And the word of Hashem came. After this introduction, in which He informed them that fasting was entirely ineffective in repairing the past or turning away Hashem’s wrath, and that their condition could be corrected only by removing the cause for which Jerusalem had been destroyed—namely, their refusal to heed the words of the prophets—He now awakened them to the possibility that this Temple could become exalted, that the Divine Presence could return to it, and that the universal ingathering could occur, if they practiced justice and righteousness.

I have been zealous. That is, although I was exceedingly angry and said that I would not listen when they called, zeal for Zion has now been aroused within Me. This is partly zeal for her dishonored glory, as indicated by “I have been zealous for Zion with great zeal,” and partly anger over the harm that her enemies inflicted upon her in the past, as indicated by “with great wrath I have been zealous for her”—wrath directed against her enemies and their wicked deeds.

Thus. Therefore, “Thus says Hashem: I have returned to Zion.” It is My intention to return to Zion so that My Divine Presence will dwell there permanently as in former times. Moreover, “I will dwell within Jerusalem,” among the people: My Divine Presence will abide in their midst, and prophecy, holiness, and all the precious qualities Jerusalem possessed in ancient times will return to them. This, however, depends upon certain conditions. “Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth” if they practice true justice there between one person and another and speak truthfully and faithfully. “And the mountain of Hashem of Hosts shall be called the Holy Mountain” if its priests are holy to their God. We have already mentioned (above, 7:3), in the name of Abarbanel, that Israel then feared they might again be exiled because of seven concerns. Here Hashem addresses those concerns one by one, as Abarbanel explains. In response to their first concern—that the Divine Presence had not returned during the Second Temple period—He said that it was possible for Him to restore His Divine Presence to Zion if they improved their conduct by practicing truth and walking in holiness.

(4–5) Thus says Hashem. In response to their second concern—that Darius might again exile them from the land—He said that elderly men and women would yet sit in the streets of Jerusalem. He promised that peace would be so complete that even the vulnerable—the elderly and the children—would be present in the city’s streets without fear.

Thus says Hashem. He said that although this may now appear wondrous in the eyes of the people, since according to the natural order they could not prosper to such a degree while under the dominion of their oppressors and surrounded by enemies, it is also wondrous in My eyes. That is, under present conditions it would indeed be a miracle transcending nature. According to the natural course of events, they would be unlikely to remain in the land for long, since they were few and powerless. Nevertheless:

Thus says Hashem: Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east. These are the Ten Tribes who were exiled eastward, “and from the land of the setting sun,” referring to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were exiled westward. Thus, not only will those presently in the Land of Israel not be exiled, but those dispersed throughout the four corners of the earth will also be gathered there.

And I will bring them, and I will be their God. I will direct My particular Providence toward them. This, however, is subject to the condition “in truth and in righteousness.” If they practice truth between one person and another and righteousness between human beings and God, then all this will occur. But if they are not My people in truth and righteousness, it will be wondrous even in My eyes to accomplish this, for it cannot occur through nature but only by means of a miracle, and miracles occur only when people merit them through their deeds. He thereby also removed their third concern, arising from the fact that the exiles had not returned to their land, by explaining that this too remained possible if they improved their conduct.

Thus says Hashem of Hosts. He now came to remove their fourth concern: they feared because they saw that the land remained under a curse and had not yet recovered its former strength. In response, He said, “Let your hands be strengthened, you who hear” and so forth. Haggai had already prophesied about this when they laid the Temple’s foundation, promising that the curse that had prevailed until then would cease from the day the foundation was laid. He told them that this would demonstrate that the time for rebuilding had arrived and that the curse had rested upon them until then because they had delayed the construction. Therefore, He said, “Let your hands be strengthened, you who hear in these days”—for Haggai’s prophecy had been delivered two years before this one—“from the mouths of the prophets,” meaning Haggai and the prophets who were with him. At that time the prophets declared that “on the day when the foundation of the House of Hashem of Hosts was laid,” the time had arrived for the Sanctuary to be built. They offered the following proof of this:

For before those days, there were no wages for man. As Haggai said, “Consider your ways: you have sown much but brought in little,” and “the one who earns wages earns them for a bag with holes” (as stated there, 1:5–12 and 2:15–20). Nor were there any wages for animals at all. He explains why there were no wages for animals: “For neither the one who went out nor the one who came in had peace because of the adversary.” It was impossible to hire out animals for riding or carrying burdens outside the city, or for labor in the fields, because no one could safely leave the city. He then explains the statement that there were no wages for man: “And I set every man against his neighbor,” so that whenever a person earned anything, others robbed him of it.

But now I am not as I was in the former days. The curse that had rested upon them until then resulted from My anger toward them. Now My disposition toward them has changed for the better: the external adversary and the internal attacks of enemies will cease, and there will be peace in the land.

For the seed shall be one of peace. That is, this peace will serve as the seed that brings forth the produce of the trees and the soil. The earth will answer the grain, the wine, and the oil; the heavens will answer the earth and give it their dew; and through the peace, I will answer the heavens. And I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit: this blessing will remain their inheritance and endure in their possession.

And it shall come to pass. In response to their fifth concern—that they were despised and lowly among the nations—He said, “So shall I save you,” and thereby “you shall become a blessing.” Therefore, “let your hands be strengthened,” and do not slacken in rebuilding the Temple.

For thus says Hashem. If you ask how the Holy One, blessed be He, can change from being unwilling to being willing, as implied by the words, “I am not now as I was in the former days,” when there can be no change of will in Him, He answers: “Just as I intended to do harm to you and did not relent.” Whenever Hashem decrees calamity upon Israel, the possibility of regret and relenting is generally bound up with the decree. That is, Hashem intends that the decree should cause them to repent and improve their deeds, whereupon He will relent from the calamity and not bring it upon them. Thus, at the very moment He intends to do harm, He also intends to relent; He does not desire the calamity to occur, but rather that it should be averted. When, however, the calamity serves a beneficial purpose—to put an end to transgression, eliminate sin, and ultimately improve their condition—He does not relent when issuing the decree, but decrees it decisively. As it is written (Jeremiah 4:28), “Because I have spoken, I have intended it, and I have not relented”; see my explanation there. Accordingly, He said that when He intended to bring calamity upon you because your fathers provoked Him, He did not relent. He then explains the reason:

So have I again intended in these days to do good to Jerusalem. The calamity served as preparation for the good, for through the exile the land made up its neglected Sabbatical years, their iniquity was atoned for, and they became more fully prepared for salvation. Since the calamity was directed toward a beneficial end, no relenting was associated with it. Therefore, “do not fear,” for your sins have now been purged and you are prepared for salvation and consolation. Only:

These are the things that you shall do. By doing them, you will become prepared for the true redemption. “Speak truth, each man with his neighbor.” The prophet foresaw that the Second Temple would be destroyed because of baseless hatred. He also saw in his vision the flying scroll that went forth to punish them for false oaths, and the two women who carried the ephah, representing the hypocrisy and haughtiness that existed among them and because of which they would again be exiled, as explained above. He therefore warned them to abandon these sins, which would otherwise bring about the Temple’s destruction a second time.

Thus says Hashem. He now returns to the beginning of his message, for the Divine word had come in response to their question about whether they should fast in the fifth month. After explaining that everything depended upon their conduct and repentance, Hashem said that “the fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth” and the other fasts “shall become occasions of joy and gladness,” provided that “you love truth and peace.” Then the redemption will be complete, and the fasts and their cries of lamentation will cease.

Thus says Hashem. He now prophesied concerning what will occur at the End of Days, when all peoples will recognize the true faith. This will happen in two stages. Near the time of redemption, all peoples, each according to its own faith, will recognize Jerusalem as the Holy City and go there to pray to Hashem. This has occurred during the period in which the great religions spread throughout the world: both Christians, according to their faith, and Muslims, according to theirs, regard Jerusalem as the city of God and travel there to pray. He prophesied that near the time of redemption, all peoples would go to Jerusalem and would also begin “to seek Hashem of Hosts” there—that is, to investigate and inquire into the fundamental principles of faith. Although the children of Israel would still appear lowly in their eyes, so that they would not yet seek religious instruction from them, they would nevertheless investigate these matters in Jerusalem. This is the meaning of “Peoples and the inhabitants of many cities shall yet come.”

And the inhabitants of one city shall go to those of another city and invite one another, saying, “Let us go at once to entreat the favor of Hashem,” meaning that they will go there to pray. Afterward, they will go “to seek Hashem” and investigate the principles of faith concerning belief in God. Everyone will be prepared to go, until each responds, “I too will go.”

And they shall come. This movement will grow so extensively that many peoples and powerful nations shall come, not merely individual cities. Their primary purpose in coming will be “to seek Hashem,” meaning to inquire in Jerusalem into the principles of the true faith, and also to pray there before Hashem. All this will occur before the time of redemption, when Israel will still be despised in their eyes, while Jerusalem will be greatly exalted in their esteem. This prophecy has now been fulfilled in every detail, as people from all nations travel to Jerusalem in great multitudes to seek Hashem and pray there.

Thus says Hashem. He now reveals another development that will occur at the End of Days: people will begin to recognize the faith of Israel and its Torah and will believe that the Torah of Hashem is holy. Then they will no longer go to Jerusalem to investigate the faith; rather, the Ishmaelites will recognize the truth of Israel’s religion. They will no longer travel from one city to another and from there to Jerusalem to seek Hashem. Instead, the Ishmaelites will seek the true faith from the mouths of Israel and recognize that God is with Israel. “Ten men from all the languages of the nations shall grasp the corner of a Jewish man’s garment.” That is, when they see the tzitzit upon the corner of his garment, they will recognize that he is a Jew. The tzitzit signify remembrance of the commandments and also the resting of the Divine Presence upon Israel, as our Sages said: “The blue thread resembles the sea, the sea resembles the heavens, and the heavens resemble the Throne of Glory.” “Saying, ‘Let us go with you.’” They will not go to Jerusalem; rather, they will accompany the Jew in order to learn his religion and faith, because they will know that God is with Israel. He told them that when this occurs, matters will no longer be as they had been until then, when the word of Hashem was confined to a particular place in Jerusalem or the Land of Israel. For then: