Zechariah 2

Zechariah · Chapter 2

Zechariah 2:7

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
7Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”Ho Zion, escape, thou that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

After a vision promising that Jerusalem will overflow with people and that the LORD will be her wall of fire, God calls his scattered people to flee "the land of the north" and come home. This verse speaks to the Jews still living in Babylon, calling them "Zion" and urging them to escape. The reason follows: God is about to judge the nations that plundered them and will dwell in Zion himself. Zechariah 2:4Zechariah 2:5Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Zechariah 2:10

SpeakingThe LORD, speaking through his messenger and the prophet Zechariah. The surrounding lines repeat "saith the LORD" and speak of one the LORD "hath sent." Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Zechariah overview

ToJews of Zion, God's people, who were still living with "the daughter of Babylon." Other exiles had already come back to Judah. Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Strong's H6726Strong's H3427Zechariah overview

Also involvedBabylon and the other nations that plundered God's people. God says he will shake his hand over them and they will become spoil to their own servants. Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9

A direct command to escape: God's people must get out of Babylon and not stay among those he is about to judge. It repeats the cry of the verse before, "come forth, and flee from the land of the north." Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:9Strong's H4422

Spoken in Jerusalem among the returned exiles, but aimed at Jews still living in Babylon on the Euphrates. The text pairs Babylon with "the land of the north." Zechariah overviewZechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Babylon 1ZionStrong's H0894

JUDAHBABYLONIABabylon 1ZionTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsPart of Zechariah's eight night visions, among messages dated from the second to the fourth year of Darius king of Persia, about 520-518 BC. Some exiles had already returned, and the temple was being rebuilt. Zechariah overview

WrittenTraditional: written by Zechariah between about 520 and 518 BC. Scholarly: most scholars agree chapters 1-8, including this verse, come from Zechariah in 520-518 BC. Zechariah overview

HereTo get the remaining exiles out before God's judgment falls on the nations that robbed them. It also draws them home to the place where God promises to dwell and choose Jerusalem again. Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Zechariah 2:10Zechariah 2:12

In the whole of ScriptureEarlier prophets gave the same call: "Go ye forth of Babylon" (Isaiah 48:20) and "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul" (Jeremiah 51:6). Revelation 18:4 echoes it: "Come out of her, my people." Zechariah adds that many nations will one day join the LORD as his people. Isaiah 48:20Isaiah 52:11Jeremiah 51:6Revelation 18:4Zechariah 2:11

For readersGod warns his people to leave what stands under his judgment, and he gives the warning before the judgment comes. Peter gave a like call in Acts 2:40: "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:9Acts 2:40Jeremiah 51:6

  • Hebrew · ma.lat · H4422

    The word means to slip away or escape. That makes the verse a call to get out, not just to wait for rescue. Genesis 19:17 gives a similar urgent call to Lot: "Escape for thy life." Strong's H4422Genesis 19:17

  • Hebrew · ya.shav · H3427

    The word means to dwell, sit, remain or stay. It pictures people of Zion who had settled and remained with the daughter of Babylon, and the LORD calls them to leave. Strong's H3427Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7

  • daughterבַּת
    Hebrew · bat · H1323G

    "Daughter" can personify a place or name its people. "Daughter of Babylon" means Babylon and its people, set against the "daughter of Zion" in verse 10. Strong's H1323GZechariah 2:10

  • Zionצִיּוֹן
    Hebrew · tsiy.yon · H6726

    Zion is another name for Jerusalem. Here it names God's people even while they live far away in Babylon, which shows where they truly belong. Strong's H6726Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:12

Takeaway

Zechariah 2:7 is God's urgent call to the Jews still in Babylon: escape and come home, because judgment is coming on the nations that plundered them, and God will dwell in Zion. Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Zechariah 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!ה֥וֹיHoH1945
woe!

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

O Zionצִיּ֖וֹןtzi-YONH6726
Zion

צִיּוֹן (tsiy.yon) Zion = "parched place" another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

escapeהִמָּלְטִ֑יhi-mal-TIH4422
to escape

מָלַט (ma.lat) 1) to slip away, escape, deliver, save, be delivered 1a)(Niphal) 1a1) to slip away 1a2) to escape 1a3) to be delivered 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to lay, let slip out (of eggs) 1b2) to let escape 1b3) to deliver, save (life) 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to give birth to 1c2) to deliver 1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to slip forth, slip out, escape 1d2) to escape

O inhabitant[s]יוֹשֶׁ֖בֶתyo-SHE-vetH3427
to dwell

יָשַׁב (ya.shav) 1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sit, sit down 1a2) to be set 1a3) to remain, stay 1a4) to dwell, have one's abode 1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited 1c) (Piel) to set, place 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to sit 1d2) to cause to abide, set 1d3) to cause to dwell 1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited 1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to) 1e) (Hophal) 1e1) to be inhabited 1e2) to make to dwell Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)

of [the] daughter ofבַּת־bat-H1323G
daughter

בַּת (bat) : daughter 1) daughter 1a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin 1a1) as polite address 1a2) as designation of women of a particular place 2) young women, women 1a3) as personification 1a4) daughter-villages 1a5) description of character Also means: bat (בַּת ": village" H1323H)

Babylonבָּבֶֽל׃ סba-VELH0894
Babylon

בָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶל (ba.vel) § Babel or Babylon = "confusion (by mixing)" Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates

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