SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:8
Porque así dijo el SEÑOR de los ejércitos: Después de la gloria me enviará él a los gentiles que os despojaron; porque el que os toca, toca a la niña de su ojo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Zechariah 2:8
Verse 8. After the glory] After your glorious deliverance from the different places of your dispersion; He hath sent me unto the nations which spoiled you, that they may fall under grievous calamities, and be punished in their turn. On Babylon a great calamity fell, when besieged and taken by the Persians. The following note I received from a sensible and pious correspondent:- 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.
8. "For thus saith the Lord of hosts, who hath sent me, the future glory (or the glory which is to come) unto the nations which spoiled you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. 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. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.
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. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.
"If in the eighth verse dwbk rja may be rendered the future, or the glory that is to come, it will harmonize with the context as a prophecy of the Messiah, whereas in our English translation the words after the glory are unintelligible. And so the Seventy.
"It is evident the person speaking is distinguished from the Lord of hosts, as being sent by him; yet this person sent is also called Jehovah; and the nations who shall be joined to Jehovah in that day are called his people; and he (the person sent) will dwell in the midst of thee, (i.e., Zion,) and shall inherit Judah his portion, &c.
"In confirmation of my view of the eighth verse, I think Exodus xxxiii. may be compared with it. Moses besought God that he would show him his glory; upon which it was said to him, "Whilst my glory passeth by,' I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand whilst I pass by; and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my rja achar. Now as this was a fulfillment of Moses's request, who entreated to behold the glory, it follows that this rja was the Divine glory, which alone he was capable of seeing.
"'No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, (the Lord Jesus Christ,) which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.'" M. A. B.
Toucheth the apple of his eye.] wny[ tbbb bebabath eyno, the babet of his eye. This is a remarkable expression. Any person, by looking into the eye of another, will see his own image perfectly expressed, though in extreme minature, in the pupil. Does our English word babbet or baby come from this? And does not the expression mean that the eye of God is ever on his follower, and that his person is ever impressed on the eye, the notice, attention, providence, and mercy of God?
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 8. For thus saith the Lord of hosts , etc.] Christ, who is the true Jehovah, and Lord of armies, as appears from his being sent in the next clause: After the glory ; which is promised, ( Zechariah 2:5) so the Targum and Kimchi; or, “afterwards” shall be “the glory” f35 ; or a glorious time and state; that is, after God’s people are brought out of mystical Babylon, when the Jews shall be converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles shall be brought in, then will be the latter day glory; and at the same time will be the fall and destruction of antichrist, and of the antichristian states, as follows: hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you ; the Chaldeans and Babylonians, who spoiled and carried captive the Jews; or the antichristian nations, which persecuted and wasted the people of God, the followers of the Lamb; but now Christ will be sent, and will come in a spiritual manner, and take vengeance on them; he will destroy antichrist with the breath of his mouth, and with the brightness of his coming; with the sharp sword going out of his mouth, ( Revelation 19:15): for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye ; either his own eye, he hurts himself; or the eye of the Lord of hosts; “of mine eye”, as some read it f36 , as the Vulgate Latin version; which shows how near and dear the Lord’s people are to him. The pupil or apple of the eye is a little aperture or perforation in the middle of the tunic or coat of the eye, called the uvea and iris, about which the iris forms a ring; and through this little opening the rays of light pass to the crystalline humour, to be formed on the retina or net, at the bottom of the eye. It is a very weak and tender part, and easily hurt with the least thing; and fitly describes the feeble state of Christ’s people; and how soon and easily they may be disturbed, distressed, and hurt by their enemies: and as this is a principal part of the eye, and a part of a man’s self, dear and valuable to him; so are the Lord’s people parts, as it were, of himself; they are members of his body, closely united to him; and whatever injury is done to them he reckons as done to himself: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” ( Acts 9:5) and being highly esteemed by him, and having the strongest affection for them, he resents every affront given them, and will punish all that hurt them; and exceeding careful is he of them, to keep and preserve them from being hurt: “he kept him as the apple of his eye”, ( Deuteronomy 32:10), which, being such an useful and tender part as it is, it is wonderfully provided for by nature against all events; besides the orbit in which it is placed; and the eyebrows, which prevent many nuisances; and the eyelids, which cover and defend it in sleep; and the fringes of hair on them, which break the too violent impressions of light, and keep off motes and flies; there are no less, than six tunics or coats about it f37 , as so many preservatives of it: now, as the God of nature has taken so much care of this useful member of the human body, how much more careful and tender must we suppose the God of grace, and our merciful Redeemer and High Priest, to be over his dear people, parts of himself, redeemed by his blood, and designed and prepared for eternal glory and happiness; and how daring must such be who offer the least violence unto them; nor must they expect to escape his wrath and vengeance, that seek their hurt, and give them disturbance; (see Psalm 17:8) and as this may respect the Jews called out of Babylon in the two preceding verses ( Zechariah 2:6,7), it may be concluded that they were obedient to the divine call, though it is not recorded; it being not likely that God, who had so great a regard for them, would suffer them to continue there to their destruction; for it was about two years after this prophecy, in the fourth year of Darius, or the beginning of the fifth, that Babylon revolted from him, and was besieged twenty months by him, before he took it; and which he did at last by the stratagem of Zopyrus, one of his generals, when he beat down its walls and gates, and put to death three thousand of the inhabitants that were most guilty f38 ; but, before this, it is reasonable to suppose that the people of God, so dear unto him as is expressed, were called out from hence; as those of his people, equally dear to him, will be called out of mystical Babylon before its destruction; (see Revelation 18:4).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-9 - If God will build Jerusalem for the people and their comfort, they mus inhabit it for him and his glory. The promises and privileges with which God's people are blessed, should engage us to join them, whateve it costs us. When Zion is enlarged to make room for all God's Israel it is the greatest madness for any of them to stay in Babylon. The captivity of a sinful state is by no means to be continued in, though man may be easy in worldly matters. Escape for thy life, look no behind thee. Christ has proclaimed that deliverance to the captives which he has himself wrought out, and it concerns every one to resolv that sin shall not have dominion over him. Those who would be foun among God's children, must save themselves from this world, see A 2:40. What Christ will do for his church, shall be an evident proof of God's care and affection. He that touches you, touches the apple of his eye. This is a strong expression of God's love to his church. He take what is done against her as done against the tenderest part of the eye to which the least touch is a great offence. Christ is sent to be the Protector of his church.
Original Hebrew
כי 3588 כה 3541 אמר 559 יהוה 3068 צבאות 6635 אחר 310 כבוד 3519 שׁלחני 7971 אל 413 הגוים 1471 השׁללים 7997 אתכם 853 כי 3588 הנגע 5060 בכם נגע 5060 בבבת 892 עינו׃ 5869
