Zechariah 2:8
For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye:
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The phrase "after the glory" might not mean after a glorious event, but rather that the one being sent is going to pursue or obtain glory for God. This means God isn't just acting to rescue His people, but also to display His own powerful majesty by punishing those who wronged them.
After a vision of Jerusalem’s future glory and expansion, the Lord declares He has sent an agent to confront the nations that plundered His people. This divine messenger will punish them because anyone who harms Jerusalem or its people is, in effect, harming God Himself, specifically touching the most vulnerable and precious part of His being. This fierce protection underscores the deep, personal connection God has with His chosen people.
Who is this 'me' that the Lord of Hosts sends? And why is he sent 'after glory'?
This verse introduces a divine messenger, distinct from the Lord of Hosts yet intimately connected. The phrasing "after glory" suggests this messenger is sent not just after a past glory, but in pursuit of or to manifest glory.
The Mission:
This envoy is sent to confront the nations that plundered God's people. The mission is inherently tied to God's own glory – whether it's punishing those who dishonored Him by attacking His people, or ultimately bringing about a future, glorious restoration for Israel.
Identity Revealed:
Scholars note the shift in person – from "the LORD of hosts" speaking, to "He hath sent me." This points to a key theological insight: the one sent is intimately connected to the sender, even identified as Jehovah himself. This points forward to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, sent by the Father to accomplish His redemptive work.
What does it truly mean to be the 'apple of God's eye'?
This phrase, "the apple of his eye," is a powerful idiom for something incredibly precious and vulnerable. In ancient Near Eastern thought, the pupil of the eye was seen as a miniature reflection of the world, and also as the most sensitive and vital part of the eye.
Extreme Value:
To touch the apple of someone's eye was to inflict the most severe pain and damage. God uses this imagery to declare how intensely He values His people. They are not merely important; they are uniquely cherished and protected.
Fierce Defense:
When these nations plundered God's people, they weren't just attacking humans; they were, in God's eyes, assaulting His own very being. This underscores God's unwavering commitment to defend and avenge those who belong to Him. Any harm done to them is seen as a direct affront to God Himself, guaranteeing a fierce response.
Understand the original words
Yahweh Sabaoth · Hebrew Noun
A military and cosmic title for God, emphasizing His sovereignty, majesty, and command over all the angelic hosts and the powers of the universe.
kabod · Hebrew Noun
The manifested presence, radiance, and weight of God’s nature, character, and power. It signifies the visible revelation of God’s majesty as He interacts with His creation.
babah · Hebrew Noun
A biblical metaphor describing something extremely sensitive, precious, and protected. It signifies God’s intimate care and fierce defense of His people as being central to His own concern.
This prophecy from Zechariah was delivered during the challenging period of rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple after the Babylonian exile. The surrounding nations had plundered God's people and the holy city, but God assures them of His fierce protection, comparing them to the most vulnerable and precious part of His own eye.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar II, conquers Judah, destroys Jerusalem and its sacred Temple, and exiles a significant portion of the population to Babylon.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus, overthrows the Babylonian Empire, paving the way for the return of exiled peoples, including the Jews.
c. 538 BC
First Return of Exiles
Cyrus issues a decree allowing Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the post-exilic period.
c. 520-518 BC— this verse
Ministry of Zechariah
Zechariah, a prophet, delivers his oracles during the period of Temple reconstruction in Jerusalem, encouraging the returning exiles.
cambridgeZechariah 2:8: "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."
8 . after the glory ] rather, after glory. There is no article to shew that there is a reference, as has been supposed, to Zechariah 2:5 , so that it would mean, “after the glory which I have promised has come upon Israel,” &c. The more probable meaning therefore is, “after,” i.e. in pursuit, or in prosecution of glory; to…
barnesZechariah 2:8: "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."
After the glory - Jonathan: "Which it is promised to bring upon you." This being the usual construction, the words involve a great course of God's dealing, of first showing favor to those who will receive favor, then abandoning or punishing the rest; as, when the eight souls had been received into the ark, the flood came;…
The phrase "after the glory" might not mean after a glorious event, but rather that the one being sent is going to pursue or obtain glory for God. This means God isn't just acting to rescue His people, but also to display His own powerful majesty by punishing those who wronged them.
After a vision of Jerusalem’s future glory and expansion, the Lord declares He has sent an agent to confront the nations that plundered His people. This divine messenger will punish them because anyone who harms Jerusalem or its people is, in effect, harming God Himself, specifically touching the most vulnerable and precious part of His being. This fierce protection underscores the deep, personal connection God has with His chosen people.
After a vision of Jerusalem’s future glory and expansion, the Lord declares He has sent an agent to confront the nations that plundered His people. This divine messenger will punish them because anyone who harms Jerusalem or its people is, in effect, harming God Himself, specifically touching the most vulnerable and precious part of His being. This fierce protection underscores the deep, personal connection God has with His chosen people.
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c. 445 BC
Nehemiah's Reforms
Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem and leads efforts to rebuild the city walls and restore social and religious order, facing opposition from surrounding peoples.
"For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye:" — The phrase "after the glory" might not mean after a glorious event, but rather that the one being sent is going to pursue or obtain glory for God. This means God isn't just acting to rescue His…
