John Gill Commentary Zechariah 2

I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked And saw a third vision; which, as Kimchi owns, refers to the times of the Messiah; though it might be of use to the Jews then present, to encourage them to expect the rebuilding of Jerusalem, in a literal sense.

and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand: by whom is meant, not Nehemiah, nor Zerubbabel; see (Zechariah 4:10) who were concerned in the building of Jerusalem; nor any mere man, nor even a created angel; for, though he may be the same with the other angel, that did not talk with the prophet, (Zechariah 2:3) as Kimchi observes; seeing he seems to be superior to him that did; yet not a ministering spirit, but the Messiah, who in this book is often spoken of as a man; (See Gill on Zechariah 1:8).

And by "the measuring line in his hand" may be meant eternal predestination, the Lamb's book of life, which is in his keeping; and is the measure and rule by which he proceeds in the calling, justification, and glorification of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven; or the Scriptures of truth, the measure and rule of doctrine, discipline, worship, and conversation; and according to which Christ forms, constitutes, and regulates Gospel churches; see (Ezekiel 40:3) (Revelation 11:1) .

Then said I, Where are you going?
&c.] As it showed great freedom and boldness in the prophet to put such a question to the man with the measuring reed, it was great condescension in him to return him an answer, as follows: and he said to me, To measure Jerusalem;
not literally understood, which was not yet thoroughly built; but the Gospel church, often so called; see (Hebrews 12:22) and this measuring of it denotes the conformity of it to the rule of God's word; a profession of the true doctrines of it, and an observance of the ordinances of it, as delivered in it; and an agreement of the walk, life, and conversation of its members with it: to see what [is] the breadth thereof, and what [is] the length
thereof;
the length of the New Jerusalem is as large as the breadth; its length, breadth, and height, are equal, (Revelation 21:16) .

And, behold, the angel that talked with me went forth
See (Zechariah 1:9Zechariah 1:13Zechariah 1:14Zechariah 1:19) and he "went forth" from the place wherethe prophet was, with whom he had been conversing: and another angel went out to meethim :
the same that was seen among the myrtle trees, (Zechariah 1:8) and here, with a measuring line in his hand,(Zechariah 2:1) .

And said unto him
That is, the other angel said to the angel that had been talking with the prophet, Run, speak to this young man: meaning Zechariah, who was either young in years, as Samuel and Jeremiah were when they prophesied; or he was a servant of a prophet older than he, and therefore so called, as Joshua, Moses's minister, was, (Numbers 11:28) as Kimchi observes: saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited [as] towns without walls; this shows that this is not to be understood of Jerusalem in a literal sense, for that was not inhabited as a town without a wall; its wall was built in Nehemiah's time, and remained until the city was destroyed by Vespasian; yes, it had a treble wall, as Josephus says ^F2; but of the church of Christ in Gospel times; and denotes both the safety and security of it; see (Ezekiel 38:11) and the populousness of it; and especially as it will be in the latter day, when both Jews and Gentiles are called, and brought into it; which sense is confirmed by what follows: for the multitude of men and cattle therein; the Jews being meant by "men"; see (Ezekiel 34:31) and the Gentiles by "cattle", to which they used to be compared by the former: this will be fulfilled when the nation of the Jews will be born at once, and all Israel will be saved, and the fulness of the Gentiles shall be brought in; for the number of the spiritual Israel, the sons of the living God, both Jews and Gentiles, shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured, (Hosea 1:10) (Romans 9:26) and when there will be such a large increase of converts; and such flockings to Zion, to the spiritual Jerusalem, the church of God, that the place will be too small for them, (Isaiah 49:19Isaiah 49:20).

whereas, when Jerusalem in a literal sense was rebuilt, after the Babylonian captivity, there was a want of persons to inhabit it, and lots were cast for one out of ten to dwell in it; and they were glad of others that offered themselves willingly to be inhabitants of it, (Nehemiah 11:1Nehemiah 11:2) for there was but a small number that returned from Babylon to repeople the city of Jerusalem, and the whole country of Judea; no more came from thence but forty two thousand, three hundred, and threescore, besides men and maid servants, which amounted to seven or eight thousand more, (Ezra 2:64Ezra 2:65) (Nehemiah 7:66Nehemiah 7:67) which were but a few to fill such a country, and so many cities and towns that were in it, besides Jerusalem;

and yet Josephus ^F3 affirms, that the number of those of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, that came up from thence, and were above twelve years of age, were four millions, six hundred, and twenty eight thousand; in which he is followed by Zonaras ^F4, and it is admitted and approved of by Sanctius on the place; which is not only contrary to the accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah, but is incredible; that such a number that went into captivity, which was not very large, should, under all the distresses and oppressions they laboured, in seventy years time so multiply, and that two tribes only, as to be almost eight times more than all the twelve tribes were at their coming out of Egypt; a number large enough to have overrun the Babylonian monarchy; and too many to be supported in so small a country as the land of Canaan: wherefore, upon the whole, it must be best to interpret this of spiritual and mystical Jerusalem, and of the populousness of the church of Christ in the latter day.

FOOTNOTES:

• F2: De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 2.
• F3: Antiqu. l. 11. c. 3. sect. 10.
• F4: Apud Hudson in ib.

For I, says the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire
round about
. So that she needs no other wall to secure her, the power of God encompassing her about as the mountains did Jerusalem, (Psalms 125:2) and he being as a wall of fire to terrify and destroy her enemies; for our God is a consuming fire, (Hebrews 12:29) .

Drusius thinks it is a metaphor taken from travellers in some countries, who kindle fires about their tents, to keep off lions, and other beasts of prey; and observes of lions particularly, that they are exceedingly terrified by fire; for which he refers to John Leo in his description of Africa; and Pliny has ^F5 mention of several things that are terrifying to them, but especially fires, he says; and so Dr. Shaw ^F6 , of late, speaking of the lions in Barbary, remarks, fire is what they are the most afraid of; yet, notwithstanding all the precautions of the Arabs in this respect, with others he takes notice of, it frequently happens that these ravenous beasts, outbraving all those terrors, will leap into the midst of an enclosure or fold, and drag from thence a sheep, or a goat; and Tavernier ^F7 tells a story, by which he thinks it appears to be a vulgar error that lions will not come near the fire; though the relation itself shows it to be not only a received opinion, but a common custom to light fires in the night, to preserve from lions: his story is, ``a party of Dutch soldiers, under the command of a serjeant, far advanced in the country (about the Cape of Good Hope), and night coming on, they made a great fire, as well to keep themselves from the lions, as to warm themselves, and so lay down to sleep round about it; being asleep, a lion seized one of the soldier's arms, which with difficulty was got out, after the lion was shot;'' but this seems to be the case, when these creatures are dreadfully hunger bitten; however, be it as it will, God is the sure and safe protection of his people;

who went before the people of Israel in a pillar of a cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night, when they passed through a terrible wilderness, in which were beasts of prey; and surrounded Elisha with horses and chariots of fire, when the king of Syria sent a large host to take him; so that he could say, to encourage his servant, "they that be for us are more than they that be with them", (2 Kings 6:15–17) who seem to be angels; and the Jews ^F8 here interpret it of the family of God, his angels, made a wall to Jerusalem to preserve it;

the cherubim and a flaming sword, set to keep the garden of Eden, were, according to Lactantius ^F9 , a wall of fire about it; for (he says), when God cast man out of paradise, he walled it about with fire: but that was that man might not enter in; but here he himself is a wall of fire, that his people may be safe; hence they have no reason to fear the wrath of their enemies, the most fierce and furious, savage and cruel, comparable to lions, bears; for, if God is for them, on their side, and on all sides of them, who can be against them to any purpose?

The Targum paraphrases it, ``my Word shall be unto her, says the Lord, as a wall of fire encompassing her round about:'' and will be the glory in the midst of her :
appear glorious in her, be glorified in her, and by her, and be her glory, and make her glorious; as the Lord does by granting his gracious presence with his church and people, in his word and ordinances; see (Isaiah 4:1–6) (Isaiah 60:13) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 16.
• F6: Travels, tom. 1. par. 3. c. 2. p. 172.
• F7: Travels through India, in Harris's Voyages and Travels, vol. 1. p. 848.
• F8: Pesikta Rabbati apud Yalkut in loc.
• F9: Institut. Divin. l. 2. c. 13.