Zechariah 2:8 Meaning and Explanation
“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The LORD of hosts declares that whoever harms His people touches the very pupil of His eye.
What Does Zechariah 2:8 Mean?
Speaking as the Lord of hosts, the commander of heaven's armies, God sends His messenger against the nations that had plundered His people. Then comes one of Scripture's tenderest lines: to touch His people is to touch the apple of his eye, the pupil, the most sensitive and instinctively guarded part of the body.
No image speaks God's nearness to the wounded more vividly. We flinch when anything approaches the eye; God says He feels every blow against His people that way. Their hurt is His hurt, instantly and personally. To those who have been harmed and feel forgotten, this is the assurance that the One who watches over them counts them as precious as His own sight.
Zechariah 2:8 in the Original Language
babah (בָּבָה), 'apple, pupil' -- the pupil of the eye, the body's most tender and reflexively protected point.
Frequently Asked Questions About Zechariah 2:8
What does Zechariah 2:8 mean?
The LORD of hosts declares that whoever harms His people touches the very pupil of His eye.