Zechariah 2:2
New International Version
I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”

New Living Translation
“Where are you going?” I asked. He replied, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to see how wide and how long it is.”

English Standard Version
Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

Berean Standard Bible
“Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.”

King James Bible
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

New King James Version
So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”

New American Standard Bible
So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.”

NASB 1995
So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.”

NASB 1977
So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.”

Amplified Bible
So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.”

Christian Standard Bible
I asked, “Where are you going? ” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to determine its width and length.”

American Standard Version
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

Contemporary English Version
and I asked, "Where are you going?" "To measure Jerusalem," was the answer. "To find out how wide and long it is."

English Revised Version
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I asked him, "Where are you going?" He answered, "I am going to measure Jerusalem to see how wide and how long it is."

Good News Translation
"Where are you going?" I asked. "To measure Jerusalem," he answered, "to see how long and how wide it is."

International Standard Version
I asked, "Where are you going?" He responded, "To measure Jerusalem in order to determine its width and length."

Majority Standard Bible
“Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.”

NET Bible
I asked, "Where are you going?" He replied, "To measure Jerusalem in order to determine its width and its length."

New Heart English Bible
Then I asked, "Where are you going?" He said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length."

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth, and what is its length.

World English Bible
Then I asked, “Where are you going?” He said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I say, “To where are you going?” And he says to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how much [is] its breadth and how much its length.”

Young's Literal Translation
And I say, 'Whither are thou going?' And he saith unto me, 'To measure Jerusalem, to see how much is its breadth, and how much its length.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And saying, Whither goest thou? And he will say to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see according to what its breadth, and according to what its length.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said: Whither goest thou? and he said to me: To measure Jerusalem, and to see how great is the breadth thereof, and how great the length thereof.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, so that I may see how great its width and how great its length may be.”

New American Bible
I asked, “Where are you going?” And he said, “To measure Jerusalem—to see how great its width is and how great its length.”

New Revised Standard Version
Then I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And I said to him, Where are you going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I said to him: ”Where are you going?” And he said to me, ”I shall measure Jerusalem and I shall see how great its length and how great its width”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then said I: 'Whither goest thou?' And he said unto me: 'To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I said to him, Whither goest thou? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth of it, and what is the length of it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Vision of the Measuring Line
1Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2“Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.” 3Then the angel who was speaking with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him…

Cross References
Revelation 11:1-2
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. / But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.

Ezekiel 40:3-5
So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. / “Son of man,” he said to me, “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.” / And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high.

Jeremiah 31:38-40
“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me, from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. / The measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. / The whole valley of the dead bodies and ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east, will be holy to the LORD. It will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

Isaiah 49:16
Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.

Nehemiah 2:13-15
So I went out at night through the Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and the gates that had been destroyed by fire. / Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through; / so I went up the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through the Valley Gate.

Amos 7:7-9
This is what He showed me: Behold, the Lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in His hand. / “Amos, what do you see?” asked the LORD. “A plumb line,” I replied. “Behold,” said the Lord, “I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel; I will no longer spare them: / The high places of Isaac will be deserted, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste; and I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with My sword.”

Ezekiel 42:15-20
Now when the man had finished measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the gate that faced east, and he measured the area all around: / With a measuring rod he measured the east side to be five hundred cubits long. / He measured the north side to be five hundred cubits long. ...

Isaiah 54:2-3
“Enlarge the site of your tent, stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back. Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes in deep. / For you will spread out to the right and left; your descendants will dispossess the nations and inhabit the desolate cities.

Revelation 21:15-17
The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. / The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height. / And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.

Psalm 48:12-13
March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers, / consider her ramparts, tour her citadels, that you may tell the next generation.

Isaiah 60:18
No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.

Jeremiah 1:11-12
And the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” “I see a branch of an almond tree,” I replied. / “You have observed correctly,” said the LORD, “for I am watching over My word to accomplish it.”

Ezekiel 43:10-12
As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities. Let them measure the plan, / and if they are ashamed of all they have done, then make known to them the design of the temple—its arrangement and its exits and entrances—its whole design along with all its statutes, forms, and laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out. / This is the law of the temple: All its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be most holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.

Isaiah 62:6-7
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves, / nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

Revelation 21:10-12
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, / shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. / The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.


Treasury of Scripture

Then said I, Where go you? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof.

Whither.

Zechariah 5:10
Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

John 16:5
But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

To.

Jeremiah 31:39
And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.

Ezekiel 45:6
And ye shall appoint the possession of the city five thousand broad, and five and twenty thousand long, over against the oblation of the holy portion: it shall be for the whole house of Israel.

Ezekiel 48:15-17,30-35
And the five thousand, that are left in the breadth over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for dwelling, and for suburbs: and the city shall be in the midst thereof…

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Zechariah 2
1. God, in the care of Jerusalem, sends to measure it.
6. The redemption of Zion.
10. The promise of God's presence.














Where are you going?
This phrase reflects a moment of inquiry and curiosity. In the Hebrew context, the act of asking questions is a common method of engaging with divine visions or messages. The question signifies a desire for understanding and clarity. It is reminiscent of other biblical instances where prophets or individuals seek to comprehend God's plans, such as when Moses asked God about His intentions for Israel. This inquiry sets the stage for a revelation of divine purpose and action.

I asked
The act of asking here is significant. It shows the prophet Zechariah's active engagement with the vision. In the Hebrew tradition, prophets often played an interactive role in their visions, not merely passive recipients but active participants. This engagement underscores the relational aspect of God's communication with His people, where dialogue and understanding are encouraged.

To measure Jerusalem
The act of measuring in biblical terms often symbolizes preparation and restoration. In the Hebrew, the word for measure, "madad," implies a careful and deliberate action. Measuring Jerusalem signifies God's intention to restore and protect the city. Historically, Jerusalem had been devastated, and this vision offers hope of its future glory and divine favor. It echoes the promises found in other prophetic books, such as Ezekiel, where measurements are part of the vision for a restored temple and city.

he replied
This response indicates a clear and purposeful communication from the angelic figure. In biblical narratives, replies from divine or angelic beings often carry authority and assurance. The reply here is not just informative but also reassuring, indicating that there is a divine plan in motion. It reflects the certainty and intentionality of God's plans for His people.

and to determine its width and length
The specific mention of width and length emphasizes the completeness and thoroughness of God's plan for Jerusalem. In the ancient Near Eastern context, cities were often measured to establish boundaries and ensure security. This phrase suggests a comprehensive restoration and protection of Jerusalem. It aligns with the biblical theme of God as a meticulous planner who cares for every detail of His creation. The measurement signifies not only physical dimensions but also the spiritual and communal restoration of God's people.

Verse 2. - What is the breadth thereof. The man measures to see what shall be the dimensions of the restored city, for from ver. 12 it is apparent that the building is not yet completed, nor are we to think that the rebuilding of the material ruined walls is meant.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Where
אָ֖נָה (’ā·nāh)
Interrogative
Strong's 575: Where?, whither?, when?, hither and thither

are you
אַתָּ֣ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

going?”
הֹלֵ֑ךְ (hō·lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

I asked.
וָאֹמַ֕ר (wā·’ō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“To measure
לָמֹד֙ (lā·mōḏ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4058: To stretch, to measure, to be extended

Jerusalem,”
יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel

he replied,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“and to determine
לִרְא֥וֹת (lir·’ō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7200: To see

its width
רָחְבָּ֖הּ (rā·ḥə·bāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7341: Breadth, width

and length.”
אָרְכָּֽהּ׃ (’ā·rə·kāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 753: Length


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OT Prophets: Zechariah 2:2 Then I asked Where are you going? (Zech. Zec Zc)
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