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
Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy …
Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that …
Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from 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 …
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations …
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the …
His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be …
Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.