Zechariah 2

Zechariah · Chapter 2

Zechariah 2:6

1I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.2Then 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.3And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him,4And 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:5For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.6Ho, 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.7Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.8For 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.9For, 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.10Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.11And 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.12And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.13Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
6Ho, 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.“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD.Ho, ho, flee from the land of the north, saith Jehovah; for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heavens, saith Jehovah.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In Zechariah's vision of a man measuring Jerusalem, the LORD promises to be a wall of fire around the city and its glory within. He then calls his people who are still living in the north, in Babylon, to get out and come home. The next verse names them: "O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon." Zechariah 2:1Zechariah 2:2Zechariah 2:4Zechariah 2:5Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7

SpeakingThe LORD is speaking. The verse twice says "saith the LORD." The words come through Zechariah inside a vision where angels carry the message. Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:3Zechariah 2:4Zechariah overview

ToGod's people still living in Babylon, called "Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon." The book as a whole was given to those who had already returned to Judah. Zechariah 2:7Zechariah overview

Also involvedBabylon and "the nations which spoiled you." The LORD says he will shake his hand upon them, and they will become a spoil to their own servants. Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9

The verse is an urgent cry: "Ho, ho," come out and flee from the land of the north. The reason given is that the LORD himself had scattered his people "as the four winds of the heaven." The God who scattered them is now calling them back, as Isaiah had also urged: "Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans." Zechariah 2:6Strong's H1945Strong's H6566Isaiah 48:20Isaiah 52:11

The prophet was among the returned exiles in Jerusalem. The call goes out to those still in "the land of the north," which the next verse identifies as Babylon. Zechariah overviewZechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Babylon 1Strong's H6828G

JUDAHBABYLONIABabylon 1JerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe verse belongs to Zechariah's night visions, given in the second year of Darius king of Persia, about 520 BC. By then exiles had returned under Cyrus, and the rebuilding of the temple was starting again. Zechariah overview

WrittenTraditional view: Zechariah wrote it, and the dated messages run from about 520 to 518 BC. Scholarly view: most scholars agree that chapters 1-8, which include this verse, come from Zechariah in 520-518 BC. Zechariah overview

HereThe LORD calls the exiles out of Babylon, for he will shake his hand upon the nations that plundered them. He says that whoever touches his people touches "the apple of his eye." Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9

In the whole of ScriptureDeuteronomy says the LORD would scatter his people "from the one end of the earth even unto the other," and Ezekiel speaks of them being scattered "toward all winds." Here the same LORD calls them back, and he promises to dwell in Zion and choose Jerusalem again. Deuteronomy 28:64Ezekiel 17:21Ezekiel 11:16Zechariah 2:10Zechariah 2:12

For readersThe God who scattered his people is also the one who calls them home. Scripture repeats this call to come out from Babylon, from Isaiah to Revelation's "Come out of her, my people." Zechariah 2:6Isaiah 48:20Isaiah 52:11Revelation 18:4

  • spread abroadפָּרַשׂ
    Hebrew · pa.ra.s · H6566

    Here the word is glossed "I have scattered." Its meanings include "to spread out" and "to scatter." So the verse points back to the scattering the LORD himself brought about, as Deuteronomy 28:64 and Ezekiel 11:16 also say. Strong's H6566Deuteronomy 28:64Ezekiel 11:16

  • fleeנוּד
    Hebrew · nud · H5127

    It means "to flee." That makes the call an urgent escape, like the charge to Lot to "escape for thy life" in Genesis 19:17. Strong's H5127Genesis 19:17

  • Hoהוֹי
    Hebrew · hoy · H1945

    This is a cry glossed "alas!" or "woe!" and also "ho!" Doubled at the start of the verse, it makes the call urgent. Strong's H1945Zechariah 2:6

  • windsרוּחַ
    Hebrew · ru.ach · H7307H

    The word can mean wind, breath or spirit. Its senses include wind "of heaven" and a "quarter" or side. So "the four winds of the heaven" means every direction, showing how widely the people had been scattered. Strong's H7307HStrong's H0702Ezekiel 17:21

Takeaway

Zechariah 2:6 is the LORD's urgent call to his scattered people in Babylon to come out and return home. He says he scattered them, and he promises to protect them and dwell among them again. Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:10

Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.

The world around the text

About 520-518 BC. King of Persia: Darius I (522-486 BC). Where Zechariah prophesied. A small, poor community was rebuilding the temple among the ruins of the city Babylon had burned.

Who ruled
  • King of PersiaDarius I522-486 BC

    Zechariah dates his messages by the years of Darius. Darius confirmed Cyrus's decree and ordered the temple work to go on at royal expense. Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 6:1-12Haggai 1:1Behistun Inscription

  • Governor of JudahZerubbabelc. 520 BC

    A descendant of David who led the rebuilding. "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." Zechariah 4:6-10Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:8

  • High priestJoshua the high priestc. 520 BC

    Called Jeshua in Ezra. He stands in Zechariah's vision clothed in filthy garments, which are taken away, and later receives crowns as a sign. Zechariah 3:1-10Zechariah 6:11Haggai 1:1Ezra 3:2

  • Persian governor "on this side the river"Tattenaic. 520 BC

    The governor of the province west of the Euphrates. He asked who had allowed the building, wrote to Darius, and was told to let the work go on. Ezra 5:3-6Ezra 6:6-13

What was happening, 539 BC to 332 BC
  1. 539 BC
    WarBabylon falls to Cyrus

    Cyrus king of Persia took Babylon, ending the empire that had destroyed Jerusalem. Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Cyrus Cylinder

  2. 538 BC
    God's peopleThe first return

    Cyrus let the exiles go home to build the LORD's house. About fifty thousand returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua. Ezra 1:1-4Ezra 2:1-2Ezra 2:64-65

  3. c. 536 BC
    God's peopleThe foundation is laid, then the work stops

    The returned exiles laid the temple's foundation with shouting and weeping. Opposition from their neighbors stopped the work until the second year of Darius. Ezra 3:10-13Ezra 4:4-5Ezra 4:24

  4. 525 BC
    WarPersia conquers Egypt

    Cyrus's son Cambyses invaded and took Egypt, bringing the whole region from the Nile to the Indus under one king. Herodotus, Histories 3.1-16

  5. 522-521 BC
    WarDarius crushes the revolts

    When Darius took the throne, provinces across the empire rebelled, Babylon twice. By 520 he had put them all down. Compare the riders' report in Zechariah's first vision: "all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." Behistun InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 3.150-159Zechariah 1:11

  6. 520 BC
    God's peopleHaggai and Zechariah stir the people to build

    In Darius's second year the two prophets urged the people to take up the temple work again, and Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to build. Ezra 5:1-2Haggai 1:1-15Zechariah 1:1

  7. c. 520-519 BC
    RulersDarius confirms Cyrus's decree

    Tattenai questioned the building. A search found Cyrus's decree at Achmetha, and Darius ordered the work to continue and be paid for from royal taxes. Ezra 5:3-6:12

  8. 515 BC
    BuildingThe second temple is finished

    The temple was finished on the third day of Adar in Darius's sixth year and dedicated with joy. Ezra 6:14-18Zechariah 4:9

  9. 490-479 BC
    WarPersia's wars with Greece

    Persia invaded Greece twice and was turned back at Marathon (490), Salamis (480) and Plataea (479). Greece, which Zechariah names in 9:13, was becoming Persia's great rival. Herodotus, Histories 6.102-117Herodotus, Histories 8.40-96Herodotus, Histories 9.1-89Zechariah 9:13

  10. 445 BC
    BuildingNehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem's walls

    Under the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah came from Shushan and rebuilt the walls in fifty-two days. Nehemiah 2:1-8Nehemiah 6:15

  11. 332 BC
    WarAlexander takes Tyre and Gaza

    Alexander the Great besieged island Tyre for seven months and then Gaza for two, on his way to Egypt. Zechariah 9 speaks of Tyre's "strong hold" and of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron and Ashdod. Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 2.15-27Zechariah 9:3-7

The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records (the Behistun Inscription, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Babylonian Chronicles) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
alas!ה֣וֹיHoH1945
woe!

הוֹי (hoy) ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!

alas!ה֗וֹיHoH1945
woe!

הוֹי (hoy) ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!

and fleeוְנֻ֛סוּve-NU-suH5127
to flee

נוּד (nud) (P'al) to flee Aramaic of nus (נוּס "to flee" H5127)

from [the] land ofמֵאֶ֥רֶץme-'E-retzH0776G
land: country/planet

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) : country/field 1) land, earth 1a) earth 1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part) 1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven) 1a3) earth (inhabitants) 1b) land 1b1) country, territory 1b2) district, region 1b3) tribal territory 1b4) piece of ground 1b5) land of Canaan, Israel 1b6) inhabitants of land 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world 1b8) city (-state) 1c) ground, surface of the earth 1c1) ground 1c2) soil 1d) (in phrases) 1d1) people of the land 1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance) 1d3) level or plain country 1d4) land of the living 1d5) end(s) of the earth …

[the] northצָפ֖וֹןtza-FONH6828G
north

צָפוֹן (tsa.phon) 1) north (of direction), northward 1a) north 1b) northward

[the] utterance ofנְאֻם־ne-'um-H5002
utterance

נְאֻם (ne.um) 1) (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet) 1a) utterance, declaration, revelation (of prophet in ecstatic state) 1b) utterance, declaration (elsewhere always preceding divine name)

Yahwehיְהוָ֑הYAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

thatכִּ֠יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

like [the] fourכְּאַרְבַּ֞עke-'ar-BA'H0702
four

אַרְבַּע (ar.ba) four

[the] winds ofרוּח֧וֹתru-CHOTH7307H
spirit

רוּחַ (ru.ach) : spirit 1) wind, breath, mind, spirit 1a) breath 1b) wind 1b1) of heaven 1b2) quarter (of wind), side 1b3) breath of air 1b4) air, gas 1b5) vain, empty thing 1c) spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation) 1c1) spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour 1c2) courage 1c3) temper, anger 1c4) impatience, patience 1c5) spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented) 1c6) disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse 1c7) prophetic spirit 1d) spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals) …

the heavensהַשָּׁמַ֛יִםha-sha-MA-yimH8064
heaven

שָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) 1) heaven, heavens, sky 1a) visible heavens, sky 1a1) as abode of the stars 1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc 1b) Heaven (as the abode of God) Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065)

I have scatteredפֵּרַ֥שְׂתִּיpe-RAS-tiH6566
to spread

פָּרַשׂ (pa.ra.s) 1) to spread, spread out, stretch, break in pieces 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to spread out, display 1a2) to spread over 1b) (Niphal) to be scattered, be spread out 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to spread out 1c1) to scatter

[the] utterance ofנְאֻם־ne-'um-H5002
utterance

נְאֻם (ne.um) 1) (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet) 1a) utterance, declaration, revelation (of prophet in ecstatic state) 1b) utterance, declaration (elsewhere always preceding divine name)

Yahwehיְהוָֽה׃YAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.