Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Zechariah
Chapter 2: I Will Dwell in the Midst of Thee
In the third of Zechariah's night visions, a man goes out to measure Jerusalem, and God stops him with a promise too big for walls: the city will overflow 'as towns without walls for the multitude,' and 'I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.' God Himself will be both the protection around His people and the glory within them. He calls His people out of Babylon, declaring His fierce love, 'he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye,' and then breaks into a song of hope: 'Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee.' Nations from every side will be 'joined to the LORD,' and the chapter ends in awed silence, 'Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD.' It is a chapter about the God who comes to dwell among His people, fulfilled when the Word was made flesh.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Zechariah chapter 2, the vision of the measuring line and God's promise to dwell among His people. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. The chapter points to God as our wall and glory, and to His coming to dwell in the midst of His people. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
A City Without Walls
A Jerusalem too full to be contained.
A Wall of Fire
God Himself the defense and the glory within.
The Apple of His Eye
To touch God's people is to touch God.
I Will Dwell in the Midst
God coming to live among His people.
A Wall of Fire, and the Glory in the Midst (Zechariah 2:1-5)
A man sets out to measure Jerusalem, but God halts the measuring with a greater promise: the city will overflow its walls, for the LORD Himself will be a wall of fire around His people and the glory in their midst.
I Will Be Unto Her a Wall of Fire Round About
"I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. 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. And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, 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: 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."
Hebrew Study
"a wall of fire round about, and... the glory in the midst of her." God promises to be two things to His people at once: the "wall of fire" around them (protection so complete that no enemy can pass, as fire guards a camp) and "the glory in the midst" (His own presence dwelling within). It recalls the pillar of fire that both shielded Israel and shone in their midst at the Exodus (Exodus 14:19-20), and the glory-cloud that filled the tabernacle. God does not merely give His people a wall; He is their wall. He does not merely send them glory; He is their glory. This is fulfilled in Christ and His church, where God is both our sure defense, "kept by the power of God" (1 Peter 1:5), and our indwelling glory, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
"Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude." The young man wanted to measure the city, to fix its size by its walls. God's answer is that the city will be too big for walls, overflowing "for the multitude of men and cattle." God's purposes cannot be confined to our measurements. We are forever trying to draw the boundaries of what God will do, how many can be saved, how far His kingdom can reach, and God keeps bursting our lines. The gospel city is a "multitude which no man could number, of all nations" (Revelation 7:9). Do not measure God's kingdom by walls; He is building something that will overflow every limit we imagine.
Explanation
Zechariah sees "a man with a measuring line" heading out "to measure Jerusalem." It seems a sensible task, sizing the city for its walls. But an angel runs to stop him with news too big for measuring: "Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude." The restored city will not be a small, walled enclosure but an overflowing, unwalled expanse, teeming with people and cattle.
Why unwalled? Because God Himself will be its defense and its glory: "I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her." A wall of fire needs no stones, and no army can breach it. And the glory within needs no gold, for it is God's own presence. The vision reorients everything: the security and splendor of God's people do not come from their own fortifications and treasures, but from the LORD who surrounds and indwells them.
Gospel Focus
"I will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her" is a promise every believer can rest in. Our safety is not our own defenses, our savings, our plans, our walls, but God Himself around us like fire. "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe" (Proverbs 18:10), and "the angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him" (Psalm 34:7). And our glory is not our achievements or reputation but God within us, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." When you feel exposed and unprotected, remember: God is your wall of fire, and no enemy passes Him. When you feel empty and unimpressive, remember: God is your glory, dwelling in your midst.
And do not measure God's kingdom by your walls. The young man wanted to size the city; God said it would overflow. We are prone to cramp God's grace with our small expectations, deciding in advance how much He will do and whom He will save. But the gospel city is an unwalled multitude drawn from every nation, and God is still bursting the lines we draw. Expect more of God than you can measure, for He is building a city no walls can contain, and He Himself is its fire and its glory.
Lo, I Come, and I Will Dwell in the Midst of Thee (Zechariah 2:6-13)
God calls His people to flee Babylon, declares His fierce love for them as the apple of His eye, and promises to come and dwell in their midst, drawing many nations to join themselves to the LORD, before which all flesh is called to silence.
Many Nations Shall Be Joined to the LORD
"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. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. 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. 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. 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. Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation."
Hebrew Study
"he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye." The "apple of the eye" is the pupil, the most sensitive, most fiercely protected part of the body; we flinch and shield it instinctively. God says His people are that precious and that protected to Him: to touch them is to touch His own eye. It is a stunning declaration of God's tender, jealous love, "he kept him as the apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy 32:10); "keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings" (Psalm 17:8). Those who harm God's people will answer to God as personally as if they had struck at Him, which is exactly what the risen Christ told Saul the persecutor: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:4). If you belong to God, you are the apple of His eye; nothing touches you without touching Him.
"lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee." Twice in this passage God promises, "I will dwell in the midst of thee" (verses 10-11). This is the heartbeat of the whole Bible, God's desire to dwell with His people, and it is fulfilled in stages: in the tabernacle and temple, then supremely when "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14, where "dwelt" means "tabernacled"), then by the Spirit indwelling the church, "ye are the temple of God, and... the Spirit of God dwelleth in you" (1 Corinthians 3:16), and finally forever, "the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them" (Revelation 21:3). And note the widening circle: "many nations shall be joined to the LORD... and shall be my people." God comes to dwell not with Israel only but with a people gathered from every nation, in Christ.
Explanation
God urgently calls His exiles home: "Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north... Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon." Do not settle down in exile; come out. Then He declares His fierce love and His vengeance on their oppressors: "he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye," and those who spoiled them will themselves become "a spoil."
The passage rises into joy: "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee." God is coming to live among His people. And the circle widens wonderfully: "many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people." God's indwelling presence will draw in the Gentiles, a people from every nation joined to Him. He will "inherit Judah" and "choose Jerusalem again." And the fitting response to such a God, stirring from His holy dwelling to act, is reverent awe: "Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD." When God rises to come and dwell among His people, all the earth should fall silent before Him.
Gospel Focus
"He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye" tells us how God feels about His people, and it is almost too tender to believe. You, if you are His, are as precious and as fiercely guarded to God as the pupil of His own eye. Whatever comes against you comes against Him first. This is why the risen Christ said to the man persecuting the church, "why persecutest thou me?", He so identifies with His people that their wounds are His. Rest in this love: you are not overlooked or expendable to God; you are the apple of His eye, kept "under the shadow of thy wings."
And rejoice in the promise the whole Bible is moving toward: "lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee." This is the story of redemption in a sentence, God coming to dwell with His people. He came in the flesh of Jesus, "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us"; He dwells now by His Spirit in the church, "the temple of God"; and He will dwell with the redeemed forever, "the tabernacle of God is with men." And He gathers "many nations" into that dwelling, a people from every land joined to the LORD in Christ. The right response is the one this chapter gives: "Sing and rejoice," and then, "Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD." Sing for joy that God comes to dwell with you; then fall silent in awe before the God who does.
Chapter 2 in Review
Zechariah 2 is a vision of the God who protects, indwells, and gathers His people. A man goes to measure Jerusalem, but God says the city will overflow its walls, 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." He calls His people out of Babylon, declares His fierce love, "he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye," and breaks into a song: "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee." Many nations will be "joined to the LORD," and all flesh is called to silence before the God who rises from His holy habitation.
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is rich with gospel. God Himself is our defense and our glory, "a wall of fire" around us and "Christ in you, the hope of glory" within us; our security and splendor are not our own but His. We are the apple of His eye, so precious that to touch us is to touch Him, the very love the risen Christ claimed when He said "why persecutest thou me?" And the chapter's great refrain, "I will dwell in the midst of thee," is the heartbeat of redemption, fulfilled when the Word "tabernacled" among us, dwelt in His church by the Spirit, and will dwell with His people forever, gathering many nations into one. Sing for joy that God comes to dwell with you, and be silent in awe before Him.
- God Himself is our protection and glory: "a wall of fire round about, and... the glory in the midst" (2:5; Colossians 1:27).
- Do not measure God's kingdom by walls; it overflows every limit (2:4; Revelation 7:9).
- God's people are the apple of His eye; to touch them is to touch Him (2:8; Deuteronomy 32:10; Acts 9:4).
- "I will dwell in the midst of thee": the heartbeat of redemption, fulfilled in Christ (2:10; John 1:14).
- God gathers "many nations" into His dwelling, a people from every land (2:11; Revelation 21:3).
- The response to the coming God is joyful song and reverent silence (2:10, 13; Psalm 46:10).
Questions for Reflection
- Where are you trusting your own "walls" instead of God as your wall of fire?
- Do you believe you are "the apple of his eye," precious and guarded by God?
- Have you fled your "Babylon" to belong wholly to the Lord?
- Does the truth that God dwells in your midst move you to both joy and awe?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). "The apple of his eye" (verse 8) is the pupil, the most protected part of the eye. God as fire around His people and glory within: Exodus 13:21-22; 14:19-20; 40:34-38; Isaiah 4:5-6; Psalm 34:7; 125:2; 1 Peter 1:5; Colossians 1:27. The overflowing, unwalled city: Isaiah 49:19-20; 54:2-3; Revelation 7:9; 21:16. God's people as the apple of His eye: Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; and Christ's identification with them, Acts 9:4-5; Matthew 25:40, 45. Calling to flee Babylon: Isaiah 48:20; 52:11; Jeremiah 51:6, 45; Revelation 18:4. "I will dwell in the midst," fulfilled in Christ, the Spirit, and forever: Exodus 25:8; 29:45-46; John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3. Many nations joined to the LORD: Isaiah 2:2-3; 56:6-8; 60:3; Zechariah 8:20-23; Ephesians 2:11-19. "Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD": Habakkuk 2:20; Zephaniah 1:7; Psalm 46:10. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The unwalled city and God as wall of fire and glory in the midst: Zechariah 2:1-5; Isaiah 4:5; Colossians 1:27.
- The apple of His eye and the God who comes to dwell among many nations: Zechariah 2:6-13; John 1:14; Revelation 21:3.