John Gill Commentary Zechariah 8:23

"Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days [it shall come to pass], that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they 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." — Zechariah 8:23 (ASV)

Thus says the Lord of hosts
For the further confirmation and illustration of this prophecy: in those days [it shall come to pass] ;
this shall be done in the times of the preaching of the Gospel by Christ and his apostles: that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations,
even shall take bold of the skirt of him that is a Jew :

which may be understood either of our Lord Jesus Christ; who was a Jew by nation, the Jews were his own people, and Judea his nation; by descent, he springing from the tribe of Judah, and the family of David; by religion, being made under the Jewish law; by his habit and dress, by which, as well as by his language, the woman of Samaria knew he was a Jew, (John 4:9) and very probably he wore the fringe the Jews did on the border of his garment, (Matthew 9:20) (Mark 6:56) and which the Jewish doctors think is here meant ^F20 by the skirt;

but this may intend, in a spiritual sense, the skirt being put for the whole garment, (Ezekiel 16:8) , the robe of Christ's righteousness, which sensible sinners take hold of by faith, and put it on as their justifying righteousness: and "ten men" out of "all nations" being said to do it, and this number signifying many, (Leviticus 26:26) (1 Samuel 1:8) may denote that the number of them that believe in Christ for righteousness, and are justified by it, are many, (Isaiah 53:11) though they are but few when compared with others; and that as God has chosen, Christ has redeemed, so the Spirit calls some out of all nations; and God is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews, since the one are justified by him as well as the other, (Romans 3:29Romans 3:30)

or this may be understood of any of the apostles of Christ, who were all Jews; and especially the Apostle Paul, who was the apostle of the Gentiles; who were sent into all the world to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, by which means they came to hear it; and many of them out of every nation laid hold on the skirts of these men; believed and embraced the doctrines they preached; were greatly affected towards them; gave up themselves to them; consorted with them; accompanied them, and cleaved unto them; did not care to part with them, as children, that lay hold on their parents' skirts, will not leave them, but go with them where they go, as follows: saying, We will go with you ;

either with Christ, resolving to follow him whithersoever he goes; to hold to him the Head; to abide by his truths and ordinances; to walk on in his ways, whatever they suffer for his name's sake: or with his ministers and people, determining to go along and join with them in all religious exercises; see (Ruth 1:16) : for we have heard [that] God is with you :

with Christ, as he always was; in the council and covenant of grace before time, and at the beginning of time to his incarnation; and during his state of humiliation, and in his sufferings and death; and now in his state of exaltation; hence his name "Ithiel", God with me, (Proverbs 30:1) (John 1:1) (8:29) (16:32) or with his ministers and people, which he has promised to be unto the end of the world; and this the Gentiles heard and understood, by the power that went along with their ministry, to the conversion of multitudes of sinners; and by the miracles which they wrought, for the confirmation of the doctrines they delivered.

---

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 32. 2.