Zechariah 2 4

Zechariah 2:4 kjv

And said unto him, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein:

Zechariah 2:4 nkjv

who said to him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying: 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.

Zechariah 2:4 niv

and said to him: "Run, tell that young man, 'Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it.

Zechariah 2:4 esv

and said to him, "Run, say to that young man, 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.

Zechariah 2:4 nlt

The other angel said, "Hurry, and say to that young man, 'Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won't be room enough for everyone! Many will live outside the city walls.

Zechariah 2 verses

Zechariah 2 4 Meaning

Zechariah 2:4 declares a divine promise for the future of Jerusalem: it will not only be rebuilt but will expand explosively beyond its traditional city walls, becoming so vast and populated that it resembles unwalled settlements. This immense growth of people and livestock signifies abundant prosperity and blessing, implying that its security will stem not from physical fortifications, but from the divine presence itself, as further clarified in the subsequent verse.

Zechariah 2 4 Context

Zechariah 2:4 is part of a series of eight night visions given to the prophet Zechariah during the second year of Darius I (c. 520 BC), shortly after the return of the exiles from Babylonian captivity. At this time, Jerusalem lay in ruins, its walls broken down, and its population small and discouraged. The initial zeal for rebuilding the Temple had waned, and the community faced external opposition and internal apathy. This specific vision (the third in the sequence) follows the vision of the four horns and four craftsmen (Zech 1:18-21), which promised judgment on the nations that scattered Judah. The previous verse, Zechariah 2:1-3, describes Zechariah seeing a young man with a measuring line, intending to measure Jerusalem. This act symbolized the re-establishment of the city. However, the angel sent to intercept the measuring youth declares a vastly greater future for Jerusalem than a walled city could contain, thus elevating the vision beyond immediate physical restoration to an eschatological and divinely protected reality. The cultural context emphasizes that cities in the ancient Near East derived their security and identity from their walls. Therefore, to be "unwalled" signified vulnerability and lack of defense, making the divine promise in this verse particularly striking and paradoxical, counteracting human fears and limited expectations.

Zechariah 2 4 Word analysis

• and said to him (וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֵלָ֔יו - va’yo'mer elav): This refers to the angel speaking to Zechariah, imparting a divine message. It emphasizes that this is not Zechariah's human speculation but a direct prophetic revelation.
• ‘Run,’ (רוּץ - ruts): An imperative verb signifying urgency and immediacy. The messenger is to hasten the proclamation, indicating the critical importance and swiftness of God's coming action.
• ‘speak’ (דַּבֵּר - dabber): A command, carrying weight and authority. The message is to be clearly and directly communicated.
• ‘to this young man,’ (אֶל־הַנַּ֣עַר הַזֶּ֔ה - 'el hanna'ar hazzeh): Likely refers to the measuring man from Zechariah 2:1, who intended to measure Jerusalem with human limitations. He symbolizes the limited human understanding of God's plans for restoration. This interaction ensures the message is for the original, disheartened post-exilic community.
• ‘saying: “Jerusalem’ (לֵאמֹ֑ר יְרוּשָׁלַ֖ם - le'mor Yerushalaim): Introduces the core prophetic declaration. "Jerusalem" is the focal point, representing God's chosen people and city, both historically and spiritually. Its fate reflects God's covenant faithfulness.
• ‘shall be inhabited’ (תֵּשֵׁ֣ב - teshev): From the verb יָשַׁב (yashav), meaning "to sit, dwell, inhabit." It implies a stable, permanent, and populated settlement, not merely a rebuilt structure, but a thriving, living city.
• ‘as towns without walls,’ (כִּפְרָז֛וֹת - kiphrazot): This is a crucial and counter-intuitive phrase. Perazot (unwalled towns/villages) implies an absence of fortifications, which in the ancient world meant vulnerability and insecurity. Here, it is presented as a state of incredible growth, implying that the city's future population will exceed the capacity of any possible walls. The divine intent is for Jerusalem to burst forth beyond normal bounds. This contrasts with common sense where walls provide security.
• ‘because of’ (מֵרֹ֥ב - merov): Indicates the reason for the unwalled expansion.
• ‘the multitude’ (רֹ֥ב - rov): Abundance, overflowing quantity. It signifies an overwhelming number, an excess that defies human containment or limitation.
• ‘of men and livestock’ (אָדָ֖ם וּבְהֵמָֽה - adam u'vehemah): A comprehensive expression for all living things that contribute to prosperity in an agrarian society. It represents total well-being, economic blessing, and demographic explosion. The inclusion of livestock points to tangible, earthly blessings and material abundance.

Words-group analysis:

• "Run, speak to this young man, saying": This sequence underscores the urgency and authority of the divine message intended for the limited human perspective of restoration, represented by the "young man" with his measuring line. God's vision for Jerusalem far exceeds what human tools or plans can encompass.
• "Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls": This is the central paradox. A city's greatness was often defined by its walls. God promises a future so great that no walls can contain it. This statement defies ancient military and urban logic, pointing to a radically new form of security.
• "because of the multitude of men and livestock in it": This phrase directly explains why Jerusalem will be unwalled—not due to weakness, but overwhelming abundance. It paints a picture of bursting at the seams with life, wealth, and blessing. The demographic and economic explosion will make walls obsolete as confining structures.

Zechariah 2 4 Bonus section

The vision in Zechariah 2:4 directly contrasts with the very real contemporary challenges of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, famously detailed later in the book of Nehemiah. While Nehemiah led a practical, immediate effort to secure the city through physical walls, Zechariah’s prophecy looked far beyond that, presenting a divinely orchestrated reality where human constructions would be irrelevant. This highlights the dual nature of prophecy: both immediate encouragement and long-term, sometimes symbolic, eschatological promise. The message that Jerusalem would become "unwalled" effectively mocks the enemy nations (represented by the four horns in the prior vision) who believed they could confine God's people. The true nature of Zion is an expansive, unbounded entity defined by God's indwelling glory, which cannot be measured or limited by human instruments (the measuring line) or by physical barriers. This principle extends to the growth of God's Kingdom (the church) which cannot be contained by any earthly boundaries or persecutions but expands exponentially by divine power.

Zechariah 2 4 Commentary

Zechariah 2:4 unveils a radical shift in God's plan for Jerusalem. Far from being merely restored within its ancient, limited boundaries, Jerusalem is promised an unprecedented era of explosive growth and overflowing prosperity. The shocking imagery of being "unwalled" is not a depiction of vulnerability but an affirmation of superabundant population and wealth that will render physical walls utterly insufficient and unnecessary. This is a deliberate polemic against human understanding of security, which relied on fortifications. Instead, divine presence, elaborated in the following verse as a "wall of fire," will be its ultimate defense and glory. This prophetic vision provided immense comfort and encouragement to the dispirited post-exilic community, assuring them that God's restoration would surpass their wildest expectations and transform a struggling remnant into an uncontainable multitude. It finds its ultimate fulfillment not just in a rebuilt earthly city, but in the spiritual reality of God's boundless kingdom, extending to all nations (multitude of people) and finding its consummation in the New Jerusalem of Revelation, where God Himself is its light and protection, needing no walls or sun. This passage calls believers to trust in God's expansive, divine provisions and protection, rather than human limitations or efforts.