Amplified Bible
Zechariah 8:13
13And as you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah (Southern Kingdom) and house of Israel (Northern Kingdom), so I will save you, that you may be a blessing. Fear not; let your hands be strong.’
Zechariah 8:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.
- New International Version (NIV)Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And as you have been a byword of cursing among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing. Fear not, but let your hands be strong."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And it shall come to pass That just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, Let your hands be strong.’
Context of Zechariah 8:13
11But now [in this time since you began to build] I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of hosts. 12‘For there the seed will produce peace and prosperity; the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will produce its increase, and the heavens will give their dew. And I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit and possess all these things. And as you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah (Southern Kingdom) and house of Israel (Northern Kingdom), so I will save you, that you may be a blessing. Fear not; let your hands be strong.’ 14“For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Just as I planned to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I did not relent, 15so I have again planned in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear!
Read all of Zechariah 8Zechariah 8:13 word by word
וְהָיָ֡ה כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ הֱיִיתֶ֨ם קְלָלָ֜ה בַּגּוֹיִ֗ם בֵּ֤ית יְהוּדָה֙ וּבֵ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כֵּ֚ן אוֹשִׁ֣יעַ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וִהְיִיתֶ֖ם בְּרָכָ֑ה אַל־תִּירָ֖אוּ תֶּחֱזַ֥קְנָה יְדֵיכֶֽם׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- as ye were a curseקְלָלָהqelâlâh · curseH7045
- among the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- O houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- so will I saveיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467
- you, and ye shall be a blessingבְּרָכָהberâkâh · blessingH1293
- fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
- let your handsיָדyâd · handH3027
- be strongחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
Cross-references for Zechariah 8:13
- Deuteronomy 28:37And you will become a horror, a proverb [a mere object lesson], and a taunt [a derisive joke] among all the people to which the Lord drives you.
- Deuteronomy 29:23‘The whole land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it; it is like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and wrath.’
- 1 Kings 9:7then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and I will cast out of My sight the house which I have consecrated for My Name and Presence. Then Israel will become a proverb (a saying) and a byword (object of ridicule) among all the peoples.
- 2 Chronicles 7:20then I will uproot Israel from My land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have consecrated for My Name, out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and an object of scorn among all nations.
- Psalms 44:13You have made us the reproach and taunt of our neighbors, A scoffing and a derision to those around us.
- Psalms 79:4We have become an object of taunting to our neighbors [because of our humiliation], A derision and mockery to those who encircle us.
- Isaiah 65:15And you will leave your name behind to My chosen ones [who will use it] as a curse, And the Lord God will put you to death, But He will call His servants by another name [a much greater name, just as the name Israel was greater than the name Jacob].
- Jeremiah 24:9I will make them a focus of ridicule and disappointment [tossed back and forth] among all the kingdoms of the earth, a [notorious] disgrace, a byword, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them.
- Jeremiah 25:18Jerusalem and the cities of Judah [being most guilty because their privileges were greatest], its kings and princes, to make them a horror, a ruin, a hissing and a curse, as it is to this day;
- Jeremiah 26:6then I will make this house [the temple] like Shiloh, and I will make this city [subject to] the curse of all nations of the earth [because it will be so vile in their sight].” ’ ”
- Jeremiah 29:18I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with virulent disease; and I will make them a terror (warning) to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a horror, a hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations to which I have driven them,
- Jeremiah 42:18For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and My wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will become detested, an object of horror, a curse and a people scorned; and you will no longer see this place.”
- Jeremiah 44:12And I will take the remnant of Judah who have decided to go into the land of Egypt to live there [instead of surrendering to the Chaldeans as directed], and they will all fall and die in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword or perish by famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by the sword or by famine; and they will become detestable, an object of horror, a curse, and a disgrace.
- Lamentations 2:15All who pass along the way Clap their hands in derision at you; They scoff and shake their heads At the Daughter of Jerusalem, saying, “Is this the city that was called ‘The perfection of beauty, The joy of all the earth’?”
- Lamentations 4:15People cried to them, “Go away! Unclean! Depart! Depart! Do not touch!” So they fled, then they wandered [as fugitives]; People among the nations said, “They shall not stay here any longer with us.”
- Ezekiel 5:15So it will be a disgrace, a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the [pagan] nations who surround you when I execute judgments against you in anger and in wrath and in raging reprimands—I, the Lord, have spoken.
Commentaries on Zechariah 8:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13As ye were a curse - Instead of being execrated among the people, ye shall be blessed; instead of being reproached, ye shall be commended. Ye shall be a blessing to all the nations round about. All these promises we may expect to be completely fulfilled when the Jews acknowledge their Messiah. O house of Judah, and house of Israel - The restoration shall be complete, when both Israel and Judah are brought back.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13As ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you - The ten tribes bore the name of Israel, in contrast with the two tribes with the name of Judah, not only in the history but in the prophets; as Hosea says, “I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel, and on the house of Judah I will have mercy” Hosea 1:6-7. Here he unites both; both, in the time of their captivity, were a curse, were held to be a…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-17Verses 9-17 Those only who lay their hands to the plough of duty, shall have them strengthened with the promises of mercy: those who avoid their fathers' faults have the curse turned into a blessing. Those who believed the promises, were to show their faith by their works, and to wait the fulfilment. When God is displeased, he can cause trade to decay, and set every man against his neighbour; but when he returns in mercy, all is happy and prosperous…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-13This section shows how Jerusalem's situation improved when they rebuilt the temple (see 2 Chronicles 15:3–7). The call to be strong (Zechariah 8:9, 13) serves as an inclusio (a rhetorical device that begins and ends a section with a similar refrain) for the section.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-139-13. All adversities formerly attended them when neglecting to build the temple: but now God promises all blessings, as an encouragement to energy in the work. hands ... strong--be of courageous mind (2Sa 16:21), not merely in building, but in general, as having such bright prospects (Zec 8:13, &c.). these days--the time that had elapsed between the prophet's having spoken "these words" and the time (Zec 8:10; compare Hag 2:15-19) when they set about in…Read the comment
Topics related to Zechariah 8:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Zechariah 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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