Zechariah 8:2

Zec 8:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

Ver. 2. I was jealous for Zion] {See Trapp on "Zec 1:14"} Jealous as a husband, zealous as a loving father; for, Non amat qui non zelat, He does not love who does not ardently low, saith Augustine; and a father being rebuked by some for his exceeding forwardness for his friend, answered, Ego aliter amare non didici, I know not how to love any otherwise than earnestly. God, therefore, to ascertain his people of the truth of the ensuing promises, and to cure their unbelief, lets them know that all this he will do for them of his free grace without their having deserved it. As at first he loved them merely because he loved them, Deu 7:7-8; so, out of the same love, he will bestow upon them all the good things here mentioned. See the like Isa 9:6-7, where, after a sweet description of Christ, his kingdom and benefits, he concludes all with "The zeal" (that is, the tender love and free grace) "of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Fear ye not." So 2Sa 7:21 "For thy word’s sake," that is, for thy Christ’s sake, "and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these things" which thou hadst promised. "According to thine own heart," that is, ex mero motu, out of pure and unexcited love, or zeal, which is the top of all the affections and the heat of the heart.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Zec 8:2. I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy — With great care that she should not, as formerly, sin against my love and her own welfare, and with a great desire to do her good, and rescue her from her enemies. Jealousy is properly the passion of a lover, or husband, made up of love, care, and anger, in their highest degrees, for his beloved, and against all that he thinks hurtful to her. Thus God had greatly loved Zion, had been careful of her honour and welfare, and displeased with her sins, which first hurt her, and then with the Chaldeans, who violated her. And I was jealous for her — Or toward, or against her, as להmay be rendered; with great fury — Hebrew, חמה, heat, or wrath, namely, for her sins. In a note on Zec 1:14, Blayney gives it as his opinion, that the jealousy there spoken of was God’s resentment against his people for their disloyalty and misbehaviour toward him. “In this opinion,” he here says, “I am confirmed by the present passage, where not the least mention is made of the persecuting nations. That God’s jealousy bespeaks wrath toward the object of it, needs no other proof than his own words, Num 25:11.”

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8:2 Passion (or jealousy, zeal) is a basic element of the Old Testament concept of God (see also 1:14). God’s passion identifies him as a personal deity, not an abstract natural force. God is passionate for his word and for the people of his covenant. His passion results in punishment for sin, restoration for repentance, and reward for the pursuit of righteousness.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

I loved my city with a singular love, so that I could not abide that any should do her any injury.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 2. I was jealous] Some refer this to the Jews themselves. They were as the spouse of Jehovah: but they were unfaithful, and God punished them as an injured husband might be expected to punish an unfaithful wife. Others apply it to the enemies of the Jews. Though I gave them a commission to afflict you, yet they exceeded their commission: I will therefore deal with them in fury - in vindictive justice.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He then says, that the word of Jehovah came to him; we hence learn, that this was a distinct prophecy. He adds, I have been zealous for Sion (for as we have said, the letter ל, lamed, is to be thus taken) with great zeal This was indeed an incredible change, for God had for a time restrained himself, while the ungodly at their pleasure harassed the Church, so that they thought that they could do so with impunity. As God then had for some time remained at rest, what the Prophet says here could not have been easily believed, that is, that God would, through a sudden jealousy, undertake the cause of the Church. Hence the indignation, immediately subjoined, must be regarded with reference to enemies, as though he had said, that all the ungodly would now perceive what they had by no means expected, — that God was the protector of Jerusalem. It now follows —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(2) I was.—Better, I am in both cases. Here God declares His determination to give expression to His burning love for Zion.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2. Thus saith the Lord of hosts] “At each word and sentence, in which good things, for their greatness almost incredible, are promised, the prophet premises, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, as if he would say, Think not that what I pledge you are my own, and refuse me not credence as man. What I unfold are the promises of God.” Jerome, quoted by Pusey.

I was] Rather, I am. Comp. Zec_1:14, where the same tense is so rendered.

with great fury] i.e. against her enemies, as Zec_1:15.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thus saith the Lord, I am returned to Zion,.... The temple being now building, and almost finished, and the worship of God restored in it. The Targum renders it, "I will return to Zion"; and it may refer to the time of Christ's incarnation, when the Redeemer came to Zion, Isa 59:20 or to the time of the conversion of the Jews in the latter day, of both which it is true; see Rom 11:26,

and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: or "cause my Shechinah to dwell there", as the Targum paraphrases it; which was fulfilled when the Word was made flesh, , "and dwelt" or "tabernacled" among the inhabitants of Judea and of Jerusalem, and taught his doctrines, and wrought his miracles, in the midst of them; and will be also when he shall dwell among them by his Spirit and grace in the latter day:

and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; when Christ, who is "truth" itself, was in it, and the truths of the Gospel were preached there by him and his apostles, and they were received and professed by many, though despised by others; and especially in the latter day, when the Jews shall generally and cordially embrace Christ and his Gospel, and shall worship God in spirit and in truth, and not in that shadowy, formal, and hypocritical way they do now; see Isa 1:26 and especially this will be true of the New Jerusalem, into which nothing shall enter that makes a lie, Rev 21:27,

the mountain of the Lord of hosts; which will be established upon the top of the mountains, and where the Lord will be seen and exalted in his glory, even the Lamb, with the hundred and forty four thousand with him, Isa 2:2,

the holy mountain; where the holy word of God will be preached, the holy ordinances administered, and holiness of life and conversation will be strictly attended to; yea, Holiness will be upon the bells of the horses, Zac 14:20.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts - Jerome: “At each word and sentence, in which good things, for their greatness, almost incredible are promised, the prophet premises, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts,” as if he would say, Think not that what I pledge you are my own, and refuse me not credence as man. What I unfold are the promises of God.”

I was jealous - Literally, “I have been and am jealous for.” . He repeats in words slightly varied, but in the same rhythm, the declaration of tits tender love wherewith He opened the series of visions, thereby assuring beforehand that this was, like that, an answer of peace. The form of words shows, that this was a jealousy for, not with her; yet it was one and the same strong, yea infinite love, whereby God, as He says, “clave unto their fathers to love them and chose their seed after them out of all nations” Deu 10:15. His jealousy of their sins was part of that love, whereby, (Dionysius), “without disturbance of passion or of tranquillity, He inflicted rigorous punishment, as a man fearfully reproves a wife who sins.” They are two different forms of love according to two needs. Rup.: “The jealousy (Zelus) of God is good, to love people and hate the sins of people. Contrariwise the jealousy of the devil is evil, to hate people and love the sins of people.” Osorius: “Since God’s anger had its origin in the vehemence of His love (for this sort of jealousy arises from the greatness of love), there was hope that the anger might readily be appeased toward her.”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Jealous for her, treating her as a spouse, (Calmet) and not neglecting her as one incorrigible. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

I was; I have been in time past, in days of old before the captivity, and I have been so since the captivity for some years past.

Jealous for Zion: properly it is the passion of a lover or husband, mixed of love, care, and anger in their highest degrees for the beloved, and against all that is hurtful to it; so God had greatly loved Zion, had been careful of her honour and welfare, and displeased with her sins, which first hurt her, and then with the Chaldeans, which violated her.

With great jealousy; with great care that she should not, as formerly, sin against my love and her own welfare, and with a great love to do her good now, and to rescue her from her enemies.

I was jealous for her; on her behalf, and not as formerly against her, I am jealous in favour to her, as the Hebrew phrase importeth.

With great fury; with heat of anger against her enemies, as Zec 1:14,15, See Poole "Zec 1:14", See Poole "Zec 1:15".

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts. This formula occurs ten times in this chapter, thus enforcing the truth that all the promises made to Zion come from the Lord himself, and are therefore sure to be fulfilled. I was jealous; I am jealous, as Zec_1:14 (where see note). With great fury. Against her enemies. (Zec_1:15) "Zelus" is defined by Albertus Magnus: "amor boni cum indignatione contrarii." One side of God"s love for Zion is shown in the punishment of her enemies. Knabenbauer likens this zeal or jealousy of God to the pillar of fire at the Exodus light and protection to the Israelites, darkness and destruction to the Egyptians. (Exo_14:20)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jealousy - With great care that she should not, as formerly, sin against my love, and her own welfare, and with a great desire to do her good, and to rescue her from her enemies. Fury - With heat of anger against her enemies.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

I am jealous for her For [not ‘to’] her. And you will not need to fast and to mourn. And so is the end of the chapter: “The fast of the fifth month, etc.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.