command for God's people to 'come out of her,' reinforcing the concept of escaping from a spiritually corrupt system.
cambridgeZechariah 2:7: "Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon."
7 . Deliver thyself ] Lit. “ Ho, Zion, deliver thyself: thou that dwellest with, &c.” The reason for this urgent call to escape, viz. the impending judgment upon Babylon, follows immediately, Zechariah 2:8-9 . In like manner Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 50:8 ; Jeremiah 50:10 ; Jeremiah 51:6 ; Jeremiah 51:45 ), and before him Isaiah ( Jeremiah 48:14 ; Jeremiah 48:20 ), connects the punishment of Babylon with the escape…
barnesZechariah 2:7: "Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon."
Dwellest with the daughter of Babylon - The unusual idiom is perhaps chosen as expressive of God's tenderness, even to the people who were to be destroyed, from which Israel was to escape.
The verse doesn't just command an escape, it calls the exiles "Zion" and identifies them as "dwelling with the daughter of Babylon." This is a stark, almost paradoxical statement, highlighting how God's people, even in exile, retain their identity as Zion, while simultaneously being entangled in the pagan world.
This verse is a crucial call for the Jewish exiles to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem, just as impending judgment falls upon the city. Zechariah's prophecy follows visions of divine judgment against nations that oppressed Israel, and the subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem. It's a warning against remaining complacent in a place destined for destruction, emphasizing the importance of heeding God's call to return to their promised land.
This verse is a crucial call for the Jewish exiles to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem, just as impending judgment falls upon the city. Zechariah's prophecy follows visions of divine judgment against nations that oppressed Israel, and the subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem. It's a warning against remaining complacent in a place destined for destruction, emphasizing the importance of heeding God's call to return to their promised land.
"Up! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon." — The verse doesn't just command an escape, it calls the exiles "Zion" and identifies them as "dwelling with the daughter of Babylon." This is a stark, almost paradoxical statement, highlighting how Go…
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Last reviewed October 2026