Zechariah 8:20
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
Study Note
Study Note
The eschatological oracle — 'peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities' to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem — envisions a universal pilgrimage that reverses the pattern of Israelite exile and Gentile dominance. The passage (8:20-23) climaxes with the image of ten men from every nation grasping the robe of a Jew to be led to God, a remarkable inversion of Jewish subordination to imperial power in the post-exilic period. The oracle connects to the broader tradition of Zion as a pilgrimage center for the nations (Isaiah 2:2-4; 60:1-7) and is taken up in early Christian mission theology as a model for Gentile incorporation into the covenant people. The verse grounds the universalism of salvation history not in the abolition of Jewish particularity but in its eschatological fulfillment.
Other Translations
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities;
Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Yet come do peoples, and inhabitants of many cities,
This is what the Lord of armies has said: It will again come about that when peoples and those living in great towns come,
Cross References
Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that …
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy …
Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth …
Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy …
And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and …
For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and …
For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with …
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard …