Zechariah 8:18-23 · Bible study
Zechariah 8:18-23 Commentary: Mourning Transformed into Joy
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
How God promises to turn Israel's commemorative fasts into joyful feasts and draw all nations to Himself.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God turns Israel’s commemorative fasts into joyful feasts and promises that nations will stream to Jerusalem because they see God with His people.
- Key words: tsom (fast, H6685), mo'ed (appointed feast, H4150), chanan / challah (entreat favor, H2470), kanaph (skirt/wing of garment, H3671).
- Main debate: Whether the Jew in v. 23 refers to the Messiah, the Jewish people collectively, or the believing remnant, and whether the fulfillment is past (early church missions), present, or eschatological.
- Theological theme: Divine reversal of mourning, the ethical basis of worship, and the ingathering of the nations as the goal of restoration.
- Best use: Preaching on hope in grief and the missionary heart of God; small-group study on how God redeems sorrow and draws the nations.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
18Then the word of the LORD of Hosts came to me, saying,
19“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both truth and peace.”
20This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—
21and the residents of one city will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’
22And many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead before the LORD.”
23This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
18The word of Yahweh of Armies came to me.
19Yahweh of Armies says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months shall be for the house of Judah joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.”
20Yahweh of Armies says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come.
21The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, ‘Let’s go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh, and to seek Yahweh of Armies. I will go also.’
22Yes, many peoples and strong nations will come to seek Yahweh of Armies in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of Yahweh.”
23Yahweh of Armies says: “In those days, ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
18And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying,
19Thus saith Jehovah 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 truth and peace.
20Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;
21and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also.
22Yea, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Jehovah.
23Thus 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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
18And there is a word of Jehovah of Hosts unto me, saying:
19`Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth months , are to the house of Judah for joy and for rejoicing, and for pleasant appointed seasons, and the truth and the peace they have loved.
20Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Yet come do peoples, and inhabitants of many cities,
21Yea, gone have inhabitants of one To another, saying: We go diligently, To appease the face of Jehovah, To seek Jehovah of Hosts--I go, even I.
22Yea, come in have many peoples, and mighty nations, To seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, And to appease the face of Jehovah.
23Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: In those days take hold do ten men of all languages of the nations, Yea, they have taken hold on the skirt of a man, a Jew, saying: We go with you, for we heard God is with you!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
18And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying,
19Thus saith Jehovah 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 gatherings. Love ye then truth and peace.
20Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Yet again shall there come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;
21and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to supplicate Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also.
22And many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to supplicate Jehovah.
23Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days shall ten men take hold, out of all languages of the nations, shall even 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.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
18And the word of the Lord of hosts came to 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 Juda, joy, and gladness, and great solemnities: only love ye truth and peace.
20Thus saith the Lord of hosts, until people come and dwell in many cities,
21And the inhabitants go one to another, saying: Let us go, and entreat the face of the Lord, and let us seek the Lord of hosts: I also will go.
22And many peoples, and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the face of the Lord.
23Thus saith the Lord of hosts: In those days, wherein ten men of all languages of the Gentiles shall take hold, and shall hold fast the skirt of one that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Zechariah 8:18
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this passage gives God’s authoritative answer to the question about fasting in Zechariah 7:3. Gill and the Cambridge Bible note that the four fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months commemorated specific national tragedies: the breach of Jerusalem’s wall, the burning of the temple, the murder of Gedaliah, and the beginning of the siege (2 Kings 25). These days of sorrow, says Yahweh, shall become for Judah “joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts” (v. 19). The shift is divine, not human. The immediate ethical demand, “love truth and peace”, ties the transformation to covenant faithfulness.
Barnes and Calvin see the following promises (vv. 20, 23) as the logical extension: the restoration of worship at Jerusalem will attract the nations. Clarke and Matthew Henry observe that the language echoes Isaiah 2:3 and Micah 4:1, 2. The image of ten men from every language taking hold of a Jew’s skirt (v. 23) signals Gentile eagerness to share Israel’s blessing. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown emphasise that this outreach depends on the presence of God with His people. All agree that the passage holds out eschatological hope while grounding it in the historical moment of temple rebuilding.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal-historical interpretation: The fasts are literally turned into joyful feasts when the temple is rebuilt; the nations come to a restored Jerusalem in the Persian period (some Jewish and critical commentators).
- Christological interpretation: The Jew is Christ, and the nations cling to Him through the gospel; the fasts are ended by the presence of the Bridegroom (Jerome, Calvin, Matthew Henry).
- Eschatological interpretation: The full ingathering awaits the end times when Zion is exalted and all nations stream to worship (Barnes, many dispensationalists).
- Ecclesiological interpretation: The church, as the spiritual Israel, becomes the agent through which the nations seek God; the fasts are transformed into Christian celebrations (common in Protestant and Catholic post-Reformation readings).
What is clear: God will turn national mourning into joy, and people from every language will seek Him because they see His presence with His people.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the four fasts | All traditions identify the fasts as commemorations of specific historical tragedies: the siege, the breach of the wall, the destruction of the temple, and the murder of Gedaliah. | Some see the fasts as human institutions to be abrogated; others view them as transformed into liturgical celebrations without losing their historical roots. |
| Identity of 'him who is a Jew' (v. 23) | Christians agree that the verse points to a time when Gentiles will seek fellowship with God’s people because they perceive God’s presence among them. | Many in the Reformed tradition (e.g., Jerome, Calvin) identify this figure as Christ, the true Jew. Others (e.g., Gill, Clarke) see it as the Jewish people or the remnant of Israel through whom the nations are blessed. |
| Timing of the fulfillment | All agree the passage contains a promise that was partially fulfilled in the post-exilic restoration and more fully in Christ. | Some see primary fulfillment in the early church (Acts 2:5-11), while others (many premillennialists) expect a yet-future ingathering of nations in the millennium. Amillennialists often interpret it as the ongoing mission of the church. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Zechariah prophesied between 520 and 518 BC, a generation after the first exiles returned from Babylon. The temple lay in ruins, and the community struggled against opposition and discouragement. In chapter 7, a delegation from Bethel asked whether they should continue mourning in the fifth month, as they had done for seventy years. Yahweh’s response through Zechariah rebukes hollow ritual and calls for justice and mercy. Now in 8:18, 23 the answer comes fully: the grief that marked the exile will be replaced by celebration.
The four fasts cited in verse 19 each recall a catastrophe. The fast of the fourth month marked the breach in Jerusalem’s walls on the ninth day of Tammuz (2 Kings 25:3, 4). The fifth month (Ab) commemorated the destruction of the temple on the seventh to tenth days (2 Kings 25:8, 9). The seventh month (Tishri) mourned the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Babylon, which snuffed out the last remnant of self-rule in Judah (2 Kings 25:25). The tenth month (Tebeth) recalled the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s siege (2 Kings 25:1). These observances had become fixed traditions during the exile.
In the ancient Near East, religious fasts often accompanied national calamities. The Jewish calendar had institutionalised grief. Yet the same God who judged now promises restoration. The promise “love truth and peace” echoes the ethical commands of verses 16, 17, grounding worship in social righteousness. The subsequent vision of nations streaming to Jerusalem (vv. 20, 23) draws on prophetic tradition: the city would become a beacon for all peoples. For the struggling post-exilic community, this word turned their memory of disaster into a platform for hope. The rebuilt temple, though modest, would be the epicentre of a worldwide movement.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Zechariah 8:18, 23. The Masoretic Text is consistent across manuscripts. The grammatical forms are stable, and the minor differences in English translations (e.g., “plead before the Lord” vs. “pray before the Lord”) reflect translation choices rather than textual uncertainty.
Reception History
The early church read this passage as a prophecy of Christ and the Gentile mission. Jerome explicitly identified the Jew whose skirt is seized as Christ, the one in whom God dwells fully. The liturgy of the Eastern churches incorporated these verses into hymns for feasts of the cross and the dedication of churches, seeing the Gentiles’ pilgrimage as fulfilled in the baptism of nations. Medieval commentators like the Glossa Ordinaria followed Jerome’s Christological reading. The Reformers, Calvin, Luther, and the Geneva notes, stressed the ethical demand of verse 19 and saw the nations’ quest as the spread of the gospel in their own day. In modern missionary movements, Zechariah 8:23 became a rallying text for evangelism among unreached peoples. Contemporary scholarship typically reads the passage as both a post-exilic encouragement and an eschatological vision of universal worship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Sorrow becomes celebration, God transforms the four fasts into joyful feasts, proving that His purposes override human grief (v. 19).
- Righteousness is the path, The command to “love truth and peace” shows that restored worship requires ethical living, not empty ritual (v. 19b).
- The nations come home, Peoples of every language will seek the Lord, gripping the robe of a Jew as they recognise God’s presence with Israel (vv. 20, 23).
Five-point outline
- God answers the question, The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts (v. 19).
- Love truth and peace, This ethical charge forms the bridge between transformed mourning and the mission to the nations (v. 19b).
- People from many cities will come, A spontaneous movement of spiritual hunger begins among the Gentiles (v. 20).
- “I will go also”, Personal commitment follows corporate invitation; faith becomes contagious (v. 21).
- Ten men hold the Jew’s skirt, The ultimate sign: the nations cling to God’s people because they see God with them (v. 23).
Illustration hooks
- A community’s annual day of mourning for a disaster, a fire, a flood, a school shooting, is eventually turned into a day of service and hope. The memory doesn’t disappear, but its grip changes.
- When a local church begins to focus on loving truth and peace in practical ways, neighbours who were distant start asking questions and wanting to join.
- A friend from a different faith background says, “I want what you have. I see that God is with you.” That moment mirrors the nations gripping the Jew’s robe.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know whether God wants me to keep fasting or to celebrate? What makes a fast meaningful vs. routine?
- If God promised to turn mourning into joy, why does my grief sometimes last so long?
- How can my church become a place where people from different backgrounds recognise that God is truly with us?
Leading a Discussion
This passage answers a real question God’s people were asking about fasting. But the reply goes far beyond ritual, touching on the transformation of sorrow, the necessity of truth and peace, and the ultimate vision of all nations coming to God. As you discuss, pay attention to how God does not merely abolish the fasts but turns them into feasts, and how that shapes the whole community’s identity and mission.
Discussion questions
- What do the four fasts commemorate? (Look at 2 Kings 25 for the events.) Why would the people ask about continuing them?
- In verse 19, God says the fasts “shall be” joy. What does that promise say about God’s power over history and human sorrow?
- Why does God couple the promise with the command “love truth and peace”? What connection do you see between worship and ethical living in this chapter?
- The inhabitants of one city go to another saying, “Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Yahweh” (v. 21). What does this reveal about spiritual hunger and initiative?
- Verses 20, 22 describe Gentiles coming to Jerusalem to seek the Lord. How does this fulfill promises in Isaiah 2:2, 4 and Micah 4:1, 3?
- The image of ten men taking hold of the skirt of a Jew (v. 23) is striking. What does it say about the role of God’s people in attracting others to faith?
- The nations say, “We have heard that God is with you.” How does the presence of God with His people become visible to outsiders today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Kings 25:3 | On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. |
| II Kings 25:4 | Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city around it); and the king went by the way of the Arabah. |
| II Kings 25:25 | But in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah so that he died, with the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah. |
| Esther 8:17 | In every province and in every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness, joy, a feast and a holiday. Many from among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen on them. |
| Esther 9:22 | as the days in which the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending presents of food to one another, and gifts to the needy. |
| Psalms 30:11 | You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness, |
| Isaiah 12:1 | In that day you will say, “I will give thanks to you, Yahweh; for though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you comfort me. |
| Isaiah 35:10 | Then Yahweh’s ransomed ones will return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that ten Gentile converts will support each Jew. He believes this large ratio shows Jews can lead many others to faith.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the few Jews who returned after exile would eventually bring many nations to worship God. He believes this mutual conversion will begin when people follow Jewish believers who have already come to faith through Christ.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the Hebrew word for jealousy here means concern rather than anger. He says God feels strong affection for his people and will protect them by fighting all their enemies.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that God will turn those fasts into times of joy. These days of fasting follow the same rules as the earlier fasts and will bring happiness instead of sorrow.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes notes that these fast days will bring joy instead of sorrow to Judah. People from many lands will come to Jerusalem to worship God there.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Christians who hold that the Messiah will bring an end to Jewish fasts point to these verses, while others emphasize other passages showing the same future change. Both seek to be faithful to Scripture. You may find hope in Christ and the resurrection.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Christians who hold the view that God’s blessings are not tied to human goodness point out that Israel’s faithfulness follows God’s promises rather than causing them. They also say that God will not bless those who stay in sin.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that the promised transformation of fast-days into joyful feasts was conditional on loving truth and peace, not an automatic abolition. They reject the Talmudic claim that the fast-days were dropped after this prophecy, noting they actually continued and were observed more strictly after Jerusalem's second destruction.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that sincere fasters who humble themselves before God will have their annual fasts turn into days of joy and celebration. He also says that many people from other nations will come to Jerusalem to pray before God.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that the promised joy will come only if people follow the instructions given in verses sixteen and seventeen. He also says that Jerusalem represents both the early church and Christ’s body.