Zechariah 8:18-23 Meaning: When Fasting Becomes Feasting
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.’”
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.
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.
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!
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.
Meaning in one sentence
God answers a question about fasting by promising sorrow will become joy, and all nations will come to seek Him.
Context
Zechariah 8 forms the answer to a question asked in chapter 7. A delegation from Bethel came to inquire whether they should continue mourning and fasting in the fifth month, as they had done for seventy years. God uses their question to call them to true obedience and justice. Now, in this chapter, the Lord of Hosts gives a direct reply: the fasts, commemorating the breach of Jerusalem, the temple's destruction, the murder of Gedaliah, and the start of the siege, will become seasons of joy and gladness, cheerful feasts. The promise then widens dramatically. Not only will Judah's sorrow be reversed, but all nations will come streaming to Jerusalem to seek the Lord. People from every language will grasp the robe of a Jew, saying they will go with them, for they have heard that God is with them. The prophecy looks to a day when God's presence among His people becomes so visible that the whole world is drawn to it.
Key Words
The word for “fast” here is tsom, a public day of self-denial and sorrow over national catastrophe. But God says these days will become “joy” (sason) and “gladness” (simchah) and “cheerful feasts” (mo’adim tovim). Mo’adim are appointed times, the sacred festivals of the Lord. What was once a funeral is now a festival. In verse 23, the verb “take hold” is chazaq, which means to grasp firmly, to seize with urgency. The ten men do not politely ask; they grab the corner of the Jew’s garment. That corner is kanaf, the wing or fringe of the robe, often bearing tassels that reminded the wearer of God’s commands. They are literally hanging onto the covenant community. And why? “We have heard God is with you.” The verb shama’anu carries the sense of receiving a report that has convinced them. God’s reputation spreads through His people. The command in verse 19 to “love truth and peace” uses ahav, the same verb for covenant love. Truth (emet) means reliability; peace (shalom) means wholeness. These are the marks of a community that has truly experienced God’s transformation.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians from different traditions have read this prophecy as pointing to the gathering of all nations into God’s family. Many Reformed commentators, like Matthew Henry, see the early spread of the gospel in Acts as the beginning of these streams of peoples. Roman Catholic interpretation has often understood Jerusalem as the Church, the new Jerusalem from above, where people of every tongue come to worship. Some evangelical and Pentecostal traditions emphasize a future ingathering of Israel and the nations when Christ returns. Baptist scholar John Gill saw the strong nations as the Roman Empire eventually embracing Christianity. Each tradition finds in these verses the unstoppable movement of God toward all peoples, drawn by the presence of God with His covenant community.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume this passage promises that ethnic Jews will always be the exclusive channel of God’s blessing. In fact, the passage focuses on the nations attaching themselves to the covenant community because “God is with you”, the attraction is God’s presence, not ethnic privilege. The Jew represents the people who bear God’s presence. In the New Testament, that community is defined by faith in Christ, not ancestry, and people from every nation are now part of that same community.
Living This Out
You have days you mark with sadness: the anniversary of a death, the memory of a difficult season, the fast you have kept for years. This passage invites you to let God rename those days. He can turn them into times of joy, not by erasing the hurt, but by fulfilling His promise to be with you. At the same time, you are called to “love truth and peace.” In your home, at work, in your church, choose reliability over deception, choose reconciliation over division. And live in such a way that people notice God is with you. They may not grab your sleeve, but they will ask about the hope they see in you. That is your chance to say, “I will go also.”
Main takeaway: God transforms our most painful anniversaries into occasions of joy, and His presence in His people draws all nations to seek Him.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God promises to turn sad days into happy days. He wants us to love what is true and to be peaceful. People will see God with us and want to come along.
For ages 9, 12
The people of Judah had been fasting for seventy years to remember terrible things: the walls of Jerusalem being broken, the temple burning, a leader being killed, the siege starting. God said those sad days would become joyful festivals. Then He said something even bigger: people from every nation would come to Jerusalem because they heard God was with the Jews. This shows that when God’s presence is real in a community, it attracts others. You can be part of that: when you live with truth and peace, people notice something different about you and want to know God.
Questions People Ask
What are the four fasts mentioned in this passage?
The fast of the fourth month commemorated the breach of Jerusalem's walls by Babylon (2 Kings 25:3-4). The fifth month marked the burning of the temple (2 Kings 25:8-9). The seventh month remembered the murder of Gedaliah, the governor (2 Kings 25:25). The tenth month recalled the beginning of the siege (Jeremiah 39:1). These were days of national mourning.
Does this mean Christians should not fast?
No. Jesus assumed that his followers would fast. This passage promises that times of mourning will one day be transformed. Fasting remains a spiritual discipline, but it is not an end in itself, it points to the greater joy of God's presence.
What does it mean that ten men take hold of the skirt of a Jew?
Ten symbolizes completeness or a great number. The gesture of grasping the skirt (or robe) was an urgent plea for help or belonging. It shows that the nations will eagerly cling to God's people, wanting to share in the blessing of God's presence. The 'Jew' represents the covenant community through whom God makes Himself known.
How have Christians seen this prophecy fulfilled?
Many see an initial fulfillment at Pentecost, when people from every nation heard the wonders of God. Others see it in the gradual spread of the gospel to all peoples. Some look for a future fulfillment when Israel and the nations together worship Christ in the new Jerusalem. Each tradition sees the heart of the promise as God gathering a multi-ethnic people to Himself.
What does 'love truth and peace' have to do with this promise?
This command is the ethical response to God's grace. The people had fasted mechanically, but God wants a transformed life: loving truth (faithfulness, honesty) and peace (reconciliation, wholeness). When we live that way, we become a community that attracts others because God's character is visible in us.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study