Zechariah 8:6
Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse isn't just about God's power, but about His perspective versus ours. It gently rebukes the "remnant" – those who should have known God's faithfulness from their past deliverance – for finding His current promises hard to believe, implying they're limiting God by their own limited experience and vision.
God is responding to the people's potential doubt about His grand promises for Jerusalem's future. After their return from exile, seeing the city in ruins would make these promises seem unbelievable to them. God asks, if it seems impossible to them, with their limited perspective, should it also be impossible for Him, the Almighty?
Ever feel like God's promises are 'too good to be true'? Zechariah reminds us our perspective isn't His.
The people returning from exile saw ruins, desolation, and overwhelming obstacles. To them, rebuilding Jerusalem and experiencing God's promised restoration seemed almost impossible. They were looking at 'days of small things.'
But God's view is different. He asks, 'If it seems incredible to you, does it seem incredible to Me?'
This verse highlights a core truth: our limitations and past experiences can distort our view of what God can do. We tend to measure God's power by human standards, forgetting that with Him, nothing is impossible. His capacity isn't limited by our circumstances or our understanding.
Even God's chosen people, the 'remnant,' struggled to believe His promises. What does this teach us about faith?
The people of Israel were a 'remnant' – those who had survived exile and returned to a devastated homeland. Their recent history was marked by judgment and loss, leaving them with a fragile, perhaps even fearful, outlook.
When God spoke of future prosperity, peace, and protection for Jerusalem, it must have sounded like a fantasy. How could such a small, vulnerable group, in such a broken place, experience such greatness?
God's question is gentle but probing. He’s not rebuking their past suffering, but gently challenging their tendency to doubt His power in light of it. It's a reminder that even those who have experienced God's faithfulness can still struggle with unbelief when facing new challenges.
Understand the original words
YHWH Seba'ot · Hebrew Noun phrase
A title for God emphasizing His sovereignty over all creation, including the heavenly hosts (angels and stars), denoting His supreme power and authority as the covenant God of Israel.
pala' · Hebrew Adjective
Refers to something extraordinary, difficult, or miraculous that transcends ordinary human capability or expectation; often used in the context of God’s redemptive power.
she'erit · Hebrew Noun
A small portion of a larger group that remains or survives; in a biblical context, it refers to the faithful believers who survived judgment and remained loyal to God’s covenant promises.
Zechariah's message addresses a 'remnant' who have returned from exile to find Jerusalem in ruins. To them, the promise of future glory and a rebuilt Temple might seem impossible, given their current 'days of small things.' God reminds them that what seems marvelous to human eyes, limited by their difficult circumstances, is well within His almighty power.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar deports some of the Judean nobility, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
A larger group of Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel and King Jehoiachin, are exiled to Babylon. Jerusalem's temple is looted.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple Destruction
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling most of the remaining population. This is the nadir of Israel's history.
c. 538 BC
Cyrus' Decree and Return of Exiles
King Cyrus of Persia allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the start of the Second Temple period.
This passage echoes Zechariah's sentiment by having Jeremiah exclaim, 'Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you,' highlighting God's omnipotence in contrast to human perception of impossibility.
Psalm 78:41This psalm questions their faith: 'They tested God and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power or the day that he redeemed them from the foe.' This speaks to the tendency of God's people to 'limit' His power by their own experiences and understanding, much like the remnant in Zechariah.
Luke 1:37The angel Gabriel's declaration to Mary, 'For nothing will be impossible with God,' directly mirrors the theological point in Zechariah 8:6, assuring that what seems incredible to humans is well within God's capabilities.
Isaiah 40:28This prophetic promise asserts God's inexhaustible strength and understanding: 'Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.' This emphasizes why God's plans, even when seemingly overwhelming, are not 'marvellous' or difficult for Him.
John 6:9barnesZechariah 8:6: "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts."
If it should be marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those - (not these) days, shall it be marvelous in Mine eyes also? saith the Lord of hosts Man's anticipations, by reason of his imperfections and the chequered character of earthly things, are always disappointing. God's doings, by rea…
pulpitZechariah 8:6: "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts."
Verse 6. - In these days; rather, in those days. If what is promised in vers. 3-5 seems incredible to those who shall see the fulfilment. The remnant. The returned Jews and their posterity (Haggai 1:12-14). Should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? Certainly not. Nothing is impossible with God.
The verse isn't just about God's power, but about His perspective versus ours. It gently rebukes the "remnant" – those who should have known God's faithfulness from their past deliverance – for finding His current promises hard to believe, implying they're limiting God by their own limited experience and vision.
God is responding to the people's potential doubt about His grand promises for Jerusalem's future. After their return from exile, seeing the city in ruins would make these promises seem unbelievable to them. God asks, if it seems impossible to them, with their limited perspective, should it also be impossible for Him, the Almighty?
God is responding to the people's potential doubt about His grand promises for Jerusalem's future. After their return from exile, seeing the city in ruins would make these promises seem unbelievable to them. God asks, if it seems impossible to them, with their limited perspective, should it also be impossible for Him, the Almighty?
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Zechariah 8:6 is available in the Sola app.
c. 520 BC— this verse
Rebuilding of the Temple
Under the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the returned exiles begin the arduous task of rebuilding the Temple, facing significant opposition.
c. 515 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
The Second Temple is completed and dedicated, a significant but modest achievement compared to Solomon's original Temple.
In the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples' practical objection, 'There is here only five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they among so many?' shows a human perspective of impossibility that is overcome by Jesus' divine power, paralleling the remnant's likely disbelief in Zechariah's promises.
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the LORD of hosts?" — The verse isn't just about God's power, but about His perspective versus ours. It gently rebukes the "remnant" – those who should have known God's faithfulness from their past deliverance – for fin…
