Zechariah 2

Zechariah · Chapter 2

Zechariah 2:8

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
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.For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye—For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: After glory hath he sent me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

In one of Zechariah's night visions, God promises to protect a rebuilt Jerusalem and calls the exiles still in Babylon to come home. This verse gives the reason: the LORD of hosts has sent a messenger to the nations that plundered his people. Anyone who touches them touches the pupil of God's own eye. Zechariah overviewZechariah 2:1Zechariah 2:4Zechariah 2:5Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9

Commonly taken out of context

How it’s often usedOften quoted on its own as a general saying that each person is "the apple of God's eye," or used as a slogan for modern political causes.

In contextThe verse is a word to Zion, meaning the exiles and the returned people of Judah. It is about the nations that had plundered them, and it promises that God would turn those nations into spoil (2:9). Any wider use should start from that setting of God defending his people. Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Zechariah overview

SpeakingThe words are given as "thus saith the LORD of hosts." Inside the saying, a speaker calls himself "me," the one the LORD of hosts has sent. He speaks the same way in verses 9 and 11. Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Zechariah 2:11

ToZion, God's people. This means the exiles still living "with the daughter of Babylon" and the people of Judah who had already returned. Zechariah 2:7Zechariah overview

Also involvedThe nations that plundered God's people. God says they will become "a spoil to their servants." Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9

God declares that harming his people is like touching the pupil of his own eye. He will turn the plunderers into plunder, and then the people will know the LORD of hosts sent his messenger. Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Strong's H0892Strong's H7997B

The message was given in Jerusalem among the returned exiles. It also calls out to those still in Babylon, "the land of the north." Zechariah overviewZechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsZechariah's dated messages began in the second year of Darius king of Persia, about 520 BC. This was after exiles had returned from Babylon, when Haggai and Zechariah stirred the people to rebuild the temple. Zechariah overview

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

HereIt assures God's people that he himself guards them, as "a wall of fire round about." It also urges those still in exile to leave Babylon, because God will shake his hand upon the nations that plundered them. Zechariah 2:5Zechariah 2:6Zechariah 2:7Zechariah 2:9Zechariah overview

In the whole of ScriptureThe same picture of God keeping Israel "as the apple of his eye" appears in Deuteronomy 32:10 and Psalm 17:8. In this chapter, God's protection leads on to his dwelling in Zion's midst, and to many nations being joined to the LORD (2:10-11). Deuteronomy 32:10Psalms 17:8Zechariah 2:10Zechariah 2:11

For readersGod counts wrongs done to his people as done to himself, and he repays them. Psalm 105:15 gives the warning "Touch not mine anointed," and Paul says "it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you" (2 Thessalonians 1:6). Zechariah 2:8Psalms 105:152 Thessalonians 1:6

Christians read this differently

The text does not name the "me" whom the LORD of hosts sends (2:8, 2:9, 2:11). Some read it as the prophet Zechariah speaking of his own commission, and others as the angel of the vision. Many Christians see here the LORD sending the LORD, a sent one they identify with Christ, who spoke of "him that sent me" (John 15:21). Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Zechariah 2:11Zechariah 2:3John 15:21

  • appleבָּבָה
    Hebrew · ba.vah · H0892

    The word means the pupil of the eye. The same image of God keeping his people "as the apple of his eye" appears in Deuteronomy 32:10 and Psalm 17:8. Strong's H0892Deuteronomy 32:10Psalms 17:8

  • touchethנָגַע
    Hebrew · na.ga · H5060

    The word can mean to touch, reach, or strike. In this verse the ones who touch God's people are "the nations which spoiled you," so the touching in view is the harm done by plunderers. Strong's H5060Zechariah 2:8

  • spoiledשָׁלַל
    Hebrew · sha.lal · H7997B

    It means to plunder or take spoil. Verse 9 turns the same idea around: the plunderers will become "a spoil to their servants." Strong's H7997BZechariah 2:9

  • gloryכָּבוֹד
    Hebrew · ka.vod · H3519

    The word means glory or honour. The same idea appears in verse 5, where the LORD will be "the glory in the midst of" Jerusalem, which ties the sending to God's presence with his people. Strong's H3519Zechariah 2:5

Takeaway

God guards his people as he would the pupil of his own eye. Those who plunder them will answer to him. Zechariah 2:8Zechariah 2:9Deuteronomy 32:10

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.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
forכִּ֣יkiH3588A
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

thusכֹ֣הkhohH3541
thus

כֹּה (koh) 1) thus, here, in this manner 1a) thus, so 1b) here, here and there 1c) until now, until now...until then, meanwhile Aramaic equivalent: kah (כָּה "thus" H3542)

he saysאָמַר֮'a-MARH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

Yahwehיְהוָ֣הYAH-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)

of hostsצְבָאוֹת֒tze-va-'OTH6635B
Hosts

צָבָא (tsa.va) The Hosts (of the Lord) Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

afterאַחַ֣ר'a-CHARH0310A
after

אַחַר (a.char) 1) after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time) 1a) as an adverb 1a1) behind (of place) 1a2) afterwards (of time) 1b) as a preposition 1b1) behind, after (of place) 1b2) after (of time) 1b3) besides 1c) as a conjunction 1c) after that 1d) as a substantive 1d1) hinder part 1e) with other prepositions 1e1) from behind 1e2) from following after

honorכָּב֔וֹדka-VODH3519
glory

כָּבוֹד (ka.vod) 1) glory, honour, glorious, abundance 1a) abundance, riches 1b) honour, splendour, glory 1c) honour, dignity 1d) honour, reputation 1e) honour, reverence, glory 1f) glory

he has sent meשְׁלָחַ֕נִיshe-la-CHA-niH7971G
to send: depart

שָׁלַח (sha.lach) : depart/send 1) to send, send away, let go, stretch out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to send 1a2) to stretch out, extend, direct 1a3) to send away 1a4) to let loose 1b) (Niphal) to be sent 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to send off or away or out or forth, dismiss, give over, cast out 1c2) to let go, set free 1c3) to shoot forth (of branches) 1c4) to let down 1c5) to shoot 1d) (Pual) to be sent off, be put away, be divorced, be impelled 1e) (Hiphil) to send

toאֶל־'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

the nationsהַגּוֹיִ֖םha-go-YIMH1471A
nation

גּוֹי (goy) 1) nation, people 1a) nation, people 1a1) usually of non-Hebrew people 1a2) of descendants of Abraham 1a3) of Israel 1b) of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.)

who plunderedהַשֹּׁלְלִ֣יםha-sho-le-LIMH7997B
to loot

שָׁלַל (sha.lal) 1) to spoil, plunder, take spoil 1a) (Qal) to spoil, plunder 1b) (Hithpolel) to be spoiled, be plundered

forכִּ֚יkiH3588A
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

the [one who] touchesהַנֹּגֵ֣עַha-no-GE-a'H5060
to touch

נָגַע (na.ga) 1) to touch, reach, strike 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to touch 1a2) to strike 1a3) to reach, extend to 1a4) to be stricken 1a4a) stricken (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be defeated 1c) (Piel) to strike 1d) (Pual) to be stricken (by disease) 1e) (Hiphil) to cause to touch, reach, approach, arrive 1e1) to cause to touch, apply 1e2) to reach, extend, attain, arrive, come 1e3) to approach (of time) 1e4) to befall (of fate)

[is] touchingנֹגֵ֖עַno-GE-a'H5060
to touch

נָגַע (na.ga) 1) to touch, reach, strike 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to touch 1a2) to strike 1a3) to reach, extend to 1a4) to be stricken 1a4a) stricken (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be defeated 1c) (Piel) to strike 1d) (Pual) to be stricken (by disease) 1e) (Hiphil) to cause to touch, reach, approach, arrive 1e1) to cause to touch, apply 1e2) to reach, extend, attain, arrive, come 1e3) to approach (of time) 1e4) to befall (of fate)

in [the] pupil ofבְּבָבַ֥תbe-va-VATH0892
apple

בָּבָה (ba.vah) the apple (pupil) of the eye

eye hisעֵינֽוֹ׃ei-NOH5869A
eye

עַ֫יִן (a.yin) : eye 1) eye 1a) eye 1a1) of physical eye 1a2) as showing mental qualities 1a3) of mental and spiritual faculties (fig.)

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