John Gill Commentary Zechariah 8:9

"Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built." — Zechariah 8:9 (ASV)

Thus says the Lord of hosts, Let your hands be strong ,
&c.] In going on with the building of the temple, which was typical of the church of God, since so many great and good things were promised by the Lord, (Haggai 2:4).

You that hear in these days ;
such as Zerubbabel the ruler, Joshua the high priest, and the rest of the people of the land: these words by the mouth of the prophets ;
that is, these prophecies of future good things, which were delivered by Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; who were the prophets.

Which [were] in the day [that] the foundation of the house of the
Lord of hosts was laid ;
which was in the second year of Darius, on the twenty fourth day of the ninth month, (Haggai 2:10Haggai 2:18).

That the temple might be built ;
in order to the rebuilding of it, the foundation was laid; and from that time it was to continue building, till it was finished^F13.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F13: The true reading of these words, according to the accents, is, "Thus saith the Lord [of hosts:] let your hands be strong, that hear in those days these words: [out of] the prophets, [I say, ye have heard], that, from the day the house of the Lord of hosts shall be founded, the temple [should be continued] to be built." So Reinbeck. De Accent. Heb. p. 453.