Charles Ellicott Commentary Zechariah 2:10-13

"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. And many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of hosts has sent me unto thee. And Jehovah shall inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah; for he is waked up out of his holy habitation." — Zechariah 2:10-13 (ASV)

The prophecy contained in these verses is acknowledged by most Jewish as well as Christian commentators to be Messianic in character, but opinion is not as unanimous regarding the nature of its fulfillment.

In considering passages like this, we must remember that the prophets were only men—inspired men, it is true—but still, men who retained the unrestrained use of their natural faculties. When they received a prophetic inspiration, some grand idea of God’s purpose was impressed on their minds, while they were left to work out the details according to the inclination of their human imaginations, and more or less in accordance with the views current in their times.

If we adopt this reasonable view of the nature of prophecy, we will not be surprised to find that in the fulfillment, while all that is essential to the grand idea of God’s purpose (as revealed to and by the prophet) actually comes to pass, the historical details surrounding its accomplishment are often not what the prophet himself seems to have expected. (See Notes on Zechariah 2:11-12, Zechariah 14:16–19.) Even the Apostles themselves were—at least for a time—in error regarding the time and manner of Christ’s second advent.

Assuming, then, that Zechariah had no certain knowledge of the time and was in error regarding the actual manner of the fulfillment of God’s purpose—though he had a grand and faithful prophetic perception of its essential points—we will have no difficulty interpreting this passage, and others like it, as referring to the coming of Christ in the flesh and the establishment of the Christian Church.