Zechariah 2:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The psalmist David also affirms, 'God will come, our God, and will not be silent' (Ps. 49:3). He was revealed to the Gentiles, for He did not guide merely the people of Israel through that ancient command, but instead, the whole world was enriched by gospel preaching. His name was exalted in every nation and region, as He was ‘the expectation of nations,’ as stated by the Prophet (Gen. 49:10), and to Him ‘every knee shall bow, of heaven, and of earth, and of the underworld; and every tongue shall confess, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the glory of God the Father’ (Phil. 2:10-11). Through faith in Him, those from the ends of the earth found their place in holy and spiritual Zion and came to understand that ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). The Father sent His Son, the Savior and Redeemer, from heaven so that by believing in Him, we might see the Father in Him and recognize Him as the perfect image of the One who begot us, thus grasping the true original image. Consequently, Judas became the Lord's inheritance, signifying all who confess and exalt Him, for Judas signifies confession itself, as Paul states: ‘He that is in the flesh is not a Jew, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God’ (Rom. 2:28-29). Therefore, we who have received the spiritual circumcision through Christ have become His inheritance in the holy land, aspiring toward the higher city, the spiritual Jerusalem, ‘of which God is the architect and builder’ (Heb. 11:10), who has designated him as beloved and chosen: for it is said, ‘He shall choose Jerusalem again.’ It is also not inconceivable to consider that even today, Jerusalem symbolizes the Church, which the divine David refers to as the city of God, proclaiming, ‘As we have heard, so also have we seen in the city of the Lord of Hosts, in the city of our God’ (Ps. 47:9).

He will be with them, assuring His disciples, "Behold, I am with you all the days, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). The Lord will take possession of Judah, which represents those who trust and believe in His name, specifically in the sacred Church, and He will again select Jerusalem, which has faced trials and persecution.

Some among the Jewish people consider the return under Zerubbabel, Jesus, Ezra, and Nehemiah as a partial fulfillment, particularly in the choice of Jerusalem and the claim to Judah by the Lord; indeed, two tribes returned from Babylonian captivity, referred to as Judah rather than Israel, as the latter still dwells among the Midians. Other Jews, however, interpret this in light of the future, asserting that at that time, nations will believe in the one sent from the Lord, and Jerusalem will be chosen once all nations have come to faith in the Lord Savior; presently, it remains desolate and cannot yet be selected. It is entirely fitting that the daughter of Zion is called to rejoice post-exile; as the Psalm declares, "When the Lord restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad" (Psalms 52:7).