Zechariah 8:16

These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Zechariah 8:16-17. These are the things that ye shall do, &c. — But these my promises of good to you are conditional, and the performance of them will depend upon your observing the laws of justice and righteousness; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour — Let no one deceive another by guile or falsehood. Execute the judgment of truth — True judgment; and peace in your gates — Use all means to restore and establish peace among you. Or, Let those who have the administration of justice committed to their charge endeavour to search out the truth from the witnesses, in the trials which come before them; and decide according to the law, and do all in their power to uphold truth and integrity, and maintain the public peace. The judges, it is to be remembered, used to execute their office at the gates of each city, and therefore it is said here, Execute judgments, &c., in your gates. Let none of you imagine evil in your hearts — See note on Zechariah 7:10. And love no false oath — See note on Zechariah 5:3-4. For all these are things which I hate — God, as he essentially, by his nature, loves that which is good and excellent, so must he hate that which is the contrary.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:9-17 Those only who lay their hands to the plough of duty, shall have them strengthened with the promises of mercy: those who avoid their fathers' faults have the curse turned into a blessing. Those who believed the promises, were to show their faith by their works, and to wait the fulfilment. When God is displeased, he can cause trade to decay, and set every man against his neighbour; but when he returns in mercy, all is happy and prosperous. Surely believers in Christ must not trifle with the exhortation to put away lying, and to speak every man peace with his neighbour, to hate what the Lord hates, and to love that wherein he delights.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These are the things that ye shall do - He exhorts them to the same duties, to which the former prophets had exhorted their fathers, Zechariah 7:9-10, and, as before, first positively to truth and peace; then to avoid everything contrary to it. "Judgment of peace" must be judgment which issues in peace, as all righteous judgment righteously received, in which case each party acquiesces, must. Kimchi: "If ye judge righteousness, there will be peace between the litigants, according to that proverb, Sanhedr. f. 7. a. quoted by Me. Caul, p. 78), 'He that hath his coat taken from him by the tribunal, let him sing and go his way' ("because," says a gloss (Rashi, quoted Ibid.), "they have judged the judgment of truth, and have taken away that which would have been stolen property, if he retained it," being in fact not his). And they have quoted that, "And all this people shall go to their place in peace" Exodus 18:23. : "All this people," even he that is condemned in judgment. It is also interpreted of arbitration. What sort of judgment is that, in which there is peace? It is that of arbitration."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16, 17. The promised blessings are connected with obedience. God's covenanted grace will lead those truly blessed by it to holiness, not licentiousness.

truth to … neighbour—not that the truth should not be spoken to foreigners too; but He makes it an aggravation of their sin, that they spared not even their brethren. Besides, and above all outward ordinances (Zec 7:3), God requires truth and justice.

judgment of … peace—Equitable decisions tend to allay feuds and produce peace.

gates—the place where courts of judicature in the East were held.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

These are the things that ye shall do; you to whom I am returned, whom I have promised to bless, you have something to do that the blessing may come upon you, and look you do it. Beside building the temple and restoring public worship in sacrifices, these things ye must do.

Speak ye every man the truth; be true of your word, and lie not one to another, as becomes such a people, Psalm 24:4 Proverbs 12:19 Hosea 4:1.

To his neighbour; to all men: it hath been the sin of your fathers, they have lived, deceived, and cheated, not strangers, but brothers and neighbours; but do not ye so; every one you deal with is your neighbour, do you speak truth to every such one.

Execute the judgment of truth: see Zechariah 7:9.

And peace; that may restore, settle, and promote peace among you, as righteous judgments will do.

In your gates; either referring to the places of judicature, where the judges sat; or more generally and comprehensively through the whole land, Exodus 20:10.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

These are the things that ye shall do,.... Which were duties incumbent on them, and which it became them to perform, under a sense of the favours bestowed on them, to show their gratitude to God, and that they might glorify him:

Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; not using deceit, prevarication, and lying, Ephesians 4:25 and it becomes every man under the Gospel dispensation, according to the gift he has received, to speak, publish, and declare the truth of the Gospel, to the edification of others:

execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; that is, execute true judgment, as in Zechariah 7:9 do justice between man and man, without respect of persons; the issue of which will be peace between the contending parties: and this was to be done in their "gates", because there their courts of judicature were kept.

Geneva Study Bible

These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. the judgment of truth and peace] Rather, truth and the judgment of peace judge ye, as in R. V. margin. Jerusalem would indeed “be called a city of truth” (Zechariah 8:3), when alike in the private intercourse of her citizens (speak ye every one the truth to his neighbour), and in the public administration of justice (in your gates, Deuteronomy 25:7; Job 5:4), truth reigned supreme. The judgment of peace is righteous judgment, which alone secures peace.

“If ye judge righteousness, there will be peace between the parties in the lawsuit, according as our rabbies have said in a proverb of the children of men, ‘He that hath his coat taken from him by the tribunal, let him sing and go his way.’ And they have adduced in proof that verse, ‘And all this people shall also go to their place in peace’ (Exodus 18:23). ‘All the people,’ even he that is condemned in judgment. And our rabbies of blessed memory have interpreted, and the judgment of peace, of reconciliation, for it is said, ‘What sort of judgment is that in which there is peace? They answered, ‘That of arbitration.’ ” Kimchi (McCaul’s Trans.), quoted by Wright.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 16. - These are the things. To secure the fulfilment of the promise of good, they must do the will of God (Zechariah 7:9. etc.). Truth. This was to be observed in all conversation and transactions with their neighbours. St. Paul quotes this injunction (Ephesians 4:25). Execute the judgment of truth and peace; literally, judge ye truth and the judgment of peace. So the Septuagint and Vulgate. Practise perfect equity in judgments, and so decide, according to truth and justice, as to secure peace and concord between the parties concerned. In your gates. Where the judges sat, and justice was administered (Deuteronomy 16:18; Deuteronomy 21:19; see note on Amos 5:10). Zechariah 8:16

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The ground upon which this promise rests is given in Zechariah 8:14 and Zechariah 8:15, and it is closed in Zechariah 8:16 and Zechariah 8:17 by the addition of the condition upon which it is to be fulfilled. Zechariah 8:14. "For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers were angry with me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and repented not; Zechariah 8:15. So have I purposed again in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Fear ye not. Zechariah 8:16. These are the words that ye are to do: speak truth every one to his neighbour; truth and judgment of peace judge ye in your gates. Zechariah 8:17. And let not one devise the evil of his neighbour, and love not the oath of deceit: for all this, I hate it, is the saying of Jehovah." As the time of punishment by exile came upon Israel through the decree of God, so is it now a decree of the Lord to show good to Judah. In שׁבתּי זממתּי the שׁבתּי takes the place of the adverbial idea "again." The people have therefore no need to fear, if they are only diligent in practising truth, righteousness, and love to their neighbour. God required the same of the fathers (Zechariah 7:9-10). Mishpat shâlōm is such an administration of justice as tends to promote peace and establish concord between those who are at strife. "In your gates," where courts of justice were held (cf. Deuteronomy 21:19; Deuteronomy 22:15, etc.). The את before כּל־אלּה in Zechariah 8:17 may be accounted for from a kind of attraction, inasmuch as by the insertion of אשׁר the object "all this" is separated from the verb, to bring it out with emphasis: "As for all this, it is what I hate." Compare the similar use of 'ēth in Haggai 2:5, and Ewald, 277, d.