Zechariah 8

Zechariah · Chapter 8

Zechariah 8:12

1Again the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying,2Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.3Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.4Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.5And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.6Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith the LORD of hosts.7Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;8And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.9Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.10For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.11But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts.12For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.13And 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.14For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:15So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not.16These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:17And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.18And the word of the LORD of hosts came unto me, saying,19Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.20Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:21And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.23Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
12For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.“For the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce, and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I will give all these things as an inheritance.For there shall be the seed of peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

The LORD promises the returned people of Judah that the hard years before the temple's foundation are over. Where there had been no wages and no peace, the seed, vine, ground and sky will now yield their goods. He will give this remnant all these things as their inheritance. Zechariah 8:9Zechariah 8:10Zechariah 8:11Zechariah 8:12

SpeakingThe LORD of hosts, speaking through the prophet Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo. Zechariah 8:1Zechariah 8:11Zechariah overview

ToThe Jews who had come back from exile in Babylon and were rebuilding the temple, called here "the remnant of this people." Zechariah 8:6Zechariah 8:9Zechariah 8:12Zechariah overview

This is a promise of plenty and peace after hardship. Crops, vines, soil and dew will all give their yield. It echoes the blessings God promised in the law, where the land yields her increase and the trees their fruit. Zechariah 8:10Zechariah 8:12Leviticus 26:4Leviticus 26:5Ezekiel 34:27

Spoken in Jerusalem among the returned exiles, about the land of Judah and Jerusalem. Zechariah overviewZechariah 8:3

JUDAHMediterranean SeaJerusalemTyreSidonDamascusHamath 1GazaAshdodMegiddo

The eventsThe message belongs to the time after the temple's foundation was laid again (8:9), within Zechariah's dated messages of Darius's second to fourth years, about 520-518 BC. Zechariah 8:9Zechariah overview

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

HereThe verse gives the reason the builders should "let your hands be strong." God has turned from judgment to blessing, so they need not fear. Zechariah 8:9Zechariah 8:13Zechariah 8:15

In the whole of ScriptureGod is jealous for Zion and has returned to dwell in Jerusalem. The renewed land is part of the larger promise: "they shall be my people, and I will be their God." The law and other prophets describe the same blessing of fruit, increase and safety. Zechariah 8:2Zechariah 8:3Zechariah 8:8Leviticus 26:4Ezekiel 34:26Ezekiel 34:27

For readersThe promise is tied to a call to act rightly. The people must speak truth, judge with truth and peace, and love no false oath. Jesus likewise taught to seek God's kingdom first, and "all these things shall be added unto you." Zechariah 8:16Zechariah 8:17Zechariah 8:19Matthew 6:33

  • prosperous (peace)שָׁלוֹם
    Hebrew · sha.lom · H7965G

    The Hebrew behind "prosperous" is shalom, here "the peace" joined to "seed." Its range covers completeness, welfare, prosperity and peace. The verse answers the time when there was no "peace to him that went out or came in" (8:10). Strong's H7965GStrong's H2233GZechariah 8:10

  • possessנָחַל
    Hebrew · na.chal · H5157

    The form here means "to give as a possession" or "cause to inherit." The remnant does not seize these goods. God hands them over as an inheritance. Strong's H5157Zechariah 8:12

  • remnantשְׁאֵרִית
    Hebrew · she.e.rit · H7611

    The word means rest or what is left. It marks the hearers as those who remained and returned. The same group is named in 8:6 and 8:11. Strong's H7611Zechariah 8:6Zechariah 8:11

  • dewטַל
    Hebrew · tal · H2919

    The word means dew or night mist. Here "the heavens shall give their dew," and the dew of heaven also appears in blessings on the land in Genesis 27:28 and Deuteronomy 33:13. Strong's H2919Zechariah 8:12Genesis 27:28Deuteronomy 33:13

Takeaway

God told the weary rebuilders of Jerusalem that their days of want were over. He would make their land fruitful and give it to them as an inheritance. The promise came with a call to be strong, not fear, and live by truth and peace. Zechariah 8:12Zechariah 8:13Zechariah 8:15Zechariah 8:16

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
thatכִּֽי־ki-H3588A
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] seed ofזֶ֣רַעZE-ra'H2233G
seed

זֶ֫רַע (ze.ra) : seed/sowing 1) seed, sowing, offspring 1a) a sowing 1b) seed 1c) semen virile 1d) offspring, descendants, posterity, children 1e) of moral quality 1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (fig.) 1f) sowing time (by meton)

the peaceהַשָּׁל֗וֹםha-sha-LOMH7965G
peace

שָׁלוֹם (sha.lom) : peace 1) completeness, soundness, welfare, peace 1a) completeness (in number) 1b) safety, soundness (in body) 1c) welfare, health, prosperity 1d) peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment 1e) peace, friendship 1e1) of human relationships 1e2) with God especially in covenant relationship 1f) peace (from war) 1g) peace (as adjective)

the vineהַגֶּ֜פֶןha-GE-fenH1612
vine

גֶּ֫פֶן (ge.phen) 1) vine, vine tree 1a) of Israel (fig.) 1b) of stars fading at Jehovah's judgment (metaph.) 1c) of prosperity

it will giveתִּתֵּ֤ןti-TENH5414G
to give: give

נָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted …

fruit itsפִּרְיָהּ֙pir-YAHH6529
fruit

פְּרִי (pe.ri) 1) fruit 1a) fruit, produce (of the ground) 1b) fruit, offspring, children, progeny (of the womb) 1c) fruit (of actions) (fig.)

and the landוְהָאָ֙רֶץ֙ve-ha-'A-retzH0776H
earth: soil

אֲרַע (a.ra) : soil earth, world, ground Aramaic of e.rets (אֶ֫רֶץ ": soil" H0776H)

it will giveתִּתֵּ֣ןti-TENH5414G
to give: give

נָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted …

produce itsיְבוּלָ֔הּye-vu-LAHH2981
crops

יְבוּל (ye.vul) produce, fruit, produce (of the soil)

and the heavensוְהַשָּׁמַ֖יִםve-ha-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)

they will giveיִתְּנ֣וּyi-te-NUH5414G
to give: give

נָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted …

dew theirטַלָּ֑םta-LAMH2919
dew

טַל (tal) dew, night mist Aramaic equivalent: tal (טַל "dew" H2920)

and I will give as an inheritanceוְהִנְחַלְתִּ֗יve-hin-chal-TIH5157
to inherit

נָחַל (na.chal) 1) to get as a possession, acquire, inherit, possess 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take possession, inherit 1a2) to have or get as a possession or property (fig.) 1a3) to divide the land for a possession 1a4) to acquire (testimonies) (fig.) 1b) (Piel) to divide for a possession 1c) (Hithpael) to possess oneself of 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to give as a possession 1d2) to cause to inherit, give as an inheritance 1e) (Hophal) to be allotted, be made to possess

[the] remnant ofשְׁאֵרִ֛יתshe-'e-RITH7611
remnant

שְׁאֵרִית (she.e.rit) 1) rest, residue, remainder, remnant 1a) rest, what is left 1b) remainder, descendants

the peopleהָעָ֥םha-'AMH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

the thisהַזֶּ֖הha-ZEHH2088
that

דִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because

allכָּל־kol-H3605
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

these [things]אֵֽלֶּה׃'E-lehH0428
these

אֵ֫לֶּה (el.leh) 1) these 1a) used before antecedent 1b) used following antecedent Aramaic equivalent: el.leh (אֵלֶּה "these" H0429)

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